Homepage of the Dillow Family

Welcome to the
Dillow Family Homepage



The purpose of this website is to provide information on research that has been done on the Dillow Family. Our branch of the Dillow's came from Southwestern Virginia. If you can trace your Dillow roots to Bland, Smyth, Tazewell or Wythe Counties in Virginia; Boyd, Carter, Greenup, or Lewis Counties in Kentucky; Lawrence or Scioto Counties in Ohio; or Mercer or Logan Counties in West Virginia; then you are most likely a member of our family.

As of now we trace our roots back to one man named Abram Dillow. As you scoll through the website you will see that it begins with Abram Dillow and followed by his children. Most all the information on this website has been contributed by fellow family members. Without their help and contributions none of this would have been possible.

This site is dedicated to my daughter Erica, my wife Cheryl, my mother, Helen, and to the loving memory of my father, George, and my daughter Olivia, gone but not forgotten.

Thanks, Eric Dillow



Our ancestor Abram Dillow Jr. was born circa 1768 in Augusta (now Montgomery) County, Virginia. He was the son of Abram and Mary Dillow Sr. Abram Jr. married Elizabeth Steele circa 1795 probably in Wythe County, Virginia but no marriage record has been found. Elizabeth was born circa 1780 in Montgomery (now Wythe) County, Virginia. She was the daughter of Robert and Mary "Polly" Keeling Steele. Abram Jr. and Elizabeth lived their entire lives together at Walker's Creek on Walker's Mountain, in what is today Bland County, Virginia.

Abram Dillow Sr., the probable father of our Abram Jr., was born circa 1720. Nothing is known about Abram's wife, Mary, other than her first name. Abram was a member of Zachariah Johnston's Company, Augusta County, Virginia during the American Revolution but was exempted for age in 1778. Abram (Delo) was also mentioned in the Minutes of West Augusta in the tax records for 1778. Abram Sr. and Mary are believed to have been the parents of at least four known children: James born about 1764, William born about 1766, Abram Jr., and Elizabeth born about 1776, married William Mullin on June 16, 1794 in Montgomery County, Virginia. Abram Sr. appeared on the 1793 Wythe County, Virginia tax list along with sons James and William. The last name was spelled "Dillon" on that record. There was also a Samuel Dillon listed but his relationship to them is undetermined. On the 1800 Wythe County Tax List, May 24th, Abram Sr., Abram Jr., James, and William were listed. The last name was spelled "Dillard" on that record. This is the last place Abram Sr. is seen on public record. Any further information on Abram Sr.'s sons James and William is minimal, and their families are unknown at this time.

The father-in-law of Abram Dillow Jr., Robert Steele, is a well-documented frontiersman and soldier. His life and family history has been recorded by his descendant, Carl Edmond Steele Jr., in A Gathering of the Clan published in 1981. The Steele family traces it roots back to Argyll County, Scotland. Robert's parents were Ruben and Hannah Crockett Steele. Ruben's parents were Alexander and Hannah King Steele. Alexander was the leader of the famous McGregor Clan in Scotland. Ruben's wife, Hannah Crockett, appears to have descended from Antoine Dessasure Pernonette de Crocketagne' a French Huguenot. Other children of Robert and Polly Keeling Steele were James, Samuel, Jeffery, Edmond, William, John, and lastly Elizabeth. Robert Steele remarried after the death of Polly to Rebecca Oury and had the following children: David, Rueben, Robert, Catherine, Crockett, George, Nancy, and Oury.

We know from land records that Abram Dillow died about 1852. Elizabeth Steele Dillow lived on a few years past her husband. She last appeared on public record on the 1860 census living with her son William. She apparently died sometime between 1860 and 1870 as she did not appear on that census. No known burial record or marker exist for Abram or Elizabeth.

Children of Abram Dillow and Elizabeth Steele are:
(1) Robert Dillow, born Abt. 1796 in Wythe County, VA; died Bet. 1873 - 1879 in Greenup County, KY.

(2) James Dillow, born Abt. 1798 in Wythe County, VA; died Bet. 1870 - 1879 in Tazewell County, VA. He married Mary "Polly" Unknown.
Children of James and Mary Dillow were:
Harvey George Dillow, born Abt. 1827 in Virginia; died Aft. 1910. He married Ellen R. Hoofnagle October 22, 1857 in Smyth County, VA
William Patton Dillow, born Abt. 1829 in Tazewell County, VA; died Abt. 1868 in Tazewell County, VA.
Catherine Dillow, born July 12, 1835 in Tazewell County, VA; died July 30, 1910 in Stohrville, Harper County, KS.

(3) Female Dillow, born Abt. 1800; died Unknown.
Notes for Female Dillow: Either died or married before the 1830 census. There does'nt appear to be any reference to her in subsequent records and there is no reference to her in the land records following her father's death.

(4) Thomas Dillow, born Bet. 1806 - 1810 in Wythe County, VA; died Aft. 1854.
Notes for Thomas Dillow: Birth year based on the only place he can fit into the census records. He has not been located on the 1850 census and disappears after his father's death.

(5) Mary Dillow, born Abt. 1812 in Wythe County, VA; died Aft. 1860 in Dekalb County, MO.

(6) Addison Dillow, born Abt. 1814 in Wythe County, VA; died Aft. 1880 in Bland County, VA.

(7) Elizabeth Dillow, born Abt. 1816 in Wythe County, VA; died Aft. 1880 in Bland County, VA.
Notes for Elizabeth Dillow: Birth date estimated on her age given on the 1880 census as 64. She had said she was 30 on the 1850 census but this would conflict with the age of her sister Margaret. It appears that Elizabeth "Betsey" never married, but there is the fact that she did not show up on the 1860 or 1870 census. She is single in 1880 and working as a servant for D.M. & Sallie Hamilton in Mechanicsburg, Bland County, VA.

(8) Margaret Dillow, born Bet. 1819 - 1820 in Wythe County, VA; died Aft. 1880 in Bland County, VA.
Notes for Margaret Dillow: Birth date estimate based on her age gine on the 1870 census as 50. She apparently never married. She bought 113 acres from her brother Addison in 1854 after their father's death and sold it back in 1870. On the 1870 census she is single and working as a servant for Eli & Sophia Leedy in Bland County, VA. Eli Leedy was Abraham Dillow's next door neighbor judging by the 1840 census. A lawsuit filed against Margaret in 1880 by her brother, Addison, over some court cost issue shows she was alive and still unmarried at least at that time.

(9) William Dillow, born March 11, 1822 in Wythe County, VA; died Aft. 1880 in Bland County, VA. He married (1) Nicali Deavor December 13, 1859 in Wythe County, VA; born April 10, 1838 in Wythe County, VA; died Bet. 1870 - 1880. He married (2) Virginia B. Pauley January 1883 in Bland County, VA; born Abt. 1847 in Bland County, VA; died Unknown.
Notes for William Dillow: William Dillow served in the Civil War in the Confederate Army. His unit was Company F, 8th Regimental Cavalry Brigade "Bland Rangers". He enlisted August 8, 1861 in Bland County, VA and served under Colonel William Neel Harmon. William Dillow was paroled from Charleston, West Virginia on April 28, 1865. His age listed at the end of the war as 45 was incorrect, he was actually 43. His first wife Nicali died before 1880 and may have died before 1870 since they were not found on the 1870 Wythe County census. They had no know children. In 1880, William lived as a boarder with C.C. & Nancy Thomas of Bland County, VA. His age was listed as 68 but he was actually 58.

(10) Granville Dillow, born Abt. 1825 in Wythe County, VA; died Bet. 1859 - 1860 in Wythe County, VA. He married Nancy Unknown.
Children of Granville and Nancy Dillow were:
Samuel Dillow
Sophia Dillow

(11) Catherine Dillow, born Abt. 1827 in Wythe County, VA; died Bet. 1854 - 1860. She married John Thomas. He died Bef. 1860.
Children of John and Catherine Dillow Thomas were:
Vicy Thomas
Phoebe Thomas
Giles Thomas
Charlton Thomas
Robert G. Thomas


More Dillow Information

KentuckyDillows Gedcom

Dillow Family Message Board

Dillows in the Civil War

Deeds and Land Records

Census Information



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