Updated: July 2005
DIEL and ELIZABETH BAUER
Diel Bauer was born in Germany and immigrated to America around 1750.
Married
Elizabeth.
Children:
Dielman, born 1744.
Dietrich, born April 4, 1749.
Maria Sophia, born April 24, 1750. Married
Frederick Paul.
Elizabeth, born Dec. 7, 1751. Married Valentine Metz.
John, born April 6, 1753.
Margaret. Married
George Peter Gauff.
Barbara. Married Conrad Kocher.
Eve, born Dec. 6, 1762. Married William Freeman.
Catherine. Married
Abraham Shupp.
Diel’s parents are unknown. The name "Diel" is very unusual and may indicate a place of origin. It
is a shortened form of the name "Dietrich" that usually appears in Hesse. According to information supplied to the Daughters
of the American Revolution, Diel may have been born in 1718 or 1719 in either Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Darmstadt in Germany.
However, this file is riddled with errors and cannot be trusted in the least. (2)
His name is often spelled Dill, Diehl
or Thill in records. Bauer is often anglicized to Bower in civil records, but records from German-language churches always
spell the name Bauer.
It is possible that Diel immigrated to America with his mother and stepfather. The will of Johann
Nicklas Schmith (Schmitt) of Lowhill Township, Northampton County, Pa., refers to "my son Johan Thill Bauher." Past researchers
believed that this indicated Diel was this man’s son-in-law. However, genealogists consulted in Germany believe this
indicates Diel was his stepson. Also, other married daughters are listed under their own names and not under husbands’.
If this is the case, Diel’s mother was probably Maria Margareta Schmidt, who had remarried after Diel’s father
died. The order of the names may also indicate that Diel’s sisters were Anna Barbara Meiher, Anna Elisabeth Wick and
Elisabeth Wieder, since their names follow his. It is possible that Diel’s immigration records are under the name of
Schmitt. (3)
It is uncertain exactly when the Bauer family came to America, but Diel was naturalized in Philadelphia on
April 10, 1760. His name appears in "Pennsylvania Archives" under the act of parliament calling for the naturalization of
foreigners "having inhabited and resided the space of seven years and upwards in his Majesty’s Colonies in America."
(4)
Diel first shows up in what is now Montgomery County, Pa., in 1750.
A notice printed in a German-language newspaper
on Aug. 18, 1750 says Diel lived on land at Falckner Swamp in what was then Philadelphia County. He also appears as the father
of Maria Sophia Baur, who was baptized Oct. 14, 1750, at Falkner Swamp Reformed Church in New Hanover Township. (5)
Sometime
before 1752, Diel moved to Northampton County. He was among the early settlers of the area, which had only recently been "purchased"
from the Indians. In the 1700s, Germans constituted about 90 percent of the county’s population. (6)
Diel first appears
in Northampton County records on Dec. 5, 1752. The business transaction is among the first in the history of the county, which
was separated from Bucks County in 1752. It is recorded in Deed Book A-1, page 5.
The book "A Frontier Village" mentions
the transaction, which followed attempts by John Weidman to build a grist mill on Lefevre Creek. "Weidman did not have sufficient
funds with which to complete the mill, so he borrowed about 46 pounds from John Lefevre and Dill Bower. To secure the payment
of this obligation Weidman, on December 5th, 1752, gave a mortgage on his property, including the mill, to Lefevre and Bower.
In this mortgage, it is stated that John Weidman was a millwright, Dill Bower a smith, and John Lefevre an innholder, and
that all three were residents of the ‘Forks of the Delaware’, the name by which Forks Township was then known."
(7)
The fact that Diel had enough spare money to make a loan indicates he was relatively prosperous for that time and place.
In
1753, the baptism of his son John is recorded at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Upper Saucon Township, in
what is now Lehigh County. However, the family may not have lived near there because they were never listed as communicants
at that church.
On Sept. 3, 1757, an advertisement in a German newspaper reported that Diel Bower had taken possession
of land left by Georg Ewy in Bethel Township, Northampton County. (8)
Sometime before 1761, Diel settled in Plainfield
Township. He lived there until his death. (9) During this time, he appears several times in the records of the Northampton
County Orphan’s Court. In 1763 and 1767, he served on panels reporting on the estates of deceased residents of the township.
In 1778, he is listed as "next friend" when Christian Stout was appointed guardian of two children of Joseph Stout. (10)
Diel
is listed as a farmer in Plainfield in 1772. (11) However, Diel seems to have retired from farming in 1772, when he sold his
farm to his son Dietrich. (12)
In payment, Diel received 250 pounds, some living space on the farm, a small garden and
annual allotments of produce, meat and "when the orchard Hits well a Barrell of syder." Dietrich – listed as "Richard
Bauer," a mistake that was cleared up in a later deed – received 127 acres of land as well as "four cows, four heifers,
five sheep, five lambs, two horses of three years, a saddle, all our Utensills of Husbandry to wit a Harrow & Plough with
their irons, also two sows & a Barrow Hog." Dietrich also received a farm hand to help, as the deed states: "I give to
my son Richard Bauer two years Servitude more or less of his Brother John Bauer, which is to be compleated & Ended when
my said son John arrives to the full age of Twentyone years old and not Before."
During the Revolution, Diel’s sons
served in the Northampton County militia. His DAR file says he swore an oath of allegiance to the Colonies; however, his name
could easily be mistaken for that of a Dielman Bauer, whom I will discuss later. (13)
Diel died sometime before Aug. 15,
1796, when portions of his land were sold by his heirs.
(1) Names come from Northampton County Deed Book A-4,
page 35. Birth date for Dietrich comes from "Burial Record of the Old Cemetery of St. Peter’s Church of Plainfield Township,
Northampton County, Pa.," page 10. Eve and Elizabeth’s are on page 6. Sophia’s comes from "Church Records of the
Falkner Swamp Reformed Church," page 3. John’s birth date is listed in "St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church,"
page 10. There is no documentary evidence that indicates Dielman – or Tillman as he was later known – was actually
a son of Diel. However, the similarity of the very rare names, the links in later baptismal records and the places of residence
point toward the link. Family tradition also makes the link, but one must be wary of such information. (2) The information
on the name "Diel" comes from "Deutsches Namen Lexicon," by Hans Bahlow. The DAR information comes from Diel’s file
and that of his son John at the national headquarters in Washington. D.C. The DAR’s link to Hesse comes from a Miss
Julia R. Mitchell, who lived at 83 Ellis Ave., Chicago in 1936. It is difficult to say how reliable this information is without
any further details. (3) Northampton County Will File 135. (4) "Pennsylvania Archives," Series 2, Vol. II, page 402. (5) Newspaper
listing – originally from Christopher Sower’s Pennsylvanische Geschicht-Schreiber of Germantown – appears
in "Genealogical Data Relating to the German Settlers of Pennsylvania and Adjacent Territory," page 21. The baptismal information
comes from "Church Records of the Falkner Swamp Reformed Church," page 3. (6) Note on Germans from "Some of the First Settlers
of The Forks of the Delaware and Their Descendants," page 5. (7) "A Frontier Village," page 64. (8) "Genealogical Data Relating
to the German Settlers," page 64. (9) "Northampton County Tax List for the Year 1761," page 73A. Northampton County Deed Book
A-4, page 35. (10) "Genealogical Abstracts of Orphan’s Court Records Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Vols A-E, 1752-1795,"
by Candace E. Anderson, pages 31, 49 and 98. (11) "Pennsylvania Archives," Series 3, Vol. XIX, pages 62. (12) Northampton
County Deed Book C-2, page 223. (13) DAR file.
DIETRICH and CATHARINE BAUER
Dietrich Bauer was born April 4, 1749, to Diel and Elizabeth Bauer. His
place of birth is uncertain. (1)
Married Catharine Elisabeth, who was born Dec. 21, 1744. (2)
Children: (3)
John
Jacob, born Jan. 11, 1777.
Abraham, born Nov. 28, 1778.
Elizabeth, born Oct. 1, 1780. Married Peter Frutchy.
Abraham,
born Feb. 11, 1783.
Frederick, born July 5, 1785.
George, born March 16, 1788.
Catharine. Married Philip Sheerman.
Presumably
the earlier Abraham died before 1783, and George died before 1818 because he isn’t listed in Dietrich’s will,
which was drawn up in that year.
In 1772, Dietrich appeared on tax lists among the single men in Plainfield Township, Northampton
County, Pa. (4)
Also in 1772, Dietrich acquired his father’s farm in return for 250 pounds, annual payments in produce
and a place for his parents to live. In 1789 and 1794, Dietrich acquired additional adjoining property from George and Elizabeth
Pfeiffer. (5)
The Bauers worshiped at the German Reformed Church in Plainfield, where their children were baptized. Dietrich
served as a deacon there in 1793 and as an elder in 1783 and 1794. In 1805, he contributed 3 pounds,7 shillings and 6 pence
to the construction of the congregation’s second building. Only six people contributed more. (6)
Dietrich appears
to have been respected by his neighbors. Dietrich served as the executor of the estate of George Pfeiffer – perhaps
the son of the George Pfeiffer from whom he purchased property – in 1800 and guardian of his daughter when his wife,
Catharine, died a year later. In addition to his services, for the Pfeiffer family, he was appointed one of the guardians
for the children of Jacob Engler in 1778 and the guardian of the children of Joseph Stout in the 1790s. He also served on
panels auditing or reporting on several estates of people from Plainfield Township. (7)
During the Revolutionary War, Dietrich
was active in the Northampton County Militia. (8) From 1777 to 1780, he served as a sergeant in the 6th Company
of the 5th Battalion. In May 1780, Dietrich was selected to be a lieutenant under Capt. Lewis Stacher’s 6th
Company, 2nd Battalion. Although the company’s numerical designation changed several times, Dietrich served
under Stacher throughout the war. The company mustered on May 16, 1780, April 10, 1781, July 1781 and April 18, 1782. Selection
as a militia officer is another measure of Dietrich’s standing the community since officers were elected.
On May
28, 1782, the militia company was called to active duty "in the service of the United States on the frontiers of said county
for two months service" – although on this occasion he served in Capt. Jacob Heller’s 3rd Class of
the 2nd Battalion (which was actually under the command of Capt. Abraham Horn, who served in place of Heller).
Dietrich served as lieutenant for 60 days, 37 of them on the frontier.
Service on the frontier generally consisted of patrolling
to reduce the risk of attack by Native Americans. Aside from several attacks by Indians who supported the British, no major
battles were fought in Northampton County. However, Easton was a strategic crossroads and Continental troops often passed
through the area en route to campaigns in New Jersey and other areas. Following several battles in other areas, the wounded
soldiers were treated in Easton. (9)
State records also list Dietrich as a private on the rolls of those receiving depreciation
pay following the war. This pay was in the from of certificates designed to offset the depreciation suffered by U.S. currency
during the war. It’s uncertain why he would have been listed as a private since I have not uncovered any records of
service at that rank.
Dietrich continued his militia service after the war ended. (10) He served as a private in the 7th
Company of the 6th Battalion of the county militia, which mustered on May 10, 1784. Two other records in the Pennsylvania
State Archives indicate active service. They are dated Jan. 31, 1786 and Jan. 17, 1787, but more research is needed to determine
whether they indicate additional active duty or refer to his service on the frontiers in 1782.
During this time, Dietrich
worked a farm in Plainfield Township. Tax records for 1779 indicate Dietrich owned 160 acres in Plainfield Township. In 1785
tax records for Plainfield Township, Dietrich is recorded as owning 100 acres of land, two horses and three cows, which was
about average for that township. (11)
Dietrich is sometimes referred to as Dieter and one property record refers to him
as "Richard Bauer," the English equivalent of the name.
Catharine died July 7, 1818. Dietrich died April 1, 1826. They
are buried across the road from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Plainfield, south of Wind Gap. (12)
(1)
Date of birth comes from "Burial Record of the Old Cemetery of St. Peter’s Church of Plainfield Township, Northampton
County, Pa.," page 10. Father’s name comes from Northampton County Deed Book A-4, page 35, and Deed Book C-2, page 223.
(2) Date of birth comes from St. Peter’s burial record, page 10. She is also named in Dietrich’s will, Northampton
County Will Book 4, page 120. It is possible that Catharine’s last name was Hann because the Bauers’ are buried
beside many Hanns and Frederick Hann was as sponsor at Frederick Bauer’s baptism, usually an indication of relationship.
Another possibility is Pfeiffer because Dietrich seems to have had an extremely close relationship with two generations of
George Pfeiffers, appearing with them in land records, a will and Orphans Court records. (3) "Church Record of the Plainfield
Reformed Church, Plainfield Township, Northampton County, Pa. Vol. I." Catharine and the husbands of the daughters are named
in Dietrich’s will. (4) "Pennsylvania Archives," Series 3, Vol. XIX, page 64. (5) Transfer from Diel Bauer is in Northampton
County Deed Book C-2, page 223. Pfeiffer deeds are in Deed Book C-2, pages 225 and 225. (6) Church information comes from
the Plainfield church record book, "First Settlers of the Forks," pages 401 and 402, and "History of the Plainfield Reformed
Church," page 9. (7) "Genealogical Abstracts of Orphan’s Court Records Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Vols. A-E,
1752-1795," pages 93, 122, 181, 206 and 221. Also, "Genealogical Abstracts of Orphan’s Court Records, Northampton County,
Pennsylvania Volumes. 6-8 1795-1815," by Candace E. Anderson, pages 98 and 305. (8) The service as sergeant is listed in militia
records available through the Pennsylvania State Archives Web site at www.phmc.state.pa.us. The following militia listings
are in "Pennsylvania Archives," Series 5, Vol. VIII: election, page 565; muster on May 16, 1780, page 122; April 10, 1781,
page 138; July 1781, page 147; April 18, 1782, page 173 and 175; service on the frontiers, page 183. Listing as private due
depreciation pay is in "Pennsylvania Archives," Series 5, Vol. IV, page 313. (9) "History of the Lehigh Valley," page 110.
(10) "Pennsylvania Archives," Series 6, Vol. III, page 816. The two references to active duty are for Dieter Bower and Detrick
Bower of the Northampton County militia, as listed on the Pennsylvania State Archives Web site at www.phmc.state.pa.us. (11)
1779 tax lists are in "Tax Lists in the Northampton County Court House 1774-1806," page 144. 1785 lists are in"Pennsylvania
Archives," Series 3, Vol. XIX, page 152. Records for 1786, page 265, show the same except he had two cows and those for 1788,
page 380, show the same except he had four cows. (12) St. Peter’s burial record, page 10.
JACOB
and ANNA BAUER
John Jacob Bauer was born Jan. 11, 1777 in Northampton County, Pa., to Dietrich and Catharine
Elisabeth Bauer. (1)
Married Anna Hess. (See below.)
Children: (2)
Catharine, born Aug. 12, 1802.
Jacob, born April 20, 1804.
Thomas, born Aug. 19,
1806.
Marianne, born Dec. 15, 1809. Married a man with the last name Walter, possibly Daniel.
Margaret, born June 7,
1813 or Jan. 11, 1813.
Elisabeth, born Feb. 4, 1819. Married Charles Reeser.
John Dietrich, born Oct. 12, 1823, and
died Sept. 5, 1825.
Tobias, probably born June 13, 1816, and died Dec. 12, 1836 of consumption.
Sarah.
Anna Hess
was born Dec. 6, 1783 in Northampton County to Jeremiah and Elisabeth Hess. (3) According to a manuscript at the Wyoming Valley
Historical Society, Anna and Jacob were married Nov. 2, 1801. Records from the church where the Hesses worshipped say an Anna
Hess married someone with the first name of Jacob on Nov. 21, 1801. This may be the record of the Bauers’ wedding. The
man’s last name was omitted in the transcript, probably because it was unreadable in the original document. (4)
The
family lived in Forks Township in Northampton County. (5) The Bauers worshiped at the German Reformed church in Plainfield,
where Jacob and Anna had most of their children baptized and where Jacob is listed among contributors to a renovation of the
church in 1805. (6) They begin appearing in Lutheran records in Easton and Forks Township in the 1810s, and probably worshiped
in Lutheran churches after that.
Jacob died Jan. 7, 1825. (7)
After Jacob’s death, his brother Abraham Bauer of
Plainfield Township was appointed guardian of Margaret, Tobias, Elizabeth and Sarah, who were listed as being younger than
14 years old. (8)
Nancy is listed as living with her son Jacob in Forks Township in the1850 Census. She died March 21,
1857. The Bauers are buried at Arndt’s Lutheran Church in Forks Township, just north of Easton. (9)
(1)
"Church Record of the Plainfield Reformed Church, Plainfield Township, Northampton County, Pa. Vol. I," page 12. Dietrich’s
will, Northampton County Will Book 4, page 120. Two Jacobs appear in Northampton County records at this time: the Jacob in
whom we are interested and a Jacob in Moore Township, who was married to a woman name Gertraud. Information on this family
can be found in "Bauer Family History," compiled by Andrew and Marguerite Swagler Bauer, a copy of which is in the Easton
Public Library. (2) Most are in "Plainfield Reformed Church." Elisabeth’s birth is recorded in "Church Record of Salem
Union Church in Forks Township, Northampton County." The births of Margaret and John Dietrich are recorded a St. John’s
Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Easton. Margaret’s birth, but no baptism, is also recorded in the Plainfield record;
also, the dates of birth conflict. The others are listed in Northampton County Orphan’s Court Record 10, page 270. The
married names of the daughters appear in Nancy’s estate papers, which also list a "Solma. Metzger," who may be Sarah.
Tobias’ birth and death dates are listed on a tombstone cited in "Burials at Arndt’s Church Near Easton, Pennsylvania,"
page 16. He is not listed among Nancy’s heirs in 1857, so it must be assumed he was dead at the time. (3) Anna’s
birth is recorded in "Some of the First Settlers of The Forks of the Delaware and Their Descendants," page 115. Her birth
date is also listed on her tombstone. (The year is incorrectly copied in "Burials at Arndt’s Church Near Easton, Pennsylvania.")
A real estate transaction in Luzerne County mentions "Nancy Bauer (late Nancy Hess)" as an heir of Jeremiah Hess. This is
Luzerne County Deed Book 22, page 611. Luzerne County Deed Book 35, page 716, describes her as "Nancy Bower (widow and relique
of Jacob Bower deceased) of Forks Township, Northampton County." (4) The manuscript is the rough draft for an item in "A History
of the Wapwallopen Region," by Lillie Cameron. It is in the "Hess" file at the historical society in Wilkes-Barre. The church
record is in "Some of the First Settlers," page 349. (5) 1820 Census, Northampton County, Pa. and estate papers in Northampton
County, File No. 3681. (6) Plainfield Reformed Church, page 250. (7) Jacob and Anna’s death dates listed in"Burials
at Arndt’s Church Near Easton, Pennsylvania," page 15. (8) Northampton County Orphan’s Court Record 10, page 270.
(9) "Burials at Arndt’s Church" says Anna died in 1854, but her tombstone says 1857. The administration papers for her
estate were filed in 1857. Estate papers in File No. 6584 in Northampton County.
THOMAS and NANCY
BOWER
Thomas Bower was born Aug. 19, 1806 in Northampton County, Pa., to Jacob and Anna (Hess) Bauer. (1)
Probably
married twice. (See below.)
Children: (2)
Mary Ann, born Feb. 4, 1830. Married William Walp.
Jacob D., born Jan.
12, 1834.
Margaret Ann, born about 1838. Married George Thomas.
John, born Nov. 11, 1842.
Elsa, born March 30,
1844, probably died before 1850.
Thomas J., born in 1849.
Thomas appears to have been married twice. The death certificate
of Thomas’ son Jacob lists Annie Earnst as his mother. Church records in Northampton County say Thomas married Anna
Ernst Feb. 2, 1834, about a month after Jacob’s birth. But in 1834, Thomas already had a 4-year-old daughter, Mary Ann,
who was almost certainly born to a previous wife. The book "Pioneers Families of Berwick, Pa.," says that Mary Ann was the
daughter of Thomas and a woman whose first name was unknown but whose last name was Switzer. (3)
Thomas’ second wife,
Anna, was born Nov. 9, 1809, according to her tombstone. (4) Her parents are unknown. She is frequently listed as Nancy in
records. Census records indicate that she could not write.
The family probably lived in Forks Township, Northampton County,
at the time of Jacob’s birth in 1834. Before 1840, they moved to Luzerne County, where the family of Thomas’ mother
owned land.
Before the move, their last name was usually spelled Bauer; afterward, it was usually Bower. This probably
happened because there were fewer Germans in Luzerne County and those who kept records were unfamiliar with German spellings.
Thomas
was a farmer. The 1880 Census lists Thomas’ occupation as "gentleman," which either means he was a retired, well-respected
farmer, or he wanted to be thought of as one.
Census records reveal the family lived in: Salem Township, Luzerne County,
in 1840; Centre Township, Columbia County, in 1850; Hollenback Township, Luzerne County, in 1860 and 1870; and in Nescopeck
Township, Luzerne County, in 1880. Atlas of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 1873 shows T. Baur’s farm in the southwest
corner of Hollenback Township, near the border of Nescopeck Township. Luzerne County deed books record that he bought land
in Nescopeck Township in 1873. He probably lived there until he moved to Ridgely, Md., in 1884 or 1885. The Bower farms generally
covered about 150 acres, according to the deed books. (5)
Thomas and his family are listed as taking communion at the Salem
Church in Luzerne County from May 1841 to March 1854. Salem was a union church serving both Lutheran and Reformed congregations.
German was the language used in services and early records. (6) The Bowers are also listed as Lutheran communicants at a similar
union church in Nescopeck Township from Nov. 23, 1862 to November 1884. (7)
In 1882, there seems to have been some family
turmoil. Thomas Jr. seems to have defaulted on a loan either from his father or guaranteed by his father. As a result, the
father sued the son to recover the money.
In April 1876, Thomas Jr. bought about 4 acres of land in Nescopeck Township
for $1,700. Six years later, Luzerne County records show the land being forfeited in a sheriff’s sale. On March 15,
1882 the court of common pleas commanded "that the goods and chattels, lands and tenements of T.J. Bower" be sold to recover
"a certain debt of seventeen hundred dollars which Thomas Bower lately in the said court recovered against him as four &
25-100 dollars which to the said Thomas Bower were adjudged for his damages which he sustained by occasion of the detention
of that debt ..." The land was sold for only $40, covering little of the $1,700. (8)
That November, Thomas drew up his
will, which mentions the court decision and the debt. It reads: "As to my son Thomas J. Bower, I hold a judgment in the Common
Pleas of Luzerne County of the amount of about seventeen hundred dollars, which judgment is unsatisfied. I consider the same
to be his portion and an advancement out of my estate and that no proceeding may be had toward the collection of the same."
In
the mid-1880s, Thomas moved to Ridgely, Md., where his son Jacob had lived since the late 1860s. The listing of those who
took communion in the Nescopeck church book notes that he moved there between Nov. 2, 1884 and May 17, 1885.
Thomas filed
his will in Luzerne County. The document reveals several interesting facts about the family. (9)
The will provides for
the care of Thomas’ son John, who is listed as "idiotic" in the 1880 Census. The will reads: "It is my desire that my
executor look after the interest of my son John and after the decease of his mother, if he should survive her, act as a trustee
for him and if they think necessary apply to the court for the appointment of a committee or trustee for him." Thomas’
son Jacob and son-in-law George Thomas were named executors.
The nature of John’s condition and when he contracted
it are unknown. In the 1870 Census, John is listed as a "farmhand" living with his parents and no mention is made of any special
condition. The 1880 Census records that John was "idiotic" and lived with his brother Thomas in Nescopeck.
The 1900 Census
records that John lived with Jacob in Ridgely.
Finally, one passage in the will indicates what kind of possessions 19th-century
Americans valued: "I further bequeath to my son Jacob D. Bower my sausage grinder and stuffer and a lot of grain sacks and
also a lot of meat I brought to him."
Nancy died Feb. 9, 1887. (10)
Thomas Bower died Dec. 6, 1890 in Ridgely. His obituary
appeared in the Denton Journal under news from Ridgely: "Mr. Thomas Bowers died at the residence of his son, Mr. Jacob D.
Bowers, on Saturday last, aged 84 years. Interment took place on Monday at the cemetery of the Reformed Church." (11)
(1) Date of birth comes from "Church Record of the Plainfield Reformed Church, Plainfield Township, Northampton County,
Pa. Vol. I," page 58, and "Beneath These Stones – Cemeteries of Caroline County, Vol. I," page 157. Parents listed in
church record and in papers of administration for mother’s estate, Northampton County File No. 6584. (2) Children are
listed in the census records cited in the text and in Thomas’ will. John and Elsa’s births are recorded in the
"Church Book of the Salem Church in Luzerne County." Mary Ann’s birth is listed in "Pioneer Families of Berwick, Pa."
and the year is confirmed in 1850 Census of Centre Township, Columbia County, Pa. Jacob’s birth date is listed in his
death certificate in the Maryland State Archives. (3) Jacob Bower’s death certificate is in the Maryland State Archives.
The marriage to Anna Ernst is recorded in the church book of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Easton,
Pa. (4) "Beneath These Stones: Cemeteries of Caroline County, Vol. I," page157. (5) Luzerne County Deed Books 71, page 50;
167, page 370; 168, page545; and 300, page 479. (6) "Church Book of the Salem Church." (7) "Church Book of the Nescopeck Congregation,"
which later became Mount Zion. (8) Original purchase is recorded in Luzerne County Deed Book 200, page 147. An account of
the court decision and sheriff’s sale appears in Deed Book 234, page 330. (9) Will is recorded in Will Book L, page
639. Thomas’ name is spelled Bower in his will, although it’s indexed under Bowen in Luzerne County records. (10)
"Beneath These Stones – Cemeteries of Caroline County, Vol. I," page 157. (11) Denton Journal, Saturday, Dec. 13, 1890.
JACOB
and LUCY BOWERS
Jacob D. Bowers was born Jan. 12, 1834 in Northampton County, Pa., to Thomas and Anna (Ernst)
Bower. (1)
Married Lucy Ann Hawk about 1857. Lucy was born Oct. 12, 1838, in Luzerne County, Pa., to John and Fanny Hawk. (2)
Children: (3)
John Wesley, born in 1858.
George Washington, born in Feb. 22, 1859.
Jacob’s parents
moved the family to Luzerne County, Pa., within a few years of his birth. In that county, his name and those of his parents
and siblings appear in records of Lutheran churches in Salem and Nescopeck townships. (4)
Jacob was a farmer in Hollenback
Township, Luzerne County, according to the 1860 Census, where his household appears next to his father’s. He owned 3
acres beside his father’s farm in Hollenback Township from 1866 to 1868, according to Luzerne County land records. In
the late 1860s, the family moved to Caroline County, Md., where Jacob farmed. (5)
Early records usually list the family
as Bower, and occasionally Bauer. However, the name is almost always spelled Bowers after the move to Maryland. This is probably
because other Caroline County families spelled the name with the "s" and the newcomers adopted the spelling over the years.
The
1880 Census lists Jacob as a farmer in the Second District of Caroline County. George and his wife Permilla also lived in
the household.
The 1900 Census lists Jacob as a miller in Ridgely, which is in Caroline County. The 1910 Census lists Jacob
and Lucy as living in Ridgely with their son John and his wife, Rosie. John was a carpenter and Jacob is listed as having
"own income." (7)
Jacob died Oct. 21, 1910 in Ridgely. His death certificate states he had suffered from "general disability"
for about a year.
After Jacob’s death, Lucy lived with her the family of her son, John, in Ridgely. The 1920 Census
shows Lucy living with Healy Bowers, who was the widow of her son. Presumably this is another name used by Rosie, although
it’s possible she was a second wife for John. The census was taken on Jan. 23, and Lucy lived only a few more months.
She died April 20 in Ridgely. Her death certificate states she had suffered from "senility – chronic nephritis," the
latter – a kidney disease – for fives years.
The Bowes are buried in Ridgely.
(1) Information
comes from Jacob’s death record at the Maryland State Archives. (2) The 1900 Census of Ridgely, Caroline County, Md.,
says that Lucy and Jacob had been married 43 years. Lucy’s birth date is listed in her death records in the Maryland
State Archives. However, the 1900 Census indicates that Lucy was born in November 1837. Parents identified in 1850 Census
of Newport Township in Luzerne County, Pa. (3) Children listed in census records for 1860 Hollenback Township, Luzerne County,
Pa., and Ridgely, Caroline County, Md., 1880. "Genealogy of Conrad and Elizabeth (Borger) Hawk," page 271, says the Bowerses
were married in August 1856 and John was born Nov 11, 1856. However, this is contradicted by census information. (4) "Church
Book of the Salem Church" and "Church Book of the Nescopeck Congregation." (5) Luzerne County Deed Books 110, page 401, and
127, page 378. (6) 1870 Census of Caroline County, Md. (7) According to the 1910 Census, John and his wife had no children.
GEORGE
and PERMILLA BOWERS
George Washington Bowers was born in Feb. 22 1859 in Pennsylvania – probably in Luzerne
County – to Jacob D. and Lucy Ann (Hawk) Bowers. (1)
Married Permilla Lesnett. (See below.)
Children: (2)
Dell D., born in November 1880.
Charles Leverne, born March 21, 1886.
George received
his name because he was born on the anniversary of the birthday of the first president.
His parents moved the family to
Caroline County, Md., in the late 1860s. It was in Maryland that family named acquired an "s" at the end. This is probably
because a large number of Bowers families already lived in the area and record-keepers tended to add the "s" out of habit.
Although most records from this generation list the family name as Bowers, there was still a tendency among family members
to spell it without the "s." For example, George and Permilla’s tombstone reads, "BOWER."
George married Permilla
Lesnett on Dec. 18, 1879 in Ridgely, Md. The Rev. Joseph Hannaberry performed the ceremony. (3) Millie was born Feb. 14, 1859
in western Pennsylvania to Dell W. and Emeline (Potter) Lesnett. (4) The Lesnetts moved to Maryland during the 1870s and later
moved back to Beaver County, Pa.
The couple lived with George’s parents for a while after the marriage, as indicated
by the 1880 Census.
In addition to his two sons to Permilla, George had another son with Permilla’s sister, Olive,
who lived with the Bowers for a while. The son, Hosea Lesnett, was born in 1899. In the 1930s, Dell Bowers and Hosea Lesnett
moved to Washington state. Dell married late in life and had no children.
Around 1891, the family moved to Franklin Township,
Beaver County, Pa., where Permilla’s father owned land. George farmed there and worked as a carpenter.
On March 17,
1898, Permilla’s father, Dell Lesnett, sold his 105-acre farm to the Bowers family for $1,300. After George’s
death, the farm in Franklin Township was sold by Permilla and her son Charlie to her other son, Dell, for $1,500. This sale
occurred on Nov. 7, 1913. (5)
Family tradition maintains George was a nice man but Permilla was difficult to get along
with. Permilla always looked down on the Bowers family because her family was comparatively wealthy. Permilla also didn’t
like her son Charlie’s decision to marry Laura Moyer. She says that Moyers – who traditionally had large families
– were good for having children and nothing else. George and Permilla’s marriage was always strained and Permilla
threatened to leave George at one point. She decided to stay after George built a new house for her. Her grandchildren say
she was "particular" and very stern. She insisted that they remain seated in chairs during visits to her home because she
didn’t want them to make a mess.
George died May 30, 1913 of kidney disease. Permilla refused to allow medical treatment
because she was a Christian Scientist and believed in faith healing. (6)
Permilla married Ernest Weyman, sometime before
March 1916. (7)
Permilla died Nov. 7, 1934. Family tradition says that she left everything but an umbrella to Dell because
she thought Charlie was unwise with his money.
Permilla and George are buried under the same headstone at the English Lutheran
cemetery in Zelienople. (8)
(1) Birth date comes from George and Permilla’s tombstone at Zelienople
Cemetery, Butler County, Pa. George’s parents are identified in the 1860 Census of Hollenback Township, Luzerne County,
Pa., and 1880 Census of Caroline County, Md. Most other information in this item comes from interviews with Mary Bowers, Edward
Bowers and Velma Holfelder in 1989 and 1990. George’s year of birth is incorrectly stated as 1858 in the listing for
the English Lutheran cemetery in "Butler County Cemetery Inventory, Vol. 4," by the (2) Dell’s birth date come from
1900 Census of Franklin Township, Beaver County, Pa. Charlie’s comes from his obituary. (3) "Caroline County Marriages,
Births, Deaths – 1850 to 1880," page 54. (4) Permilla is listed as Dell’s daughter in his will in Beaver County
Will Book T, page 163. The Hawk book say she was born Feb. 14, 1859. Birth date comes from Permilla and George’s tombstone.
(5) The first transaction is recorded in Beaver County Deed Book 163, page 367, and the second is in Deed Book 240, page 401.
(6) Date of death from Beaver County Register’s Docket No. 11, page 115. (7) Undated clipping from Ellwood City Ledger.
(8) Date comes from tombstone.
CHARLES and LAURA BOWERS
Charles Leverne Bowers was born
March 21, 1886, in Ridgely, Md., to George W. and Permilla (Lesnett) Bowers. (1)
Married Laura Estella Moyer. (See below.)
Children: (2)
Velma, born Oct. 11, 1910. Married Harry Holfelder.
Cleo Mildred, born Dec. 27, 1915
and died of disease in 1937. Married Roy Douthett.
Edward Charles, born May 16, 1919.
Omar, born May 23, 1921.
NOTE:
Those who are still alive have been omitted.
Charles’ parents moved from Maryland to Beaver County, Pa., in about
1891.
When Charlie was young, his parents once left him and his brother Dell at home alone. The house had rats and the
boys decided to do something about it. They poured kerosene on the tale of one of the rats and set it on fire. Unfortunately,
the rat ran into the house and set the curtains on fire. The boys were able to put out the fire before it caused extensive
damage.
Charlie married Laura Estella Moyer on Jan. 27, 1909 in the home of the Rev. H. Meyers, pastor of St. Paul’s
Lutheran Church in Zelienople, Pa. The newlyweds lived with Laura’s parents before they bought a farm. Until then, Charles
worked as a teamster. (3)
Laura was born May 8, 1889 in Beaver County, Pa., to Louis Edward and Mariah (Bellas) Moyer.
The Moyers spoke German at home. Laura couldn’t speak English very well when she began school, so the other children
made fun of her. This made her determined to improve her English and the family started speaking it more at home.
A 1917
directory of Beaver County farmers, lists C.L. Bower as a tool dresser. He owned 18 acres but no crops are listed. He also
is listed as having two minor children and Bell Telephone service. They lived in Franklin Township in the Celia Post Office’s
rural delivery area 1, off Highway 22. (4)
Charlie is said to have been very quick with math. When he would go out logging,
he could calculate how much lumber a tree would produce before it was cut down.
On May 16, 1923, a tornado swept through
the Bowers farm. It flattened the barn, killing John Lesnett and all the animals. John was Charlie’s deaf uncle.
The
Ellwood City Ledger reported: "The dead man was John Lessnet of Camp Run, a victim of the terrific wind who was buried beneath
the ruins of the barn of his farm when it was torn from its foundation and scattered to the winds in pieces." The force of
the wind also knocked down other houses and buildings in the area. (5)
The family sold this farm and Charlie’s mother
gave him money to help buy a new one.
Charles farmed and butchered until the Depression, when he lost his farm. He had
borrowed money so he could buy all the latest equipment. When times got tough, he couldn’t make the payments and the
bank foreclosed.
After losing the farm, Charles got a job with the state highway agency. When there was a political shakeup
in 1937, many workers hired under the previous leaders – including Charles and his son Edward – were fired. Charles
suffered a nervous breakdown and Edward and his new wife, Mary, moved in so they could help out by paying rent.
When he
recovered, Charlie borrowed money and bought a truck, which he used to haul glass to a factory. He later worked as a watchman
and a janitor.
The couple were very active in the church. They first attended North Sewickley Presbyterian Church, where
Laura was a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. (6) Decades later, each of her children remarked on her kindness and Christian
values. She frequently read the Bible.
After the Revised Standard Version of the Bible was published in 1952, the church
ordered all Sunday school teaches to use it. The Bowerses preferred the King James version, like many Evangelical Christians,
believing some of the scholarship involved in the translation of the RSV was flawed. They quit the Presbyterian church and
joined the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church of Ellwood City. Laura taught Sunday school for their new congregation
and Charlie became a member of the board and a trustee.
Their grandson, the Rev. Theodore E. Bowers, credited Laura with
directing him toward a career in the church. A newspaper reporter once asked who had influenced him the most. Ted replied:
"My grandmother – in terms of my faith and her love and support and prayers. She never had a negative word to say about
anybody and I admire her strength in holding the family and farm together during the tough times of the Depression and my
grandfather’s poor health and as well as her faithfulness to God." (7)
Laura was also an avid quilter and had a room
dedicated to the craft. Once, a friend fainted in the room and Laura dragged her out because she didn’t want anyone
dying in her quilting room. She was also an excellent cook. While growing up, she frequently cooked for the Moyer family since
she was the oldest daughter.
Charlie was very strong-willed. His stubbornness extended to indoor-plumbing. Until the 1950s,
he refused to have an indoor toilet installed because he didn’t think it was proper to relieve yourself beside the kitchen.
He also loved to ride horses – neighbors called him the Lone Ranger.
When television became popular, the Bowers refused
to get one. When their grandson Ted bought a TV with money he had earned from delivering newspapers, Charlie told Ted’s
parents they were going to hell because of "that sinful box." However, after Charlie died, Laura’s sons got her a TV
and she enjoyed watching the evening news.
Although he didn’t want a TV in his house, Charlie wasn’t really
again watching it. He enjoyed boxing and almost every Friday night visited the neighbors so he could watch the fights on TV.
Charlie also enjoyed dancing. Many people held dances in their barns and invited all the neighbors. The entire family
would go, but Laura didn’t like to dance. She would sit out while Charlie danced with the young girls.
Laura did
enjoy playing the piano, although she wasn’t very good at it.
During this generation the family name was decisively
changed to Bowers. At one point, Laura Bowers added an "s" on the family mailbox, possibly in an effort to distance herself
from the German language and almost certainly in an effort to upset Permilla.
Charlie died Dec. 13, 1962. Laura died Dec.
18, 1974, at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Home in Carlisle, Pa. She had lived there since1969.
The Bowerses are
buried at North Sewickley Cemetery in North Sewickley Township, Beaver County. They didn’t leave wills because they
didn’t believe in them.
(1) Most of this information comes from interviews with Edward, Mary and Theodore
Bowers in 1989 and 1990, a letter from Omar in 1992 and interviews with Kenneth Bowers, Bill Nye and Ethel May Graff in 2004.
Information also comes from Laura and Charles’ obituaries and anniversary announcements in undated clippings from the
Ellwood City Ledger. Information from other sources is noted. Charlie’s parents are named in the 1900 Census Franklin
Township, Beaver County, Pa. Laura’s are named in the 1910 Census of Franklin Township. (2) Dates from Velma Holfelder’s
family Bible. (3) Living with parents and occupation is recorded in 1910 Census of Franklin Township. (4) "1917 Beaver County
Farm Directory," reprinted for the Tri-State Genealogical Society, page 78. (5) Ellwood City Ledger, 50-years-ago item from
May 16, 19d73. (6) "History of Ellwood City," page 277. (7) The Evening Sun of Hanover, Pa., May 30, 1987.
EDWARD
and MARY BOWERS
Edward Charles Bowers was born May ] 6, 1919, in Franklin Township, Beaver County, Pa. His parents
were Charles Leverne and Laura Estella (Moyer) Bowers. (1)
Married Mary Louella Nye. (See below.)
Children:
Robert Lee, born Sept. 22, 1948. Died 2003.
NOTE: Those who are still alive have been omitted.
When
Ed was 16, his father helped him get a job working with the state highway department. He quit school because he had a job
- all anyone needed to get started in life in the 1930s. Ed worked for the highway department for three years, until there
was a political shakeup and many of those hired by the previous administration were fired. Edthen got a job driving a coal
truck, which he did for four years.
Ed married Mary Louella Nye on Aug. 26, 1937. The ceremony was performed by the Rev.
D.W. Webb in Cumberland, Md.
Mary was born May 10, 1919, Wurtemburg in Beaver County, Pa. Her parents were Victor Pierre
and Mary Louella (Graff) Nye. (2) Her father. Perry, lost his job during the Depression and took up farming and dug coal for
extra money. The family, which had II children, was very poor.
On Feb. 27, 1935, Perry Nye died of a heart attack while
working in a coal mine.
Mary wrote the poem "When Death Came" just after her father’s death.
Once our home was
oh, so happy./ In our heart we felt no pain./ Till the day of stricken sadness/ could our hearts have felt more pain.
When
the word came from our teacher,/ "Your father has passed away.’7 then the tears of sadness could have/ melted our heart
away.
The day we laid him in the church yard,/ oh, little did we know,/ that we buried our home with him/ in that quiet
old church yard.
We tried to make it cheerful/ but no one could bear/ to see our home so vacant/ without our father there.
Mary
didn’t finish school because she had to take a job when she turned 16. She worked as a housekeeper for a dentist. She
lived in a small room in the family’s house and made $5 a week, which seemed like a lot at a time when bread cost only
5 cents a loaf.
Ed and Mary met at a roller-skating party when Mary’s date refused to skate.
After they were married,
the couple moved in with Ed’s parents. Laura Bowers taught Mary how to cook and the two always got along
very well. Mary used to say, "I loved her as much as I loved my own mother." However, Mary didn’t get along quite as
well with Charlie.
In 1941, Ed went to work for Spang Chalfant in Ambridge, Pa. He worked in the department that manufactured
105mm artillery shells.
Because he had two children and worked in an arms factory, Ed received four deferments before being
drafted into the Army for World War II. He served in the Army from September 1944 to March 1946. (3)
Mary remained at home
to care for her sons. The family was allotted $100 a month by the government and was allowed to pay only the interest on the
mortgage.
However, it was still difficult to feed two young boys. Relatives provided produce from their farms and the family
got by with cheap cuts of meat and plenty of soup.
After basic training and training as a heavy machine gunner at Fort
McClellan, Ala., Ed sailed to Glasgow, Scotland, aboard the Queen Mary. The ship was the world’s largest ocean liner
and fast enough to sail without escort through waters where German submarines prowled. Ed then sailed from England to France,
where he was assigned to Company M of the 60th Infantry Regiment in January 1945. The 60th Infantry – the "Go Devils"
– was part of the 9th Infantry Division in the U.S. First Army. (4) Ed has always been reluctant to talk about his experience
in the war. He has plainly said: "War is a bad thing." The first time he was fired upon, Company M was walking through a forest.
"We walked into the woods and everything opened up and everyone hit the ground." Ed buried his face in the dirt until his
company commander came over and kicked him in the head.
The first lime he took prisoners, Ed was manning a machine gun.
The Germanswalked toward him with their hands raised and he commanded them to halt. They didn’t understand and kept
walking toward him. He didn’t open fire on them, but he said he was probably more scared than they were.
One night,
Ed was sleeping in a tent when an artillery shell exploded nearby, burying the tent with dirt. He has suffered from mild claustrophobia
ever since. His military service also contributed to his hearing loss, which has grown progressively worse with age.
Ed
joined the 9th Division as it resumed the offensive following the Battle of the Bulge – the German counter-offensive
in the Ardennes in December 1944. The division captured two dams on the Ruhr River and drove to the Rhine River. The 9th was
among the first divisions to cross the Rhine at the bridge at Remagen, the only bridge left standing across the river. The
division then moved through central Germany to the Elbe, where it linked up with troops of the Soviet Union’s Red Army.
"It was a glorious day," Ed said. The soldiers, who couldn’t understand each other, drank and celebrated.
Ed earned
three battle stars for participating in these campaigns – Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe.
At the end of hostilities,
the 9th Division was stationed in Ingolstadt, a town on the Danube River about 40 miles north of Munich. Ed was promoted from
corporal to staff sergeant and assigned to the motor pool because of his experience with trucks.
Ed’s motor pool
assignment gave him the opportunity to drive to Czechoslovakia, where his brother Omar was stationed. However, after a two-day
drive he arrived and found that Omar was on furlough in England. Several months later, he was able to spend a month with Omar
in Switzerland, providing Ed with his only pleasant memories of Europe.
Omar was a medic with the 357th Infantry Regiment
of the 90th Infantry Division, in Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army. Omar was wounded twice and also contracted trench
foot, thus missing the Battle of the Bulge.
From October 1945 to January 1946, Ed was in Bremerhaven, Germany, waiting
for transportation back to the United States. The food, which was cooked by Germans, was bad. The second week he was there,
he found bubble gum mixed with his eggs. Also, every meal offered some sort of cheese – which he came to dislike intensely
and continued to dislike throughout his life.
On the trip home, Ed traveled on a ship that had once been a cattle transport.
It took six days to pass through the English Channel because of fierce storms. All the hatches had to be closed and no one
was allowed on deck because of the rough seas. Nearly everyone got seasick - except Ed, because he could no longer stand the
food and hadn’t eaten anything at the beginning of the trip.
Ed was discharged from the Army on March 17, 1946 at
Fort Dix, N.J.
Upon returning to the United States, Ed was offered a job working in Spang Chalfant’s research department.
The job was to last six weeks, but actually led to the one he had until retirement in 1981. He also returned to school to
study metalurgy and became a metalographer.
For his last 15 years at the company – which later was bought by Armco
Steel Corp. – Ed tested oil-well pipe that had been returned by customers because of defects. He would write up the
reports but could not sign them because he didn’t have the college degree to back his decisions.
Ed had a good sense
of humor – he was ornery and liked to joke around with people – and was a kind grandfather. He enjoyed golf, fishing,
hunting, camping and maintaining a large vegetable garden.
Mary is very close to her family. Each Thanksgiving and Christmas,
she prepares a large feast for her children and grandchildren. Mary seems to be happy all the time. She enjoys playing games,
golf, needlework and reminiscing.
Each winter, Ed and Mary traveled to Florida, where they lived in a mobile home for a
few weeks. While visiting Cape Canaveral in January 1986, they witnessed the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.
Ed
died Aug. 8, 1996, after battling a form of leukemia for about two years. During the previous Christmas season, doctors had
said that he could die at any time because he could not fight off the disease. However, to combat the disease, Ed was given
transfusions every week. He remained very active although rather weakened in his last months. In late July he came down with
an infection in his arm that spread because of his condition. He maintained his jovial nature for much of his two-week stay
in the Ellwood City Hospital, endearing himself to the nurses. The last few days he was often unconscious. He died peacefully
in his sleep.
Mary died Feb. 26, 2003 at Ellwood City Hospital. Although she continued to grow weaker in her last few years,
she continued to golf and enjoy family.
Ed and Mary are buried at Lillyville Church of God in Franklin Township, Beaver
County. (5)
(1) Certification of Birth, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health, File No. 75749-19.
Most of the information in this item comes from interviews with Ed and Mary Bowers in 1989 and 1990. Much information is also
listed in Mary’s obituary in the Ellwood City Ledger of Feb. 28, 2002. (2) Certification of Birth, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Department of Health, File No. 75750-19. (3) Ed’s service records is somewhat contradictory. His Separation Qualification
Record and his Enlisted Record and Report of Separation – Honorable Discharge disagree about when he arrived in Europe.
The former states he arrived in January and the latter says March. The discrepancy could have been easily cleared up if it
had come to light before his death. Now, further research is required to determine when he arrived. Ed himself said January
and he was awarded three campaign ribbons, which would add weight to the earlier date. Also, records from Fort McClellan say
Ed completed his basic and heavy-weapons training on Jan. 6, 1945. The Army was suffering a serious manpower shortage in Europe
at that time, so it seems likely Ed would have been sent to Europe soon after completion of his training. (4) Details about
the 9th Infantry Division in World War II come from "Eight Stars to Victory," a history of the division’s service. (5)
Ed’s tombstone is mentioned in "Lillyville Church of God Cemetery," compiled by Dwight Cooper, New Castle, Pa., page
1.
