Dr. Massey...this is the proverbial "shot in the dark" but the surname Rowe comes up regularly in my research on Jesse James and The James Gang and The James-Younger Gang. You did state that Edward Rowe and his brothers moved to Clay County, Missouri in the early 1870s. This was a little late (by a year or two) for some of the fabled actions of these two infamous outlaw gangs. However I find it very interesting that you clearly know of their move from Caroline County, VA to Clay County, Missouri. Have you personally done any research into an association with the Rowe surname and the James/Samuel/Younger surnames? I did a Google Advanced Search with "Edward Rowe" in the first line and "James Gang" in the second line (this line asking "this exact wording or phrase"). My wife is a corporate investigator for a large company in Virginia and has taught me some tricks on manipulating Google searches with the information entered in different orders on the advanced search page. It's fascinating what this very powerful search engine will cull from what I would estimate to be an infinite number of sources. In that new sources and records are added daily. I was not trying to presume or accuse your ancestor of any less than admirable conduct. I was just playing with the words and the application. Not to say that any association with these famous (pro Confederate) outlaw gangs would be anything derogatory or shameful. I love the history of the old "gunfighters" and search for information when I can.

Sincerely,

Keith
New Kent County, VA