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…
Debunking Myths: John M. Foster and Catherine Adair
I have learned that there are many kinds of research in genealogy: Research based on solid documentation Research based on circumstantial evidence and speculation Research based on family lore passed down from prior generations Copy and paste; hoping the research of someone else is true DNA -- the final word and absolute truth in research…
FLORA PEARL MABRY (1883-1970)
Sometimes, the stars in the universe align and seemingly unrelated events cause a chain reaction leading to wonderful, remarkable discoveries. She is one of them. And by she, I mean Flora Pearl Mabry. A TWIST OF FATE I was going in circles while researching Reverend Elias Mitchell, looking for the names of eleven legatees who…
Finding MAHALA
MAHALA. She is my great-great grandmother. She was a brick wall in my family research for more than a quarter of a century -- a woman without a known maiden name. I have been searching for her for a very long time. Tonight, I found her. Buried deep in Equity Court Records was the documentation…
The Founding Families of Grindal Shoals
Grindal Shoals. If you are a Revolutionary War buff, you will recognize these two words, and you will know what happened there so very long ago. If you are not a big fan of American history, the two words will mean nothing to you and will not be given a second thought. It was here…
Legacy of Reverend Elias Mitchell: Family, Faith, and Forgotten Graves
"And I do furthermore ordain and enjoin my executors to advertise and sell all the rest and residue of my property, both real and personal, except one acre of land around and including the family burying ground, and the right of way to and from the same, which I reserve forever as a family cemetery…
Exploring the MILLWOOD Family History in Union County
As far as early settlers were concerned, the Millwood family got somewhat of a late start in the Union District. An analysis of census records indicates that the first Millwood family moved into the area between 1810 to 1820. In 1840, there were only 17 Millwood families in the United States. Ten of those were…
The Confederate Soldiers: JAMES MILLWOOD (1837-1894) married to Melinda
A young Rebekah Millwood was present and counted in the 1840 Union County, South Carolina Census. There were two young daughters and two young sons in the household. Thirteen-year old James Millwood was in the Rebecca Millwood household of 1850 along with Narcissa and Pamela, and two younger children, Nancy and William. The presence of…
THE FOWLER FAMILIES OF UNION COUNTY, SC 