Claude Fowler was my grandfather's brother. He was the second son of seventeen children born to Thomas Gillman Fowler (1858-1944) and Lura Mabry Littlejohn (1862-1957). He was also a railroad fireman. It was hard work, shoveling coal from the tender to the firebox to fuel the engine of a steam locomotive. It was dirty work,…
The Three Daughters of SOPHIA FOWLER
Sophia. Octavia. Charlotte. Those were the three daughters born to Sophia Fowler, a woman of color. James Boyd Smith, a white slave owner, was their father. This is their story. WHO WAS JAMES BOYD SMITH? In hopes that the descendants of Sophia Fowler may want to know their lineage, I have included extensive research on…
The 1898 Brutal Murder of ARMETTIE FOWLER
Her name was not even mentioned in the many newspaper articles. Instead, the news was the horrific description of the gaping hole that the shotgun blast left when it ripped her face apart. The biggest mistake in her short life would be the one that would end her life:. She married the evil monster who…
JASPER FOWLER, HIS WIFE, HIS CHILDREN, HIS LIFE
Ten years ago, in 2015, I researched and wrote all I knew of Jasper Fowler, son of Ephraim. Thanks to a wonderful new research tool, my speculation of the names of his children has become documented fact. Even the identity of his unnamed wife has come to light. What follows is my revised body of…
The Confederate Soldiers: RICHARD FOWLER (1844-aft 1864)
There was only one Richard Fowler --born circa 1844 -- in Union County, South Carolina that I find who is a "good fit" to have been this soldier. He was the son of Andrew Fowler (1804-aft 1870) and wife Mary Scisson (1821-aft 1870). Godfrey, Ellis, John, Mark, Thomas, James, Gassaway William, Henry, Gillman, Joseph ...…
The Confederate Soldiers: JOHN FOWLER (1843-1865)
John Fowler was born in 1846 to Henry Fowler, son of Stephen Fowler, son of Ephraim Fowler, son of Henry Ellis Fowler. I believe the John Fowler who enlisted in Company F of the 18th Regiment South Carolina Infantry was the son of Henry Fowler. If you research these Fowlers of Union County, South Carolina,…
GODFREY BUTLER FOWLER (1837-1906), Son of Joseph
When I first drafted the beginning of this narrative, I had no idea that I was related to Godfrey Butler Fowler. I did not know that my paternal grandmother's grandmother Mahala was a Fowler; and I certainly did not know that Mahala's brother was this Godfrey. But here we are. UNCLE GODFREY I remember as…
JOHN M. FOSTER (1788-1869) of Union County, SC
Let's get this out of the way. Somewhere... sometime... someone decided that John M. Foster of Union County married a woman named Catherine Palmer Adair. The "research" was very flawed, and unfortunately, spread like wildfire. There are countless family trees with this incorrect information. John M. Foster was my great-great-great grandfather. I want to set…
The Life and Ministry of Reverend LITTLETON FOWLER (1802-1846)
Littleton Fowler. The name appeared on my research radar while looking for the origins of my ancestor Henry Ellis Fowler. It did not take long to realize that Littleton Fowler was a well documented descendant of John Fowler who immigrated from England into Virginia in the 1600s. Research indicated that my branch of the Henry…
DR. WADE FOWLER (1820-1881) Son of James, Grandson of Godfrey
Close your eyes, for just a moment, and imagine that you have gone back in time. It is 1850, and you are sick. Very sick. You live in the American South where climate and living conditions contribute to the prevalence of infectious diseases. Poor sanitation and not understanding how diseases are transmitted allow illness to…
THE FOWLER FAMILIES OF UNION COUNTY, SC 