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Andrew Green Gowen [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of William W. Gowen and Rebecca Townsend Green, was born in Colleton County, Beaufort District, February 13, 1837.  He was 17 years old when his family moved to Camden County in 1854.  His census enumerations in later years suggest that he was born in 1840.  Mary A. "Mollie" Gowen Wingfield states that he was "nearly grown" when they left South Carolina.

 

During the Civil War, he returned to his native Carolina and enlisted in the South Carolina Seventh Infantry Regiment under the command of Col. A. C. Haskell at Pocataligo, South Carolina near Beaufort January 28, 1863.  At the same time his cousins, Press E. Earle, John Earle, William Earle, E. Green, J. W. Green and Francis Marion Green, all of Colleton District, also enlisted in the Seventh Regiment.  Pvt. Andrew Green Gowen served throughout the war in Company B of the regiment. 

 

The cousins had high morale and great enthusiasm for the war.  Their commander, Brigadier-Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard had resigned as superintendent of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point and rushed to Charleston to fire the first shot at Ft. Sumter which began the Civil War.  The South Carolina troops had successfully held Ft. Sumter and defended Charleston against every attack.  In April 1864 Gen. Beauregard, a native of New Orleans who was a Mexican War hero, was ordered to move his troops to support Robert E. Lee on the James River in Virginia. 

 

The war was no longer a lark.  Andrew Green Gowen was in­jured in the Battle of Drury's Bluff in May 1864 and entered the Confederate hospital at Danville, Virginia May 16, 1864 for a four-day period. 

 

He was wounded again in the Battle of Deep Bottom on July 27, 1864 on the James River.  He was left on the battlefield and with difficulty had to crawl from the scene until he was rescued.  Killed in the same engagement was his cousin Press E. Earle.  On the following day he was admitted in Jackson Hospital, Richmond, Virginia for treatment of his injured hand.  After spending 40 days in recovery, he was furloughed for 30 days August 28, 1864 to Tebeauville, [now Waycross] Georgia.  While on furlough there, he received four month's back pay of $95.40.

 

Recovered from his wounds, he returned to Virginia to find his proud regiment decimated, his cousins scattered and his idol, Gen. Beauregard seriously ill.  The men of Company B, short of food and ammunition, mustered in rags for uniforms.  After a year of fighting along the James River, the South Carolinians were mercifully surrendered at Appomattox April 9, 1865.

 

After the Civil War, Andrew Green Gowen returned to South Carolina and was a plantation overseer.  Shortly afterward he returned to Camden County where he taught in a private school.  About 1868, he operated a general store at Centrervillage followed by another at Trader's Hill, Georgia, the county seat of Charlton County.  He was enumerated there September 3, 1870 living alone in Household 344-319:

 

"Gowen, A. G.    28,    born in Georgia, clerk, country,

                  store, $5,000 personal property."

 

Nearby, in Household 346-322, was recorded the family of a widow, Eliza Vernon whose daughter he married about 1873:

 

"Vernon, Eliza               39, born in GA, farmer

                Jane                23, born in GA, keeping house

               Annie               22, born in GA, house maid

               Henry               18, born in GA, farmhand

               William             3, born in GA

 Turner,  Mary                80, born in GA, at home"

 

Louise Copeland Herring wrote August 16, 1992, "This census states that William Vernon was a child of Jane Vernon before her marriage to Andrew Green Gowen."

 

Trader's Hill became the home of Andrew Green Gowen for the rest of his life, according to a letter written December 13, 1913 by Mary A. "Mollie" Gowen Wingfield, a cousin of Rome, Georgia.  The town was located on the St. Marys River which flows from the Okefenokee Swamp to the Atlantic Ocean in a big lazy S and serves as the boundary between Georgia and Florida. 

 

He became active in politics and in 1871 was elected county treasurer.  For the next 40 years he held various state and county offices Barney Alexander Gowen, family historian compiled a record of his political career: 1875, Tax Collector; 1881-1885, Clerk of Superior Court; 1886-1889, Georgia State Senator, 4th. District; 1890-1895, Clerk of Superior Court; 1896-1897, State Representative for Charlton County and 1908-1910, County Judge, Charlton County Court.  Additionally, he continued to operate his farm throughout the entire period.

 

He was married about 1873 to Jane Vernon, daughter of Henry Vernon, a teacher at Trader's Hill and Elizabeth Turner Vernon.  The household of Andrew Green Gowen, was enumerated June 29, 1880 in the Federal census of Charlton County, living at Trader's Hill, Enumeration District 1142, page 50:

 

"Gowen,        Andrew    40,   born in SC, father born in

                                                SC, mother born in SC,

                                                farmer

                       Jane          27,  [probably 33] born in GA,

                                               father born unknown,

                                               mother born in GA, keep-

                                               ing house

                      Willie       13,  born in GA, father born in

                                               SC [?], mother born in GA

                                               farm laborer

                     Glenn          5,  born in GA, father born in

                                              SC, mother born in GA

                    Barney          4,  born in GA, father born in

                                              SC, mother born in GA

                   James V.        2, born in GA, father born in

                                              SC, mother born in GA

                  Annie E.    5/12, born in December in GA,

                                              father born in SC,

                                             mother born in GA"

 

Alex S. McQueen writing in 1932 in his "History of Charlton County, Georgia," stated:

 

"The Honorable A. G. Gowen, Sr. was an outstanding leader in the affairs of the county for several generations and was one of the most intelligent men of the county in his day.  He served several terms as clerk of the Superior Court, and also acted as legal advisor for the citizens of this county for many years.  While not a lawyer, he was well posted in the law and could prepare a legal instrument as well as most lawyers." 

 

In 1897 Andrew Green Gowen received a land grant of one-half section in Charlton County.  He immediately donated two acres of it to Prospect Methodist Church to replace a church building which had recently burned.  In 1930, his daughter, Ju­lia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey gave a confirmation deed to the church.

 

Jane Vernon Gowen died May 30, 1884 and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.  Andrew Green Gowen was remarried July 7, 1889 to Laura Pierce Denmark in Anniston, Alabama.  She was born to William W. Denmark and Julia Pierce Denmark March 18, 1853 in Leaksville, Mississippi, according to the D.A.R. application of Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey.  The 1900 census shows March 1862 as her birth month.

 

They were enumerated in the 1900 census of Charlton County:

 

“Gowen,        Andrew       60,    born in February 1840 in SC

                       Laura P.      38,    born in March 1862 in MS

                       James V.     21,   born in Dec. 1878 in GA

                      Andrew G.   20,   born in Dec. 1879 in GA

                      Annie E.         7,   born in Sept. 1892 in GA

                      Julia C.          9,    born in Feb. 1890 in GA

                      Flora E.          7,   born in July 1893 in GA

                      Laura M.         4,  born in Nov. 1895 in GA

Denmark,      Mattie           47,   born in Nov. 1852 in AL”

 

Andrew Green Gowen made his last trip to visit his relatives in South Carolina in 1912, at the age of 75, according to a letter written by Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey.  He took along his daughters, Flora Estelle Gowen, age 20, and Laura Mattie Gowen, age 16.

 

Andrew Green Gowen died March 5, 1925 at the age of 88 and was buried in Trader's Hill Cemetery.  Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey wrote that her father had an attack while walking on his farm.  "He crawled to the house on his hands and knees, just like on the battlefield at Deep Bottom.  He was put to bed, and a doctor called.  The night he passed away, lying on his bed, he repeated the entire "Psalm of Life" by Longfellow, these being his last words."

 

Mr. McQueen wrote:

 

"The Hon. Andrew Green Gowen, Sr. retained his vigorous mental faculties to the time of his death.  It is a matter of regret by the author that he did not begin the work on the "History of Charlton County" before the death of this pioneer, for he was without a doubt, the best posted man in the county on its history.  He possessed a most retentive memory and was much above average in intelligence.”

 

Laura Pierce Denmark Gowen died August 6, 1934 and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

Children born to Andrew Green Gowen and his first wife in­clude:

 

Willie Gowen born in 1867

 

Children born to Andrew Green Gowen and Jane Vernon Gowen include:

 

Glenn Washington Gowen    born September 4, 1874

Barney Branford Gowen        born November 15, 1876

James Vernon Gowen            born March 6, 1878

Annie Elizabeth Gowen         born December 14, 1879

Andrew Green Gowen, Jr.      born January 29, 1882

Mary Rebecca Gowen [twin] born May 30, 1884

Annie Gowen [twin]               born May 30, 1884

 

Children born to Andrew Green Gowen and Laura Pierce Denmark Gowen include:

 

Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen    born Sept. 25, 1890

Flora Estelle Gowen                     born Feb. 7, 1892

Laura Mattie Gowen                     born July 21, 1895

 

Willie Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keat­ing6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of the first marriage of Andrew Green Gowen, was born in 1867.  He appeared in his father's household in the 1880 census as a thirteen-year-old.  When he died he was buried in Charles Cemetery.

 

Glenn Washington Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Andrew Green Gowen and Jane Vernon Gowen, was born September 4, 1874 according to Barney Alexander Gowen, at Trader's Hill.  He was married about 1900, wife's name Minnie M.  She was born October 14, 1877 and died November 15, 1952.  He died March 1, 1940 at Hilliard, Florida.  They were buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.  Children born to Glenn Washington Gowen and Minnie M. Gowen are unknown.

 

Barney Branford Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mi­hil1], son of Andrew Green Gowen and Jane Vernon Gowen, was born November 15, 1876.  He was married about 1899, wife's name unknown.  He lived in Folkston in 1900.

 

Alex S. McQueen, writing in his book in 1932, stated that Bar­ney Branford Gowen was a farmer living in the Conner's Mill community of Charlton County.  He died April 24, 1932, ac­cording to a letter from Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey.  He was buried in Bethel Cemetery.

 

Children born to Barney Branford Gowen include:

 

Annie Gowen                         born October 10, 1900

Francis Marion Gowen         born October 10, 1910

Kline E. Gowen                     born in 1911

  [infant]                                 born May 5, 1922

Barney Branford Gown, Jr.   born June 13, 1924

 

Annie Gowen [Barney Branford9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Barney Branford Gowen, was born at Folkston October 10, 1900.  About 1922 she was married to Frank Mills.  In January 1973 Annie Gowen Mills, a widow, was living in Natchez, Mississippi.

 

Children born to Frank Mills and Annie Gowen Mills include:

 

Vivian Mills born about 1923

 

Vivian Mills, only known child of Frank Mills and Annie Gowen Mills was born about 1923.  She was married about 1946 to M. C. Reynolds.  In January 1973 M. C. Reynolds and Vivian Mills Reynolds lived in Shreveport, Louisiana.

 

Francis Marion Gowen [Barney Branford9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Barney Branford Gowen, was born at Folkston, October 10, 1910.  He was graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology about 1932 and was em­ployed by International Paper Company.  He was married to Margaret Roberta Simmons in 1941 at Pine Bluff, Arkansas.  In 1944 they lived in Hunt County, Texas.  He died in 1958 at Shreveport.  In 1972 Margaret Roberta Simmons Gowen continued to live at Shreveport at 4501 Norway Drive.

 

Children born to Francis Marion Gowen and Margaret Roberta Simmons Gowen include:

 

Francis Marion Gowen, Jr. born January 18, 1944

 

Francis Marion Gowen, Jr. [Francis Marion10, Barney Bran­ford9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Francis Marion Gowen and Margaret Roberta Simmons Gowen, was born January 18, 1944 at Greenville, Texas, according to Hunt County Birth Certificate No. 10727.  He was married about 1964, wife's name Sue.  In 1968 Francis Marion Gowen, Jr. was listed as a student at Louisiana State University living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to the city directory.  In 1972 and in 1990 Francis Marion Gowen, Jr, an attorney and his wife, Sue Gowen, lived at 227 Arthur Way, Shreveport.

 

Kline E. Gowen [Barney Branford9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Barney Branford Gowen, was born in 1911, probably in Charlton County.  He was married, wife's name unknown and died in 1940.  He was buried at Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

Children born to Kline E. Gowen include:

 

James R. Gowen born in 1936

 

James R. Gowen [Kline E.10. Barney Branford9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Kline E. Gowen, was born in 1936, probably in Charlton County.  He died in the same year and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

An infant of Barney B. Gowen was born May 5, 1922 and died the same day, according to in Charlton County according to Georgia Death records [1919-1998], Certificate No. 11279-D.

 

Barney Branford Gowen, Jr, [Barney Branford9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Barney Branford Gowen, was born June 13, 1924, according to his “tin plate.”  He died March 11, 1985 at the age of 60 and was buried in Sardis Cemetery in Charlton County.

 

James Vernon Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Andrew Green Gowen and Jane Vernon Gowen, was born March 6, 1878 in Charlton County.  At age 20 he enlisted in the U.S. Army for service during the Spanish-American War.

 

In November 1906 he was married to Mary Agnes Dean, his first cousin, once-removed.  She was the daughter of Emory Franklin Dean and Maybelle Godley Dean.  She was born June 16, 1882.  According to a letter written by Mary Agnes Dean Gowen September 8, 1959, the couple remained in Folk­ston, having lived in Wayne and Charlton Counties, Georgia all their lives.

 

In 1932 Alex S. McQueen wrote that James Vernon Gowen was "an extensive landowner and naval stores operator of the county who now resides at Old Trader's Hill."  Hazel Elizabeth Dean Overstreet advised that he owned 30,000 acres of timberland.  He was a member of Charlton County Board of Education for 27 years.

 

He died November 26, 1956 and was buried in Prospect Cemetery.  Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, at age 89 was living in Charlton County, Christmas 1972.  She died there January 11, 1981.  Both are buried in Prospect Cemetery.

 

 

 

 

                                                             

 

When Genna and Roger Wangsness began their search for a small town in which to "retire" and open a bed and breakfast, Georgia was not on their list of states to visit. After traveling through states farther north and not finding the "perfect" place, they headed south on I-95 to visit their daughter in Florida. While traveling I-95, Genna took out the Georgia map to see if there was anything along the way of interest. She discovered the Okefenokee Swamp and thought it would be a worthwhile side trip. She and Roger soon learned that the small town of Folkston, which is the "Gateway to the Okefenokee Swamp", had no bed and breakfast, and according to the Chamber's executive director, there were many residents who thought the town needed one. In fact, there was an elderly lady selling a large home right down on Main Street...would they be interested in seeing it? The rest is history. Folkston would soon become their new home. After selling their home in Virginia, Roger and Genna began a year's restoration of the 12-room 1920s heart-pine bungalow they hadpurchased, and they opened Folkston's first and finest bed and breakfast in February of 1998.

 

When Roger and Genna purchased the house in 1997, it was 75 years old and had been home to nine previous owners. During that time, the house went through numerous structural changes at the hands of its many owners. The original heart pine of the interior of the home had been covered with plush carpeting, wallboard, dropped ceilings and paneling, and the window and door trim had been painted white. The exterior consisted of vinyl siding and shutters, and the porch railing had disappeared. In restoring the house, Roger and Genna made every effort to restore the home according to historic preservation guidelines.

 According to courthouse records, the property on which the house stands was sold on May 26, 1922 to Ed Shiver, a Folkston carpenter/builder, who erected a house on the property. On August 13, 1924, he sold the house and property to the Georgia-Florida Investment Co., owned by James Vernon Gowen, a prominent citizen of Charlton County. James Vernon Gowen's family had resided at Traders Hill on the St. Marys River since his father, Andrew Green Gowen, came from South Carolina in 1864. In 1920, J.V. Gowen built a large home for his family on a hill overlooking the road between Folkston and St. George. This family home at Traders Hill still stands, but it is abandoned and the land is somewhat overgrown, making it difficult to see from the road. Today, Gowen descendants live in newer homes adjacent to the old family home.

 

 J.V. Gowen purchased the Main Street house as a second, in-city home for when his children were attending school in Folkston. The Gowens had nine children, eight boys and one girl. The Gowens were well known and active in the community. J.V. Gowen formed the Georgia-Florida Investment company in 1910, and his business grew into one of the county's largest and most successful businesses. The company operated a sawmill, turpentine still, and related timber products, as well as a commissary at Traders Hill. Over the years Gowen acquired over 30,000 acres of land at Traders Hill. The Gowens lived on and off on Main Street for the next 28 years. After that time, the house changed hands frequently. In August of 1952 the house was sold to the Bragg family. Elizabeth DeVane and her husband Howard bought the house in February, 1959, and Ms. DeVane converted the old servant's quarters into a schoolhouse. Many local people recall attending Ms. DeVane's

 kindergarten class between 1959-67.

 The Whitakers lived here from 1969-1975, and they reported the presence of a ghost, a woman in a plaid dress, who appeared in the stairwell to the second story. Apparently, the ghost is that of Rachel

 Templeton, a teacher who was a former resident. Allon Boatwright, currently of Valdosta, spent many boyhood hours in the house when the Flinks bought the house from the Whitakers and moved into the house in 1976. He recalls putting a chair in front of the attic door to ensure that the ghost did not

come into the upper room bedroom of one of the Flink children.

 Mrs. Flink owned a bakery in the old hotel on Main Street called "Ye Olde Bakery," and they lived in the house for nine years. When Virginia Stacks purchased the house in 1985, she remodeled the house by installing vinyl siding, carpeting and wallboard. By removing a wall between two bedroom she created a poolroom with dropped ceilings and large fluorescent lights. During restoration, the bedrooms' dividing wall was rebuilt in the original location to create Hanna's Norway Room, and the other bedroom was converted into the bathrooms for Hanna's Room and Michael's Room. The Stacksremoved the back porch, and added two rooms to the back of the house, India's Oriental Room was in the inn's workroom, as well as the small side porch. The Stacks had moved from Jacksonville when their home was torn down during the building of the I-95 highway over Dames Point. She brought many things with her from the old house. The kitchen cabinets were moved here and rebuilt to fit the kitchen. She replaced the bannister and rails to the second floor with 100-year-old ones she brought with her.

The original bannister and rails were found in the garage and used to build the railing in Sarah Jane's Garden Room. Eight sons and one daughter were born to them:

       James Dean Gowen born September 16, 1907

      Emory Clyde Gowen born April 7, 1909

      Andrew Willard Gowen born February 2, 1911

      Hazel Elizabeth Gowen born November 23, 1912

      Donald Lee Gowen born March 28, 1915

      James Vernon Gowen, Jr. born February 2, 1917

      Guy Albert Gowen born December 31, 1918

       Lacy Marion Gowen born January 9, 1921

      Sidney Harold Gowen born December 9, 1923

 

James Dean Gowen [James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen and Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, was born September 16, 1907 in Wayne County.  He was married September 14, 1930 to Verena Monroe of Waycross, Georgia.  In a letter written June 24, 1960 James Dean Gowen advised that he was chief of surveys and engineering for the land department of Union Bag-Camp Paper Corporation, Georgia Division.  He maintained his residence at Waycross, Georgia.  He died July 13, 1970 and was buried in Prospect Cemetery.

 

Children born to him include:

 

James Dean Gowen, Jr. born September 29, 1938

Sidney Lee Gowen born December 7, 1942

 

James Dean Gowen, Jr. [James Dean10, James Vernon9, An­drew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Dean Gowen and Verena Monroe Gowen, was born September 29, 1938.  He was married in July 1962 to Ann Roberts. 

 

In October 1999, “Jimmy Dean Gowen” was chairman of an 11-member board of directors of Charlton Memorial Hospital, according to an article in the “Florida Times-Union” of Jacksonville, Florida.

 

Children born to James Dean Gowen, Jr. and Ann Roberts Gowen are unknown.

 

Sidney Lee Gowen [James Dean10, James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Dean Gowen and Verena Monroe Gowen, was born December 7, 1942.  In 1965 he was married to Gloria Nobles.  Children born to Sidney Lee Gowen and Gloria Nobles Gowen are unknown.

 

Emory Clyde Gowen [James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen and Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, was born April 7, 1909 in Wayne County.  He was married in 1935 to Ann Smith, daughter of B. E. Smith of Portal, Georgia.  In October 1987 he continued in Charlton County.  He died there in March 1990 and was buried in Folkston Cemetery.  Ann Smith Gowen died March 8, 2002 and was buried beside her husband by Shepard Funeral Home of Folkston.

 

Children born to Emory Clyde Gowen and Ann Smith Gowen include

 

Joseph Gregory Gowen born May 22, 1948

 

Andrew Willard Gowen [James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen and Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, was born February 2, 1911.  He died April 6, 1918 at age seven and was buried in Prospect Cemetery.

 

Hazel Elizabeth Gowen [James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of James Vernon Gowen and Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, was born November 23, 1912.  She was married in 1936 to Charles Pearce Stapleton, son of Emmet Brewer Stapleton and Rosa Pearce Stapleton.  He was a pharmacist and owned Stapleton's Drugstore in Folkston.  She died February 8, 1995 and was buried in the Folkston Cemetery.  She had eight brothers, but was survived by only one, Harold Sidney Gowen of Folkston.

 

Frances Hazel Stapleton born November 11, 1944

Rosemary Stapleton born September 17, 1948

 

Frances Hazel Stapleton, daughter of Charles Pearce Stapleton and Hazel Elizabeth Gowen Stapleton, was born November 11, 1944.  She was married about 1966 to Emmett David Mc­Daniel.  In 1995 she was a teacher in the Folkston school system.

 

Rosemary Stapleton, daughter of Charles Pearce Stapleton and Hazel Elizabeth Gowen Stapleton, was born September 17, 1948.  She was married about 1970 to Kenneth Duane Kriner.  In 1995 she was a teacher in the Folkston school system.

 

Donald Lee Gowen [James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen and Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, was born March 28, 1915.  He died unmarried July 13, 1971 and was buried in Prospect Cemetery.

 

James Vernon Gowen, Jr. [James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen and Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, was born at Traders Hill February 2, 1917.  He was married in 1937 to Ruby Harrison, daughter of Ward Harrison and Eva Bunkley Harrison.  In 1987 he lived in Charlton County.  He died there November 9, 1994 at age 77.  He was a director of the Citizens Bank and served on the city council, board of education and historical commission.  He was buried in Folkston Cemetery.

 

Children born to James Vernon Gowen, Jr. and Ruby Harrison Gowen include:

 

Mary Eve Gowen born in 1943

Sandra Gowen born in 1944

Kenneth Donald Gowen born February 15, 1947

John Vernon Gowen born in 1951

 

Mary Eve Gowen [James Vernon, Jr.10, James Vernon9, An­drew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of James Ver­non Gowen, Jr. and Ruby Harrison Gowen, was born in 1943.  He was married about 1963 to Leslie H. Blair.

 

Sandra Gowen [James Vernon, Jr.10, James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of James Vernon Gowen, Jr. and Ruby Harrison Gowen, was born in 1944 and died as an infant.  She was buried in Pineview-Bachlott Cemetery.

 

Kenneth Donald Gowen [James Vernon, Jr.10, James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen, Jr. and Ruby Harrison Gowen, was born February 15, 1947 and died March 18, 1967.  He was buried in Pineview-Bachlott Cemetery.

 

John Vernon Gowen [James Vernon, Jr.10, James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen, Jr. and Ruby Harrison Gowen, was born in 1951. 

 

Guy Albert Gowen [James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen and Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, was born December 31, 1918.  He was married in October 1943 to Ethel Harrison, daughter of Ward Harrison and Eva Bunkley Harrison.  He continued in Charlton County in 1987.  He died there in Folkston December 18, 1994 at age 76 and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery, according the the records of National Funeral Directors Assn.  He was a farmer and in the poultry processing business. 

 

One child was born to Guy Albert Gowen and Ethel Harrison Gowen:

 

Guy Albert Gowen, Jr. born about 1946

 

Guy Albert Gowen, Jr. [Guy Albert10, James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Guy Albert Gowen and Ethel Harrison Gowen, was born about 1946.  He was married about 1969 to Beth Sanderson.  Children born to Guy Albert Gowen, Jr. and Beth Sanderson Gowen are unknown.

 

Lacy Marion Gowen [James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen and Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, was born January 9, 1921.  He died April 3, 1928 at age seven.

 

Sidney Harold Gowen [James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of James Vernon Gowen and Mary Agnes Dean Gowen, was born December 9, 1923.  He was married about 1946 to Ann Hopkins, daughter of Alva Hopkins and Ethel Shephard Hopkins.  During World War II he served in the 88th Infantry Division, Fifth Army in the Italian campaign.  No children were born to Sidney Harold Gowen and Ann Hopkins Gowen.  In 1987 they continued in Charlton County.

 

Annie Elizabeth Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mi­hil1], daughter of Andrew Green Gowen and Jane Vernon Gowen, was born December 14, 1879 in Charlton County.  She was married about 1901 to the Hon. Jesse William Vickery, probably in Charlton County.  He was born March 5, 1876 and died November 4, 1942.  Annie Elizabeth Gowen Vickery survived him until June 5, 1958.

 

Children born to Jesse William Vickery and Annie Elizabeth Gowen Vickery include:

 

Waudelle Barney Vickery born Nov. 4, 1902

Andrew Felton Vickery born Feb. 4, 1904

  [infant] born Nov. 18, 1918

Fermon Olive Vickery born June 13, 1920

 

Waudelle Barney Vickery, son of Jesse William Vickery and Annie Elizabeth Gowen Vickery, was born in Charlton County November 4, 1902.  He was married to Mary Banks about 1922.  Waudelle Barney Vickery died January 27, 1941.  Mary Banks Vickery, who was born October 19, 1902, died December 28, 1958.  A child born to them December 31, 1933, died on the same day.

 

Andrew Felton Banks Vickery, son of Jesse William Vickery and Annie Elizabeth Gowen Vickery, was born February 4, 1904 in Charlton County.  He died August 16, 1904.

 

A unnamed child, born November 18, 1918 to Jesse William Vickery and Annie Elizabeth Gowen Vickery died on the same day.

 

Fermon Olive Vickery, son of Jesse William Vickery and An­nie Eliza­beth Gowen Vickery was born June 13, 1920 in Charlton County.  He died Septem­ber 25, 1931.

 

Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Andrew Green Gowen and Jane Vernon Gowen, was born January 29, 1882.  He was married about 1905 to Mattie Rowe.  Mattie Rowe Gowen was born July 28, 1884 and died September 15, 1907.  She was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.  One son, name unknown, was born to Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Mattie Rowe Gowen before her death.  He was remarried about 1910 to Bertha "Bertie" Shepard Grooms.  She died July 26, 1939.

 

Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. lived in Kingsland, Woodbine and Blackshear, Georgia and Callahan, Florida.  In 1940 he was married for the third time to Inez Polk Barnes.  In 1960 Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Inez Polk Barnes Gowen lived at Folkston where he was a farmer and service station operator.  He died Decembeer 14, 1967 and was buried at Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

Children born to Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Mattie Rowe Gowen include:

 

Cecil Eugene Gowen born June 22, 1906

 

Six children were born to Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Bertha Sheppard Gowen:

 

Althea Gertrude Gowen born January 14, 1911

Sheppard Andrew Gowen born June 2, 1912

Morris Pierce Gowen born November 4, 1916

Louie Lee Gowen born March 29, 1919

Carl Clayton Gowen born October 17, 1922

Dorothy Grace Gowen born January 1, 1924

 

Cecil Eugene Gowen [Andrew Green, Jr.11, Andrew Green10, James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Mattie Rowe Gowen, was born June 22, 1906 at Kingsland.  He died April 21, 1975 and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

Four children were born to him, including:

 

Gary E. Gowen born June 1, 1935

 

Gary E. Gowen [Cecil Eugene12, Andrew Green, Jr.11, An­drew Green10, James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Cecil Eugene Gowen, was born June 1, 1935.  He was married about 1956 to Lillie Elizabeth Burnett who was born June 7, 1934.  She died April 1, 1977 and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.  In 1979, he was an attorney in Carson City, Nevada.  He was remarried in 1989 to Deborah Dicey Hoffman, a native of Granada Hills, California.  In 1990 he was practicing law in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He was the owner of Sailing Vessel Margaritaville which was berthed in San Diego, California and in which he sailed extensively in the Pacific.

 

It is believe that he was later remarried to Betty Sue Miller.  She died August 12, 2001 from injuries received in an automobile accident, according to her obituary:

 

“Mrs. Betty Sue Miller Gowen, 46, of Las Vegas, Nevada, formerly of Douglas, Georgia., passed away suddenly Sunday evening, August 12, 2001, near Tallahassee, Fla., following injuries received in an auto accident.

 

Mrs. Gowen, a native of Douglas, was the daughter of Orville W. and Pauline Lott Miller.  She was member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Douglas 2nd Ward.

>

Survivors include: her husband, Gary E. Gowen of Las Vegas, three sons, Michael Gowen and wife, Doralee Gowen, of Douglas, James Jarred Rutland of Las Vegas and Jeremy Keith Rutland of Keystone Heights, Florida; her parents, Orville W. Miller and Pauline Lott Miller of Douglas, Ga.; threebrothers, Charles Miller, Duaine Mil-ler and wife, Peggy, and Donald W. Miller and wife, Mary, all of Douglas.; one sister, Paula Carol Lott and husband, Tim, of Broxton, Ga.; two grandchildren, Nathan Lewis Gowen and Elisabeth Gowen, both of Douglas.

 

Funeral services were held at 10 a.m., Thursday, August 16, 2001, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Douglas 2nd Ward, with Bishop John Keanan, President Steve Sirmans, and Elder John Southerland presenting the eulogy and Elder Mike Gowen officiating.  The invocation was presented by Elder Thurston Spivey and the benediction was offered by Elder Virgil Bennett.  Interment followed in the Traders Hill Cemetery, near Folkston, Georgia with Elder James Moye presenting dedication of the grave.  Ricketson Funeral Home of Douglas was in charge of the arrangements.”

 

Children born to Gary E. Gowen and Lillie Elizabeth Burnett Gowen include:

 

Alicia Diane Gowen born February 27, 1959

Gary E. Gowen, Jr. born about 1966

 

Alicia Diane Gowen [Gary E.12, Andrew Green, Jr.11, Andrew Green10, James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Gary E. Gowen and Lillie Elizabeth Burnett Gowen, was born February 27, 1959.  She died April 1, 1977.

 

Gary E. Gowen, Jr. [Gary E.12, Andrew Green, Jr.11, Andrew Green10, James Vernon9, Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Gary E. Gowen and Lillie Elizabeth Burnett Gowen, was born about 1962.  In 1990 he lived with his father in Las Vegas.  He died in 1992 and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

Althea Gertrude Gowen [Andrew Green, Jr.9 Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Bertha Shepard Gowen, was born January 14, 1911 at Woodbine.  About 1932 she was married to Harven Quarterman.  In July 1992 she lived at Woodbine.

 

Sheppard Andrew Gowen [Andrew Green, Jr.9 Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Bertha Shepard Gowen, was born June 2, 1912 at Blackshear.  He was married to Mary Crews about 1935.  He served a total of 44 months with the U. S. Army Air Corps during World War II.  He retired after 30 years with the Atlantic Coast Line railroad.  In 1987 he lived in Waycross.  He died there January 29, 1995.  He was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery along with his parents and grandparents.  One daughter was born to them.

 

Morris Pierce Gowen [Andrew Green, Jr.9 Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Bertha Shepard Gowen, was born November 4, 1916 at Woodbine.  He died October 10, 1997 and was buried at Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

Louie Lee Gowen [Andrew Green, Jr.9 Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Bertha Shepard Gowen, was born March 29, 1919 at Callahan.  He died April 3, 1970 and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

Carl Clayton Gowen [Andrew Green, Jr.9 Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Bertha Shepard Gowen, was born October 17, 1922.  He was killed on July 27, 1944 in World War II.  He died with no descendants and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

Dorothy Grace Gowen [Andrew Green, Jr.9 Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Andrew Green Gowen, Jr. and Bertha Shepard Gowen, was born January 1, 1924 at Folkston.  About 1946 she was married, husband's name Conner.

 

Mary Rebecca Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], twin daughter of Andrew Green Gowen and Jane Vernon Gowen, was born on May 30, 1884.  About 1904 she was married to the Hon. Floyd E. Brock who died in 1921.  She was living in November 1961.

 

Children born to Floyd E. Brock and Mary Rebecca Gowen Brock include:

 

James Milton Brock born in 1905

Thomas Brock born about 1906

Lucille Brock born about 1907

Rivers Brock born July 19, 1909

Audie Felton Brock born in 1911

Ben Brock born about 1913

Vernon Brock born about 1916

George W. Brock born about 1917

Nell Brock born about 1918

Bessie Vera Brock born in 1919

 

Lucille Brock, daughter of Floyd E. Brock and Mary Rebecca Gowen Brock, was born about 1907.  She was married about 1930 to Hugh McLain.  They were the parents of two sons who became physicians.

 

George W. Brock, son of Floyd E. Brock and Mary Rebecca Gowen Brock, was born about 1917.  He was married about 1940, wife's name Gerry, a teacher.  He worked for Union-Camp Corporation.  In 1992 they lived at Waverly, Georgia.

 

Annie Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keat­ing6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], twin daughter of Andrew Green Gowen and Jane Vernon Gowen, was born May 30, 1884 and died the same day.

 

Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Andrew Green Gowen and Laura Pierce Denmark Gowen was born at Trader's Hill September 25, 1890.  She attended school in Charlton County and was grad­uated from Bessie Taft College, Forsyth, Georgia.  She taught school in Camden, Charlton and Brantley Counties, Georgia.  She was married on May 5, 1912 to William Nichols Casey, Jr. at Kingsland.  He was the eldest son of William Nichols Casey and Jane Haddock Casey.  He was graduated from college at Dahlonega, Georgia and had been Camden County School Su­perintendent.

 

Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey was named city clerk of Kingsland.  William Nichols Casey, Jr. was postmaster at Kingsland from 1915 until 1931.  In 1943 Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey was named postmistress at Kingsland and served in this post until her retirement in 1960.  In April 1963 she lived with a son on a farm south of Kingsland.

 

Following her retirement Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey became interested in the Gowen family history and in 1973 was engaged in genealogical research.  She was admitted into D.A.R. in that year.

 

In 1963, before she had done much research, she wrote of a family legend:

 

"Our ancestors came from Scotland; two brothers William and Patrick Gowrie.  They changed their names to Gowen and settled on Combahee River in South Carolina.  Later Patrick Gowen, being a lawyer, went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  William Gowen remained in South Carolina and became a landowner and planter.  This was years before the Revolutionary War.  See encyclopedia for Gowen and House of Rutherford.  See Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt's book, "This I Remember" about her visit with Lord and Lady Gowen in Australia".

 

She was fascinated with the legend of the Georgia Gowen family that they were descendants of Scotch royalty and re­searched the history of the Gowrie conspiracy in which the third Earl of Gowrie attempted to assassinate King James VI.  She had traced the career of the then Earl of Gowrie until his death in the 1940s at the age of 82 in Gloucestershire.

 

He had won the Victoria Cross as a captain attached to the Camel Corps of the Egyptian Army during the war with the Dervishes in 1898.  During World War I he was severely wounded at Gallipoli.  Later he was advanced to the rank of brigadier-general.  He was appointed governor of Australia in 1928 and of New South Wales in 1934 and governor-gen­eral of the Antipadean Commonwealth in 1935.

 

Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey wrote February 7, 1979: "One time when my father was ill and I was at home with him, sitting in his room, I opened his desk, got a pencil and a sheet of foolscap and asked him about his folks in South Carolina.  'Katie,' he told me, 'hold your head high for you have royal blood in your veins.  You are descended from the Earl of Gowrie of Scotland.'  The Gowens had a plantation, and it was known as Gowrie Plantation.  Silk, hemp, rice and cotton were shipped from there to Haversham and to Savannah.  A reference to Robert Gowrie in 1734 appears in Ramsey's “Ecclesiastical History of South Carolina, 1670-1808,” page 6.

 

Pointing to the fact that there was a "Gowrie Tract" located astride the Camden-Glynn County line which included a Gowrie Island, Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey attempted to bridge the gap between Scotland and Georgia.  In 1925 she wrote the Lord Mayor of Perth requesting his assistance:

 

"To the Lord Mayor of Perth

Perth, Scotland

 

My Dear Sir:

 

I take the liberty of addressing you thus and shall tress­pass for a few minutes upon your valuable time.  I desire a little information and feel sure you can furnish me with same, and if you cannot, will you kindly refer me to someone who might supply same.

 

Does Gowrie House near Perth still stand, or has it been destroyed or gone into decay with passing years?  Has the line of Gowrie become extinct in Scotland, or do we still have descendants of the Earl of Gowrie holding title and name to this date?  If not, to whom has the property and holdings of the Earl of Gowrie reverted?  Can you give me the given names of the Ruthven brothers of the Earl of Gowrie who were reported killed in the year 1601?  Also can you give me the names of the two brothers of the Earl of Gowrie who came to America in *1601?

 

Yours very truly,

Mrs. Julia C. Gowen Casey"

 

[*Jamestown, Virginia, first English settlement in America, was founded May 14, 1607; the Mayflower landed 13 years later.]

 

The following reply was received from the Burgh Surveyors Office in Perth:

 

"Mrs. J. C. Gowen Casey,

 

Your letter to the Hon. John Dewar, Lord Provost of Perth, regarding Gowrie House and the Ruthvens has been handed to me for attention, and I herewith send you statement which I have prepared giving you full particulars.

 

I shall be glad to know if this information will be suffi­cient for your purpose.

 

Yours faithfully,

Thomas McLaren

Burgh Surveyor

 

Gowrie House and the Ruthven Family

 

Gowrie House was built by the Countess of Huntley in 1520.  After her death in 1526, it was acquired by Patrick, Lord Ruthven, father of the first Earl of Gowrie.  He died in 1566.  At the conspiracy, it was forfeited and became the property of the city.  In 1746 the town of Perth presented it to the Duke of Cumberland.  He sold it to the government to be converted into an Artillery Barracks, and it was so occupied until the French War of 1789.  In 1805 it was purchased by the city and demol­ished in 1819 for the erection of the County Buildings and Justiciary Courts.

 

In 1913 a tablet was erected in the ancient Parish Church of St. John in Perth over the burial vault of the Gowrie family, and it was unveiled by a lineal descendant, Mr. J. Ruthven-Stuart, London.  The tablet is of brass.  On the top appears the arms of William, first Earl of Gowrie, and bears the motto, "Deid Schaw."  At either side is a representation of Scotch Thistle.

 

The following is the inscription:

 

'In the north-east corner, in a vault close to this spot, along with William, first Earl of Gowrie, unjustly put to death May 1584 and James, second Earl of Gowrie, died 1588, are the martyred remains of John, third and last Earl of Gowrie and Lord Provost of the Burgh of Perth, and his brother, Alexander Ruthven, assassinated Au­gust 5th, 1600.  The gentle and peaceable disposition of the two brothers made them to be idolised by all who knew them.'

 

This memorial is placed here by a lineal descendant of John, third Earl of Gowrie, Janet Ruthven-Stuart, as an act of justice and a tribute to the memory of brave, loyal and innocent men.  August 5th, 1913.  Post Tenebres Lux."

 

Lord Ruthven of Freeland, however, challenged at that time Mrs. J. Ruthven-Stuart's claim as representing the direct line, and Mrs. Stuart made the following statement in reply, "My ancestor, John, third Earl of Gowrie, was in all probability between 22 and 23 years of age at his death, and therefore man grown.  Whether married or not, he left a son, that is certain, and from that son, I and many others are descended . . .

 

The Freeland Ruthvens were descended from a fifth son of the second Lord Ruthven of the main line, and in the male line became extinct in 1701.

 

Andrew Lang in his 'James VI and the Gowrie Mystery' published in 1902, on page 123 states 'that the Gowrie of the tragedy was born about 1577.  He had many sisters; the eldest married the Earl of Athol, a Stewart in January 1580.  Another sister of Gowrie, Sophia, married the Duke of Lennox who was at the slaughter of the Ruthvens.  Another sister, Beatrix, was Maid of Honour to James's Queen.  Gowrie had two younger brothers, Patrick and William, who fled to England from his castle of Dirleton, the day of the tragedy and were forfeited and persecuted by James.  Patrick was long imprisoned in the Tower.

 

In "Historic Scenes in Perthshire," published in 1881 by Dr. Marshall, James' severity to the Ruthven family was fiendish.  Two sisters were maids of honor to the queen.  On his return to Falkland, on the night of the catastrophe, James dismissed them from office and expelled them from the palace, swearing that he would root out the whole race and name.  Two brothers of the family, boys at school, happened to be with their mother at Dunkeld.  Search was immediately made for them, that they might be destroyed; but they happily escaped in disguise to Berwick, and passed thence to England.

 

In 'The Gowrie Conspiracy,' published in 1903 by Samuel Cowan, the boys, William and Patrick went from Berwick to Cambridge with Elizabeth's consent, but when James ascended the throne, he issued a proclamation for their apprehension.  William made his escape, but Patrick was arrested and put in the Tower of London where he lay for 28 years.

 

In 1616, a grant of £200 was made to him by the authorities.  It is supposed that at this date his brother William was dead, as nothing more was heard of him, and that Patrick would now be the head of the Gowrie family.  In 1622 he was removed by order of the King to Cambridge and awarded a pension of £500 per year.  In 1624 he was released and went to Somersetshire.  In 1640 he resided in St. Martins-in-the-Fields, and there he assigned 120 pounds per annum to his daughter, Mary Ruthven.

 

Patrick Ruthven married Elizabeth Woodford, widow of the first Lord Gerrard of Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire.  In 1624 she died leaving Patrick a widower with two boys and a girl.  His daughter was admitted to the royal household in the service of Queen Henrietta Maria.  She was married to Van Dyke [Sir Anthony Van Dyke], the famous artist and had one daughter, Justiniana.  Justiniana, who was born in 1641, married Sir John Prendergast.  Patrick died and was buried at St. George's in Southwark as Lord Ruthven 24th May, 1652.  On the 13th March, 1657 letters of administration were granted on his effects by the title of Patrick Lord Ruthven, late of Scotland, to his son, Patrick Ruthven, Esquire, of whom nothing is known.  Patrick Ruthven, brother of Lady Van Dyke was married, wife's name Sarah.

 

Thomas McLaren

Perth, 21st October, 1925 Burgh Surveyor"

 

Immediately upon returning home King James VI influenced Parliament to enact a resolution concerning the Ruthven family: "that the surname of Ruthven shall now and in all tyme cumming be extinguischit and aboleissit for euir," and further ordained that those who bear the said surname and are innocent of the crime of treason shall renounce the surname and take to themselves, their bairns, and posterity any other honest and undefamed surname and to use the same in all contracts, etc.

 

In 1641 a revocation of the act was passed make it lawful for the Ruthvens of Ballindean [Perthshire], their bairns and pos­terity "to enjoy and assume to themselves the surname of Ruthven and to use it as if the Act of 1600 had never been made against them."

 

An early encyclopedia account of the Gowrie conspiracy reads:

 

Gowrie, John Ruthven, Third Earl [c1577-1600].  Scottish conspirator, was the second son of William, 4th Lord Ruthven and first Earl of Gowrie [1541-1584] by his wife Dorothea, daughter of Henry Stewart, second Lord Methven.  The Ruthven family was of ancient Scottish descent; the earldom dated from 1581.  The first Earl of Gowrie and his father Patrick, third Lord Ruthven [c1520-1566], had both been concerned in the murder of Rizzio in 1566; and both took an active part on the side of the Kirk in the constant intrigues of the period.  Gowrie had been custodian of Mary, Queen of the Scots, during her imprisonment in Loch Leven, and had also been the chief actor in the "raid of Ruthven" in 1582 when King James VI was seized while a guest and kept prisoner.  Though par­doned, he continued to plot, and was executed for high treason in 1584.

 

When, therefore, on the death of his elder brother, the second earl in 1588 John Ruthven succeeded to the earldom, he inherited family traditions of treason and intrigue.  He received an excellent education at the grammar school at Perth and at the University of Edinburgh, after which he joined with Atholl and Montrose in offering to serve Queen Elizabeth, and had thus already been engaged in conspiracy when, in 1594, he went to study at Padua.  On the way home in 1599, moreover, it is probable that he communicated at Paris with the exiled Bothwell.

 

In 1600, the earl and his brother, Alexander Ruthven were murdered at Gowrie house in mysterious circumstances.  Three solutions of this Gowrie conspiracy have been suggested: first, that Gowrie and his brother had plotted to murder or to kidnap James at Gowrie house; second, that James visited Gowrie house with the intention of murdering the two Ruthvens; third, that the tragedy sprang from a brawl.

 

According to King James, the facts were:  On August 5, 1600 James was asked while hunting near Falkland to go to Gowrie house to examine a prisoner with a quantity of foreign gold there.  When he arrived with a small retinue, he was taken along into a small turret by Alexander Ruthven.  Here, instead of the prisoner with the foreign gold, he found an armed man.  His retainers, who had been told that the king had left, were setting out to overtake him when they saw him struggling at a window, and heard his cry for help.  They thereupon forced an entrance to the turret, and in the struggle Gowrie and Ruthven were killed.

 

The tragedy caused intense excitement throughout Scotland, and the investigation of the circumstances was of much interest in England also.  The preachers of the Kirk, whose influence in Scotland was too extensive for the King to neglect, were only with the greatest difficulty persuaded to accept James' account of the occurrence.  Their belief was that the King had invented the story to cover his own design to extirpate the Ruthven family, and James gave some colour to this belief by the severity with which he pursued the two younger and unquestionably innocent brothers of the earl.

 

One of Gowrie's younger brothers, William, fled abroad, while the other, Patrick, was imprisoned in the Tower.  He was released in 1622, married Elizabeth Woodford, widow of the first Lord Gerrard; he died in poverty.  Their daughter Mary married the famous painter Van Dyck.

 

See Andrew Lang, "James VI and the Gowrie Mystery" 1902, and the authorities there cited; Robert Pitcairn, "Criminal Trails in Scotland," 1833; David Moysie, "Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland, 1577-1603," 1803; Louis A. Barbe, "The Tragedy of the Gowrie House," 1887; Andrew Bisset, "Essays on Historical Truth" 1871; David Calderwood "History of the Kirk of Scotland," 1849 and W. A. Cragie "Scotlands Rimur," some Icelandic ballads relating to the Gowrie conspiracy."

 

On December 17, 1972 Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey wrote that she, at age 82, had made a week's research trip to South Carolina and had documented her eligibility for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution through her great-great-grandfather Lt. James Gowen.

 

Children born to William Nichols Casey, Jr. and Julia Cather­ine "Katie" Gowen Casey were:

 

William Nichols Casey III born February 18, 1913

Flora Irene Casey born November 17, 1914

Julia Catherine Casey born January 21, 1917

Thomas Green Casey born October 7, 1928

 

William Nichols Casey III, son of William Nichols Casey, Jr. and Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey, was born February 18, 1913.  He attended South Georgia College at Douglas, Mercer College and was graduated from Auburn University.  At the time of his death he was agricultural agent at Russellville, Alabama.  William Nichols Casey III died November 10, 1944.

 

Flora Irene Casey, daughter of William Nichols Casey, Jr. and Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey, was born November 17, 1914.  She attended Valdosta State College in Valdosta, Geor­gia and was graduated from South Georgia College.  She was married about 1937 to William H. Hightower of Atlanta. 

 

Julia Catherine Casey, daughter of William Nichols Casey, Jr. and Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey, was born January 21, 1917.  She attended Valdosta State College and received a B.S. degree and an M.S. degree from Georgia Southern Col­lege, Statesboro, Georgia.  She was married about 1940 to Henry Eugene Watson.  She was employed by Duval County, Florida school system.  In 1990 they lived in Kingsland.

 

Thomas Green Casey, son of William Nichols Casey, Jr. and Julia Catherine "Katie" Gowen Casey, was born October 7, 1928 in Kingsland.  He was graduated from Georgia Military College, College Park, Georgia.  He served four years in the U. S. Army Medical Corps and after discharge attended the Uni­versity of Georgia.  He was married about 1948 to Marianna Winn of Manchester, Georgia.  In 1970 he was employed by Thiakol Chemical Corporation at Kingsland.

 

Children born to them include:

 

William Nichols Casey IV born about 1953

Thomas Green Casey, Jr. born about 1955

John Patrick Casey born about 1958

James Andrew Casey born about 1960

Benjamin Luther Casey born about 1962

 

Flora Estelle Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Andrew Green Gowen and Laura Pierce Denmark Gowen, was born February 7, 1892.  She was married about 1920, husband's name, Copeland. In 1932 Flora Estelle Gowen Copeland, was living in Charlton County.  She died May 12, 1990 at age 97.

 

Children born to her include:

 

Louise Copeland born about 1922

Ruth Copeland born about 1925

 

Louise Copeland, daughter of Flora Estelle Gowen Copeland, was born about 1922.  She was married about 1946 to A. D. "Blue" Herring.  In 1992 she had succeeded her husband as clerk of court in Meriwether County, Georgia and lived at Greenville, Georgia.  She a member of Gowen Research Foun­dation, was active in Gowen family research.

 

Ruth Copeland, daughter of Flora Estelle Gowen Copeland, was born about 1925.  She was married about 1949 to James S. Johnson.  In 1992 they lived at Jefferson, Georgia in Jackson County.  He was a Black Angus stockfarmer, and she, a member of Gowen Research Foundation, was in pursuit of her Gowen family history.

 

Laura Mattie Gowen [Andrew Green8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Andrew Green Gowen and Laura Pierce Denmark Gowen, was born in Charlton County.  About 1920 she was married, husband's name, Kirkpatrick.  She died in 1982.

 

Barney James Gowen, [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of William W. Gowen and Rebecca Townsend Green Gowen, was born at Combahee Ferry in 1843, according to the 1860 Charlton County, Georgia census.  However, his grandson, Barney Alexander Gowen stated in a letter dated April 13, 1961 that his grandfather was born December 4, 1840.

 

Barney James Gowen appeared in his father's household in the 1860 census as "Barney Gowen, age 17, born in South Car­olina."  He enlisted in August 1861 in Augusta, Georgia in the Fourth Georgia Cavalry Regiment, C.S.A.  He was discharged in May 1865 as a second lieutenant.  He was married about 1864 to Sarah E. Readdick who was born January 20, 1845.  She was the daughter of Peter Readdick, born in 1800 in Geor­gia and Allie Agnes Wright Readdick, born in 1807 in Georgia.

 

The household of Barney James Gowen, No. 432-450, appeared in the census of Camden County, Enumeration District 13, page 43, June 24, 1880:

 

"Gowen, Barney J. 38, born in SC, father born in SC,

mother born in SC, farmer

Sarah E. 36, born in GA, father born in

GA, mother born in GA, wife

George 15, born in GA, in school

Glenn 13, born in GA, in school

Ann 11, born in GA, in school

Durwood   9, born in GA, in school

Pearl   2, born in Georgia,

Gowen, Elizabeth 34,  born in GA, sister, single"

 

"Elizabeth Gowen," above is identified as Elizabeth Jane Gowen, younger sister of Barney James Gowen.  Although she appears as "single," She was married November 28, 1866 in Camden County to Francis Readdick, brother to Sarah E. Readdick Gowen.

 

Adjoining was the household of Thomas Means Godley and Anne Elizabeth Gowen Godley in Enumeration District 13, page 43.  Barney James Gowen was granted 250 acres of land in Camden County in 1888 and later in the same year he was granted an additional 204 acres there.  He served as Camden County Tax Receiver in 1889-1891 and again 1898 to 1900.  After the death of Sarah E. Readdick Gowen, June 24, 1908, Barney James Gowen was married to her sister Mary Pratt Readdick.  He died August 26, 1919 and was buried in Ceylon Cemetery beside his wives.

 

No children were born to Barney James Gowen and Mary Pratt Readdick Gowen.  Six children were born to Barney James Gowen and Sarah E. Readdick Gowen:

 

George Rhoan Gowen born January 15, 1865

Glenn Green Gowen born November 27, 1866

Annie Elizabeth Gowen born in 1869

Durwood Belmont Gowen born June 10, 1877

India Pearl Gowen born March 3, 1878

  [daughter, no name] born in 1886

 

George Rhoan Gowen [Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Barney James Gowen and Sarah E. Readdick Gowen, was born January 15, 1865 in Camden County, according to Barney Alexander Gowen, his son.  He received a land grant from the state of Georgia in 1888 of 115 acres and again in 1907 of 68 acres.  He was married about 1900 to Courtney Carney Littlefield, daughter of Alexander Diamond Littlefield who was also born in Camden County April 3, 1883.  From 1906 to 1912 he was Tax Collector of Camden County.  George Rhoan Gowen in 1932 was manager of the Folkston Grain & Grocery Company and was a member of the Folkston city council, according to "The History of Charlton County:"

 

"Since removing to Charlton County several years ago Mr. Gowen has made many warm personal friends.  He is a loyal member of the Folkston Methodist Church and is regarded by all who know him as a man of honor and integrity.  His sons, B. A. and Tom, are engaged in the general mercantile business in Folkston and B. A. and George R. Jr. are the owners of the Folkston Stave Mill.  George Rhoan Gowen, Jr. has been a law student in the office of Alex S. McQueen, attorney, for several months and is about ready to begin the practice of law."

 

The couple lived in Folkston throughout their lives.  She died there September 27, 1958, and he died there March 28, 1960 at the age of 95.  They were buried in Pineview-Bachlott Cemetery.

 

Nine children were born to George Rhoan Gowen and Courtney Carney Littlefield Gowen:

 

Barney Alexander Gowen born April 2, 1902

Thelma Gertrude Gowen born September 15, 1903

Estelle Gowen born February 3, 1906

George Rhoan Gowen, Jr. born July 9, 1907

Thomas Cummings Gowen born November 1, 1909

Randall Woodrow Gowen born May 5, 1913

Clifton Carney Gowen born March 14, 1918

Baynard Hampton Gowen born April 16, 1921

Annie Pearl Gowen born July 10, 1923

 

Barney Alexander Gowen [George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen and Courtney Carney Littlefield Gowen, was born April 2, 1902 in Camden County.  He attended school at Woodbine and Folkston, and also at Georgia-Alabama Business College.  In 1924 he was a bookkeeper in San Augustine, Florida.  In 1926 he established Gowen's General Merchandise in Woodbine.  From 1928 to 1956 he was vice chairman of the board of the State Bank of Kingsland.

 

Barney Alexander Gowen was a partner in a mercantile busi­ness in Folkston in 1932 with his brother, Thomas Cummings Gowen.  He also owned an interest in the Folkston Stave Mill with his brother, George Rhoan Gowen, Jr.

 

Barney Alexander Gowen, was married to Ethel Veale June 28, 1932 at Watkinsville, Georgia.  In 1961 he was retired, continuing to make his home at Woodbine where he was secretary of the Camden County Industrial Commission and a member of the Methodist Church.  At the same time there ap­peared on the board of the Camden County Industrial Commission the names of J. Edwin Godley, clerk, a grandson of Thomas Means Godley, and Robert W. Harrison, Jr, attorney, a great-great-great-great grandson of John Harrison.

 

Barney Alexander Gowen stated in a letter written February 9, 1961 that his ancestors related that the name of Gowen has its origin with the Earl of Gowrie, the famous Scotch conspirator.  According to the legend, at the time of the slaying of the Earl of Gowrie, one of his sons, William Ruthven, escaped, changed his name to Gowen, using the first three letters of Gowrie and the last two letters of Ruthven.

 

Barney Alexander Gowen mentioned a 2,700-acre tract of land located on the Camden-Glynn County line, near Woodbine, known as "the Gowrie tract" and a "Gowrie Island" contained in the tract and suggested a possible connection with the leg­end.  The island was shown on a 1938 map of Camden County.  The legend is partially corroborated by a letter written December 13, 1913 by Mary A. "Mollie" Gowen Wingfield that the Gowens were of "Scotch-Irish aristocracy."

 

He was named as an executive director of Boy Scouts of America in 1971.  They continued to live in Woodbine in April 1989 when they were visited by Miller Abbott Gowen and Arlee Claud Gowen.  Ethel Veale Gowen died November 14, 1993, and Barney Alexander Gowen died August 19, 1995 at Camden Medical Center.  They were buried in Pineview-Bachlott Cemetery.

 

His obituary, carried in "Florida Times-Union" of Jacksonville, Florida, mentioned:

 

"Mr. Gowen was a life-long resident of Camden County.  He was fully involved in the welfare of his community, serving as county commissioner, city councilman, chairman of the Board of Education, Chief Registrar, and serving as a member the Camden Industry Development Council, the Governor's staff, Georgia Industry Development Commission and the Lions Club.  He was a Mason [Shriner] and a member of the Woodbine Methodist Church.

 

His wife was the late Ethel Veale Gowen.  He is survived by his daughter, Anne Gowen Williams; son Barney Alexander Gowen, Jr, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; sisters, Thelma Hannaford, Estelle Sikes, Annie Pearl Page and brother, Baynard Gowen.  He was buried in Pineview Cemetery in Folkston."

 

Children born to Barney Alexander Gowen and Ethel Veale Gowen include:

 

Anne Gowen born April 19, 1938

Barney Alexander Gowen, Jr. born March 25, 1940

 

Anne Gowen, [Barney Alexander10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Barney Alexander Gowen and Ethel Veale Gowen, was born in Camden County, April 19, 1938, according to a letter written by her father February 9, 1961.

 

About 1961 she was married to Daniel Aubrey Williams, an executive of Rhone Poulene, French textile firm, who was born October 15, 1936.  In February 1961 she was teaching at Sylvania, Georgia.  She was teaching in Woodbine when visited there in April 1989 and in 2002.

 

Children born to Daniel Aubrey Williams and Anne Gowen Williams include:

 

Daniel Aubrey Williams, Jr. born December 20, 1962

Michelle Williams born February 2, 1964

 

Daniel Aubrey Williams, Jr, son of Daniel Aubrey Williams and Anne Gowen Williams, was born December 20, 1962.  He was graduated in 1986 from Valdosta State University with a B.S. degree in marketing.  He was married December 27, 1986 to Carole Nanette Gandy who was born December 11, 1963 in Ashburn, Georgia.  She was graduated from Valdosta State University with a B.S. degree in education.  In 1990 he was employed as a loan officer in Southwestern Bank in Darien, Georgia, and she was a teacher in Kingsland Elementary School.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Leslie Michelle Williams born August 30, 1988

 

Michelle Williams, daughter of Daniel Aubrey Williams and Anne Gowen Williams, was born February 2, 1964.  She was graduated from Mercer University at Macon, Georgia where she received a B.S. degree in business in 1987.  In 1990 she was employed by I.T.T Financial Division as an assistant manager in Jacksonville, Florida.

 

Barney Alexander "Alex" Gowen, Jr. [Barney Alexander10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keat­ing6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Barney Alexander Gowen and Ethel Veale Gowen, was born in Camden County, March 25, 1940.  On February 9, 1961 he was a student at Statesboro, Georgia, according to a letter written by his father.  He was married about 1965 to Dale Byrd of Greenwood, South Carolina.  In 1990 they lived in Woodbine where he was employed in real estate.

 

Children born to Barney Alexander "Alex" Gowen, Jr. and Dale Byrd Gowen include:

 

John Trevor Gowen born July 7, 1971

Joseph Patrick Gowen born April 18, 1980

 

John Trevor Gowen [Barney Alexander, Jr.11, Barney Alexander10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Barney Alexander "Alex" Gowen, Jr. and Dale Byrd Gowen, was born July 7, 1971 in Woodbine.  In 1990 he was a student at Georgia Southern College at Statesboro.

 

Joseph Patrick Gowen, [Barney Alexander10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Barney Alexander "Alex" Gowen, Jr. and Dale Byrd Gowen, was born April 18, 1980.

 

Thelma Gertrude Gowen [George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of George Rhoan Gowen, and Courtney Carney Littlefield Gowen, was born at Folkston September 15, 1903.  About 1926 she was married to James Oscar Hannaford, and in April 1961 the couple con­tinued to make their home in Folkston.  She survived her husband and died April 12, 1997, at the age of 93, at Folkston.  She was buried in Pineview Cemetery.

 

Children born to them include:

 

James Oscar Hannaford, Jr. born July 31, 1928

George Leonard Hannaford born July 27, 1931

Maurice Wesley Hannaford born March 29, 1935

Gloria Meryl Hannaford born December 12, 1936

 

James Oscar Hannaford, Jr, son of James Oscar Hannaford and Thelma Gertrude Gowen Hannaford, was born July 31, 1928 at Folkston.  On February 16, 1951 he was married to Jacquelyn Louise Fillingim who was born April 5, 1929.  In April 1961 and in April 1997, the couple continued to make their home at Folkston.

 

Children born to them include:

 

James Michael Hannaford born June 11, 1953

Jeanne Hannaford born May 28, 1956

 

James Michael Hannaford, son of James Oscar Hannaford, Jr. and Jacquelyn Louise Fillingim Hannaford, was born June 11, 1953.  He was married May 16, 1981 to Renee Suzanne Ram­sey who was born September 12, 1952.

 

Jeanne Hannaford, daughter of James Oscar Hannaford, Jr. and Jacquelyn Louise Fillingim Hannaford, was born May 28, 1956.  She was married December 7, 1974 to Donald Gregory Crews.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Donald Gregory Crews, Jr. born August 24, 1978

Douglas Geoffrey Crews born October 5, 1981

 

George Leonard Hannaford, son of James Oscar Hannaford and Thelma Gertrude Gowen Hannaford, was born at Folkston, July 27, 1931.  He was mar­ried April 11, 1954 to Mary Ellen Parrish at Folkston.  She was born July 11, 1929.  They resided at Woodbine in April 1961 and in April 1997.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Dawn Hannaford born July 16, 1960

Mary Hannaford born November 28, 1961

Dana Hannaford born June 7, 1964

 

Maurice Wesley Hannaford, son of James Oscar Hannaford and Thelma Gertrude Gowen Hannaford, was born at Folkston, March 29, 1935.  He was married September 28, 1960 to Shelvie Jean Parrott.  In April 1961 they lived at Folkston.  They were divorced November 6, 1974, and he was remarried April 2, 1977 to Linda Diane Wright who was born November 1, 1947.  In April 1997 they continued at Folkston.

 

Gloria Meryl Hannaford, daughter of James Oscar Hannaford and Thelma Gertrude Gowen Hannaford, was born at Folkston December 12, 1936.  She was married January 1, 1955 to James A. Anderson who was born February 28, 1934.  In April 1961 the couple lived in St. Marys.  They were divorced August 22, 1962.  She was remarried February 27, 1970 to Glynn R. Lloyd, Sr. who was born July 14, 1935.

 

One child, Teresa Connie Anderson was born April 3, 1956 to James A. Anderson and Gloria Meryl Hannaford Anderson.  She was married October 13, 1973 to Harry G. Guinn who was born December 2, 1955.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Dena Laurice Guinn born July 9, 1975

Tracy Alan Guinn born November 10, 1978

 

Estelle Gowen [George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of George Rhoan Gowen and Courtney Carney Littlefield Gowen, was born at Folkston, February 3, 1906.  About 1924 she was married to James O. Sikes who was born October 9, 1899.  In 1990 she lived at Woodbine.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Jacqueline Sikes born June 18, 1925

Bobbie Ruth Sikes born June 28, 1930

Mary Connie Sikes born April 30, 1934

 

Jacqueline Sikes, daughter of James O. Sikes and Estelle Gowen Sikes, was born June 18, 1925 at Folkston.  About 1944, she was married to Vince Lipetsky.

 

Two children were born to this union before it ended in di­vorce:

 

Rose Anne Lipetsky born November 30, 1945

Judy Lipetsky born December 8, 1948

 

About 1955 Jacqueline Sikes Lipetsky was remarried to David Ray James, and to this second marriage a child was born:

 

Duncan Willard James born September 30, 1957

 

Bobbie Ruth Sikes, daughter of James O. Sikes and Estelle Gowen Sikes, was born June 28, 1930 at Folkston.  About 1948 she was married to Claude L. Miller Jr. who was born January 2, 1930.  In April 1990 they lived at Woodbine.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Claude L. "Buddy" Miller, III born June 3, 1950

Virginia "Ginny" Miller born July 4, 1955

James Sikes Miller born March 4, 1957

Charmaine Miller born August 11, 1959

 

Mary Connie Sikes, daughter of James O. Sikes and Estelle Gowen Sikes, was born April 30, 1934 at Folkston.  About 1956 she was married to William Jacob Smith and lived at Sa­vannah, Georgia.

 

Children born to the couple include:

 

William Gregory Smith born July 24, 1958

 

George Rhoan Gowen, Jr. [George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen and Courtney Carney Littlefield Gowen, was born July 9, 1907 in Camden County.  In 1932 he owned an interest in the Folkston Stave Mill with his brother Barney Alexander Gowen.

 

He was married May 8, 1932 to Evelyn Shackleford who was born May 30, 1915.  George Rhoan Gowen, Jr. in 1932 was studying law in the office of Alex S. McQueen, attorney in Folkston.  The couple lived at Folkston, in April 1961.  He died August 29, 1967 and was buried in Pineview-Bachlott Cemetery.

 

Children born to George Rhoan Gowen, Jr. and Evelyn Shack­leford Gowen include:

 

George Rhoan Gowen, III born May 1, 1933

Linda Lurlene Gowen [adopted] born April 4, 1946

Brian Gowen [adopted] born October 2, 1948

 

George Rhoan Gowen, III [George Rhoan, Jr.10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen, Jr. and Evelyn Shackleford Gowen, was born May 1, 1933 at Folkston.  About 1953 he was married to Charna Kimberly Williamson who was born March 21, 1934.  In April 1961 the couple lived at Folkston.

 

Children born to George Rhoan Gowen, III and Charna Kim­berly Williamson Gowen include:

 

George Mark Gowen born June 19, 1955

Grover Curtis Gowen born October 11, 1958

Richard Douglas Gowen born January 21, 1961

Chris Gowen born July 17, 1964

 

George Mark Gowen, [George Rhoan III11, George Rhoan, Jr.10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen, III and Charna Kimberly Williamson Gowen, was born June 19, 1955.  He became a civil engineer.  He was married about 1980 to Jan Bruskey. 

 

Children born to George Mark Gowen and Jan Bruskey Gowen include:

 

Luke Gowen born about 1983

 

Richard Douglas Gowen [George Rhoan III11, George Rhoan, Jr.10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen, III and Charna Kimberly Williamson Gowen, was born January 21, 1961.  He became a certified public accountant and was married about 1983 to Valerie Aldridge. 

 

Children born to Richard Douglas Gowen and Valerie Aldridge Gowen include:

 

Abby Breanne Gowen born October 14, 1986

 

Chris Gowen [George Rhoan III11, George Rhoan, Jr.10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keat­ing6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen, III and Charna Kimberly Williamson Gowen, was born July 17, 1964.  He became a certified public accountant and was married about 1986 to Allison Pfiffer.  Of Chris Gowen and Allison Pfiffer Gowen nothing more is known.

 

Linda Lurlene Gowen [George Rhoan, Jr.10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], adopted daughter of George Rhoan Gowen, Jr. and Evelyn Shackelford Gowen, was born April 4, 1946.  She was married about 1972 to Dr. Randy Sather.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Marty Sather born in April 1973

Laura Sather born February 27, 1974

 

Brian Gowen [George Rhoan, Jr.10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], adopted son of George Rhoan Gowen, Jr. and Evelyn Shackelford Gowen, was born October 2, 1948.  He was married about 1980 to Elaine Forbey. 

 

Children born to Brian Gowen and Elaine Forbey Gowen in­clude:

 

Misty Nicole Gowen born July 17, 1982

Kevin Gowen born December 10, 1986

 

Grover Curtis Gowen [George Rhoan III11, George Rhoan, Jr.10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen, III and Charna Kimerly Williamson Gowen, was born October 11, 1958.  He was married about 1980 to Donna Hickox.  Of Grover Curtis Gowen and Donna Hickox Gowen nothing more is known.

 

Thomas Cummings Gowen [George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen and Courtney Carney Littlefield Gowen, was born November 1, 1909 at Folkston.  In 1932 he was a partner with his brother Barney Alexander Gowen in the mercantile business in Folk­ston.  About 1932 he was married to Lettie Stokes who was born August 3, 1911 to Lewis Elbert Stokes and Mary Lucretia “Molly” Braddock Stokes.  In April 1961 the couple resided at Folkston.  He died there June 7, 1964 and was buried in Pineview-Bachlott Cemetery.

 

Children born to Thomas Cummings Gowen and Lettie Stokes Gowen include:

 

Thomas Cummings Gowen, Jr. born May 17, 1934

James Gary Gowen born March 24, 1939

Walter Ray Gowen born April 15, 1946

Rhonda Sue Gowen born September 5, 1953

 

Thomas Cummings Gowen, Jr, [Thomas Cummings Gowen10,, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Thomas Cummings Gowen and Lettie Stokes Gowen, was born May 17, 1934.  He was married about 1957 to Martha Sue Vance. 

 

Children born to Thomas Cumming Gowen, Jr. and Martha Sue Vance Gowen include:

 

Karen Courtney Gowen born about 1960

Allison Sue Gowen born about 1962

Jennifer Gowen born about 1965

Bradley Gowen born about 1969

 

Allison Sue Gowen, [Thomas Cummings Gowen, Jr,11, Thomas Cummings Gowen10,, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Thomas Cumming Gowen, Jr. and Martha Sue Vance Gowen, was born about 1962.  She was married about 1982 to Carl Alvin Williams.

 

James Gary Gowen [Thomas Cummings10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Thomas Cum­mings Gowen and Lettie Stokes Gowen, was born March 24, 1939.  He was married about 1960 to Glenda Louise Gibson, daughter of Glynn Gibson and Jackie Dixon Gibson.

 

Children born to James Gary Gowen and Glenda Louise Gibson Gowen include:

 

David Gary Gowen born about 1962

Susan Gowen born about 1964

Stephen Gowen born about 1968

 

Susan Gowen, [James Gary11, Thomas Cummings10,, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of James Gary Gowen and Glenda Louise Gibson Gowen, was born about 1964.  He was married about 1984 to Paul McKnight.

 

Walter Ray Gowen, [Thomas Cummings10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Thomas Cumming Gowen and Lettie Stokes Gowen, was born April 15, 1946.

 

Rhonda Sue Gowen, [Thomas Cummings10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Thomas Cummings Gowen and Lettie Stokes Gowen, was born September 5, 1953.  She was married about 1978 to Chester Chin.

 

Children born to Chester Chin and Rhonda Sue Gowen Chin include:

 

Ashley [Mingwa] Chin born about 1980

Alex [Sayming] Chin born about 1983

 

Randall Woodrow Gowen [George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen and Courtney Littlefield Gowen, was born May 5, 1913 at Folkston.  He was married August 7, 1937 to Merle Elizabeth Clark who was born March 25, 1922.  In April 1961 the couple lived at Folkston where he operated a service station.  In 1989 they lived at Harriett's Bluff, Georgia.  He died April 18, 1989 at Brunswick of lung cancer at the age of 75.  He was buried April 21, 1989 in Pineview Cemetery in Folkston, Georgia.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Randall Woodrow Gowen, Jr. born October 1, 1939

James Furman Gowen born March 5, 1943

Donna Louise Gowen born November 15, 1944

Emily Gayle Gowen born August 3, 1950

Evelynn Carol "Lynne" Gowen born March 9, 1954

 

Randall Woodrow Gowen, Jr. [Randall Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Randall Woodrow Gowen and Merle Elizabeth Clark Gowen, was born October 1 1939 at Folkston.  He was graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in forestry.  About 1959 he was married to Frances Jewel Roberson who was born February 17, 1941.  In May 1961, the couple lived in Folkston.  In April 1989 they lived in Fernandina Beach, Florida where he was employed by JSC-CCA Paper Company.

 

Children born to Randall Woodrow Gowen, Jr. and Frances Jewel Roberson Gowen include:

 

Tanya Frances Gowen born September 22, 1960

Randa Elizabeth Gowen born June 21, 1965

 

Tanya Frances Gowen [Randall Woodrow Randall11, Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mi­hil1], daughter of Randall Woodrow Gowen, Jr. and Frances Jewel Roberson Gowen, was born September 22, 1968.  Fol­lowing graduation from Georgia Southern University, she was married July 30, 1983 to James Gregory Rushing who was born August 30, 1960.  He was graduated from Georgia Southern University and in 1990 was employed by Georgia Power Com­pany in Augusta, Georgia.

 

Randa Elizabeth Gowen [Randall Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Randall Woodrow Gowen, Jr. and Frances Jewel Roberson Gowen, was born June 21, 1965.  Following graduation from Florida State University, she was employed by Lockheed Corporation at Kingsbay, Georgia.  She was married May 23, 1987 to Bradley James Newsome who was born December 31, 1961.  He was graduated from Valdosta State College.  In 1990 they lived at Harrietts Bluff and was employed by Florida State Health De­partment.

 

James Furman Gowen [Randall Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Randall Woodrow Gowen and Merle Elizabeth Clark Gowen, was born March 5, 1943.  He was graduated from Medical School of Georgia.  He was married June 27, 1965 to Carolyn Fay Fewell who was born December 25, 1945.  In April 1989 he lived on St. Simons Island and operated a medical practice in obstetrics and gynecology in Brunswick. 

 

Children born to Dr. James Furman Gowen and Carolyn Fay Fewell Gowen include:

 

Michael Glenn Gowen born April 1, 1968

Leslie Faye Gowen born February 26, 1970

Zachery Clark Gowen born December 9, 1975

 

Michael Glenn Gowen [James Furman11, Randall Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keat­ing6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Dr. James Furman Gowen and Carolyn Fay Fewell Gowen, was born April 1, 1968.  In 1989 he attended Brunswick College.

 

Leslie Faye Gowen [James Furman11, Randall Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keat­ing6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Dr. James Furman Gowen and Carolyn Fay Fewell Gowen, was born February 26, 1970.  In 1989 she attended College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina.

 

Zachery Clark Gowen [James Furman11, Randall Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keat­ing6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Dr. James Furman Gowen and Carolyn Ray Fay Fewell Gowen, was born December 9, 1975.  In 1989 he attended Frederica Academy.

 

Donna Louise Gowen [Randall Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Randall Woodrow Gowen and Merle Elizabeth Clark Gowen, was born November 15, 1944.  She was married February 23, 1962 to Milton Vernon Brock who was born December 9, 1943.  He was graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a de­gree in civil engineering.  In 1990 he was president of Grove Properties, Inc. of Atlanta, and they lived on St. Simons Island.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Eric Brandon Brock born January 1, 1965

Mitchell Vernon Brock born January 18, 1968

Nathan Stephen Brock born March 10, 1969

Seth William Brock born October 9, 1973

 

Eric Brandon Brock, son of Milton Vernon Brock and Donna Louise Gowen Brock, was born January 1, 1965.  He was grad­uated in architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1987.  He entered graduate school at the University of Pennsyl­vania at Philadelphia in August 1989.

 

Mitchell Vernon Brock, son of Milton Vernon Brock and Donna Louise Gowen Brock, was born January 18, 1968.  In 1990 he was a management student in Georgia Institute of Technology.

 

Nathan Stephen Brock, son of Milton Vernon Brock and Donna Louise Gowen Brock, was born March 10, 1969.  In 1990 he was attending University of Virginia, school of architecture in Charlottesville, Virginia.

 

Seth William Brock, son of Milton Vernon Brock and Donna Louise Gowen Brock, was born October 9, 1973.  In 1990 he attended Frederica Academy on St. Simons Island.

 

Emily Gayle Gowen [Randall Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Randall Woodrow Gowen and Merle Elizabeth Clark Gowen, was born August 3, 1950.  She attended cosmetology school in Clarksville, Georgia.  She was married August 31, 1969 to Carl Wayne Patton.  They were divorced in 1978, and she was re­married August 1, 1980 to James Hannon Redding who was born March 7, 1952.  He was graduated from the University of Georgia in forestry and in 1990 worked for Union Camp Paper Co.  In 1989 they lived at Folkston.

 

Evelynn Carol "Lynne" Gowen [Randall Woodrow10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Randall Woodrow Gowen and Merle Elizabeth Clark Gowen, was born March 9, 1954.  She was graduated from Georgia Southern University with a B.S. degree in education.  She was married October 3, 1980 to Robert Paul Killian who was born March 13, 1951.  He was graduated from the University of Georgia law school.  In 1990 he practiced in Brunswick, and they lived on St. Simons Island.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Paul Hudson Killian born June 3, 1983

Bonnie Louise Killian born May 16, 1984

 

Clifton Carney Gowen [George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen and Courtney Caney Littlefield Gowen, was born March 14, 1918 at Folkston.  About 1948 he was married to Louise Coleman who was born April 20, 1930.  She died November 29, 1985 and was buried in Pineview-Bachlott Cemetery.  In May of 1961 and in May 1989 he continued to live in Folkston. 

 

Clifton Carney Gowen died September 4, 1971 at the age of 53 in Charlton County according to Georgia Death records [1919-1998], Certificate No. 38329.

 

Children born to Clifton Carney Gowen and Louise Coleman Gowen include:

 

Jerry Clifton Gowen born August 23, 1950

Mary Elaine Gowen born June 24, 1953

 

Baynard Hampton Gowen [George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of George Rhoan Gowen  and Courtney Carney Little­field Gowen, was born April 16, 1921 at Folkston.  On October 26, 1947, he was married to Willa Lee Smith who was born July 22, 1928.  In May 1961 the couple lived at Folk­ston.  They observed their 50th wedding anniversary at a reception at Harriets Bluff October 26, 1997, according to the October 26, 1997 edition of the "Florida Times-Union" which carried their anniversary picture. 

 

Children born to this union include:

 

William George Gowen born April 24, 1950

Yetive Maude Gowen born May 2, 1953

John Franklin Gowen born March 14, 1956

Catherine La Rue Gowen born July 8, 1959

Baynard Hampton Gowen, Jr. born September 6, 1963

 

William George Gowen [Baynard Hampton10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Baynard Hampton Gowen and Willa Lee Smith Gowen, was born April 24, 1950 in Folkston.  He was married in Ashburn, Georgia December 12, 1971 to Marylu Caryl McKenzie who was born February 6, 1948.  He was graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology.  In 1990 they lived in Jacksonville, Florida where he was vice-president of Rex Packaging, Inc.  In 1997 they lived in Jacksonville.

 

Children born to William George Gowen and Marylu Caryl McKenzie Gowen include:

 

Caryl Lee Gowen born August 21, 1978

Kathryn Lynn Gowen born April 30, 1980

 

Yetive Maude Gowen [Baynard Hampton10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Baynard Hampton Gowen and Willa Lee Smith Gowen, was born May 2, 1953 at Jacksonville.  She was graduated from Abraham Baldwin College, Tifton, Georgia.  She was married at Harrietts Bluff November 25, 1978 to Billy Terrance Grooms who was born July 20, 1942.  In 1990 they lived in Folkston, and both were employed by Gilman Paper Company in St. Marys.  In 1997 they continued in Folkston.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Terra LaRue Grooms born June 29, 1981

Terrance Gowen Grooms born November 25, 1987

 

John Franklin Gowen [Baynard Hampton10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Baynard Hamp­ton Gowen and Willa Lee Smith Gowen, was born March 14, 1956 in Jacksonville.  He was married November 21, 1981 at Harrietts Bluff to Crystal Davis who was born April 10, 1960.  They were divorced December 17, 1985.  In 1990 he was em.­ployed by Gilman Paper Company at White Oak Plantation.  In 1997 he continued to live at Folkston.

 

Catherine LaRue Gowen [Baynard Hampton10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Baynard Hampton Gowen and Willa Lee Smith Gowen, was born July 8, 1959 in Jacksonville.  She died August 5, 1961 and was buried in Pineview–Bachlott Cemetery..

 

Baynard Hampton Gowen, Jr. [Baynard Hampton10, George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Baynard Hampton Gowen and Willa Lee Smith Gowen, was born September 6, 1963 in Jacksonville.  In 1990 he attended Au­gusta College, Augusta, Georgia, where he was manager of LID Warehouse.  In 1997 he lived in Folkston.

 

Annie Pearl Gowen [George Rhoan9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of George Rhoan Gowen and Courtney Carney Littlefield Gowen, was born July 10, 1923 at Folkston.  About 1942 she was married to Dimon Lawrence Page who was born November 8, 1907.  In May 1961 the couple lived at Jacksonville.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Franklin Lawrence Page born October 24, 1944

Kerry Brent Page born July 29, 1949

Marcia Lynn Page born September 23, 1953

 

Glenn Green Gowen [Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Barney James Gowen and Sarah E. Readdick Gowen, was born November 27, 1866, probably in Camden County.  According to Barney Alexander Gowen a nephew, Glenn Green Gowen did not marry and died March 28, 1898 of typhoid fever at the age of 31.  He was buried in Ceylon Cemetery in Camden County.

 

A Glynn Green Gowen was born March 6, 1915 of parents unknown.  He died January 19, 1935 at age 19 and was buried in Traders Hill Cemetery.

 

Annie Elizabeth Gowen [Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Barney James Gowen and Sarah E. Readdick Gowen, was born in 1865, according to Barney Alexander Gowen, probably in Camden County.  About 1888 she was married to James Cummings Proctor who was born in 1855.  James Cummings Proctor died in 1930 and Annie Elizabeth Gowen Proctor died in 1955.  No children were born to this union.

 

Durwood Belmont Gowen [Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Barney James Gowen and Sarah E. Readdick Gowen, was born June 10, 1877 at Traders Hill in Charlton County.  On February 13, 1895, he was married to Nena “Nonnie” Pacetti who was born March 19, 1877 in Camden County.  She was born March 19, 1877

 

The first member of the Pacetti family in Florida came with the Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles when he established St. Augustine, Florida September 6, 1565.  The settlement was the oldest known city in the United States.  A Pecetti name is recorded there in the oldest schoolhouse in the United States, according to June Claire Gowen de Marcellus, a descendant.   Nena “Nona” Pacetti Gowen died June 6, 1916 and was buried in Ceylon Cemetery in Camden County.  Another report shows her death date as June 8, 1918.

 

Later Durwood Belmont Gowen moved to West Palm Beach where he died October 27, 1947.  He was buried there in Woodlawn Cemetery.

 

Children born to Durwood Belmont Gowen and Nena Pacetti Gowen include:

 

Olive Evelina Gowen born February 25, 1896

Viola Belmont “Ola” Gowen born June 2, 1897

Lillian Sarah Gowen born September 24, 1898

George Floyd Gowen born May 7, 1900

Durwood Glenn Gowen born May 28, 1902

Earl Walton Gowen born August 14, 1904

Irene Pearl Gowen born November 8, 1906

Mildred Gowen born January 24, 1909

 

Olive Evelina Gowen [Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Durwood Belmont Gowen and Nena “Nonnie” Pacetti Gowen, was born February 25, 1896 at Kingsland.  On November 11, 1923 she was married to Alfred C. Woods at West Palm Beach.  She died June 4, 1982.

 

Children born to Alfred C. Woods and Olive E. Gowen Woods include:

 

Ruth Marie Woods born August 25, 1925

Evelyn E. Woods born July 14, 1930

 

Viola Belmont Gowen [Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Durwood Belmont Gowen and Nena “Nonnie” Pacetti Gowen, was born June 2, 1897 at Kingsland.  She was a member of the Methodist Church.  She died April 10, 1989 at West Palm Beach at the age of 93.

 

Lillian Sarah Gowen [Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Durwood Belmont Gowen and Nena “Nonnie” Pacetti Gowen, was born September 24, 1898 at Kingsland.  She was married to Louie G. Wallace in 1924 in West Palm Beach. She died January 18, 1938.

 

One son was born to Louie G. Wallace and Lillian Sarah Gowen Wallace:

 

Clarence Belmont Wallace born March 22, 1933

 

Clarence Belmont Wallace, son of Louie G. Wallace and Lillian Sarah Gowen Wallace, was born March 22, 1933.  In November 1961 Clarence Belmont Wallace resided at 214 North Marigold, West Palm Beach.

 

George Floyd Gowen [Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Durwood Belmont Gowen and Nena “Nonnie” Pacetti Gowen, was born May 7, 1900 at Woodbine and removed to West Palm Beach, Florida in 1923.  On December 12, 1926 he was married there to Sadie Bell Smith at West Palm Beach.  In November 1961 he was a mechanic residing there.  He died November 6, 1989.

 

Their daughter, June Claire Gowen de Marcellus wrote:

 

"They bought a house at 736 New York Street, West Palm Beach, in 1932 for $1,000 cash. There they raised George Jones, Sadie's son from a previous marriage, and their two daughters, Betty and June.  He worked for Holsum Bakery Company. and with car agencies.  Sadie leased property she owned in Montgomery, Alabama.  She sold the last of her holdings in 1988.  These properties had been left to her by her father who at one time was the largest landowner in Montgomery.  He booked passage to England on the Titanic, but of course it never arrived in New York.  George died on November 6, 1989 after 63 years of marriage.  Sadie said she could not live without him and died exactly two weeks later on November 20.  They are interred in a mausoleum side by side in Riverside Memorial Park in Jupiter, Florida."

 

Children reared by George Floyd Gowen and Sadie Bell Smith Gowen include:

 

George Warren Jones born June 11, 1922

Betty Jean Gowen born in August 1929

June Claire Gowen born in June 1947

 

George Warren Jones, son of Sadie Bell Smith from a previous marriage, but raised by George Floyd Gowen, was born on June 11, 1922. In 1945, he was married to Betty Stallings. In 1991 he owned a brokerage business in Jupiter.

 

One daughter was born to them:

 

Sharron Lynne Jones born March 21, 1952

 

Betty Jean Gowen [George Floyd10, Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of George Floyd Gowen and Sadie Bell Smith Gowen, was born in August 1929 in West Palm Beach.  She was married to John Richard Bache February 8, 1957.  In 1991 they lived in Lake Park, Florida where he was a certified public accountant.

 

Four sons were born to them:

 

John Thomas Bache born January 10, 1958

Richard Warren Bache born December 12, 1959

James Belmont Bache born May 19, 1969

Christopher Glenn Bache born September 28, 1972

 

June Claire Gowen [George Floyd10, Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of George Floyd Gowen and Sadie Bell Smith Gowen, was born at West Palm Beach in June 1947.  She appeared in the 1965 city directory of West Palm Beach living in her father's household at 736 New York Street and was listed as vice-president of DeMarcellus-Knowlton & Associates.

 

She wrote:

 

"On June 12, 1970, she was married to Roland de Marcellus, owner of ADDCO Industries, a manufacturer of auto anti-sway bars.  He was graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1953.  Roland's mother was Rose Gordon Clark.  Her family was English and owned Matthew Clark and Sons, an importer and distributor of wine and spirits since the early 1800's.  His father was Henri de Martin du Tyrac Count de Marcellus. The line descended from Berthomien de Martin Sire de la Roque, born in 1345 and lived in la Roque, a fortress that still stands and overlooks the Gironde River. In the mid 1700's Andre Joseph de Martin du Tyrac was made gov­ernor of Guyenne, then the largest province in France, and the family was given the title of Count de Marcel­lus.  He later died in a duel with an army colonel.  Four years later, his wife, Marie, was killed by the guillotine in Bordeaux during the reign of terror."

 

In 1992 they lived in Riviera Beach, Florida, and in 1998 they lived at Banner Elk, North Carolina.

 

Two children were born to them:

 

Claire Gowrie de Marcellus born in 1972

Edmond George de Marcellus born in 1974

 

Claire Gowrie de Marcellus, daughter of Count Roland de Marcellus and Countess June Claire Gowen de Marcellus, was born in 1972.  In 1989, following the death of her grandfather, George Floyd Gowen, Claire Gowrie de Marcellus wrote a tribue to him:

 

"My grandfather, "Pap" was a tall man who walked with his head held high.  He was proud of all he had accomplished in life, and he was proud of his family.  He had only praise for others with never a harsh word to say about anyone.  "Pap" taught me many things--such as how to walk, how to bake cakes and how to cook "the best friend chicken in the South."  However, the most important thing he taught me was through his silence.  He taught me about the human spirit.

 

At five years old, I did not understand Parkinson's Disease at all.  But since he was diagnosed, I learned about this disorder as well as the endurance and the will needed to survive such an illness.  I saw how he was slowly being robbed of the simple muscular functions most people take for granted, such as walking, speaking and eating.  His walk slowed to a shuffle, and his speech to a slur.  The man whom I once looked upon as a mountain was confined to a wheelchair.  I felt as if his grandeur in some way was diminished because my eyes, for the first time, were forced downward to look at him.  I soon found this to be quite untrue.

 

At the most critical time in all our lives, the true greatness of this man shone through in his determined eyes.  Face with the thought that he could not perform his usual duties [such as mending a broken door or preparing breakfast for my grandmother], he was not saddened.  He remained cheerful despite the frustration caused by his desire and inability to do things, which tore him apart emotionally.  The loss of his speech and movements left him a prisoner in his own body; however through his silence, he taught me an important lesson; never to give up.  "Pap" proved that the human spirit can never be conquered by something such as an illness.  It is an undying part of each of us.

 

I could not imagine life without either of my grandparents, but their state of health last fall made the passing of the two most influential persons in my life inevitable.  The night of "Pap's" demise, I prayed for him.  I wanted to beg God not to take him, but as I did not wish for him to suffer as he had, the only words I could utter were to thank the Lord for giving me such a wonderful teacher and grandfather."

 

Claire Gowrie de Marcellus was graduated from the Benjamin School in May 1990 and in 1991 was a preÄlaw student at North Carolina State University. 

 

She was married March 22, 1997 to Nathan Paris.  A newspaper account of their wedding stated:

 

"Claire de Marcellus and Nathan Paris were married March 22 at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Palm Beach.  The bride is the daughter of Count and Countess Roland de Marcellus of North Palm Beach and Banner Elk, North Carolina.  Paris is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fulton Paris of Burlington, North Carolina.

 

The bride, a graduate of North Carolina State University, is pursuing a medical doctorate at St. George's University in Brooklyn.  Paris, also a graduate of North Carolina State University, is manager of Abercrombie & Fitch on Staten Island.  The couple plan to reside in North Carolina."

 

After completion of medical school in June 1998, she was scheduled to begin her residence at East Tennessee State University in July.

 

Edmond George de Marcellus, son of Roland de Marcellus and June Claire Gowen de Marcellus, was born in 1974.  In 1991 he attended the Benjamin School and was scheduled to graduate in 1993.  In 1998, he was president of ADDCO Manufacturing in Linville, North Carolina.

 

Durwood Glenn Gowen [Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Durwood Belmont Gowen and Nena “Nonnie”  Pacetti Gowen, was born May 28, 1902 at Kingsland.  In August 1926 he was married to Ruth Williams at Lake Worth, Florida.  In November 1961 the couple was living at West Palm Beach.  He died June 23, 1981, according to his tombstone.

 

Children born to Durwood Glenn Gowen and Ruth Williams Gowen include:

 

Rosemary Gowen born about 1928

Glenn Belmont Gowen born about 1930

Peggy Gowen born about 1932

 

Earl Walton Gowen [Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of Durwood Belmont Gowen and Nena “Nonnie”  Pacetti Gowen, was born August 14, 1904 at Kingsland.  On August 11, 1929 he was married to Arlene Bagnell at Lake Worth.  In November, 1961 the couple lived at West Palm Beach.

 

In the 1965 city directory of West Palm Beach Arlene Bagnell Gowen was shown as an office associate for J. C. Penney Com­pany of Lake Worth, living at Palm Beach.  He  died February 12, 1991 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in West Palm Beach.

 

Children born to Earl Walton Gowen and Arlene Bagnell Gowen include:

 

Carolyn Mae Gowen born March 2, 1932

Earl Wendell Gowen born May, 24, 1939

 

Carolyn Mae Gowen, [Earl Walton10, Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Earl Walton Gowen and Arlene Bagnell Gowen, was born March 2, 1932.

 

Earl Wendell Gowen [Earl Walton10, Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1],, son of Earl Walton Gowen and Arlene Bagnell Gowen, was born May 24, 1939 at West Palm Beach.  About 1961 he was married to Lucy Lee Stafford.  In 1965 Earl Wendell Gowen and Lucy Lee Stafford Gowen were listed in the West Palm Beach city directory living at 824 Forest Hill Boulevard.  He was shown as the manager of Cheney Bros.

 

She died March 1, 1999, according to her obituary in “Palm Beach Post:”

 

“Lucy Lee Stafford Gowen, 80 years old, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and a former longtime resident of Lake Worth, Florida died on Monday, March 1, 1999. The eldest child of William Stafford and Gertrude Willis Stafford, she was a native Floridian born in Williston, Florida, a town founded and named for her great-grandfather, Jesse M. Willis.

 

Her family moved to Lake Worth in 1922, where she attended public schools and graduated from Lake Worth High School, Class of 1936.  She then took a business course in Tampa. In January 1942 she and Wendell Gowen were married and worked as civilians at the old Morrison Field.

 

Wendell enlisted in the Air Force pilot cadet program in 1943, and upon completion, was sent to Europe.  After the war ended, they raised three children.  Later, Lucy worked as a secretary at Forest Hill High School and in Adult Education until her retirement in 1981.

 

She was preceded in death by her husband, who died in 1986.  She is survived by two daughters, Kathy Gowen Henderson and her husband Tom Henderson of Ft. Lauderdale and Judy Gowen Breeden and her husband Doug Breeden of West Palm Beach, a son, Jerry Gowen and his wife Patricia Gowen of Floral City, Florida.L; and five grandchildren, Scott and David Henderson of Tallahassee, FL, Katherine Breeden of West Palm Beach, FL, and Cory Gowen and Coral Lee Gowen of Floral City.”

 

Irene Pearl Gowen [Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Durwood Belmont Gowen and Nena “Nonnie” Pacetti Gowen, was born November 8, 1906 at Kingsland.  On December 14, 1929 she was married to Paul W. Hurst at Stuart, Florida.  She attended Palm Beach High School and Belle Isle Business College.  In 1991 she continued in West Palm Beach.

 

Children born to Paul W. Hurst and Irene Pearl Gowen Hurst include:

 

Charles Ronald Hurst born May 25, 1933

Ralph Atkinson Hurst born February 27, 1935

James McHugh Hurst born March 16, 1937

Carl Williams Hurst born January 7, 1941

Fletcher Satterwhite Hurst born July 25, 1947

 

Mildred Gowen [Durwood Belmont9, Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Durwood Belmont Gowen and Nena “Nonnie”  Pacetti Gowen, was born January 7, 1909 at Kingsland. She attended high school at West Palm Beach.  She died in 1973.

 

India Pearl Gowen [Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of Barney James Gowen and Sarah Readdick Gowen, was born March 3, 1878, probably in Camden County.  She remained unmarried and in May 1961 resided at Folkston.  She died September 8, 1967 and was buried in Pineview-Bachlott Cemetery.

 

An unnamed daughter [Barney James8, William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1] of Barney James Gowen and Sarah Readdick Gowen, was born in 1886 and died in infancy.

 

Elizabeth Jane Gowen [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of William W. Gowen and Rebecca Townsend Green Gowen, was born at Combahee Ferry, March 22, 1844.  She appeared in her father's household in the 1860 Charlton County census as "Eliza J. Gowen, age 15, born in South Carolina".  She was married to her brother-in-law Francis Readdick November 28, 1866 in Camden County, according to the research of Kermit D. Highsmith, Box 4002, DeLand, Florida, 32723.  Francis Readdick was born in Georgia August 7, 1842.  He was a brother of Sarah Readdick and Mary Pratt Readdick, both of whom were married to Barney James Gowen. 

 

Elizabeth Jane Gowen Readdick appeared in the household of her brother, Barney James Gowen in the census of 1880, at age 34.  She was [erroneously] enumerated as "single."

 

Francis Readdick died Au­gust 3, 1908 and Elizabeth Jane Gowen Readdick died January 2, 1921.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Frazier Readdick born about 1868

Lorena Readdick born about 1870

Sallie Readdick born about 1872

James Readdick born about 1875

George Readdick born about 1877

Edward Readdick born about 1880

Hardee Readdick born about 1883

Georgia Readdick born about 1886

William F. Readdick born March 9, 1889

 

William F. Readdick, son of Francis Readdick and Elizabeth Jane Gowen Readdick, was born March 9, 1889 at St. Marys Georgia.  He was married in Camden County to Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wilson who was born there May 28, 1877.  He died November 18, 1926 at Jacksonville, Florida.  She died there August 18, 1963.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Ada Readdick born September 27, 1912.

 

Ada Readdick, daughter of William F. Readdick and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wilson Readdick, was born September 27, 1912 at St. Marys.  She was married about 1937 to Kermit Daniel High­smith.  He was born in Troup County, Georgia January 7, 1914. 

 

Children born to them include:

 

Kermit Daniel Highsmith, Jr. born February 17, 1939

 

Kermit Daniel Highsmith, Jr, son of Kermit Daniel Highsmith and Ada Readdick Highsmith, was born February 17, 1939 in Jacksonville.  He was married in August 1963 to Madelaine Diane Carroll in Kingsland, Georgia.  Following a divorce, he was living in DeLand, Florida in June 1994.

 

Rebecca Glenn Gowen, [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of William W. Gowen and Rebecca Townsend Green Gowen, was born July 17, 1846, probably at Combahee Ferry.  She ap­parently died in infancy.  Rebecca Townsend Green Gowen apparently died about the same time and was buried in South Carolina.

 

Madison Amanda Reed "Pinkie" Gowen [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of William Washington Gowen and Elizabeth Chevalier, was born June 27, 1851, probably at Combahee Ferry.

 

About 1869 she was married to Capt. John Readdick, probably CSA, a man 18 years her senior who was born March 13, 1833.  This made the fourth union between the Readdick and Gowen families in the Georgia branch.  He was a son of Peter Readdick.  He had been wounded in battle in Virginia and had returned to Georgia where he was elected captain of the Camden County Chasseurs.

 

The household of Capt. John Readdick appeared in the census of Camden County, Enumeration District 13, page 43, on June 24, 1880, adjoining the households of A. J. Readdick and Francis Readdick.  Capt. John Readdick's household was listed as:

 

"Readdick,      John      47,       born in GA, father born in GA //                                                mother born in GA, farmer

                       Amanda  30,      born in SC, father born in SC,

                                                  mother born in SC, wife

                       Violet     10,      born in GA, daughter

                       Agnes        8,     born in GA, daughter

                      Anne E.      6,     born in GA, daughter

                      John M.      4,     born in GA, son

                     Paul Titus   1,      born in GA, son"

 

Adjoining was the household of A. J. Readdick, enumerated as:

 

"Readdick,      A. J.         51, born in GA, father born in

                                               GA, mother born in GA,

                                               farmer

                      Caroline    40, born in GA, father born in

                                              GA, mother born in GA, wife

                      Jackson     12, born in GA, son

                     Charles        9, born in GA, son

                     Lancer         6, born in GA, son

                     Read            4, born in GA, son

                   Cowart          2, born in GA, son

                   Layton           1, born in GA, son

 

Adjoining was the household of Francis Readdick, enumerated as:

 

"Readdick,         Francis     38,     born in GA, father born in

                                                      GA, mother born in SC,

                                                       farmer

                           Eliza J.     33,     born in SC, father born in

                                                      GA, mother born in SC, wife

                          William     11,    born in GA, father born in

                                                     GA, mother born in FL, son

                          Frazier        7,    born in GA, father born in

                                                     GA, mother born in FL, son

`                         Sarah          6,     born in GA, father born in

                                                     GA, mother born in FL,

                                                    daughter

                         James            4,   born in GA, father born in

                                                    GA, mother born in FL, son

                        George           2,   born in GA, father born in

                                                    GA, mother born in FL, son

Patterson,      Lillie             17,  born in GA, father born in

                                                   GA, mother born in GA,

                                                   niece, single"

 

Madison Amanda Reed "Pinkie" Gowen Readdick died August 22, 1909, and her husband died six months later, February 19, 1910.  They were buried in Ceylon Cemetery.

 

Twelve children born to the couple, including:

 

Violet Readdick born in 1870

Allie Agnes Readdick born April 23, 1873

Anne E. Readdick born in 1874

John M. Readdick born in 1876

Paul Titus Readdick born in 1879

Howell Readdick born about 1882

 

Secession "Cess" Gowen [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of William Washington Gowen and his third wife, Emily Nungeyser Gowen, was born on Corn House Creek in Charlton County about 1861, as her name would indicate.  She was married about 1879 to Griffin King “Dick” Mizell, according to Teresa Corbet.  “Dick” Mizell was the only son among the six children of Rev. Owen King Mizell and his second wife, Nancy Griffin Mizell.  The Reverend Mizell was born in 1811 to Jesse Mizell [c1771-1830] and Mary “Polly” Stallings Mizell, and died in 1893, according to Boe Williams, a descendant.  Owen King Mizell lived on his father's old place on Spanish Creek in Charlton County.

 

Secession “Cess” Gowen Mizell was remarried to Joseph E. O'Berry about 1901.  He was born February 22, 1882 in Charlton County and died there June 9, 1942.  He was buried in Allen Cemetery.

 

She was married for the third time to John T. Taylor.  He died November 1, 1953.  Secession “Cess” Gowen Mizell O’Berry

Taylor was very dark complexioned, according to Teresa Corbet who retained a photograph of her.  “She was not an Indian,” according to Boe Williams, but she did exhibit some Melungeon characterists.

 

Children born to Griffin King Mizell and Secession “Cess” Gowen Mizell include:

 

Albert T. Mizell born about 1877

Novita Mizell born about 1879

Georgette E. Mizell born about 1880

Ben Mizell born about 1881

Agnes Virginia “Aggie” Mizell born February 8, 1883

Corbin Mizell born about 1885

Katie Mizell born about 1888

Willie Mizell born about 1892

 

Agnes “Aggie” Mizell, daughter of Richard Mizell and Secession “Cess” Gowen Mizell, was born February 8, 1883 in Charlton County, according to Teresa Corbet.  She was married about 1900 to Joseph E. O’Berry.  Later she was remarried to John T. Taylor of Jacksonville, Florida.  It is believed that two sons were born to them.  Agnes “Aggie” Mizell O’Berry Taylor died in North Shore, Jacksonville August 16, 1965.

 

Children born to Joseph E. O’Berry and Agnes Virginia “Aggie” Mizell O’Berry include:

 

Nora O’Berry born April 8, 1903

Leila R. Moura O’Berry born May 25, 1905

Lonie Gertrude O’Berry born September 11, 1907

Nellie Virginia O’Berry born November 15, 1914

Lillie May O’Berry born June 20, 1912

Sollie C. S. O’Berry born December 24, 1916

Sarah Ethel O’Berry born December 1, 1919

Joseph Carlos O’Berry born May 13, 1922

 

Children born to John T. Taylor and Agnes Virginia “Aggie” Mizell O’Berry Taylor include:

 

Robert Wayne Taylor born January 28, 1946

Joseph Carlos O’Berry, son of Joseph E. O’Berry and Agnes Virginia “Aggie” Mizell O’Berry, was born May 13, 1922.  He was married about 1946 to Virginia Rose Hughes.  Both were still living in 2002, according to Teresa Corbet, a granddaughter.

Children born to Joseph Carlos O’Berry and Virginia Rose Hughes O’Berry include:

 

          Carol O’Berry                                                    born about 1948

          Randy Carl O’Berry                                           born about 1951

 

Mintie "Sue" Gowen [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of William W. Gowen and Emily Nungeyser Gowen, was born about 1863.  Nothing more known of this individual except that she was blind in one eye, according to William Benjamin Godley.

 

Magruder "Buck" Gowen [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], son of William W. Gowen and Emily Nungeyser Gowen was born about 1865.  He died young.

 

Charity Gowen [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of William W. Gowen and Emily Nungeyser Gowen, was born about 1868.  Of this individual nothing more is known.

 

Oregon Ruth Gowen, [William W.7, William Keating6, James5, William4, William3, Thomas2, Mihil1], daughter of William W. Gowen and Emily Nungazer Gowen, was born about 1869 in Charlton County, according to Sharon . . . . a great granddaughter. 

 

Oregon Ruth Gowen was enumerated in the 1900 census of Charlton County as the head of a household:

 

“Gowen, Oregon, 34, born in March 1886 in SC

Hattie   2, born in May 1898 in GA”

 

Oregon Ruth Gowen was imprisoned in Milledgeville State Hospital two months before she died.  She died May 22, 1927. 

 

She never married, but was the mother of two daughters:

 

Hattie Gowen born in May 1898

Addie Gowen born about 1901

 

Hattie Gowen, daughter of Oregon Ruth Gowen, was born in May 1898, according to her enumeration in the 1900 census of her mother’s household in which she was recorded at age 2.

 

Addie Gowen, daughter of Oregon Ruth Gowen, was born about 1901 in Charlton County.  She was married about 1918 to Tom Crawford, son of Ben Crawford and Sydney Raulerson Crawford.  They lived in Charlton County, near the St. Mary’s River.

 

Family Researchers:

 

Ellen Garvin, [email protected]

Louise Copeland Herring, Box 457, Greenville, GA, 30222

Ruth Copeland Johnson, Route 4, Box 4816, Jefferson, GA, 30549

Miller Abbott Gowen, P.O. Box 2389, 1211 Geneva [2],  Switzerland

Claire June Gowen DeMarcellus, 157 Riviera Drive, Riviera Beach, FL, 33404

Hazel Dean Overstreet, Route 1, Box 938, Odum, GA, 31555

Charles Gowen Spalding, Box 1996, Brunswick, GA, 31521

Julia Casey Watson, 250 Vacuna Road, Kingsland, GA, 31548, 912/729-5556

 

 

 

 

  Gowen Research Foundation Phone:806/795-9694

  5708 Gary Avenue E-mail: [email protected]

  Lubbock, Texas, 79413-4822 GOWENMS.016, 08/12/03

Internet: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gowenrf

http://www.llano.net/gowen

 

 

 

 

 

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