A Discussion on the Research of
Daniel W. Bowers
of
Phillipsburg, Warren County, New Jersey

"In researching the BOWERS name, we hit a blank before Daniel W., born June 21, 1840.  On Nov. 19, 1975 at the Morristown Courthouse in Morristown, NJ, we located a brief record of some of the areas migrant workers. In one document there was a reference to a Daniel W. BOWERS and his father John (Indian of the BOWERS farm). I could find no other data of the birth certif., death certif., baptism record, etc. This is where we hit another dead-end, until I located a book in Trenton that listed early settlers of New Jersey. Among them was a listing for a BOWERS family that lived outside of Trenton, NJ. On this farm was born to an Indian and his wife, a son in 1820, named John (Indian of the BOWERS farm). He married and had a son, Daniel W. BOWERS who was born on June 21, 1840.

The Native tribes of this area at that time were called Munsee of the Leni Lenape Nation. A check of old Indian records stored with an agent in East Orange, NJ shows that John (Indian of the BOWERS farm) was a Munsee native who, because of the scarcity of other natives in that area, married a woman from his own clan. This proves that Daniel W. BOWERS was a full blooded (Munsee) Leni Lenape."

I found out that in order for Daniel W. to get married, he had to have a last name. So Daniel and his father, John (Indian of the BOWERS farm) took the BOWERS name so Daniel could marry. It may have been written like BOWER's Farm and they just dropped the apostrophe and added the 's'.

With some of the research that was done, I was told that they got married in the Moravian Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania <Moravian Historical Society>.   There they had found Daniel and Rachel (GRAY) names. They also found John (Indian of the BOWERS Farm) written just like I have it written.

My information is not all up to date. This information was given to me back in 1995, with just names and some birth and death dates. I do not know who did the research; I do believe it was my cousin Steve. My Aunt gave me the list and told me a little more information. I have worked on and off with it, and have found a few graves and census. I have mostly worked on my father's side of the family. The BOWERS is on my mother's side. I do not know who is alive and who has passed on to the Great Beyond. So please, if you notice that someone is still living, or have more information, please by all means, E-mail me and let me know so that I may fix or update.
 

GENERATION I

1.  Daniel W. BOWERS was born 21 June 1840 in New Jersey and died 18 March 1891 in Phillipsburg, Warren County, New Jersey.  He married Rachel GRAY (born 11 September 1844 in Pennsylvania; died 22 Aug 1920 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey).  Daniel and Rachel are buried in in Section K, plot 16 of the Phillipsburg Cemetery  in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

Their children:

	2.	i.	Mary Edith BOWERS - born 06 Nov 1864 in Stewartsville, NJ; died  1932
		ii.	Maggie L. BOWERS - born 14 Apr 1866.  She married Howard  FRITCHMAN.
	3.	iii.	John H. BOWERS - born 22 Jun 1868; died 1934
		iv.	Lilly Elizabeth BOWERS - born 27 Aug 1874; died 29 Jun 1905.  She  married Harry S. WALTERS (born 01 Nov. 1874; died 1916).
	4.	v.	Franklin W. BOWERS - born 27 Nov 1877; died 20 Jun 1948
		vi.	Edward A. "Eddie" BOWERS - born 8 Jun 1881; died 11 Mar 1882,  age 0.9.4

ADDITIONAL NOTES ON GENERATION I

** Others interred in the Phillipsburg Cemetery  in Phillipsburg, New Jersey are:

	Jennie V. BOWERS SUTTON - 15 December 1871 - 28 March 1900
	Ramsey SUTTON - Died 21 June 1929, aged 62.9.24
	Roy Daniel SUTTON - b. 1 May 1894; d. 6 November 1894

** Found in the records of the Green's Bridge Methodist Church in Phillipsburg, NJ the following:

"Green's Bridge Baptism - Rev. Joseph Piper Baptize Edward Arthur BOWERS, son of Daniel & Rachel BOWERS on 12 March 1882."

That was the day after Edward passed away. Daniel BOWERS was a member of the Church since 1880.

** Notice that Jennie V. is not above in the family group? That is because I do not have her listed on the papers that I have. Jennie is causing some confusion. You will see later on what I mean. Also notice the Mary Edith? She is on my list, but not on the 1880 Census. I did find at the Green's Bridge Methodist Church in Phillipsburg, New Jersey a Mary E. BOWERS with Parents of a Daniel W. BOWERS and Mary BOWERS. Mary E. BOWERS was baptized, by Rev Wesley Martin on 13 Mar 1881. Her birth date is the same as above and so was her death date. Could it be possible that the Mary that was with Daniel was the Grandmother and the Rev mistakenly put her down as her Mother?
 

GENERATION II

2. Mary Edith BOWERS married Samuel Frederick BERGER on 21 November 1882 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Samuel was born June 1859 in Pennsylvania, the son of Hs. BERGER and Sarah IBACH.  He died in 1930.

Their children:

	5.	i.	Gertrude May BERGER -  born 9 December 1884 in Phillipsburg, New  Jersey
		ii.	Howard A. BERGER - born March 1890 in New Jersey
		iii.	Hazel P. BERGER - born 1892 in New Jersey.  She married Samuel  FLETCHER (1890-1934).

3.  John H. BOWERS married Anna Amelia LUTZ (born 05 October 1873; died in 1949).

Their child:

6.

i.

Howard F. BOWERS- born 03 June 1904

4.  Franklin W. BOWERS married three times.  He married first, Jennie Viola SUTTON.

**NOTE:  Frank and Jennie are my mother's grandparents, so many in my family have told me. From the 1880 census, she has the BOWERS last name. According to her headstone, she was married to a Ramsey SUTTON. This is where I hit my brick wall. I was told that on her marriage records to Ramsey SUTTON, (on 10 Sep 1893 in Phillipsburg, NJ) she has Daniel BOWERS and Rachel GRAY down as her parents. Could it be that Daniel & Rachel took her in? Was she adopted?).

Child of Franklin W. BOWERS & Jennie Viola SUTTON:

7.

i.

Edna Mae BOWERS - born 05 Nov 1899 in NJ*; died 05 Feb 1942 in  Phillipsburg, NJ.

* (NOTE: The marriage date between Jennie BOWERS and Ramsey SUTTON is in 1893, before my Grandmother was born.)

Franklin married second, Mary Ann FARRELL (born in 1874; died 1916).

Children of Franklin W. BOWERS & Mary Ann FARRELL:

		i.	Marguerite BOWERS
		ii.	Thomas Clemens BOWERS

Franklin married third, Ruth Belle CASE (born 12 November 1894; died 13 March 1959).

Children of Franklin W. BOWERS & Ruth Belle CASE:

			Alfred Augustus BOWERS (adopted)
		i.	Alice Margaret BOWERS
		ii.	Earl Edward BOWERS
		iii.	William Russell BOWERS
		iv.	Frances Isabelle BOWERS - born 25 Apr 1925; died 26 Apr 1925

GENERATION III

5. Gertrude May BERGER married Leonard HELMS 06 August 1904 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.*  He was born on 12 May 1881 in Stewartsville, New Jersey and died on 25 September 1949.

*NOTE: On my papers she is married to Walter HELMS, but on information from LDS she is married to Leonard Conover HELMS. Marriage dates are the same. Maybe Walter is a nickname? 

Their children:

		i.	Walter Thomas HELMS - born 05 Oct 1908 in Phillipsburg, NJ; died 22  Mar 1979.
		ii.	Myra P. HELMS - born 03 Jul 1914 in NJ; died 22 Mar 1979.
		iii.	Fred HELMS

6. Howard F. BOWERS married Olive C. HOUCK.  She was born 13 March 1907.

Their children:

		i.	Joan Ann BOWERS - born 03 May 1932.  She married Stephen Illick  SCHAFFER.  He was born 13 March 1929.
		ii.	Helen May BOWERS - born 03 Sept 1933.  She married Bernard Louis  WESSE who was born born 16 November 1932.

7. Edna Mae BOWERS married John Walter PYSHER.  He was born 08 October 1897, the son of Archibald Aubrey PYSHER (born 05 July 1873; died 04 February 1934) and Maybelle WEIANT (born 03 April 1875; died 15 May 1934).  John died 22 June 1963.

Archibald Aubrey PYSHER was the son of Theophilus PYSHER (born 26 January 1846; died 25 May 1905) and Rebecca J. ALBERT (born 05 July 1853; died 10 Jun 1942).

Maybelle WEIANT is the daughter of John R. WEIANT (born 12 December 1831; died 01 May 1924) and Sarah SMITH (born 07 September 1834; died 31 August 1913).

Children of Edna Mae BOWERS & John Walter PYSHER:

		i.	Franklin Walter PYSHER - born 07 December 1917.
		ii.	Pearl May PYSHER - born 27 Jun 1920; died 23 January 1988.
		iii.	Myra Ellen PYSHER - born 04 May 1922; died 26 Jun 1997.
		iv.	Richard Albert PYSHER - born 25 September 1924.
		v.	Mary (Margaret) Edith PYSHER - born 15 January 1927; died 15 July  1986 Hampton, New Jersey.
		vi.	Edna (May) Rebecca PYSHER - married William Joseph SILVERS 06  August 1950.  They divorced 03 October 1933.  She married second,  Cyrus John OHNMACHT (born 17 February 1908; died 10 December  1959).

Submitted by Sandra Silvers - 25Dec02