William Barlow, father of Needham Arnold Barlow, Sr., was born in Montgomery County, Georgia on November 27, 1850, the son of William Barlow and Elizabeth Watson Couey Barlow.  His father died while he was a teen-ager, and he and his mother, brothers, and sisters moved to Clinch County about 1865.  He is listed in the 1870 census of Clinch County as a member of the household of his mother, Elizabeth Barlow.

He first married Victoria O'Quin, daughter of David O'Quin, who was sheriff of Clinch County from 1854 to 1856.  Their children were Claude, Guilford Byrd, Newton, and Matilda.  Victoria died  on August 14, 1887 shortly after the birth of Matilda and is buried in the Homerville city cemetery.

William's second wife was Mary Arnold, daughter of Needham Arnold of the nearby community of Millwood in Ware County.  It is said that that he rode over to visit her and proposed that they get married as soon as possible since he needed someone to look after his four young'uns. Their union produced seven children: Hattie, Waver, Lizzie, Tom Watson, Lurena, Needham Arnold, and Inez.

William Barlow was a farmer and also a Baptist preacher, serving the Magnolia and Bethel churches in Clinch County as well as several other churches.  His granddaughter Lois Thornton says that her mother, Hattie Barlow, would ride in the buggy with him when he went to preach at a Baptist church in Pearson.  They would leave early Saturday morning to arrive in Pearson in time for him to preach on Saturday night.  He would preach again at the Sunday morning and evening services and then go back home in the buggy, arriving in the early hours of the morning.  It is said that he could preach eloquently on Sunday and raise hell on Monday.  One of the older citizens of Homerville remembers that the members of William's church would furnish home made wine for the communion service, and William would drink up all the leftover wine after the service.

He was active in the community as a member of the Masons and as a politician.  He was a dedicated supporter of the Populist party and even named a son after the party's founder, Tom Watson.  He was the Populist party candidate for office several times but was defeated by his Democratic opponents.  In 1920 William was elected county commissioner as a Democrat from the Magnolia district of Clinch County and served in that capacity until January 1, 1925.

Like many of his contemporaries, William Barlow had little faith in doctors, probably with good reason, and instead relied on home remedies.  When his wife, Mary, developed a sore on her heel, they tried all of the usual home remedies with no success.  Finally her sons took matters into their own hands and called old Dr. Culpepper to take a look at her.  While her sons held her to keep her still, Dr. Culpepper tried to cut the sore off, using no anesthetic.  Of course she screamed and cried pitifully, and the boys kept repeating, "He's murdering her up!"  The sore was evidently cancerous and soon spread.  She died on August 22, 1924 and was buried in the Homerville city cemetery.

            William had a stroke soon afterward and was partially paralyzed on his right side. He sold his land in Clinch County to his son Waver J. Barlow and F. L. Saunders.  He then went to live in Jacksonville, Florida with some of his children.  He died on June 6, 1926 at the home of his son, G. B. Barlow, and is buried in the Homerville city cemetery between his two wives.

William Barlow was evidently a tough, tyrannical father, but he must have had many good qualities that earned him the respect of his children and his fellow citizens.  He was known as "Uncle Bill" to members of the community who would come to him for a little loan to pay for seed or to get their teeth fixed.  He was often called upon to make speeches at schools and churches in the area.  His daughter Hattie thought that the sun rose and set in "Pa". When daughter Lorena's beau Sam Smith called and asked to speak to the best looking person in the house, Lorena replied, "Well, that would be Pa."  He worked hard and provided well for his large family and taught them to do the same.