It's 2 a.m. and I quietly tiptoe just one last time to check on my elderly father sleeping in his bed. My day started before the sun broke over the horizon, and the brief nap that I so desperately needed never materialized. The days are long and there always seems to be something else that…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 FOWLER FAMILIES OF UNION COUNTY, SC 