Inlow

William Harvey Inlow is my grandfather.

The “Inlow” surname came to the Colonies in the 1600’s from Holland. It is believed virtually all, if not in fact 100%, of the variations of spelling (Inlow/Enloe/Enlow and as many as 15 other lesser known variations) can be traced back to a common ancestor: Hendrick Enloe (1632-1708), who arrived in the New World around 1674 and settled in Maryland. He had a brother, Pieter, who apparently arrived with him, but who had no children. Hendrick and Pieter were among the children of Antonij Enloos and Gritie Livens of Amsterdam. For many years the identify of the parents was uncertain and most family trees on the internet continue to incorrectly identify Hendrick Enloe’s parents as Joris Kindlosson and Fijtgen Hendricks. That has been documented to be incorrect and the identity of his parents has now been well-established and documented (for more information search for Antonij Enloos on FamilySearch.org).

Most of Hendrick’s children and grandchildren remained in the Maryland area for a century, but by the latter part of the 18th century they were migrating to other parts of the country, some heading southwest while others headed more directly west into Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Henry Simpson Enloe was born in the Baltimore area in 1740, as were all his children. But at the time of Henry’s death in 1828 he, and all of his children, had left the area. Henry settled in Kentucky and died there. One of his grandsons, Samuel Poston Inlow (note the spelling change), was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and at the age of 14 migrated to Pike County, Missouri, with his family. One of Samuel’s children was Thornton Riley Inlow.

William Harvey Inlow was born in 1877, the son of Thornton Riley Inlow and Geneva Francis Seely. His birthplace was Madisonville, Ralls County, Missouri. He married Mabel Lora Cheney in 1898, and very shortly thereafter they relocated to Oklahoma Territory. Mabel was the daughter of Albert Cheney and Eva Lucretia Hunt, born in 1878 in Albany, Whiteside County, Illinois.

William Harvey and Mabel had five children. Willa Maud (1902), William Harvey II and Mabel Clair — twins (1910), and Hartford (1919) all lived to adulthood, married and had families. Geneva (born about 1905) died as a little girl in 1909. The family grew up in Oklahoma City, first when it was a territory and later after it had become a state. The family was very active in Church affairs. William Harvey was in the insurance business, went into oil speculation, and finally, as an older man, into farming. He was variously known as Willie, W. H., William, and even Harvey.

Not long after Hartford was born in 1919, W. H. left the family. It was a difficult and traumatic time for Mabel and the children, and caused considerable tensions in the family as the children moved into adulthood. The particular causes and circumstances will probably never be known, though the grandchildren and great-grandchildren heard various accounts. Interviews conducted with the children and grandchildren have revealed that each child had very different reactions to his departure, ranging from blaming Mabel for “driving him away,” to blaming W. H. and completely separating from him…refusing to have any contact whatsoever with him, or even acknowledging his existence when they became adults.

Both Mabel and W. H. remarried. Mabel remained in Oklahoma City, worked in various capacities, including as executive secretary to the governor of Oklahoma. She remarried George W. Wray and they lived a happy life together until his death in 1954. W. H. remarried Mary Stressner in Kansas in 1930. They settled in Pottersville, Missouri, to farm. W. H. died in 1943 of heart problems. Mabel died in 1964

Related Surnames:

HAMILTON

REED

SEELY

BONHAM

SCOTT

BRINKER

And many others