After my Tales of Blawenburg presentation on March 7, Ted Blew came up to me and introduced himself. Of course, the name Blew rang a bell instantly. I had just been talking about a slave named Tom Blew who ran Michael Blaw/Blew farm after Michael's death. Ted said that he was a descendant of Michael Blaw, founder of Blaw's Mill and member of the family for which Blawenburg was named. Michael was John Blaw Sr.'s son.
Many of the early immigrants had Dutch surnames like Blaw, Blau and Blauw. It didn't take long, however, for settlers to want to make their names more English sounding, while retaining the meaning of their name—blue. Michael Blaw followed the trend, and when he married his second wife, Nellie Hollinsett. Michael, Nellie, and their two children took the surname Blew.
Ted Blew is Michael Blew's 5th generation great grandson. He is the only descendant of the original Blaw family to live in this region, and he is very active in the National Blue Family Association. He has produced the Blue Family website (www.bluefamily.org) for the organization for several years. He has been very helpful in clarifying points about the Blaw family and has shared these pictures of John Blaw's home.
John Blaw's Home
John Blaw lived on Bedens Brook Road, less than a mile from Great Road. These pictures of the house were taken at least 80 years ago, before it was remodeled. The house probably had many changes between the time it was built in the mid-1700s and the time when these pictures were taken.
The front of the John Blaw's house
The back of John Blaw's house
The original fireplace The fireplace in more recent times
Photo Credits
All photos were provided by Ted Blew.
How far back can you trace your family? Write a comment below.