Gazaway Fowler married well. Yes, he came from a solid, comfortably established family. His people were steady folk, respectable, with land enough and a name that held its own in courthouse ledgers. But there is no denying he married up when he and Elmira A. Smith walked down the aisle to the altar on January…
THOMAS FOWLER (1858-1903) Son of Gazaway Fowler & Elmira Smith
Genealogy deserves accuracy, not repetition. For years, online family trees have repeated the same mistake: they have merged two entirely different men named Thomas Fowler into one. This article lays out the documented facts—census records, marriage records, probate filings, and burial locations—that prove beyond question that Thomas William Fowler, son of Gazaway Fowler and Elmira…
ME
Major JAMES BLAKE STEEDMAN (1834-1885)
To the boys who bore his name in the quiet years after the war —Sons born into a nation learning how to breathe again.They carried forward the memory of James Blake Steedman,not through monuments of stone,but through the simple, enduring act of naming.This tribute honors those sons,whose lives became the living threadbetween remembrance and renewal.…
Men of One Name: The Thomas Fowlers of Union County
During the past few months, I have compiled what I believe to be a complete list of all men named Thomas Fowler who lived in Union County, South Carolina from 1798 to 1944. Although I have made every effort not to omit anyone, a few individuals may have escaped the historical record. Each Thomas Fowler…
JAMES W. FOWLER (1838-1899) Son of James, Grandson of Godfrey
James W. Fowler was born April 9, 1838 in Union County, South Carolina. He was a son of James Fowler (1793–1858) and Susan Gault (b. 1800). As a grandson of Godfrey Fowler (1773–1850) and Nancy "Nannie" Kelly (1775–1857), James W. Fowler came from a family of military men. His grandfather Godfrey Fowler fought in the…
The Confederate Soldiers: SAMUEL WADDY FOWLER (1843-1861)
Samuel Waddy Fowler was born December 11, 1843 in Union County, South Carolina. He was the youngest son of James Fowler (1793–1858) and Susan Gault (b. 1800). Waddy was the grandson of Godfrey Fowler (1773–1850) and Nancy "Nannie" Kelly (1775–1857). Samuel Waddy Fowler came from a family with a documented line of military service. His…
The Murder of Mastin Comer & Fowler Family Connections
There is little doubt that the area known as Pea Ridge in Union County, South Carolina, was a rough-and-tumble place. This was especially true in the 1800s. Theft, assault, lynching, murder. Many God-fearing men of the Ridge left their morals behind at the church door when they had a wrong to avenge. In the area…
Shot Through The Heart – CLAUDE FOWLER (1884-1910)
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 FOWLER FAMILIES OF UNION COUNTY, SC 