Isaac Carow

Isaac Quentin Carow was born on March 29, 1778, in Saint Croix, part of the West Indies Islands. He was the son of merchant Isaac Carow and Ann (née Cooper) Carow. His paternal grandfather was Josué Quereau, a Huguenot immigrant from France who settled in New York before or during 1721. Josué Quereau married Judith Quantin in 1721.

In 1793, Isaac Quentin Carow moved to New York City to pursue an academic education. He entered into a business partnership with Robert Kermit, forming the shipping line known as Kermit & Carow, which contributed to his financial prosperity. Carow's career extended to various civic roles; he served as a warden of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, was a governor of New York Hospital, and held the position of vice president of the New York Bible Society. Additionally, he was active in literary and civic pursuits, promoting efforts such as the New York Society Library.

Carow was involved in the celebration of the Erie Canal; he was one of fifteen members appointed to the Committee of Arrangements for this event. From 1840 to 1842, he served as president of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York. He was also among the original incorporators and served as a director of the Bank of Commerce in New York.

On June 30, 1803, Isaac Carow married his cousin, Eliza Mowatt (1783–1837). They resided at 25 St. Marks Place, a Federal-style townhouse built in 1831. The marriage produced eight children:

- Ann Eliza Carow (1804–1879), who married Robert Kermit, owner of the Red Star Line, in 1832.

- John Carow (born 1805), who died young.

- Jane Carow (1807–1830).

- Julia Carow (1813–1867), married Edward Fisher Sanderson, a steel manufacturer of Endcliffe Grange in Sheffield, England.

- Mary Carow (1816–1864), married James P. Thomas.

- Charles Carow (1825–1883), married Gertrude Elizabeth Tyler, daughter of Brigadier General Daniel Tyler.

- Laura Frances Carow (1827–1872).

Isaac Carow traveled to Europe in 1815 and again in 1827, during which time he stayed with Marquis de Lafayette in France. In 1835, he was among 275 men invited to join the newly formed St. Nicholas Society.

Eliza Mowatt Carow died in May 1837. Isaac Quentin Carow passed away on September 3, 1850, in New York City. Following his death and after settling his estate, which was valued at $146,681, his beneficiaries received legacies.

His descendants include notable figures such as Edith Kermit Carow (1861–1948), his granddaughter through his eldest son Charles, who became the second wife of President Theodore Roosevelt and served as First Lady of the United States. Other grandchildren through his daughter Julia included Mary Sanderson (who married her second cousin Thomas Sanderson Furniss) and Frances Ann Sanderson (married New York State Assemblyman Samuel William Johnson).