BARLOW  of  BARLOW

Spring Issue - May 1994

A. Maxim Coppage, Founder                           Edson L. Barlow, Editor

            840 East Gunn Road, Rochester, Michigan 48306-1905

by James A. Pegolotti

Howard Barlow  was truly a  radio pioneer.  He was music  director of  CBS for its first sixteen years (1927-1943),  then  moved to NBC  to become  conductor of  the long-running  Voice of Firestone.  He was born May 1, 1892, in Plain City, Ohio, a few miles northwest of  Columbus.  His  great - grandfather  John Barlow  left  Ridgefield, Connecticut,  "in  about 1802"  arriving
in Ohio via New York State by 1820.  The family farmed the Darby Plain area as well as began wood-working businesses.

When the family's  Plain City furniture  factory burned down  in 1893,  Barlow's family  moved first  to Urbana,  Ohio (where  a  brick furniture  factory was  built), then  to  Mount  Carmel, Illinois (where Howard spent his formative years and another family furniture factory burned to  the  ground), then  to Denver, Colorado, (where he completed high school and received his only lesson in conducting from Wilbeforce Whiteman, father of Paul Whiteman)  and finally  to Portland,  Oregon,  in 1912 where he  and his sister Ruth entered newly-opened Reed College.  In Ohio and Illinois,  he had had  formal music lessons  on the piano, but  taught himself  the cello,  the  trumpet and  almost every  other instrument and  sang in  a quartet.  Reed had no music program, so he founded the glee club and became its conductor.  He majored in English literature  but  failed  his  senior orals and was  not allowed to graduate.   Since he had won a scholarship  to Columbia University to  study music,  Reed's president  agreed to allow Barlow to  complete  his  English degree  at Columbia.   In  1915  he  arrived  in  New  York  City  and commenced  his  music  studies  at  Columbia  while  simultaneously completing his literature degree for Reed College.

Fortunately  for Barlow, who  wanted to conduct,  the New York City area abounded in choral groups always seeking new and energetic conductors.  Barlow conducted two or three of these at a time.   In 1917, when  The Great War called young men to  action, Barlow found he  could both  conduct and still  serve his country  through the Fosdick  Commission whose purpose it was to provide uplifting activities, such as

singing,  for soldiers  in  new training  camps.   He  was assigned to be music director at Camp Greene  in  Charlotte, North Carolina,  but his days  there were cut short when he was sent to France  and the war itself.    His unusual abilities were recognized (he taught himself French) and he became part of the Army's Division of Criminal Investigation.

When  the war ended,  Barlow returned to New york and found opportunities to conduct both choral groups and orchestras.  There  he  met  Arthur  Judson  who  was  becoming  the most important  manager  of  concert  artists  and conductors  in  the United States.  "We  hit  it  off immediately,"  "and from  that  time on he  served  as my  manager without  contract",  Barlow states in his oral history.   The  many contacts  he  had  made became  springboards  to many unusual ventures for him in the early 1920s, among which was the  American National Orch- estra.   A concern for  "America first"  emerged  after World War I.   Later  it  would be  equated with  isolationism, but at the beginning it was an innocent call  to serve Americans first.   This was  a  natural  in  the  musical  world  as  orchestras  then  were  filled  with  European-born musicians.   In 1923, Barlow  founded the  American  National  Orchestra,  an  orchestra em- ploying  only  American-born musicians.   For two years,  Barlow's society connections (many from  his days as a chorus conductor) supplied money for the orchestra.   Reviews were good, but Barlow recalls how the orchestra died: "Deems Taylor came out with a long Sunday article about the American National Orchestra,  saying it was just what the  American people needed, that  it  was a  second-rate orchestra ... but  there  were  enough  first-rate  orchestras  in  the country;  what they needed were more second-rate orchestras such as ours.  Well, that was an atomic  bomb in  the  Board of Directors...they decided that they would disband."  Barlow then spent  several years  as  music director of Neighborhood Playhouse,  a well-known  theater for unusual productions in New York City.

In 1927, Arthur Judson and several other entrepreneurs initiated the Columbia Broadcasting System to challenge the existing National Broadcasting System.   Judson selected Barlow to be the new network's music director of  serious music  and Barlow conducted  an orchestral con- cert as the first broadcast of the Columbia system on Sunday, September 18, 1927.

The world of  radio  fit his talents completely---flexible, efficient end gifted  in  arranging music (an essential talent for early radio).   Many important programs  in early radio  bore  Barlow's musical stamp.   For example,  in 1931 the March of Time began and would remain one of the most listened-to programs of the 1930s.   Part documentary / part dramatization, the program of  newsworthy  stories  had an  intensity  and reality  greatly  aided by  Barlow's atmospheric musical transitions for news stories that changed from China to Italy, from tragedy to humor- ous episode.  The show was always live and Barlow conducted the orchestra.

Barlow  became  recognized  as a  firm supporter of  American  music.   In 1938  CBS commis- sioned works by six American composers specifically for radio performances to be conducted.  The performances  of  the works  by such composers as Aaron Copland and William Grant Still (the  Still work "Lenox Avenue" is  now  available in the original  Barlow broadcast on compact disc)  attracted national attention.   In  addition  to  the  CBS  commissions,  in  1938  Barlow invited 

young  composers to send compositions directly to him.  Compositions found worthy would be part of the summer orchestra series that Barlow conducted.  Several composers were provided a national audience for their works as a result.

Barlow aspired to be  appointed  conductor of  a  major  orchestra.   Arthur  Judson  had  the power of  placement of  conductors  with  major orchestras and gave Barlow guest conducting stints  with  such  orchestras  as  the  Chicago  Symphony  and  the  New York Philharmonic.  Reviews were  usually  laudatory,  but  the American  public continued  to  bow before foreign- born maestros.   "Too bad  my name  isn't Barlowski",  Barlow once  told his nephew.   Judson did  help Barlow  gain appointment  as conductor of  the  Baltimore Symphony in 1940.  (CBS provided  some release time for  this).   Supported  by  the  City  of  Baltimore  as  a municipal orchestra,  the  Symphony  had  managerial and union problems and in 1942 in the middle of his third successful season, the orchestra folded.  (It would be reorganized in a year).

In 1943,  Barlow resigned from Columbia Broadcasting and accepted the conductorship of the foremost weekly radio show of classical/semiclassical music, the Voice of Firestone on NBC. In so doing, he take  over a  long-standing musical tradition  on radio  for the  program had com- menced  in  1928.   From its inception, the Voice of  Firestone always emphasized the human
voice  in song along  with musical selections by an  orchestra of top  professionals.  Most great opera singers appeared on the program beginning the program with the well-known theme "If I Could  Tell You", a song composed by Idabelle Firestone, wife of the company's founder.  The program was  the mainstay of  Monday  night programming on  NBC (later on ABC) for  many years.  The Firestone family appreciated Barlow for his Ohio roots (the company was based in Akron) and love of American music.

In 1950,  Barlow  guided the program  from radio (where it played until 1957) into  its  cross- over  to television, the  first good  music program  to present  its soloists in  staged settings for their songs.  However, the television public, as the 1950s moved along, lost interest in serious music and  ratings for the Voice of Firestone began to fall.   Attempts  by the  producers of  the Firestone  program to  bring a  variety of  popular  entertainers onto  the program  to save  its falling ratings didn't succeed. Barlow did not stay around until 1963 to see the death throes of the once proud  program; he left in 1959.   (Barlow may be seen on many of  the commercially available  videotapes  of  telecasts of  the Voice of  Firestone  presented  by Video  Artists Inter- national.)

The 1960s were difficult years for Howard Barlow.   After thirty-two years, he no longer was a conductor  on  radio.  He  decried  the business of music,  of payola, of the loss of the sense of good  music among  the American public.    For the  last  part of  his life he  turned to  helping young  musicians,  appearing as guest conductor for honor  orchestras of talented high school musicians.

He and his wife of  thirty-nine  years moved  in 1965 from their spacious home in Westchester (New York) County to a modest home twenty miles away in Bethel, Ct.  Fiscal difficulties were upon them after a life which had been full, though childless.  He had earned much money.  As the first music director for Columbia Broadcasting, Barlow had asked for and got $15,000  yr. 

Not bad for 1927.  He once told the  Dean of Julliard School:  "I  may  not be the best,  but  I'm sure  expensive".   His wife and he enjoyed spending money, but good health was lacking; they suffered many illnesses and in those years there were no health benefits.

When he  died  January 31, 1972, only a  dozen people attended the funeral  services in Dan- bury, Ct.  (the  town next to Bethel) including a neighbor  who  was  an  Episcopal  priest and spoke  kind words  about this talented  man  relating  that even  the  great  conductor  Arturo Toscanani,  in  the  inscription  on  a  photo  of  himself  given  to Barlow,  had  indicated  his admiration for the accomplishments of this American born conductor.

Note: Howard Barlow's Oral  History is part of  the Radio Pioneer Collection at Columbia Univ- ersity.  He was interviewed in 1951.

Editors Note: James A. Pegolotti, Librarian at Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Connecticut, has written extensively about Howard Barlow.  This article was prepared for Barlow of Barlow on March 29, 1994, and Mr. Pegolotti's efforts are appreciated very such.

Howard Barlow was born on May 01, 1892,  at Plain City, Madison County, Ohio. 
His parents were Earl W. Barlow and Nettle Dunham,  and he was  a tenth  generation des- cendant of John Barlow of Fairfield, Connecticut

Howard Barlow married Jeannette Thomas on December 12, 1926, and they had no children.  He died on January 31, 1972, at Danbury, Connecticut

BARLOW, Ambrose (Edward) (1585-1641),   Benedictine monk and martyr.  Born, the  son of  Sir Alexander Barlow, at Barlow Hall Lancs. in 1585,  Barlow conformed  to  the Church of England for  some years but  returned  to the Roman Catholic Church in  1607 and entered the English College, Douai.   He was  imprisoned for  unknown  causes  in England  for  a  few months in  1613;  on his release  he became a Benedictine  monk at  St. Gregory's, Douai, was professed  in 1614, and ordained priest in 1617.   He  then  returned to  England and worked near  Manchester  and  Liverpool for  24 years.  His  principal  base  was  Morleys  Hall,  near Leigh.  Distinguished  for  his  love  of  the  poor,  his  wit and kindliness, he is described in a contemporary work  which chronicled his  long and fruitful apostolate as the man 'most likely to  represent the spirit of  Sir Thomas More'.   Four times  he was  imprisoned  and  four times released,  but at last in 1641 he  was  arrested at Leigh  while  preaching,  imprisoned  in Lan- caster castle, and tried.  Shortly  before, Charles I  under  extreme  pressure  had  ordered  all priests  to leave  the realm or incur the penalties of traitors.   Barlow admitted  that he  was  a priest, but  said  that  the  decree  specified  'Jesuits  and  seminary priests',  whereas  he  was neither,  but  a Benedictine monk;  in any case, having just suffered a stroke, he was too ill to travel.  He was then offered release in exchange for a promise not to 'seduce any more people'.  He answered:
'I am no seducer,  but a reducer of the people to the true and ancient religion... I will continue until  death to  render  this good office  to  these  strayed souls.'   He  was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Lancaster on 10 September.  His skull is preserved at Wardley Hall (Lancs.) and his  hand at Stanbrook Abbey (Worcester).   He was  canonized by Paul VI in 1970  as  one of
the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. 

Feast: 25 October.
The Apostolical Life of Ambrose Barlow 
(ed. W. E. Rhodes, Chetham Miscellanies, ii (1909), Chetham Society, vol. lxiii)
R. Challoner, Memoirs of Missionary Priests (ed. J. H. Pollen 1924), pp. 392-400
B. Camm. Nine Martyr Monks (1931)
J. Stonor, Ambrose Barlow (pamphlet 1961)
B.T.A., iii. 535-7; N.C.E., ii. |c|

John M. Barlow, c. 1832 - 1910
John M. BARLOW was born  about 1832 in the New Mexico Territory.   He, his wife Ann Eliza GREEN  (a Shawnee) and  their three  daughters were  living  with  the  Shawnee Indians  in Johnson  County, Kansas,  in 1857 when they were each allotted 200 acres of land under the provisions of  the Peace Treaty of 1848.   Ann Eliza GREEN, a Shawnee, was born about 1831.
Their children were:

     i. Martha BARLOW was born in 1852.  She died in 1885 in Johnson County, Kansas.
        She married Toby LYNCH and their children were: Susan LYNCH, born in 1879, and 
        Emma LYNCH, born in 1880.

     ii. Phoebe BARLOW was born in 1856 and died in 1877.

     iii. Nancy BARLOW was born in 1857.  She married a Mr. BALDRIDGE.

Ann Eliza  (GREEN) BARLOW  died  sometime before the Civil War,  that is,  before 1862, and John M.  BARLOW  married  Lydia  KEEN  (or KING)  in 1866  in Johnson  County,  Kansas, according  to a  deposition that he gave  in 1900.   She was  born around 1846 in Kansas and was a Shawnee.

Their children were:

     iv. Julia BARLOW was born in 1867 in Kansas.  She died on August 29, 1889, in Okla- 
          homa.   She married  Dr. DAVIS and  their  children  were: Monday BARLOW,  born
          in  1882  in  Oklahoma;  Julia  DAVIS,  born  in 1883  and  died  in  1889,  both  in 
          Oklahoma; and Amanda DAVIS.

     v. Julius BARLOW  was born  on June  12, 1870, in  Kansas.   He  died  on November 8, 
         1938, at Skiatook, Oklahoma.   He married Flora Belle METZGER  on March 30, 1897. 
         She  was  born  in  November  1875  in  Kansas and  died in April 1962  in Oklahoma. 
         Their children were: Maggie BARLOW, born in December 1898 and died in June 1982,
         both in Oklahoma; Clarence BARLOW, born in June 1902  and died in May 1976, both 
         in Oklahoma; Robert BARLOW, born  in October 1904 in Oklahoma, is Bobbie Dunbar's
         father and is living in Colorado; and Ola BARLOW, born in May 1907 in Oklahoma and 
         died in July 1990.

The Shawnee  Tribe was  moved to Oklahoma in 1870 and  the BARLOW family  settled on the Grand River in what is now Craig  County, Oklahoma.   John M. BARLOW and  Lydia (KEEN) BARLOW  were divorced in  1882.   John remained in Oklahoma  with his children and Lydia moved  to  Kansas where she  married second  Jack BUFFINGTON on  April  24,  1882.

John  M. BARLOW married  third Minta BEN, a Cherokee, in 1885.  She was born about 1833 and they had no known children. 

In  1896 John  was  appointed  Guardian for  his grandchildren,  Emma and  Susan  LYNCH, Julia and Amanda DAVIS, and Monday BARLOW.

John M. BARLOW  died  in  1910 in  Vinita, Craig County, Oklahoma, and  was buried  in  the Barlow Graveyard there.  The graves in  this  cemetery  were  later  moved  to  Ketchum, Okla- homa,  by  the  Grand  River Dam  Authority  to  make  way for  the  Pensacola  Reservoir.

Records for Flora, Julius, Billy, John M., and one unnamed Barlow, though the files list them as Cherokee, and not as Shawnee.

Orpah  (sister of Reuben COOLEY)  married  Stephen  PIXLEY  ca. 1804,  and  their children, Orrilla, Alvin Cooley,  Lorenzo, Stephen, and  Sumner were born in Hawley.  Stephen PIXLEY, Alvin  COOLEY,  and Reuben COOLEY  with their  families  removed  to  Richfield, Medina  Co (later Summit Co.), OH, ca. 1817.

By 1830 Nancy was the head of a household of 10 people in Hinckley, Medina Co, OH.  I have no  knowledge  of  Nancy  after 1830,  but  in 1840  in  the  household  of  Julius  and  Laura (COOLEY) JOHNSON of  Hudson,  Summit  Co., OH,  there  is one older female who may have been Nancy.  It seems likely that Reuben and Nancy were divorced.  Between 1854 and 1857 in Hinckley, OH, there are some land  transfers  involving  Reuben COOLEY and wife Mary C., Alexander Hulbert  (first  husband of  Orpah  COOLEY),  Orpah  and  Thomas Bates  (second husband).

I would appreciate information relative to any of the above people or their descendants.

Thelma J. Beebe, 5648 S. Foresthill St., Littleton, CO 80120-1344

Also  seeking  information  on  William BARLOW  who  received  land  in  Washington  County, Georgia, in the 1807 lottery.

His  orphans  received  land  in Houston  County, Georgia,  in the 1821 lottery.  His  wife  was Edy/Eady/Edith.

Will exchange information,
Lita H. Watson, 520 West Clara, Iowa Park, TX 76367-1240

Bobbie Barlow Dunbar, Rt. 73 Box 792, Richland, MO 65556 

Dorie  Brown  Lioy  writes  that  she  is  making  some  progress  in tracking down her Barlow ancestry, but further information  on  her BARLOWS would be most welcome.   Since  her  last query (see  pages 88  and 96 of  BARLOW of  BARLOW)  she  has received the  birth record  for Matilda  BARLOW,  which  states  that  "Almira Matilda   daughter of  Henry  BARLOW  of  the Township of  Tingwick  Farmer and  of  Lucy  his wife has been  born on the  fiveteenth day of October  in  the  Year of  Our  Lord  One  Thousand  Eight  hundred and  forty  four  and  was baptized on the  twenty fifth day of  December of the same year in the presence of  the subscri- bing witnesses.   Sarah M. Johnson, George Ricker, By Mr. B. Hitchcock Minister"

From  the  Society‚  de  genealogie  de  Quebec  she  has learned that Henry BARLOW and Lucy RICKER were married on January 18, 1831, in the Aubigny Anglican Church at L‚vis, Quebec. Henry and Lucy BARLOW  had three other children:
Priscilla BARLOW was born on August 29, 1832
Henry Thomas BARLOW was born on February 17, 1834
George William BARLOW was born on December 1, 1835

These  three  were  baptized on  January 16, 1836,  in  the  Bourg  Louis Wesleyan  Methodist Church.

Henry  BARLOW  was  the  son  of  Henry  BARLOW  and  Margaret BOA, who were married on April 24, 1805,  in  St.  Andrew's  Presbyterian  Church  at  Quebec  city.

Dorie Brown Lioy, 126 Stonehenge Road, Rochester, NY 14609-3207

Want  parents  of  both  John  BARLOW  born  c.  1605  Pembrokeshire, Wales, and  wife  Ann (probably  WARD).  They had, among others,  Ann Barlow m. Samuel Drake in Fairfield CT in 1650.  Any information on any of these people appreciated.

Dorothy West    23 Smart Road, Acton, MA 01720

Editor's note:   I am planning  on publishing  a feature article  on John Barlow  in the August issue  of Barlow of Barlow.  There  is  not  a  lot of  good solid information about John Barlow, but I  hope  to  compile all  that  is  known  and  try  to  make sense  of  it.   Any  information, especially  documented  information  on  his parents and his wife's maiden surname, that our readers have  and  wish  to  send  in  for  the  August  issue  will  be  appreciated  very  much.

Music was by Rusty Shadel, soloist and Marcia Shadel, organist.

Escorts were Murel Amos, Ryszard Gottifried, Jesse Elam, Mark Fingers, Denny Lambeth and Don Clark.

Martin M. Barlow,  son of  Tennis  and  Rosie  King  Barlow,  was born  in Pulaski  County on January  18, 1898, and  departed  this  life March 4, 1994 in  Richland,  Mo.,  at  the  age  of ninety-six years.

He was united in marriage with Grace Watson in June of 1920, and to this union five children were born.   He  was preceded in  death by  his  wife,  Grace;  one son,  Jim  Barlow;  and  one daughter, Sandra Barlow.

Martin  owned and operated a dairy farm in the Pulaski County area for many years.   He also managed the dairy farm at the Baptist Home in Ironton, Mo. for a  number of  years.  He  has  been  a  lifetime  member  of  the  Berean  Baptist  Church.

Those  surviving  include  his  three  sons,  Martin J. Barlow of  Richland,  Donald Barlow  of Peoria,  Illinois  and  Tommy Barlow;  seven  grandchildren,  eight great-grand-children;  and many other relatives and friends.

Martin is also preceded in death  by his  parents; four brothers,  Virgil,  Herbert,  Arthur  and Harrison;  two sisters,  Ida and Edna Barlow; two infant brothers; and a half brother, George.

Martin attended Chillicothe Normal  College in the early 1900's.   He enjoyed playing  the flute and was even able to play in the last few months of his life. 

Bunches of  Barlows,  by  Elizabeth H. Michaels &  John O. Hawkins,  an  account of  the  des- cendants of John Barlow of Wilkes Co, NC, available from John 0. Hawkins,  Route 5 Box 430, Lenoir, NC 28645-9521, $10.00 + $2.00 shipping.

The Barlow Story From 1717, by Mary M. Wolf,  an account of  one  line of the descendants of Christopher  &  Parvera  Parlur/Berler/Barlow,  available  from  Mary M. Wolf,  1853  Booksin Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125, $30.00 ppd.

Family Genealogy  Comprising  The  Ancestry and Descendants of  Jonathan  Barlow &  Plain Rogers of  Delaware Co., NY, by George Barlow, 1891, one copy (stained)  available subject  to prior  sale from Tuttle  Antiquarian Books,  Inc., P.O. Box 541,  Rutland, VT 05702, $30.00 + $3.00 shipping.

Those researchers who are planning expeditions to cemeteries this summer may be interested in the following state cemetery atlases.   Both contain detailed maps showing  the  locations of all known cemeteries.  If  any readers know of  similar  atlases for  other  states, we  would  be interested in publishing the information,

Michigan  Cemetery  Atlas,  available  from Library of  Michigan, P.O. Box 30007,  Lansing, MI 48909, $20.00 ppd.

Burial  Grounds  Of  Vermont,  available  from  The  Vermont  Old  Cemetery  Association,  c/o Charles Marchant, P.O. Box 132, Townshend, VT 05353, $19.23 + $2.50 shipping.

An annual every-name index is being prepared each time this newsletter is published and will be included with the November issue.

Every-name indexes for past issues are available as follows:

1989, pages 1-32 . . . . . . . . . . . .    $ 1.50 ppd
1990, pages 33-64  . . . . . . . . . . .      1.50 ppd
1991-2, pages 65-88  . . . . . . . . . .     1.50 ppd
1993, pages 89-120 . . . . . . . . . . .     1.50 ppd
All four past issue indexes  . . . . .     5.00 ppd