Irish Roots
"The Fowlers - Out of Ireland"
Keith MacCollum researched his mother's side of the family
and
the result became a publication entitled "The Fowlers
- Out of Ireland"
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| John Fowler was born on August 12, 1839 in the County of Tyrone Ireland, the son of Henry Fowler and Margaret Mitchell. He died in Chipman on July 12, 1913. | His wife was Catherine Stevens, the daughter of George and Margaret Stephens. They had nine children born in Salmon Creek, Queens County, New Brunswick between 1872 and 1890. |
It just didn't seem fair! We worked hard all day in school and then we came home at nights and had to do lessons. I would have preferred to have gone outside to play but once the supper dishes were done, Mum sat down at the kitchen table with us and oversaw the homework tasks. Probably she too would have liked to have done something more enjoyable.
I never had any problems with Math but I certainly struggled with the Spelling lists. Mum called out the words and I wrote them on the back of the leaf of last month's calendar. The first word was "separate" and I carefully wrote s-e-p-e-r-a-te, next came "library" and I knew that was going to be easy as I wrote it just as it sounded l-i-b-a-r-y. "Chalkboard" sounded like another easy one and although Mum warned me that it had a hidden letter that made no sound, I spelled it c-h-o-c-k-b-o-r-d.
Once Mum took a look at my completed work, I knew she was not pleased. She handed me my Canadian Speller book and told me to print each word ten times, which I did.
It seems that mothers tell us to do things even when we are all grown up. This was the case with Keith MacCollum. His mother noticed he was doing well on his paternal side family research and she told him she wanted him to research her side of the family, which he did. The result being a nearly 400 page publication, 'The Fowlers - Out of Ireland. From Ireland to Salmon Creek and Beyond'.
I don't know if the mother of four Fowler siblings over in County Tyrone Ireland, suggested they come to New Brunswick in the 1830s but they did.
Henry Fowler was born in 1789 and had married Margaret Mitchell in about 1820 in Ireland. They brought their seven children, Agnes, Martha, James, William, Henry, Margaret and John to a farm on Salmon Creek, Queens County.
His brother James Fowler was born circa 1807. He was married after coming to New Brunswick to Jane B. Benson on November 26, 1842 in St. Stephen's Church in Saint John. In 1847 he bought his property in Chipman from James McCollum for thirty pounds. This property still remains in the Fowler family. Their children were, Martha, Daniel, Mary, Jennet and Henry.
Sister Nancy Fowler married William Connor and their eight children, James, William, Samuel, Alexander, Henry, Hugh, Robert and John were all born in the Chipman area.
Little is known of their sister Elizabeth Fowler who married a Mr. Moore in Ireland and had children Samuel and John. She possibly died in Chipman Parish of consumption in 1871 at the of 76 years.
Keith MacCollum accomplished the Fowler history by considerable research in libraries, archives, cemeteries, census records, contacting relatives and diligently searching scrapbooks and newspaper articles.
His notes of a personal nature have added faces to many of the descendants.
* Jane B. Benson never learned to read or write
and always signed her name with an X.
* Mr. And Mrs. James Fowler celebrated their golden wedding last night (1901) when upwards of one hundred and fifty people sat down to supper. They set out fifty years ago to breast the waves of the matrimonial sea together.
* Henry Fowler, Jr. was a small man who is reputed to have put a big barrel of flour on his back at the boat landing opposite Chipman and carried it four or five miles home, putting it down for a few minutes rest only once.
* The Telegraph Journal of 1928 - Margaret Fowler Porter was born in the County of Tyrone, Ireland in 1834, the daughter of the late Mr. And Mrs. William Fowler, she came to this country in the year 1838 with her parents, sailing from Londonderry to St. John, and from thence traveling part by boat up the St. John River and through the Grand Lake, and part by foot to the site of their future home on the Salmon Creek. It was forest country and was settled by the families of Porters, Watsons and Fowlers forming the first settlement of that area. In the year 1858 Margaret Fowler was one of the principals in an event which united two of those original families, when she married William Porter. There being no clergyman in the district at that time, the happy pair journeyed down the rivers on a woodboat to St. John where the marriage was solemnized by the late Rev. Dr. Bennett.
* The Kings County Record of 1904 - W. (William) Fowler of Salmon Creek, who had been working the woods in Greenfield, Maine was struck on the head by a falling tree. He was brought home though he was unconscious all the journey.
Following the Fowlers from Ireland to New Brunswick and their scattering to many parts of Canada, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the Virgin Island, Cyprus and England is a most interesting reading journey.
'The Fowlers - Out of Ireland. From Ireland to Salmon Creek and Beyond' by Keith MacCollum with 4500 descendants can be ordered from Keith N. MacCollum, 3417 Route 127, Bayside, New Brunswick, Canada., E5B 2S7. Telephone (506) 529-3830 or E-mail to keithmac@nb.sympatico.ca.
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Query 923
Magaguadavic Valley Families: A project I have well underway
is "Early Families of the Mackadavy". . . a history of early settlers
of southwestern New Brunswick, particularly the Magaguadavic Valley, Parish
of St. George. So far I have, with the help of many others, gathered over
30 family histories and would welcome any other brief genealogies that someone
might have. I have used as a basis for my list of families, the grantees on
the river during and shortly after the Loyalist period, east and west
side, from the north boundary of the Parish and County down to Passamaquoddy
Bay (L'Etete & LeTang). -Further details are available from C.L.
(Cal) Craig, ll04 Rte. 770, Bonny River, NB, Canada, E5C 1E1. Telephone 506-755-6800
or E-mail to craigcb@brunnet.net.
Query 924
Houston - Martin Head: I am the Club president
of the Timberland Trail Riders, an ATV Club in Moncton. We recently traveled
to Martin Head, New Brunswick which is on the coastline about half way between
Alma and St. Martins. This is a beautiful area of coastline that has a unique
feature, a peninsula that juts out into the ocean about 1000 yards, and at
the end of this peninsula there is a huge landing but we refer to it as the
Island. We have heard through different sources that in the past there was
a lighthouse and other buildings on the "Island". But recently we discovered
that there is also a gravestone on the Island as well. The wording was very
hard to read but we cleared off the weeds and found: In Memory of David Houston
who was accidentally killed near St. Martin Head, Nov 8th 1880 aged 27 years
4 mos. Erected by his brother W.M. Houston, Toronto, F.W. Clear. We feel that
this gravestone has probably been forgotten and obviously has seen better
days, and we would appreciate assistance in locating any living relatives
of this man.
-Jeff Killam, 100 Mailhot Ave., Moncton, NB, Canada, E1G 1S7. E-mail
to jeffk@nbnet.nb.ca.
