Drucilla (Pillow) Rains (1776 - 1850)

Born 1776 in Virginia

Ancestors

Died 1850 at about age 74 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Hans Nielsen [send private message], Jeff Gray [send private message], and Sandy Cottingham [send private message]

Research Notes

I've seen several different similar names for her, Hans Neilson gave her name as Drucilla, Ancestry has several match profiles as Drucilla, Urcula also. I've found Ursula in several genealogies. Will need to find out more.

Biography

"Drucilla [Ursula] Pil­low," (b.1780) She was the daughter of John Pillow and Ursula Johnson. She married Capt. William Rains (b.1773 d.12 Oct 1812-Davidson Co.,Tennessee) on September 9, 1795 son of John Rains and Christiannah Gowen according to Davidson County Marriage Book 1, page 33. Col. William Pillow was the bondsman for this marriage

Marriage

Husband: William Rains

Wife: Ursula Pillow

Children:

1. Wilford H. Rains born about 1797
2. Mary Eliza Herman Rains born about 1799
3. Hance Hamilton Rains born about 1801
4. Martha "Patsy" Rains born about 1803
5. Ursula Pillow Rains born about 1806
6. Christiana Rains born February 14, 1808
7. Charlotte Rains born about 1809
8. Naomi Rains born about 1811

Sources

The Gowan Manuscript found on the Gowan Reasearch Foundation website http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gowenrf/gowenms.htm

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Jeff Gray for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Jeff and others Thank you to Hans Nielsen for creating Pillow-37 on 25 Sep 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Hans and others.

Notes

The only child I have seen for them was Hance Hamilton Rains.^[1] She is believed to be daughter of John Pillow, another Davidson County pioneer who arrived about 1791. Abner Pillow is identified as her brother by Cleve Weathers. Another brother, Col. William Pillow, was the bondsman on the marriage bond of Ursula Pillow and William Rains. Her nephew Gen. Gideon J. Pillow was second in command in the Mexican War under Gen. Winfield Scott. Ft. Pillow in northwestern Tennessee, which fell early in the Civil War to Union forces, was named for Gen. Pillow.^[2] The only child I have seen for them was Hance Hamilton Rains.^[1] Deed from Abner Pillow transferring land to Ursula's children in 1812. In Deed Book I, page 386, signed Oct. 1, 1812, Abner Pillow of Maury County, Tennessee deeded 274 acres of land to "my nieces and nephews, all sons and daughters of William Rains, deceased," and named the eight children: Naomi; Wilford Hoggett Rains [middle name spelled "Hockett" in other places]; Hance [Hamilton] Rains, Charlotte Rains; Ursula Pillow Rains; Christeny [sic] Rains; Mary Eliza Herman/Harmon[?] Rains; and Patsy Rains. Abner's land was in the vicinity of Capt. John Rains's land. Since no consideration was mentioned in the deed, it appears that land transfer was a gift to his nieces and nephews.

Excerpt from the Gowan Manuscript The estate of "John Rains, Sr, Dcsd." was presented to the Davidson County Court for partition in its October 1834 session: "State of Tennessee

Davidson County Court, October Sessions, 1834

This day [to wit: November 5, 1834] Ephriam H. Fos­ter, Esquire presented in court here the petition of John Rains; Michael C. Dunn & Elizabeth his wife, formerly Elizabeth Rains; Thomas Massey & Mary his wife, late Mary Rains; Laird Boyd & his wife Nancy, late Nancy Rains; Gibson Merrett & Sarah his wife, late Sarah Rains; Timothy Demumbrane & his wife Christiana, late Christiana Rains; Burwell Quimby & his wife Susannah, late Susannah Rains & Jonathan H. Rains; also Alfred P. Gowen in right of his mother Patsey Gowen, late Patsey Rains; also Wilford Rains, Hance Rains, Lewis Williams & Charlotte his wife, late Charlotte Rains, Wilford B. Gowen & his wife Ursula, formerly Ursula Rains, Edmond Hyde & his wife Christiana, formerly Christiana Rains; Mary E. H. Rains and Martha Rains in right of their father, William Rains decd; also James Condon, Mary Condon, Christiana Condon and Francis Condon in right of their mother Barbara Condon, formerly Barbara Rains, all heirs of John Rains decd, late of this County, representing to the court that the said John Rains died seized and possessed of a tract of land containing about six hundred acres more or less situate in said county near the town of Nashville which are particularly described in said petition which has descended to them as heirs as aforesaid and which they are entitled to have divided and partitioned among them in the proportion particularly mentioned & set forth in said petition and praying the court to appoint commissioners to make said partition and division between the in the manner and proportions stated and set forth in said petition. Which petition the court grant and thereupon appoint Robert Weakley, David Dickson, Richard H. Barry, James H. Foster, James Thompson, William Compton, Phillip Shute, [Jr.] John P. Hickman & Robert Scales, them or any five of them who may be present and act, commissioners to divide and partition said tract of land & said lot between said petitioners upon the terms and in the manner and proportions set forth in said petition and having so done make report thereof under their hands and seals to the ensuing term of our court."

"Agreeable to an order from the Worshipful County Court of Davidson, October term 1834, directed to us as commissioners to lay off, apportion & divide the tract of land whereon John Rains Sr. died, between the several legatees of said deceased, we the undersigned commissioners for the joint interest of all the legatees have divided said tract of land in two divisions with a line running from the North boundary to the South boundary of said tract three poles and a half wide, beginning on the North boundary line, on the West side of the big road leading from Nashville to the fishing ford on Duck River . . . to a stake on the South bank of Browns Creek . . . "

The drawing:

Sally Merritt Lot No. 1 On NW corner near

dwelling of dcsd.

Elizabeth Dunn Lot No. 2 Joins Lot 1 on S

Nancy Boyd Lot No. 3 Joins Lot 2 on S

Alfred P. Gowen Lot No. 4 Joins Lot 3 on S

Heirs of Wm. Rains Lot No. 5 Joins Lot 4 on S

Jonathan H. Rains Lot No. 6 Joins Lot 1 on E

John Rains Lot No. 7 Joins Lot 2 on E

Chr. Demumbrian Lot No. 8 Joins Lot 3 on E

Heirs of B. Condon Lot No. 9 Joins Lot 4 on E

Polley Massey Lot No. 10 Joins Lot 5 on E

Susannah Quimby Lot No. 11 On SE corner land. We have also proceeded to divide Lot No. 105 in the city of Nashville, [at High Street and Broad Street] agreeable to the plot hereunto annexed.

James F. Foster David Dickinson

R. H. Barry Phillip Shute

James Thompson, Davidson Surveyor"

"At a court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions held for the County of Davidson in the State of Tennessee at the courthouse in the town of Nashville on the third Mon­day in January A.D. 1 835 the following cause came on to be heard and determined to wit: To the Worshipful County Court of Davidson: The Petition of Jno. Rains; Michael C. Dunn & Elizabeth, his wife, late Elizabeth Rains; Thomas Massey & Mary, his wife, late Mary Rains; Laird Boyd & his wife, Nancy, late Nancy Rains, Gibson Merritt & Sarah, his wife, late Sarah Rains; Timothy Demumbrane & Christiana, his wife; late Christian Demumbrane [error]; Burwell Quimby & his wife, Susannah, late Susannah Rains, Willford B. Gowen & his wife, Ursula, late Ursula Rains; Edmund Hyde & his wife Christiana, late Christiana Rains; Mary E. H. Rains & Martha Rains, children and only heirs at law of Wm. Rains, decd. And also of James Condon, Mary Condon, Christiana Condon and Francis Condon, infant children & only heirs at law of Barbara Condon, decd, late Barbara Rains, decd, who petition by their father & guardian, James Condon:

Humbly representing your petitioners show, that their ancestor, the said John Rains, late of your county de­parted life intestate on the ____ day of March last leaving your petitioners his heirs at law with right to his estate in the following proportions, to wit: one share or portion each to John Rains, to said Dunn & his wife, to said Massey & his wife, to said Boyd & his wife, to said Merritt & his wife, to said Demumbrane & his wife, to said Quymby & his wife, to said Jonathan Rains & to said Alfred P. Gowen in right of his deceased mother, Patsey, daughter of the said decd. ancestor Jno Rains the elder.

To the following named petitioners, heirs at law of Wm. Rains decd, late a son of their said ancestor one proportion or share to be equally subdivided among them to wit: Hance Rains, Wilford Rains, Lewis Williams & his said wife, Wilford B. Gowen & his wife, Edmund Hyde & his said wife, Mary E. H. Rains & Martha Rains.

And to the following named petitioners, heirs at law of Barbara Condon, late Barbara Rains, decd. in right of their said mother, one proportion or share to e equally subdivided between them to wit: James Condon, Mary Condon, Christiana Condon and Francis Condon.

Your petitioners further represent that their said an­cestor, said John Rains the elder, died seized & pos­sessed of a valuable real estate lying in your county aforesaid, to wit: a tract of about 600 acres more or less near Nashville, being all that part of the said an­cestor's original preemption not contained in his deed to his dec'd son, Wm. Rains, executed between thirty and forty years ago, bounded on the south by the lands of Geo. Ridley & the portion of said preemption conveyed as aforesaid to said Wm. Rains; west by the land of Joseph W. Horton & George W. Gibbs; North by James Gordon, late Bernard Vanleer's premises, Jno. Carter, Falls heirs & Henry Dickinson, later Charles J. Love & East by said Dickinson and by David Dickinson, late John Bell's premises.

In addition their said ancestor died seized and pos­sessed of a lot in the town of Nashville known & des­ignated in the original plan thereof by number "one hundred & five."

Your petitioners further represent that, that portion of them who represent one share, in right of the said William Rains decd acknowledge that the said Wm. received of his father the said John Rains, decd in his lifetime an advancement in lands worth five hundred dollars. This would of course lessen by that amt. in value their share or lot of the estate herein sought to be partitioned. But in order to avoid the difficulty that such a circumstance would necessarily make in effecting such partition, your petitioners have all agree that said real estate shall be divided without reference to said advancement of $500, your said petitioners, heirs of said William decd. stipulating and agreeing to pay to the other ten shares the sum of $50 cash to each of the said ten shares as a full equivalent taking therefor one equal share of said real estate.

Your petitioners unite in a desire to partition & divide all said real estate so that the claimants may hold the same in severalty according to their respective rights as herein before set forth leaving however the subdivi­sions between the heirs of William Rains & Barbara Condon to the future request & desires of the parties concerned.

The premises considered, may it please your worships by a decree of your court to commission five or more discreet individuals to make proper examination and thereafter partition & allot said real estate amongst your petitioners according to their several & respective rights as herein before set forth. And that having executed said service according to law they report the same to this honourable court under their hands & seals, for the further & final order & decree of your worships.

Foster & Fogg, Attorneys for Petitioners"

Administration of the estate was given to Alfred P. Gowen, grandson of Capt. John Rains and John Rains, Jr. Alfred P. Gowen was shown as the only heir of Martha "Patsy" Rains Gowen. At that time he was a member of the Tennessee State Legislature, representing Rutherford County.

From the Gowan Reaserch Foundation on Ancestry Freepages