When I bought the one hundred and seventy-six year old ASA FOWLER Family Bible, I knew nothing about the family. I was hoping that this Fowler line would somehow connect to mine. It did not. I researched this Fowler family and it is a family with a wonderful history. Asa Fowler is descended from Philip Fowler who was born in England circa 1590, immigrated to America in 1634, and lived in Ipswich, Massachusetts until his death in 1679.
Asa Fowler was born in Pembroke, New Hampshire, the son of Benjamin Fowler and Mahitable Ladd. A year after graduating from Dartmouth College, he moved to Concord, New Hampshire in 1834. In 1837, he married Mary Cilley Knox (1815-1882). The couple had four sons and one daughter.
Asa Fowler was a politician, a lawyer, a justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and he was in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Asa Fowler was in a law partnership that lasted from 1838 until 1845 with Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president of the United States. One must spend a little time researching his life to fully appreciate the man and his many accomplishments.
After retiring from political life, Asa Fowler spent his remaining years traveling to Europe, Florida, and California. He died in San Rafael, California on April 26, 1885. His last travels brought his body home to be buried in his beloved Concord, New Hampshire.
I do not know how the Family Bible of Asa Fowler began in a great family and now resides in my genealogy library, but it gave me a research opportunity that I would have never had otherwise. The bible is dated 1845, and it is very fragile. I have taken a few photographs of the bible along with the family pages inside. The third photograph in the series appears to the signature of Asa Fowler, with Concord, N.H. written below.
www.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asa_Fowler
The Family Bible is a treasure, but I was also fortunate enough to obtain a first edition family history of Philip Fowler and his descendants: The Fowler Family- A Genealogical Memoir of the Descendants of Philip and Mary Fowler of Ipswich, Massachusetts by Matthew Adams Stickney; published 1883.
The book was donated to the Nahant Public Library in 1884 by Samuel Hammond Russell (1823-1894). Nahant is a tiny resort beach town in Essex County, about 20 miles from Boston. Samuel H. Russell came from an educated, prominent family in Boston. I have not researched to see if he was related to Philip Fowler.
Thanks to the head start I was given through the family records in the bible and the information in the genealogy book, I was able to trace this Fowler family to present day. Yes, I have DNA tested descendants. This is one of the most fascinating Fowler families that I have researched to date.
THE FOWLER FAMILIES OF UNION COUNTY, SC 
That turned out to be a very interesting find. I would be curious to know the family DNA. As always, your dedication researching the Fowler families is magnificent. Best wishes.
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Janis, you were the one who brought the bible to my attention ….. so a huge thank you for that! The yDNA Haplogroup for this Fowler line is
R-M269. There were only a few matches — none of them very close and none of them Fowlers — meaning that other men from this line have not tested. There are descendants out there. Some are aware of their unique line of descent but I am sure that there are many who have no idea of their wonderful history. Thanks again, Janis, for your comments and for opportunity to be the caretaker of this bible for now.
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One of these days I hope we find a BIG find on the “I ” group. Yes, I remember the Bible and so happy you got it. ❤ You are the best Fowler historian that I have met. Thank you!
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Hi there,
This is a terrific find and a fascinating post! I happened upon this as my daughter is doing a school assignment on her family’s cultural history; Asa Fowler is an ancestor of mine, and my mother and grandparents are listed in those photos. Congrats on the post on its merits; on a personal note I’d also love to learn more about the bible and some of the ephemera that comes with it, and happy to connect offline if you’d be willing.
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Thanks so much for your comments and for visiting my site! It’s a very beautiful bible, very old and fragile but I’m so very glad it it has been preserved. You may contact me at debfowler@aol.com. If you would like to chat, I’ll be happy to send my cellular number in an email. Deb
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Hi there,
This is a terrific find and a fascinating post! I happened upon this as my daughter is doing a school assignment on her family’s cultural history; Asa Fowler is an ancestor of mine, and my mother and grandparents are listed in those photos. Congrats on the post on its merits; on a personal note I’d also love to learn more about the bible and some of the ephemera that comes with it, and happy to connect offline if you’d be willing.
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You did an amazing job.I have photos to add to your collection of ASA and Mary.i love history and genealogy. please send me an email or provide a link so I can share.
sharing fowler history from Missouri ,sharing is caring🤗
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Hi. I love your family history. It lends so much detail. I wish I could trace my family back as far as you have done. I was brought to this page after searching my grandfather’s name…Ellis Fowler Jr. He is buried in Fosters Grove Cemetery in Spartanburg County, which neighbors Union County. I know he was of mixed raced. It makes me wonder if there is some relation.
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Hi, Thanks so much for your comments. I did see your grandfather in a census record, as well as some other research documents. I also wonder if there is some relation. I think it would take DNA testing to find out for sure. I can help guide you through the process if you are interested in that. How far back have your traced this line?
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I am the 3rd great granddaughter of Trueworthy Fowler, younger brother of Asa’s. My grandfather Donald L Fowler who passed at 95 on Feb 14 2010 was born and raised in the house his father my great grandfather Martin built next door to the family homestead that Trueworthy built and my 2nd great grandfather Henry T took over after Trueworthy passed and held ownership until his death. The homestead is now back in Fowler ownership by my 2nd cousin Steve and his wife Patty Fowler that they converted into 55 and older living. You truly hold a major Fowler find!!
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I am the 3rd great granddaughter of Trueworthy Fowler, younger brother of Asa’s. My grandfather Donald L Fowler who passed at 95 on Feb 14 2010 was born and raised in the house his father my great grandfather Martin built next door to the family homestead that Trueworthy built and my 2nd great grandfather Henry T took over after Trueworthy passed and held ownership until his death. The homestead is now back in Fowler ownership by my 2nd cousin Steve and his wife Patty Fowler that they converted into 55 and older living. You truly hold a major Fowler find!! Both my 2nd cousin Steve and I are big historians of the Fowler line. He and his wife Patty still reside in Pembroke,NH
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Hi Shannon, Thanks so much for reading and commenting on my Fowler blog! I have yDNA tested a descendant of Asa Fowler, and although much paper research has been done on the family, few have tested for genetic research. It is so nice to hear from descendants like yourself. I am also descended from a Fowler family from England, but not this line. My family is documented in House of Fowler by Grover Parsons Fowler. Eventually, It is my hope to have the Asa Fowler Bible and the first edition Philip Fowler genealogy book go to a descendant of Asa Fowler where I feel they truly belong. I only discovered this line as a researcher for the FTDNA.com Fowler Surname Project, and the two volumes sort of fell into my lap. Then I became fascinated with the line which included so many prominent and well respected men of honor.
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My grandmother, was Evelyn Sadie Fowler, born 1899, was the daughter of Frank Asa Fowler!
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