Rowdens on the Move

It seems that although people first used the Rowden surname in England during the 15th century, give or take a hundred years, they did not always stay put. Certainly some migrated as early as the 18th century. However during the 19th century many departed the shores of England leaving from her major ports, London, Liverpool, Southampton and Plymouth to chase dreams of a better life in another world.

Barque

Departures from England in the early 1800s were likely to have been on a sailing vessel similar to the one pictured here. Journeys to Australia and New Zealand were an ordeal in themselves and some either did not make it or perished shortly after arrival. People left with great promise but wherever the point of arrival in the 'new world', conditions were usually poorer than the point of departure.

So who were they?

Set out below is a list of Rowdens who left England not expecting to return, in order by migration year. Some were sailors who never quite made it back home. One or two did return permanently and a few returned on visits but most stayed in their new country. You will note that some migrated from their chosen country to another later in life. The list below shows either an indiviual who migrated or the head of the family who left en masse.

Someone missing from the list? let me know

William Rowden
Sept 63
born 1785 England
migrated 1830s Canada
Samuel Rowdon
Sept 6
born 1803 Sandford, Devon, England
migrated 1834 Lancaster, Grant Co, Wisconsin, USA
George William Rowden
Sept 25
born 1803 Stapleford, Wiltshire, England
migrated 1835 Shelby, Kentucky, USA
Mary Ann Rowden
Sept 25
born 1813 Great Wishford, Wiltshire, England
migrated 1837 Port Huron, Michigan, USA
Thomas William Rowden
Sept 25
born 1816 Chilmark, Wiltshire, England
migrated 1837 New York, USA
William Rowden
Sept 25
born 1828 Great Wishford, Wiltshire, England
migrated 1840 Kentucky, USA
Edward John Rowden
Sept 25
born 1822 St Mark, Middlesex, England
migrated 1850s Geelong, Victoria, Australia
George Rowden
Sept 2
born 1801 Hartland, Devon, England
migrated 1851 Port Hope, Ontario, Canada
John Rowden
Sept 12
born 1806 Chittlehampton, Devon, England
migrated 1851 Peel County, Ontario, Canada
Samuel Whitfield Rowden
Sept 12
born 1829 Chittlehampton, Devon, England
migrated 1852 Williams Bay, Michigan, USA
Thomas Jasper Rowden
Sept 51
born 1814 Seasalter, Kent, England
migrated 1852 Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
James Rowden
Sept 22
born 1816 Somerset, England
migrated 1852 Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia
James Rowdon
Sept 4
born 1820 Bow, Devon, England
migrated 1852 Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
Henry Rowden
Sept 25
born 1828 St Lukes, Middlesex, England
migrated 1853 Victoria, Australia
John Rowden
Sept 12
born 1805 Chittlehampton, Devon, England
migrated 1854 Williams Bay, Michigan, USA
Arthur Edward Rowden
Sept 42
born 1837 Cuxham, Oxfordshire, England
migrated 1856 New Zealand
Frederick Augustus Rowden
born 1829 Marylebone, Middlesex, England
migrated 1859c. Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
John Rowdon
Sept 3
born 1828 Colebrooke, Devon, England
migrated 1860 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
James Rowdon
Sept 3
born 1835 Colebrooke, Devon, England
migrated 1865 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Henry George Rowden
Sept 16
born 1835 England
migrated 1865 Sydney, NSW, Australia
George Herbert Rowden
Sept 25
born 1840 Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
migrated 1867 Wallingford, Connecticut, USA
William Rowdon
Sept 2
born 1848 Bow, Devon, England
migrated 1868 St Catharines, Ontario, Canada
George Rowden
Sept 25
born 1842 Holton, Somerset, England
migrated 1868 Texas, USA
William Job Rowden
Sept 27
born 1845 Alderbury, Wiltshire, England
migrated 1869 Lapeer, Michigan, USA
Charles Rowden
Sept 25
born 1845 Holton, Somerset, England
migrated 1878 Montana, USA
William Henry Rowden
Sept 25
born 1870 Wilton, Wiltshire, England
migrated 1886 Canada
John Rowdon
Sept 2
born 1860 North Tawton, Devon, England
migrated 1888 Sydney, NSW, Australia
Walter Gillespie Rowdon
Sept 4
born 1864 Exeter, Devon, England
migrated 1899 New Zealand
George Edward Rowden
Sept 25
born 1865 Bow, Middlesex, England
migrated 1900c. New Jersey, USA
Harry Rowden
Sept 51
born 1887 Whitstable, Kent, England
migrated 1905 Canada
Edgar John Rowden
Sept 51
born 1886 New Brompton, Kent, England
migrated 1905 Queensland, Australia
Ronald Rowden
Sept 51
born 1891 New Brompton, Kent, England
migrated 1905 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Howard William Rowden
Sept 51
born 1885 Whitstable, Kent, England
migrated 1907 Wellington, New Zealand
Hubert Rowden
Sept 51
born 1877 Whitstable, Kent, England
migrated 1907 Saskatchewan, Canada
Julius Walker Rowdon
born 1878 St Peter Port, Guernsey
migrated 1907 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Henry James Rowden
Sept 25
born 1876 Holton, Somerset, England
migrated 1907 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Thomas George Rowden
Sept 25
born 1883 Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales
migrated 1908c. Canada / Detroit, USA
John Rowden
Sept 27
born 1841 Cheshunt, Herts, England
migrated 1908 St Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Ronald Rowden
Sept 51
born 1891 New Brompton, Kent, England
migrated 1909 Sydney, NSW, Australia
Beatrice Ada Rowdon
Sept 11
born 1891 London, England
migrated 1909 Auckland, New Zealand
Rose Matilda Rowdon
Sept 4
born 1890 Battersea, Surrey, England
migrated 1910 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
William Hubert Rowden
Sept 51
born 1886 Whitstable, Kent, England
migrated 1910 New South Wales, Australia
Walter Ernest Rowden
Sept 22
born 1894 Frome, Somerset, England
migrated 1914 Ontario, Canada
Walter John Rowden
Sept 25
born 1892 Lewisham, London, England
migrated 1915c. New South Wales, Australia
Harold William Rowdon
born 1885 Marylebone, London, England
migrated 1916 Canada
Charles Henry Rowdon
Sept 2
born 1868 Cheshunt, Herts, England
migrated 1919 St Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Richard John Rowdon
Sept 3
born 1896 St Mary Church, Devon, England
migrated 1920s Perth, Western Australia
Osborne Clarence Rowden
Sept 51
born 1894 Whitstable, Kent, England
migrated 1920s Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lewis Stennett Rowden
Sept 25
born 1897 Leeds, Yorkshire
migrated 1920c. Canada
Edgar Harrington Rowden
Sept 25
born 1864 Horsington, Somerset, England
migrated 1921 Ontario, Canada
Henry Thomas Rowden
Sept 25
born 1863 Middlesex, England
migrated 1921 Sydney, NSW, Australia
Phoebe Hooker Rowdon
Sept 4
born 1902 Exeter, Devon, England
migrated 1927 Quebec, Canada
William James Rowden
Sept 25
born 1909 Newnham Murren, Oxfordshire, England
migrated 1929 Perth, Western Australia
Buzicot Gillespie Rowdon
Sept 4
born 1903 Wellington, New Zealand
migrated 1930 Vancover, BC, Canada
Victor Joseph Rowden
Sept 25
born 1907 Greenwich, Kent, England
migrated 1930c. New South Wales, Australia
Edmund James A Rowden
Sept 51
born 1915 England
migrated 1930c. Australia
Ian Rowden
Sept 1
born 1926 England
migrated 1941 South Africa
Charles Rowden
Sept 2
born 1907 Camberwell, Surrey, England
migrated 1948 Cape Town, South Africa
Leslie Edwin Rowden
Sept 51
born 1909 Kent, England
migrated 1951 Perth, Australia
George Rowden
Sept 15
born 1887 Ringsend, Dublin, Ireland
migrated 1960 New Zealand
Sidney Frank Rowden
Sept 25
born 1920 London, England
migrated 1961 Australia
David Martin Rowden
Sept 51
born 1943 Whitstable, Kent, England
migrated 1965 Sydney, NSW, Australia
John Michael Hooker Rowdon
Sept 4
born 1927 London, England
migrated 1966 Perth, Western Australia
Torrence Mansell Humphrey Rowden
Sept 10
born 1930 England
migrated 1970 Australia
Alan John Rowden
Sept 12
born 1949 Gateshead, Co.Durham, England
migrated 1971 New Zealand
Stewart William Rowden
Sept 61
born 1972 South Shields, Co Durham, England
migrated 1996 Sydney, NSW, Australia
 Last update: 24 December 2018

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