Who Was Lorenzo Dow?

If you can trace your ancestry back to the early 1800s someplace in the United States, you can probably find someone in the family tree named Lorenzo. In fact, that person probably had a middle name of Dow, as in Lorenzo Dow Smith or Lorenzo Dow Jones. If you find a record that refers to "Lorenzo D." as the first name and middle initial, you can likely assume that the middle name was "Dow." Indeed, the name Lorenzo Dow appeared all over the country in the early to mid-1800s, especially in the Mid-Atlantic States and the South. It is believed that more than 10,000 babies were named after Lorenzo Dow. In the 1850 U.S. census, "Lorenzo" is one of the more popular first names.

At one time, Lorenzo Dow was perhaps the second or third-most famous person in the United States, behind the President and perhaps one or two other politicians. His autobiography at one time was the second-best selling book in the United States, exceeded only by the Bible. He also invented the term "camp meeting." Yet you almost never hear of Lorenzo Dow today. Indeed, he earns only a tiny footnote in a very few history books. That seems strange for a person with so many thousands of children named after him. If you have an ancestor with the given names of Lorenzo Dow, you may be interested in the story of his namesake.

"For if ever there was a man who feverishly rowed his boat through the waters of life with only one oar in the water, it was "Crazy Lorenzo" Dow." - written by historian John Warner Barber in his Connecticut Historical Collections, 1836, shortly after Dow's death.

According to his autobiography, Lorenzo Dow was born October 16, 1777 in Coventry, Connecticut. His ancestry is well-proven and documented in many places. He was a sickly child and was near death several times before he was five years old. He became a deeply religious child and vowed to work for the Lord all of his life. Dow apparently began his roving ministry while still in his teens. He made his initial reputation as a charismatic, hell-fire-and-brimstone orator in areas near his birthplace, where he was one of the first evangelists. He devoted himself to the task of "saving souls."

Lorenzo Dow was a Methodist in the extreme. His beliefs were rock solid, and he did not understand the meaning of the words "moderation" or "negotiate." He attended a Methodist college and applied to be a minister. However, the elders refused to ordain him because of his unorthodox ways. Dow was unfazed; he became an evangelist, preaching the Methodist doctrine without the official title of "Reverend." Dow was soon barred from the Methodist Church due to his fiercely independent nature and his disregard for the authority of the Methodist establishment. As he became famous, many people referred to him as "Reverend" Lorenzo Dow although he reportedly never used that title himself. I have an original copy of his autobiography on my bookshelf and cannot find any reference to him in that book that uses the title "Reverend."

Nothing intimidated Lorenzo Dow; he continued to preach Methodist doctrine even though the Methodist Church would have nothing to do with him. Because the churches were closed to him, Lorenzo Dow started preaching in town halls, farmers' barns, and even in open fields. He would preach anyplace where he could assemble a crowd. He preached to Methodists, Baptists, Quakers, Catholics, and atheists alike. He liked to appear unexpectedly at public events, announcing in a loud voice that exactly one year from today, Lorenzo Dow would preach on this spot. He never disappointed his audiences; he always appeared exactly 365 days later at the appointed place, usually met by huge crowds.

Dow's public speaking mannerisms were like nothing ever seen before among the typically conservative church goers of the time. He shouted, he screamed, he cried, he begged, he flattered, he insulted, he challenged people and their beliefs. He told stories and made jokes. You can see an engraving made by Lossing-Barrett at one of Dow's outdoor sermons at the Library of Congress' Web site at: http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/vc006757.jpg

It is recorded that Lorenzo Dow often preached before open-air assemblies of 10,000 people or more and held the audiences spellbound. That must have been some feat before the invention of public address systems! He preached regardless of the weather: oppressive heat, violent thunderstorms, and blizzards never stopped him. There are many stories about his speeches. Some of the stories are probably true although proof is scarce. I am sure that many of the stories have been embellished over time.

Lorenzo Dow was known to leave his horse saddled while he preached, often just outside a window. At the end of his sermon, Dow would announce "That is the Lord's word" or something similar, jump through the window, land on his horse, and gallop away as the crowd inside stared in amazement. Sometimes, when he had announced a year earlier that he would preach in a certain building at a certain date and time, he would even arrive by jumping through a window INTO the building! He would deliver his sermon and then immediately depart by the same route.

Dow's fame spread, and so did his travels. He traveled on foot and occasionally on horseback (when someone would donate a horse) throughout what was then the United States. He also traveled extensively in Canada, three times to England and Ireland, and once to the West Indies. He was usually well-received although there were exceptions. A fierce abolitionist, Dow's sermons were often unpopular in the southern United States, and he frequently was threatened with personal violence. He sometimes was forcibly ejected from towns, pelted with stones, eggs, and rotten vegetables. That never stopped him; he simply walked to the next town and gave the same sermon again.

Crazy Lorenzo Dow was personally unkempt. He apparently did not practice personal hygiene. His long hair and beard were described as "never having met a comb." He usually owned one set of clothes: those that were on his back. When those clothes became so badly worn and full of holes that they were no longer capable of covering him, some person in the audience usually would donate a replacement. The donated clothes often were not the correct size for his skinny body. That suited Lorenzo Dow; he cared nothing about material possessions. When he traveled, he carried no luggage other than a box of Bibles to be given away. Throughout most of his life, what little money he ever collected was either given away to the poor or used to purchase Bibles. In his later years, he did accumulate a bit of money from the sales of his autobiography and religious writings.

One story is known as "How Lorenzo Dow Raised the Devil," went something like this:

Once there was this crazy preacher named Lorenzo Dow who was traveling in the northern part of Vermont, when he got caught in a terrible snowstorm. He managed to make his way to the only light he could see. After repeated knocking at the door of the humble log house, a woman opened it. He asked if he could stay the night. She told Dow her husband was not home, and she could not take in a stranger. But he pleaded with her, and she reluctantly let him in. He immediately went to bed, without removing his clothing, in a corner of the room separated from the main living quarters only by a rude partition with many cracks in it.

After he had slept for just a short time, the preacher was awakened by the sounds of giggling and whispering from the main room. Peering through a crack in the partition, he saw that his hostess was entertaining a man who apparently was not her husband! No sooner had he taken this in, when Dow heard a man's drunken voice shouting and cursing outside the front door, demanding to be let in. Before admitting her husband (for it was he, returned unexpectedly), the wife motioned her lover to hide beside the fireplace in the barrel of tow, a coarse flax ready for spinning. Once inside, the suspicious husband quickly sensed that his wife had not been alone, and demanded to know who else was in the house. When the quick-witted wife told him about the Reverend Dow, sleeping in the corner, he was not satisfied. After all, he was not so drunk that he would take his wife's word for the identity of the houseguest.

"Well, now," roared the husband, "I hear tell that parson Dow can raise the devil. I think I'd like to see him do it -- right here and now." Before the wife could shut up her boisterous husband, he had pulled the famous preacher from his bed, where he had pretended to be sound asleep. "Rev'rend," he bellowed, "I want you to raise the devil. I won't take 'no' for an answer." Seeing that he would have to perform, Lorenzo finally said, "Well, if you insist, I will do it, but when he comes, it will be in a flaming fire. You must open the door wide so he will have plenty of room." The husband opened the door. Then, taking a burning coal from the fire with the tongs, Dow dropped it into the tow cask. Instantly the oily contents burst into flame. Howling in pain from the fire which engulfed him, the flaming figure of the naked man hidden in the barrel leaped out onto the floor and, just as quickly, darted out the open door, trailing ashes and smoke. He ran down the snowy road as if pursued by demons. It is said that the sight of all this not only sobered the drunken husband immediately, but permanently cured his taste for booze. And that was certainly one of the Rev. Dow's major miracles!

Despite his lack of ordination, Lorenzo married couples and baptized people into the Methodist Church. There would be some questions about the legalities of such actions today, but apparently it was accepted at the time. I have read numerous references to young couples saying, "We'll get married the next time that Reverend Dow comes to town." It appears that thousands of couples honored the "Reverend" by naming a child after him.

Lorenzo Dow was married twice. His first wife, Peggy, died within a few years after their marriage. A few years later, Lorenzo married Sally a few minutes after inviting her to become his wife. The startled young lady said "Yes" to the proposal and Lorenzo immediately whisked her off to a wedding ceremony at the home of a local minister. It was midnight when they arrived. Still seated in the carriage, Lorenzo shouted to the minister, who then threw open the upstairs window to determine the source of the commotion. The wedding was held on the spot: the minister in his nightclothes reading the ceremony while standing in the upstairs window, Lorenzo and Sally still seated in the carriage below. The minister's wife, also in bedclothes, filled out the marriage certificate listing herself as the witness, then tossed the certificate out the upstairs window. Lorenzo retrieved the certificate and then rode off into the night with his new bride.

Lorenzo Dow and Peggy had two children. Their son died young. Their daughter lived to be an adult but never married. It does seem ironic that the man with tens of thousands of namesakes has no living descendants of his own. Lorenzo Dow died 2 February 1834 in Alexandria, Virginia.

The next time you encounter the name Lorenzo Dow someplace in your family tree, you can safely assume that someone in the family attended one or more sermons preached by Crazy Lorenzo Dow. One interesting twist is the very minor connection Lorenzo Dow had with the later Mormon religion: Lorenzo Dow Young was the brother of the early Mormon, Brigham Young. One can guess that these two brothers heard about the Methodist teachings of Lorenzo Dow from their parents since the parents cared enough to name a child after the evangelist.

I have to believe that this man was born about 150 years too soon. Can you imagine what kind of success he could have enjoyed as a television evangelist? He seems to have been a P.R. genius, although he never used his skills to enrich himself.

I am delighted to report that "Crazy" Lorenzo Dow was my second cousin six times removed. My connection is through my grandmother, Nina (Dow) Eastman. Of course, he is not the only "crazy" in my family tree!

Lorenzo Dow once met a man as he was riding along a solitary road to fulfill an appointment, and said to him -- Friend, have you ever prayed? No. How much will you take to never to pray hereafter? One dollar. Dow paid it over, and rode on. The man put the money in his pocket, and passed on, thinking. The more he thought, the worse he felt. There, said he, I have sold my soul for one dollar! It must be that I have met the devil! Nobody else would tempt me so. With all my soul I must repent, or be damned forever!

You can find a lot of information about evangelist Lorenzo Dow on the Internet. Here are a few places to look:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Dow
http://www.curbstone.org/index.cfm?webpage=56
http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/brawleyld/menu.html
http://www.main.com/~djwebb/bios/dow.html
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~piercescga/pdffiles/Dow12.PDF
http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/ldow1804.htm
http://planetanimals.com/logue/Dow.html

Comments

[Marion A. Mobley]

Thanks so much for your segment on Lorenzo Dow. I am soon to be 79 years of age, and I knew of his experience at Jacksonsboro, GA about 1841. I've seen the Goodall home with my own eyes. I've been researching the life of Lorenzo Dow since my first year in Journalism School at the University of Georgia in 1950.

There are a couple of missing links I wish I had. One is the 1826 letter written to Lorenzo Dow by Eliza Bryan, New Madrid, MO. I have the 1816 letter. Too, I have been searching for quite awhile for other towns that Dow (and other preachers) cursed off the face of the earth. Whether Dow had anything to do with the earthquake at New Madrid or not, he was certainly in the area. I know of other towns he cursed off the earth in other states.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Marion Mobley
Bainbridge, GA

[Alanna Coffelt]

I was doing genealogy all day today and tonight I ran across the name Lorenzo Dow Roark. It was the fourth or fifth time I have run across the names Lorenzo Dow ....
A few minutes ago, I thought, "That name is just too common to not be someone famous", so I decided to look on the internet to see if he was someone famous.
I just could not believe it when I read your story. I was amazed that he was so famous. I also read recently that alot of traveling preachers would go through the country and there was one who preached about Jeremiah all the time, so the Combs family in KY has numerous Jeremiahs and they have such amusing handles as 'Rebel Jerry', Tight Jerry, Chunky Jerry, Long Jerry, Beet Nose Jerry, Curly Jerry, Loose Jerry, Ram Jerry, Round Jerry, Slow Jerry, Tight Jerry, Young Jerry and Yankee Jerry just to distinguish themselves from the others. Those are just the ones I have found. Several people up here in Kendallville, Indiana who moved here from KY knew some of them.
Anyway, now I know why I keep running across Lorenzo Dows. I also think it is ironic that he had no children, but in a sense he does. His name will probably live on in several families for generations since they name their kids after grandpa.
Thanks for the info.
Alanna Coffelt
213 W Williams St
Kendallville IN 46755
260.564.3135

[Beverly (Hallock) Fiedler]

My ggg/grandfather was Rev. William A. Hallock, born in Peekskill, NY in 1770. He was orphaned at an early age and therefore I can follow my lineage no father back than he. The interesting thing I am writing about is the fact that he named a son Lorenzo Dow. The middle name of Dow had been passed down through at least 6 or 7 generations of Hallock sons. No one knows where the or why the usage of this particular Dow middle name. No amount of research has knocked down the brickwalls I have run up against trying to find where it has come from. Rev. William was a Methodist mininster first in Peekskill then he and family migrated to Elizabethtown, ONT. I have a feeling he just may have known Rev. Lorenzo Dow and this was the beginning of 8 of my Hallock relatives having the middle name of Dow. Thank you. I think I will go with Lorenzo Dow being the inspiration for this family tradition. Bev

[Susie Hinkle]

While doing my family genealogy of the Hinkle/Henkle/Henckel line, i did find quite a few Lorenzo Dow's. This was a very interesting read. I also have lots of William's, Robert's, John's, and Thomas's on my father's side. Also, I've found Lorenzo Dow's father was a Minister of the Baptist faith. I'm glad i found this site, just adds more interesting facts about my family naming (Lorenzo Dow) history. Thanks.

[donna Jacobson]

I am interested in Ms. Mobley's comments regarding Lorenzo Dow. Any further information from her would be greatly appreciated. I am currently working on my MA about Dow and if anyone else has other tales, they would be of great assistance.

[Carla Roth]

I am trying to locate a Lorenzo Dow McClain - born around 1911~. He lived in Washington D.C. in the 1930's and then went to Portland, OR to work in the Kaiser Shipyard. His mother's name was Lucinda (sp?)and live in NY for awhile.

[Richard Carey]

My wife's Grandparents were Dow's. They had a son name Lorenzo Dow. My Grandmother was an Eastman. Small world.

[Arthur Thompson]

Good article regarding Lorenzo Dow. The Dow family of Coventry, CT is part of my family tree. Lorenzo's first cousin, Hannah Dow, was my GGGGM. The Dow (from Hannah) family name was passed along to several generations of Thompsons as a middle name.

Adding a bit to your fine article (and correcting a slight error of fact):

Lorenzo Dow was born in Coventry CT and was baptized in the First Church, Coventry during December, 1777; Son of Humphrey Dow.

Peggy Dow (first wife of Lorenzo)
Died January 6, 1820 and is buried in an old cemetery on Jones Road, Hebron, CT.
Her grave marker is inscribed:

Peggy Dow
Shared the vicissitudes of Lorenzo
15 years & Died January 20, 1820
Aged 39 Years

Also in the Hebron CT records
Reverend Lorenzo Dow of Hebron
married Lucy Dobeare of Montville
on April 1, 1820.

It seems the Reverend Lorenzo Dow remarried about 2 months after Lucy died; not several years.

ART

[Arthur Thompson]

Error in final sentence of my posting; should read:

It seems the Reverend Lorenzo Dow remarried about 2 months after PEGGY died; not several years.

Sorry for the mistake.

ART

[Meg O'Brian]

Thank you for this article. I have encounter several Lorenzo Dow Whatevers in my research and figured they had to be inspired by someone. Now I know who.

[Timothy Griscom]

I have visited both Lorenzo and Peggy Dow's final resting place. Peggy's is in Connecticut and was very overgrown. The story is that Peggy was burried standing up! Lorenzo's is in Georgetown in Washington DC. I have no relatives carrying the name Lorenzo Dow, but at the time, I knew folks who were researching how much Lorenzo Dow might have contributed to the thinking of Joseph Smith.

Dow traveled extensively in New York

[Kathy Stevens]

My great great grandfather was named Richard Russell Lorenzo Dow. He was born in 1817, in Anson Co., NC. The Richard Russell part obviously came from his maternal grandfather, but I was mystified by the Lorenzo Dow. Like several others, I decided that this must have been a well known man (because so many by this name existed), and started searching the internet. So glad that I came across your site!!!

My daughter's paternal great grandfather was named for Charles Hadden Spurgeon, another well known evangelist.

[Keith Goodspeed]

In 1954, when I was ten years old, my family moved from Moab, in southeast Utah, to Salt Lake City. I saw television for the first time. I remember seeing advertisments for a new product, "Saran Wrap", made by DOW Chemical Co.

Shortly thereafter, my mother's uncle named his new son Dow. I still remember wondering why they named him after a chemical company.

My mother's maiden name is Young, and even at the age of ten I knew that Brigham was my uncle, but I didn't know enough family history to know that Brigham's brother, Lorenzo Dow Young, was my third great grandfather.

I remember saying to myself some years later, when I learned I am a descendant of Lorenzo Dow Young, "Oh, so that's why uncle Jack named his son Dow Young."

I've seen a few other short bio's on Lorenzo Dow, but this the best. Thanks so much!

[Beverly Cavender de Filippis]

This has cleared up a question in my research. Oral family history referred to a "Dow" Stephens, but there was no one by that name in the census or other records. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered that Lorenzo Stephens went by that nickname but couldn't figure out how. Of course, Andrew Jackson Stephens was called "Fritz" and Elias was called "Nat" so I just thought it was another crazy nickname.... When I found dozens of Lorenzo Dow Stephens in searching family names, I knew it couldn't be a coincidence. So glad I found this article!

[John Donaldson]

There is a rock in Jasper Co. Ga with a historical marker on it, saying that Lorenzo Dow preached here in 1803. Do you know where I could find more details of this event?