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…
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.…
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…
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 FOWLER FAMILIES OF UNION COUNTY, SC 