Patrick Henry Bowers

[Diane Merkel]

From a website visitor:

My grandfather, Patrick Henry Bowers, was born in Redbay, Walton County, Florida on August 30, 1871, and was part of the early Scottish settlement in Walton County. He was about 8 years old when his father, John Wesley Bowers, packed up the family and moved to East Texas in 1879. Other members of the Bowers family remained in the area near Euchee Anna.

. . . I know the Bowers family was among the early settlers in Euchee Anna, starting around 1845 and possibly earlier. I have a copy of the book on the Walton County history by John L. McKinnon telling how the Scottish families started moving to Euchee Anna in 1820. Some of them came to the U.S. directly from Scotland and settled in the Carolinas before moving to Euchee Anna.

What I am trying to determine is where the family of John Wesley Bowers came from before moving to Florida. As I understand the story, John Wesley’s brother Giles married a daughter of Col. McKinnon and was among the first Euchee Anna settlers. John Wesley arrived in 1845.

. . . I would dearly love to find out when John Wesley’s ancestors arrived in the U.S. and where they came from — the Highlands of Scotland, the lowlands of Scotland or even Northern Ireland.

. . . Many thanks for any help with this.

Please help if you can.

Diane



HD#64

[Diane Merkel]

Here are a few points of information:

Most of the Scottish families who settled here claimed to have originated in the Isle of Skye.

Giles Bowers served as a Second Sergeant in Captain McKinnon's 3rd Company during the first Florida Indian War, November 7, 1837 - January 13, 1838. He enlisted at Eucheeanna.

Giles Bowers was important to the history of the City of Freeport. Beckie Buxton, the late historian of Freeport, gave a talk to our association in 2010 in which she talked about Giles' connection to the City. You can access it at waltoncountyheritage.org/collection/?p=792.

Diane

[Diane Merkel]

The researcher replied:

. . . (Letters mentioned by Beckie Buxton in the article above) might contain more information about Giles’ brother, John Wesley Bowers, who was my great grandfather and settled in Euchee Anna in 1845.

. . . I am especially interested in knowing what happened there in 1879, when John Wesley Bowers suddenly packed up wife and children from baby to grown sons in their 20s, and headed for East Texas. I am told there was some kind of exchange of gunfire between some of the Bowers men and the soldiers in charge of that area. Possible someone died. But nobody in my family knows exactly what happened, who was involved etc, but it was serious enough that John Wesley Bowers took off for Texas, taking along two adult nephews (sons of Giles Bowers). Perhaps something was reported in the papers about this, if I knew where to look.

Also, you mention in your note that many residents of the Euchee Anna settlement claimed to have come from the Island of Skye, Scotland, and I am interested in knowing the source of that idea.

The other question I have is about religion. My family has long been Presbyterian, which dates back to Scottish ancestors, but I am told that Northern Scotland, which would have included the Island of Skye, was Catholic. So I am trying to understand this part of the story. How is it that people from Catholic Skye immediately built a (Presbyterian) Church upon their arrival in Euchee Anna. Any material on this would be helpful.

I know a lot of Heritage Association members trace their roots to Eucheeanna. If you can answer any of her questions, I know she'll appreciate it!

Diane

[Diane Merkel]

More information from the researcher:

WaltonPast2Present.com/MessageBoards/GilesBowers1936HoustonChronicle.pdf

(Article linked above) is a 1936 article from the Houston Chronicle about Giles Bowers — I believe he was son of the Giles Bowers who was the early settler in Eucchee Anna. As best I can figure, Giles went with his uncle John Wesley Bowers (my grandfather) to East Texas in 1879 after the incident I mentioned earlier. I think Giles and his cousin Jesse— then in their 20s — and the John Wesley Bowers family hurried out of Florida to avoid trouble with whatever law existed at that time.

You can see that this Houston Chronicle story refers to Giles leaving Florida after taking "potshots at carpetbaggers.” I think it was more serious than that.

I also think the story is wrong about Giles being related to Claude G. Bowers. I can find nothing to suggest that is true and the geography of the connection doesn’t work either. So whoever wrote the Houston Chronicle article must have thought there was a connection because of the name. Note that the writer also had never been to Florida because the Everglades region is 600 miles SOUTH OF EUCCHEE ANNA and the Bowers tribe was heading northwest, not south.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Diane