History of the Rounds Family 1800 - 2000

Background:
1620 - England
The name of Rounds or Round is believed to have been derived from the residence of its first bearers at or near a rowan tree and is said to have taken the various forms of Rowantree, Rowntree, Roundtree, Roundee, Roundey, Round and Rounds. Families of this name were to be found at early dates in the English counties of Essex, Kent, and London, and were, for the most part, of the landed gentry and yeomanry of Great Britain.


Our branch is descended from John Round who was born in England around 1620 and died in 1711. He married Ruth, who died in 1658, and among their children was:

John Round, born 1645 and died in 1716. He married Elizabeth Chase whose dates are 1650-1716. We do not know the date that they arrived in America, but their son, George, was born in Swansea, MA in 1686.

George Round, born 1686 in Swansea, and died in 1758. He married Susannah Cole who was born on Nov. 19, 1696 in Swansea and died there on July 19, 1725.

Their son Joseph, born 1720, died 1790, married Mary Horton (1725-1790). They settled in Naragansett and had the following children:

  • Samuel
  • Theodore
  • Joseph
  • Mary
  • Sarah
  • Joanna
  • Rhoda

A short digression for Mary Horton's family tree:
  • George Gregory Fiennes had an illigitimate daughter, Mary, who was married to Capt. Frank John Wheatley.
  • Their daughter, Dorothy Wheatley married Thomas Blisse
  • their daughter, Mary Blisse, married Nathaniel Harmon
  • Their daughter, Sarah Harmon, married Thomas Horton
  • Their son, John Horton (June 6, 1672 in Milton MA, d. 1752 in Rehoboth MA) married Mehitable Garnsey (Nov. 2, 1673 in Milton MA and died Oct. 15, 1742 in Rehoboth).
  • Their son, John Horton Jr. who married Mary Chase (b. Jan 15, 1694/95 in Newbury, MA)
  • Their daughter Mary (Mollie) Horton was born in Oct. 27, 1725 and died about 1790/

Joseph's son Joseph (1763 - 1850) married Ann Rowe (1761 - 1839) and was the father of Rebuen Rounds. The story is told that Reuben was illiterate and when a census was taken the census taker wrote the "s" on Round and showed it to Reuben. Rather than admit to his illiteracy, he told the taker it was spelled correctly and the family name has been Rounds ever since.
Reuben Rounds Reuben Rounds (b. Feb 9, 1782 d. Apr. 2, 1863) settled in Durham Quebec and had 14 children by his wife, Avis Brown, who included:
  • William Rounds - b. Apr 1, 1802, d. May 6, 1850
  • Horace Rounds - b Nov. 20, 1803 d. 1900
  • Lester Rounds - b May 11, 1805 d. Mar. 15, 1882
  • Erastus Brown Rounds - b May 29, 1807 - d. Oct. 27, 1888
  • Rhoda Rounds - b. Feb. 18, 1809 - d. June 19, 1836
  • Electra Rounds - b. Dec. 15, 1812 - d. Sept 11, 1847
  • Thomas Jefferson Rounds - b. Oct. 18, 1814
  • James Madison Rounds - b. Oct. 10, 1814
  • George Washington Rounds - b. Aug. 19, 1816 - d. Nov. 11, 1888
  • Mary Jane Rounds - b. July 11, 1818
  • Reuben Rounds Jr. - b. May 12, 1820 - d. Sept. 1, 1846
  • Ruby Ann Rounds - b. May 10, 1822, d. July 15, 1841
  • Adonirum J. Rounds - b. Apr. 16, 1825, d. Sept. 6, 1865
  • Elihu Roe Rounds - b. Feb 6, 1827, d. May 11, 1865
Lester Rounds

Lester Rounds
1805-1888

In 1818, Lester was apprenticed to blacksmith John Dwyer and in this work suffered an injury which crippled his left arm.
He returned to school in Richford Center, Vermont, and received more education than the combined total of his 13 brothers and sisters. .
In 1830 he migrated with his family to Cuyuga County, N.Y. where his older brother Horace had preceeded him in 1827. He worked there as a school teacher and clerk in a general store until 1838 when he returned to Richford Vt.
In 1838-39 he taught school in Richford, with several sisters and a brother in his class.
In late 1839 or 1840 he migrated to Southport (now Kenosha) Wisconsin, where he operated a general store and was postmaster.
He helped found the Wisconsin Phalanx of the Fouriers' Association and became its first secretary. After a charter was granted by the State Government he was elected permanent secretary and moved with the Phalanx to Ceresco (now Ripon) Wisc. Lester was appointed first postmaster at Ceresco when a post office was established there in 1844.
In 1848 he moved to Waukau, Wisc. where he operated a general store and was postmaster.
Lester moved his store to the site of Eureka, Wisconsin, in 1850 and was one of the 3 co-founders of that village. He also was first postmaster there.
Lester Rounds served in many civic capacities during his lifetime. He probably was the first "white collar" worker among the descendants of Joseph and Mary Round(s).
With his wife, Arilla Parker, he was the father of:
  • Sterling Parker
  • Rhoda Ann
  • Horace E.
  • Edward L.
  • Florence A.
  • Margaret A.
The descendants of Horace E. Rounds
(son of Lester Rounds)
Horace E. Rounds married Harriet N. Parker and had 4 children:
  • Elinor Rounds
  • LaFayette L. Rounds
  • infant
  • Aurilla Rounds
Horace's daughter, Elinor, married a MacLeod and had 7 children:
  • Donald G. MacLeod
  • Lester R. MacLeod
    • Elinor R. MacLeod
    • Sara Lila MacLeod
      • Catherine Kuhn
      • Ellen Kuhn
      • Christine Kuhn
    • Lester H. MacLeod
  • Grace MacLeod
    • Donald M. Byham
    • Louis M. Byham
  • Edith H. MacLeod
    • George W. Hirsch II
    • Thomas M. Hirsch
    • Nancy M. Hirsch
  • Howard. W. MacLeod
  • Robert P. MacLeod
  • Horace. N. MacLeod
We have no records for LaFayette L. Rounds.
Horace's other daughter, Aurilla Rounds (1880 - 1970), married Harry Harbord who was from England. They also had 7 children:
  • Harriet E. Harbord
    • Lenora J. Benson
      • Diane M. Borley
      • Debra A. Borley
      • Robert J. Borley
  • Horace R. Harbord
    • Gordon H. Harbord
    • Victor R. Harbord
    • Nancy K. Harbord
    • John R. Harbord
  • Mabel L. Harbord
  • Geoffrey F. Harbord
    • David G. Harbord
    • Dale K. Harbord
    • Douglas B. Harbord
  • Phillip W. Harbord
    • Marsha A Harbord
  • Virginia H. Harbord
    • Benjamin Brozovich
    • Lester Brozovich
    • Lucy Brozovich
    • Kristine Brozovich
    • Linda E. Brozovich
  • Robert S. Harbord
    • Karen P. Harbord
    • Susan Rae Harbord
The descendants of Rhoda Ann Rounds (Lester's daughter) Rhoda Ann Rounds married Albert S. Bolster and had 5 children:
  • Ina G. Bolster
  • Eddie Bolster
  • Effie M. Bolster
  • Charles L. Bolster
  • Florence A. Bolster
Their descendants are:
  • Ina G. Bolster
    • Neil A. Calkins
      • Charles C. Calkins
      • Christine C. Calkins
    • Rodney A. Calkins
      • William R. Calkins
      • Patricia A. Calkins
  • Effie M Bolster
    • Florence R. Gould
      • Rhoda Ann Haish
        • Elizabeth A. Brandner
      • Mary Lou Haish
        • Jeoffrey C. Molcan
        • Joel C. Molcan
        • Jay C. Molcan
        • Lucinda Molcan
    • Clifford B. Gould
      • Marilyn G. Gould
        • Molly Page
        • Jamison Page
        • Thomason G. Page
      • Genevieve C. Gold
        • Kathy Snyder
        • Amy Snyder
        • Jenifer L. Snyder
  • Charles L. Bolster
    • Carl Bolster
    • Ralph A. Bolster
    • Clarence L. Bolster
      • Rollin L. Bolster
        • Terry A. Bolster
        • Michael T. Bolster
        • Sara J. Bolster
        • Rebecca A. Bolster
      • Shirley Bolster
      • charles Bolster
  • Florence A. Bolster
    • Edith Nola Hall
    • Sidney W. Hall
      • Ward Hall
      • Nola Mae Hall
Sterling Parker Rounds Sterling Parker Rounds
June 17, 1828 - Dec. 17, 1887

Sterling Parker's gun
In his early teens Sterling Parker Rounds began working for the Southport American at Southport (now Kenosha) Wisc.
Later he was the foreman of the Wisconsin printing office at Madison Wisc. Mananged and/or owned printing offices in Milwaukee and Racine Wisconsin, and in Buffalo, N.Y.
In 1851 he settled in Chicago, Ill. where he founded a printers' warehouse known as ROUNDS PRINTERS SUPPLY HOUSE (175 East Monroe St. Chicago).
By 1858 he was associated with James J. Langdon to form ROUNDS & LANGDON, publishers of ROUNDS' MONTHLY PRINTERS' CABINET, and operated a printers warehouse, electrotype foundry and type foundry depot. He was a soldier during the Civil War (dates unknown) spending most of his time in Missouri.
After discharge, he may have accompanied his brother Horace to the Colorado Gold Rush.
Although Republican in politics, he was appinted U.S. Public Printer by Democratic President Grover Cleveland in 1881 and served in that capacity until 1885.
He moved on to Omaha, Nebraska where he was associated with the newspaper REPUBLICAN until his death in 1887. At unknown dates he owned and/or managed Salt Lake City Utah, and Denver, Colorado newspapers.
With his wife, Martha A. Dustin (1834-1917) he was the father of 7 children:
  • Edward Lester - Feb 23, 1852 - Oct. 9, 1879
  • Kitty - May 13, 1854 - May 17, 1941 married Charles H. Smith
    • Charlene Smith
    • Wesley Smith
  • Sterling Parker II - May 14, 1857 - Sept 19, 1878 married Grace Tower
    • Marie
    • Sterling Parker III
  • Harry - Nov 18, 1859 - Dec. 4, 1859
  • Horace William - Dec. 25, 1859 - Aug. 9, 1903
  • Mae - May 18, 1854- Feb 8, 1868 Married Otamar H. Rothacker. At the time of their marriage, Otamar owned the OMAHA REPUBLICAN.
    • Douglas Rothacker
      • Mayme R. Rothacker
      • Foster D. Rothacker
      • Margaret Ruth Rothacker
      • Dorothy D. Rothacker
      • Douglass D. Rothacker
    • Watterson Rothacker
  • George Washington Rounds Jan 31, 1867-Sept. 28, 1895
    George was a gifted pianist and it is believed spent some time in the eastern U.S. and some months in France and/or Italy studying piano. He was almost a child prodigy and whould have reached more than moderate heights as a pianist had he not died at 28 years.
Horace William Rounds
1860-1903
Horace William Rounds - Dec. 25, 1860 - Aug. 9, 1903

Horace ran away from home at an early age. He was a gifted musician (instrument unknown) and under his tutelage 4 of his children sang in a quartet in a church choir in their youth. He conducted the band in the first Chicago World's Fair (World's Columbian Exposition) in 1893. Horace married Kitty Mae Cartwright (Sept. 7, 1863 - Dec 7, 1902) from DeKalb, Illinois.

Kitty Mae Cartwright & sister She was the daughter of Alvan Hazard Cartwright and his wife, Melissa Shaw Cartwright, who came from NY state and traveled by ox team to the midwest. He built the first brick store in the DeKalb and owned the land where the county poor house stands.

Joe Glidden, who developed and patented a popular style of barbed wire while clerking for Alvan Cartwright, became one of the towns first millionaires.

 

Horace William Rounds and Kitty Mae Cartwright had 5 children:

  • Maime M'Liss - Jan 28, 1881 - June 20, 1882
  • Edward Sterling - Jan 2, 1882 - Sept. 10, 1911
  • Vivian Estelle - July 21, 1883 -
  • Horace William II - July 31, 1996
  • Harold William - July 1, 1888 - Jan 16, 1906
The children of Horace William Rounds
Aunt Viv
Vivian Estelle Rounds

Viv married three times, was widowed twice. She had no children.
  • Robert W. Coffey
  • Lyman Sailor
  • Loren Herrick

Horace William Rounds II

Horace moved to New York, where he married Mary Josephine Gillick and converted to Catholicism. She was a recent immegrant who had been born in 1886 in Stranolar, Ireland. They had 7 children.
Horace's three eldest daughters, Marguerite, Kathleen, and Irene, were musically gifted and sang together in close harmony. During their teens and early 20's they often performed in public.

Children of Horace William Rounds:

  • Marguerite
  • Irene
    • Kathleen A. Ryan
    • Cornelius M. Ryan
  • Kathleen
  • Mary
  • Edith
  • Horace
  • Vivian
Edward Sterling Rounds 1882-1911
Edward Sterling Rounds
June 2, 1882 - Sept. 10, 1911
Parents moved from Colorado, where Edward was born, to DeKalb, Ill. Edward left home in his early teens for Chicago. Later, went to NY where he married Edith Irene Peterson (1883 - 1959), and was employed as a credit man for the American Can Company.
He developed gonorrhea, which in 1911 was considered incurable, and rather than continuing to suffer, committed suicide. His 5 year old son, Lester, found his body.

Edward, Edith and baby Lester
Lester Sterling Rounds
1906 - 1967
Lester Sterling Rounds
Mar. 11, 1906 - June 7, 1967
Lester was both a talented writer and musician who put himself through college (Columbia University, School of Journalism) by playing in a dance band. He was class secretary and wrote the class song. He never afterwards played music professionally, but enjoyed the piano the rest of his life.
His first job was as reporter for the BROOKLYN EAGLE, and later went into public relations work and advertising.. He worked for Arthur Kudner, Inc. and Benton and Bowles, both large N.Y. advertising agencies.
In 1927 Lester married Elsie Rickert Stevens, a schoolteacher from Laconia, N.H. At first they lived in New York City, where their two daughters were born, later settled in Westport, Conn. They also owned a summer cabin in Vermont, near the site of Elsie's grandmother's tea house and the homes of her Aunt and Uncle.
Ill health forced Lester to retire early, and he died in 1967 of complications of emphysema.

Lester Sterling Rounds - Elsie Rickert Stevens
  • Priscilla Rounds b. 1934 - married Laurence Comden b. 1937
    • Mark Frederic Comden - b. 1958 - married Gail Elizabeth Pitschke - b. 1957
      • Joshua Alexander Comden b. 1987
      • Hope Amelia Comden b. 1991
      • Nancy Charlotte Comden b. 1993
  • Nancy Rounds b. 1936 - married Robert James Leonard
    • James Robert Leonard b. 1961 - Cindie LaVoice
      • James Daniel Leonard b. 1983
      • Cierra Leanne Leonard b. 1986
    • Lisandra Leonard b. 1965 - Terry Norsworthy
Priscilla Rounds Comden
Priscilla Rounds Comden b. 1934
Priscilla took the name "Tippy" at the age of 2, from her grandmother's cat, and kept the name all her life (although changing it to "Tippi" in her teens.
Tippi was artistically talented as a child, but unambitious. In her teens, an interest in technology grew and she became a radio ham.
She attended the University of Connecticut for 2 years, and then transferred to the Boston Museum School. She left that school before her course of studies was completed to marry her high-school sweetheart, Larry Comden.

Their son Mark was born in Boston, where Larry was stationed as a Nike operator outside of the city. When discharged, they returned to Conn. where he continued his college education at the University of Bridgeport, while Tippi worked in her father-in-law's cheese shop. After Larry earned his master's degree - from the University of Delaware - he took a teaching job at Clarkson College in Potsdam, N.Y. and Tippi was able to continue her education at SUNY Potsdam, where she earned a degree in elementary education.
They moved to Pittsburgh where Larry had a job with Westinghouse. Soon after their arrival in Pittsburgh, Tippi learned of a new organization being formed, the Pittsburgh Film Makers, and joined as one of it's charter members. She learned a craft that combined both technology and art - film making, and dreamed of a career in documentary film. She was with the film makers for over 5 years, as a student, teacher and administrator. But she never had her career in film!

In 1975 she was offered a job at the School for the Deaf, in their media department. This combined art, technology, and her education degree. She worked there for over 20 years, during which time she rose to Director of Media, and was Manager of the Captioned Films Depository and producer of PENNTEXT, a text news service for the deaf carried on the PBS stations in PA.
She retired in 1997 and now spends her time in web design.


Mark Frederic Comden b. 1958
Mark moved with his parents to the Pittsburgh area in 1967. He graduated from Baldwin H.S. in 1976 and then went to the Rochester Institute of Technology where he earned a degree in printing in 1981. Soon after, he married Gail Elizabeth Pitschke who was from the Boston area.
Mark has worked at a number of jobs in the printing industry; currently he works for TV Guide in Radnor and lives with his family in Souderton, PA.
Mark has a talent for cartooning, but pursues it solely as a hobby, making wonderful greeting cards and posters for friends and family. Mark and Gail have 3 children: Joshua, Hope and Nancy, who are all in school and participating in many outside activities.
Nancy Rounds
Nancy Rounds b. 1936

Nancy dreamed of an acting career, even as a little girl, and after studying at the American Academy in NY, went to Hollywood in search of a career. Instead, she found a husband, who was working at the time as the manager of a body building gym. They returned to Connecticut to be married.
His name was Bob Leonard and he gave her 2 babies, and that was about all. They were divorced before the second child, Sandi, was born.

Nancy Rounds - Robert J. Leonard

  • James Robert Leonard (Jay) b. 1961
  • Lisandra Leonard (Sandi) b. 1965
Nancy had quite a struggle as a single mother of 2. She worked for Famous Artists in Westport, and for an alternative school where her son was enrolled. When her son graduated from high school, she moved to the family summer cabin in Vermont, which she had inherited from her father. The first winter in the cabin was extreme, with little insulation, frozen pipes, and no resources.

Jay married a Vermonter and worked at many odd jobs. When her parents moved to Florida, Jay and Cindy and their 2 children followed, hoping for better economic times there.

Sandi finished high school in Vermont and went off to school in Boston where she met and married Terry Norsworthy. Realizing there was little economic opportunity in Vermont, they followed her brother to Florida, and Nancy did the same.

In Florida, Nancy went back to college and became a "Master Gardener". In 1991 she met and married Daryll MacFarland, a former Westporter! They spent a year in Caracas, Venezuela, where he taught at the American School. They returned to Florida, where they lived for several years in Silver Springs, until they divorced in 1998.
Nancy lives near her children in northern Florida, works part time at Walmart and still consults as a Master Gardener.