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Ancestors & Descendants of
Lucinda Griffeth - Bowers
Franklin, Habersham and Union Cos., GA


The BOWERS were cousins of the TATEs that owned the marble quarries in Pickens Co., GA.  It was Lucinda Griffeth-BOWERS' sister, Mary Griffeth, who married Samuel TATE, the founder family of the marble business in Pickens Co., GA.

Lucinda GRIFFETH was born 1813 Franklin Co., GA to Caleb GRIFFETH, Sr. and Julie Ann LITTLE of Pickens Co., GA.  George BOWERS is on the 1840 Union Co., GA Census but either died or left before 1850.   Lucinda BOWERS had 4 children, 3 who lived to adulthood: 

Lucinda died after 1860 census.  We have not yet located Lucinda's grave or to find any other marriage record for her.

Rebecca Marcilla BOWERS married William David TEAGUE about 1854.  They are on the 1860 Union Co., GA census with Lucinda in their household as well as her brother, James BOWERS b. 1833.  William and Rebecca TEAGUE are in Gainesville, Hall Co., GA in 1870.  Rebecca died bef 1879 and William re-married to Nancy RICH -TEAGUE in 1880 Union Co., GA, divorced wife of Elijah F. TEAGUE of Union Co., GA.  Nancy Rich-Teague is buried in Rich Cem., Union Co., GA and she died without issue.  William David TEAGUE d. 1901-1910 Owltown Dist., Union Co., GA.  Marcilla and Wm. David TEAGUE had the following children:

 

Caleb BOWERS [b. 1830 GA]  married in 1852 Union Co., GA, Hannah BERRY, the dtr/o Elias BERRY and his first wife, believed to be Hannah CRUMLEY, but not yet proven. Caleb BOWERS never owned any land; instead, he worked his father-in-law's farm in Wolf Creek area of Union Co., GA.  Caleb served as a Sgt. in the Co. "B" and "I",  6th GA Cal., CSA, during the Civil War with his neighbors and friends.  He was captured at Kingston, TN 9-2-1863 during Burnside's Campaign and was imprisoned first at Louisville, KY, then transferred to 10/7/1863 Camp Douglas, IL.   Military records show him as dying at  Camp Douglas, IL on 12/14/1864 from smallpox and buried at the Confederate Mound at Oak Woods Cem. in Chicago, IL.   See his service record at:

  Footnote.com

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Caleb and Hannah BOWERS had the following children:

In Sept 1867, Hannah BOWERS & 4 children are on the List of Destitute Soldiers, Widows & Children filed in the Inferior Court Minutes of Union Co., GA.    Hannah received $2.50 [50 cents per person] in order to buy bread.  She wasn't alone as there were many, many folks in Union Co. suffering from the aftermath of the Civil War.  On April 11, 1868, Hannah BOWERS m. James BALLARD in Union Co., GA who was out-of-the picture by 1870 census but he was obviously the father of Hannah's 5th child born 1869. John S. BOWERS.   Hannah's 1/2 brother, Thomas BERRY, married Nancy Caroline BALLARD in 1867 in Union Co., GA so not surprised that she knew or met James BALLARD.

Caleb & Hannah's only dtr, Sarah Rebecca b. 1855, married Charles March "Charley" CRUMLEY in Union Co. in 1875.  They removed to Kingman Co., KS and she died bef 1920 in Pueblo Co., CO.  They had 5 known children yet today, we know of no lineal descendants to have survived past 1960. We have on file the obits for most of this part of the family.

Caleb & Hannah's oldest son, Stephen Griffith BOWERS b. 1857, moved to Pickens Co., GA and married in 1874 Licenia S. MAYFIELD dtr/o Hamilton MAYFIELD and Ary JACKSON.  He worked the marble quarries in Tate, GA.  Stephen d. 1893 & Licenia d. 1937 are buried in Old Tate-Griffeth Cem., Tate, Pickens Co., GA. They had 7 children. 

 

Elias Berry "E. B." BOWERS married Rutha America "Ruth" AKINS in 1879 in Union Co., GA.  Ruth was a dtr/o John W. AKINS & Nancy J. DANIEL of Union and Hall Cos., GA.  They had the following children while living in Ivy Log, Union Co., GA:
Elias Berry Bowers - circa 1905Rutha America Akins-Bowers ca. 1905

 

Records show that E.B. voted in 1893 and 1897 as a resident of Ivy Log, GA

Abt 1905 Elias sold his successful farm in Ivy Log, Union Co., GA and moved his family to Fannin Co., GA.  Ruth died in 1910 from complications of gall bladder surgery in Atlanta.   

Elias married on Dec 23, 1913 in Fannin Co., GA, Mrs. Loucinda Frances NICHOLS-CRAWFORD, the widow of Samuel Horton CRAWFORD and dtr/o James NICHOLS and Nancy BELL from Wilkes Co., NC.  She was affectionately called "Miss Lou" and they did not have any children together. 

Old Central Hotel circa 1918In 1916 Elias purchased the old Central Hotel in downtown Blue Ridge, GA from Mr. CURTIS.  It had a wonderful restaurant with crisp white table linens, cut crystal butter dishes and excellent home-cook food.  It was quite the meeting place during the Roaring 20's.  C.A.T.'s mother lived as a child at the hotel with her grandfather and attended Fannin Elementary School. Elias died suddenly in 1925. [See Obit] Miss Lou continued to operate the Hotel for many years after purchasing Elias' children's inherited interests [See Deed].  Miss Lou later sold the Hotel in the 1930's moved to Bakersfield, Kern Co., CA where her sons were living.  Although the hotel changed owners and looks through the years C.A.T. remembers staying there in 1963.  Sadly, the hotel burned to the ground in the 1980's.

You can see where the hotel was located on the 1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Blue Ridge.

Elias & Ruth are buried at Harmony Bapt. Ch. Cem. in Blue Ridge, Fannin Co., GA.  Miss Lou is buried at the Union Cem. in Bakersfield, California.
 

BELOW:  ca. 1909 photo of 2 of their daughters:  
Mary & Medley BOWERS [left to right], who married ROBERTS brothers in Polk Co., TN in 1910:

Mary and Medley BOWERS circa 1910 - Fannin Co., GA

 

Caleb & Hannah's son, William Carter BOWERS b. 1861, married in 1882 in Union Co., Emily Jane FORTENBERRY, dtr/o James Wade Hampton FORTENBERRY & Elizabeth CURTIS.  They lived most of their lives in Polk Co., TN.  William & Emily are buried at Copperhill Cem. in Polk Co., TN.  They had the following children:

  • Frank BOWERS  1885-

  • Arletha Bell BOWERS  1889-1920  Fannin Co., GA  dsp

  • Eva N. EPPERSON  1894-1973  Miami, FL

  • George BOWERS  1896-1905  Polk Co., TN

  • Willie Mae "Billie"  HAY 1902-1967 Cleveland, OH

  • Loy Raymond Carter BOWERS 1907-1972 Dekalb Co., GA

 

Hannah's son, John S. BOWERS b. 1868-1869, went with his 1/2 brother, Stephen Griffeth BOWERS,  to Pickens Co., GA where he was married in 1889 to Mary HAMMONTREE d/o William Nelson P. 'Nelse' HAMMONTREE, Sr. and  Manila Jane P. LEMONS.  John was a boss at the marble quarry in Tate, GA.  John d. 1953 and Mary d. 1957 are buried at Cool Springs Cem., Pickens Co., GA.  They had 4 children:

  • Lillie Mae "Mae" HARRISON 1890-1977 Cobb Co., GA

  • Walter Lee BOWERS  1892-1912 Blount Co., TN

  • William Marion BOWERS  1895-1979  Ball Ground, Cherokee Co., GA

  • Samuel Dewey BOWERS 1899-1955 Holly Spring, Cherokee Co., GA


Others Researching Caleb Bowers:

 

Last Update:  January 05, 2010
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