I knew my great-grandfather, George Cecil Bower. He was already 74 years old when I was born in 1967, so my memories of him are of a man well into his 80s. Nevertheless, I do have some prominent memories of him. First, for many of my earliest years, I thought my Great-Grandpa Bower always carried a pocket full of silver dollars, big Eisenhower silver dollars, because I have the memory of him always greeting me by reaching into his pocket to give me a big, shiny silver dollar. Two other memories are of apples and softball. I remember that he would use an always-handy pocket knife to peel me apples. I also remember that he enjoyed taking me to watch softball games. My final memory is more personal: we shared a health condition, a condition I likely inherited from my great-grandfather. My predominant memory of Great-Grandpa Bower is that his hands always shook. His tremors were substantial and obvious. In my mind, I can still see him always needing to use two hands to hold a cup of coffee so that it would not shake so much as to splash and spill. So when I was taken to the doctor when I was 13 and diagnosed with benign essential tremor for my shaky hands, I was not surprised to learn that the brain disorder can be inherited. As brain disorders go, one could do much worse than the inconvenience of benign essential tremor, so the condition has had the odd effect of making me feel closer to my great-grandfather.
George Cecil Bower was born on 2 Sep 1893 in NC. His father, James Eli “Bawly” Bower, was born about 1863 in NC; Bawly died on 12 Feb 1960 at the age of 97 in Ashe, NC. George‘s mother, Emma Jane Bare, was born on 23 Feb 1863 in NC; she died on 9 Mar 1940 at the age of 77 in Green Spring, Washington, VA.
George‘s mother and father, Emma Jane Bare and James Eli “Bawly” Bower, were married in 1884. They had the following children, George Cecil and his siblings:
- John Mack Bower was born on 21 Sep 1886 in NC; he died on 23 Apr 1982 at the age of 95 in Abingdon, Washington, VA.
- Claude Caesar Bower was born on 24 Mar 1888 in NC; he died on 20 Jul 1976 at the age of 88 in Johnson City, Washington, Tennessee.
- David Freeland Bower was born in Jul 1890 in NC; he died on 31 Mar 1930 at the age of 39 in Portsmouth, Norfolk, VA.
- George Cecil Bower, born 2 Sep 1893, NC died 10 Jan 1987, Ashe, NC.
- Benjamin Tilman “Ben” Bower was born on 2 Mar 1896 in NC; he died on 16 Jan 1991 at the age of 94 in Abingdon, Washington, VA.
- Dewey Lee Bower was born on 10 Apr 1898 in NC; he died on 10 Nov 1957 at the age of 59 in Rural Butler, Adams, Pennsylvania.
- Gypsy Fredor Bower was born on 25 Apr 1901 in NC; she died on 17 Jun 1991 at the age of 90 in Ashe, NC.
- Sally Folcee Bowers was born on 17 Apr 1904 in Ashe, NC.
George Cecil Bower was born on 2 Sep 1893 in NC. According to census records, he lived in Jefferson, Ashe, NC in 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1935, and in Wagoner, Ashe, NC in 1940. He died on 10 Jan 1987 at the age of 93 in Ashe, NC. He was buried in Jefferson, Ashe, NC.
George Cecil Bower was married to Hattie Almedia Bare, daughter of Reid Alexander Bare and Kansas Missouri Halsey; Hattie was born in Jan 1895 in NC and she died on 28 Apr 1975 at the age of 80 in Jefferson, Ashe, NC.
George Cecil Bower and Hattie Almedia Bare had the following children:
- Ruby Helen Bower, born 10 May 1913, Ashe, NC, married Mont Warden Little, 24 Dec 1936, Ashe, NC, and died 23 Jan 2013, Ashe, NC.
- Olney Paul Bower, born 30 Apr 1915, Ashe, NC, died 24 Feb 1993, Ashe, NC.
- George Pell Bower was born on 3 Jun 1917 in Ashe, NC, and died on 19 Nov 2000 at the age of 83 in Ashe, NC.
- Ann Albertine Bower, born 7 Feb 1920, Wagoner Ashe, NC, married Clem O Smith Jr, 17 Feb 1943, Forsyth, NC, and died 7 Dec 2006.
- Kenneth Fields Bower was born on 1 Sep 1922 in Ashe, NC
- Audrey Bower, born 16 Nov 1927.
- Doris Madge Bower, born 31 Oct 1928, Ashe, NC.
- Wanda Bower was born on 23 Jul 1933.
See George Cecil Bower’s family tree and full profile at Ancestry.
Preparer:
Rev. Joe Stephen “Steve” Little, Jr.
9286 Old Dumfries Road
Catlett, VA 20119
J.Stephen.Little.Jr@gmail.com
