Morman Fowler is somewhat of a mystery to me. I have spent much time looking back through time so that I may discover more about his life.
Morman Fowler was born circa 1829, a son of Stephen Fowler (1800-1866) and his first wife Sarah.
Morman Fowler was a grandson of Ephraim Fowler (1765-1822) and a great grandson of Henry Ellis Fowler (1746-1808).
My time spent in the Union County Court House searching for evidence of Morman Fowler finally paid off when my eyes fell up the estate settlement of Stephen Fowler. If not for the discovery of this document, Morman Fowler‘s origins may have remained obscure.
Stephen Fowler died June 13, 1866. Because he left no Last Will and Testament, His widow Letticia petitioned the court to settle his estate.
The names of his children by his first wife Sarah, who was deceased, were listed: Morman Fowler, Henry Fowler, Shelton Fowler, Cansady Wright, Susan Palmer, and Briant Fowler.
His children with second wife Letticia were Louisa Fowler and Marion Fowler.
Transcribed: “at law, the following persons, viz your Petitioner his widow, Marion Fowler, Louisa Fowler, children of our Petitioner. Moorman Fowler, Henry Fowler, Shelton Fowler, Cansady Wright, Susan Palmer, and Briant Fowler, children of Sarah Fowler, deceased former wife of intestate, that the said children are all of age and reside in this District, that at the time of his death, the said……”
William Bevis — with his many ties to the Fowler family — was the administrator for Stephen Fowler’s estate. The sale of the material goods accumulated during the lifetime of Stephen Fowler was held on November 30, 1866.
Letticia Fowler was required by law to buy anything she wanted from her late husband’s estate, and she ended up with the lion’s share Son Marion Fowler bought items at the sale, but his older half brother, Morman Fowler, was the big spender that day — he bought two iron wedges for $1.10 and a mule for $99.95.
Morman Fowler was Head of Household in the 1850 Union County, SC Census. I have questions about the other members of the household. Was Lucinda Fowler his wife, sister, or a cousin?
Another question. Was Nancy married to Columbus Garner a sister of Morman Fowler?
I have seen undocumented information that Nancy was Nancy Jane Fowler, the great great grandmother of Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. (1929-2006), also known as Buck Owens.
Buck Owens was born in Texas in 1929. He was a musician, singer, songwriter, and the co-host of the long ago popular television show Hee Haw which began airing in 1969. My family watched it religiously every week.
I remember an incident in the early 1970’s when my dad was driving us home from a weekend at the lake. We got off to a late start and that meant we were going to miss our favorite tv show with its cornball cast of characters.
My dad must have been driving a little too fast as a highway patrolman turned on his flashing lights and pulled us over. I will never forget what my dad said to the patrolman when he asked why he was speeding.
My dad replied honestly, “We are trying to get home so we can watch Hee Haw.” The patrolman laughed and let us continue our journey home without a ticket.
I met Buck Owens in Las Vegas in the 1990s. He came to see a show that I was lighting, and we had a nice conversation afterwards. I did not know at the time that he had possible Union County, South Carolina Fowler connections. Too bad; the conversation would have definitely taken a different turn.
The 1860 Union County Census: James M. Fowler (age 30) lived next door to Stephen Fowler (age 62).
I have no proof yet, but I believe that James M. Fowler was James MORMAN Fowler. The household included a wife, Jane, and two daughters: Eliza, Amanda, and an infant son James.
Jane Fowler and the three children disappeared from records after that census.
Morman Fowler was of the right age to have served in the Civil War. Did he enlist in the Confederate army?
I have searched Civil War military records for Morman Fowler, Moorman Fowler, Moman Fowler. There is nothing.
There are, however, Civil War military records of thirty-five year old J.M Fowler who enlisted the same day — September 11, 1861 — as seventeen-year old Marion Fowler in Captain W.H. Sims’ Company 15th Regiment South Carolina Volunteers.
Both men, J.M. Fowler and Marion Fowler enlisted at Mount Tabor, just down the road from the farm of Stephen Fowler.
Were these the sons of Stephen Fowler … one older and one younger … enlisting together? It is known for certain that Marion Fowler was a son. Was J.M. Fowler also a son? Was he really Morman Fowler?
The military records for J.M. Fowler only mentioned a variation of the name once: J. Marion Fowler. A little confusing to be sure, but I feel it was a slight mistake, that it should have been J. Morman Fowler, the mix-up being caused the presence of younger brother Marion Fowler.
Both men, Marion Fowler and J.M. Fowler, survived the war .
Morman Fowler was Head of Household in the 1870 Union County Census. He was married to a woman named Angeline. There was a nine year old son, Thomas, in the household.
Who was Angeline? I am still researching this woman. I have several theories but no proof.
My top four guesses as follows:
- Angeline Fowler b. 1846, daughter of Daniel P. Fowler
- Angeline Millwood b. 1846, daughter of Jefferson Millwood
- Angeline McKinney b. 1843, daughter of Barney McKinney
- Angeline Weir b. 1848, daughter of Joseph Weir
One thing that I am sure of is that the Thomas Fowler in the 1870 census was the son of Morman Fowler. This Thomas Fowler was laid to rest at Philippi Cemetery in Union County.
If you learn one thing from this post, know that the Thomas Fowler who lies at Philippi is NOT the son of Gassaway Fowler and Elmira Smith.
How do I know this?
THE DEATH CERTIFICATE FOR THOMAS FOWLER WHO DIED SEPTEMBER 17, 1937, AND WHO WAS BURIED AT PHILIPPI, CLEARLY STATES THAT HIS FATHER WAS MORMAN FOWLER.
Gassaway Fowler was the son of Thomas Gillman Fowler (1798-1880), son of Godfrey Fowler.
Although a Union County native by birth, Gassaway Fowler and his wife Elmira Smith lived much of their married life in Fairfield County, South Carolina. Both Gassaway and Elmira died in Fairfield County and it is there where they rest in peace.
Gassaway and Elmira Fowler had a son named Thomas Fowler, born circa 1858, but there is no shred of evidence that their son Thomas Fowler lived anywhere other than Fairfield County. There is no evidence that any of the Gassaway Fowler family ever lived near the Philippi Cemetery, nor were any of them ever buried there.
I have seen many family trees on-line that have Thomas Fowler of the Philippi Cemetery as the son of Gassaway Fowler. This is wrong. Please do your research and stop the spread of incorrect information! There are also no documents stating that Thomas Fowler of Philippi was named William Thomas Fowler. Research. Research. Research.
As Thomas Fowler is the only child of Morman Fowler who seems to have a documented line of descent, I shall follow this line down to present day.
If we are to take his headstone as the gospel truth, Thomas Fowler, son of Morman Fowler, was born October 12, 1854.
About the year 1889, Thomas Fowler married Sarah “Sallie” Moore, born in 1869, and the daughter of Leander Jackson Moore (1826–1915).
Thomas Fowler and Sarah Moore had four children. One of the children did not live past infancy. Perhaps the name was recorded in a family bible, but it is unknown to me. The three children who carried on the family name and their children are below:
- Clyde Thomas Fowler (1896–1989) married Clara Austin (1902-1985)
- Curtis Ross Fowler 1921–2004
- Marie Fowler (1925–1994)
- Jessie May Fowler (1897–1986) married Wallace Thomas Alexander (1897-1958)
- Melvin Albert Alexander (1919–1981)
- Francis Alexander (1922–2007)
- Madeline Alexander (1925–1991)
- Wallace Thomas Alexander (1931–2018)
- Daughter Alexander
- Son Alexander
- Rosa Mae Fowler (1908–1985)
His name, Morman, was one of a kind in the Union County Fowler family, and my research continues. Where was his home place? When did he die? Where was he laid to rest? I feel there is more to be discovered deep in the dusty documents of the Court House, unseen for decades.
My research mission is to bring Morman Fowler into the minds and hearts of the ones who live today because he lived yesterday. May he rest in peace and never be forgotten.
THE FOWLER FAMILIES OF UNION COUNTY, SC 