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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 FOWLER FAMILIES OF UNION COUNTY, SC 