Biography: David Bower
The name Bower may have come from the German name Bauer, meaning farmer. The Bowers lived in a community of predominantly German heritage. The ancestry of David Bower is unknown as yet.
According to the records of the Salem Lutheran Cemetery Association, Clarion Co. Pa, he was the second of nine children, parents names not given: Dr. John Bower (m. Mary Giltner), David (m. Caroline Snyder), Rachel (m. John Aungst), Barbara (m. Reuben Disler), Reuben (m. Lydia Disler), Jesse, Charles, Elizabeth, Samuel.
In this record, the children of Dr. John Bower and Mary Giltner are given as Peotus Bower( b. 1859), infant dau. (b. 1861), Rhodes Bower (b. 1864), Lou Bower (m. ___ Updegraff), Catherine Bower (m. ____Plain), John, Mary, Giltner, and Frank.
The five children of David Bower are also listed (see previous page).
The gravestone of "David Bower and Caroline S. his wife" is at Salem Lutheran cemetery. Nearby is the stone of a child of "J. and M.E. Bower Died Mar. 1, 18(55/35)." (Gravestones transcribed in 1991 by Elizabeth W. Williams; dates found at times to conflict with those of the cemetery association book. )
Family tradition is that David Bower was drafted to serve in the Civil War but paid another man to go in his place, as was acceptable then. The war ended shortly after this contract was made, and furthermore, David Bower fell ill and died of "white swelling" in 1866. His wife was left with this overwhelming $400 debt to repay. Daughter Olive Bower was subsequently raised as a foster child in the home of Jacob and Clara Beals.
By the name of Caroline Snyder in the cemetery record is the unexplained notation "exhumed".
Olive Bower's granddaughter Ella Wilson wrote memories of the children of Paris Bower and Maria Rugh, who would have been her father's cousins: "Arthur Bower married Mattie and had twin daughters Zoe and Zora. One was a doctor; the other trained in elocution and entertained the troops during World War II. Effie Bower married Arthur Kaltenborn. He was a salesman for a company that made catalogues and they lived in Pittsburgh. They often spent weekends at our farm in Richland township, and sent us fantastic boxes of gifts. My first coat with hat to match came from them. Aunt Effie had been a telelphone operator when she was younger.
Minnie Bower married Jake Minich; they had no children. Dee Bower wore a glass eye. Loy Bower married Lettie; they ha no chldren. He worked for the railroad all his life. They lived in Canton, Ohio, and we visited htem there while I was in high school. Later they lived in Pittsburgh. He had been hurt oat his job and was retired. He made a miss-step between trains and had a bad leg injury. I adored them. Uncle Loy carved for me a monkey out of a peach seed once. Later they moved to Florida."
She also noted that six of the twelve children of Tacy Bower and Peter Shakely died in infancy, of diphtheria; and that Ila Bower and Rex McElhatten resided at the Peter Shakely homestead at Crossorads, between Salem and Nickleville.
These notes were compiled by Olive Bower's great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Wilson Williams, who now has the peach seed monkey.
