Photo: Fowler siblings, back row from left, Daisy Fowler Lovelace (1893-1976), Mollie F. Fowler (1876-1931) and Ruby Fowler Lovelace (1887-1952), front row: Oliver Wilson Fowler (1875-1951). Photo credit: Jenny West /
One of my favorite parts of genealogy research is the process of gathering, identifying and archiving family photos of my ancestors. I am fortunate to have hundreds of photos of my grandparents, multiple photos of most of my great-grandparents, a photo of 10 of my second great-grandparents and a photo of six of my third great-grandparents.
My great-grandmother, Ruby Fowler Lovelace (1887-1952) is the mother of my maternal grandfather, Guy Lovelace.
Until now, I had only one photo of my great-grandmother, Ruby Fowler Lovelace. It hung on the bedroom wall of my maternal grandparents Guy Lovelace (1916-1997) and Virginia Brantley Lovelace (1917-2007) for as long as I can remember.
I’ve wished many times since I began researching my family tree that I had more photos of Ruby and the Fowler side of the family.
Thanks to Jenny West, also a Fowler desendent, who contacted me after reading my blog, I finally do.
My great-grandmother Ruby and Jenny’s great-grandfather, Oliver Wilson Fowler, were siblings. Their parents were Lewis M. Fowler (1848-1938) and Sarah E. Patterson Fowler (c. 1852-1920).
Lewis Fowler’s obituary 1
Lewis M. Fowler was born July 14, 1848, in McNairy County, Tennessee, to Oliver Fowler (c. 1826-1858) and Annie “Anna” Plunk Fowler Robison (c. 1829-after 1880). Oliver died young, leaving Annie a widow with two young children, Lewis and Mary Jane Fowler. Annie then married Francis Calloway Robison, a widower with several children from his first marriage to Mary Louisa Malone Robison. Together, Annie and Calloway had additional children.
Lewis M. Fowler married Sarah E. Patterson on March 27, 1868, in McNairy County. He was 19 and she was 16. Together, they had nine known children, though the marriages and children of Lula and Mollie need additional verification:
| Mary C. Fowler (c. 1871-unknown) Mary appears to have died young. Lula M. Fowler (c. 1873-unknown) More research is needed before confirming her spouse and children. Oliver Wilson Fowler (1875-1951) Married Lucy Browder Fowler (1882-1917) Married Lillie Dell Hudson Fowler (1886-1971), listed as Lilly Hutson in the McNairy County marriage record Children with Lucy were Vassie Alleen, Rose Lee, Willie Oliver and Otis Mason. Children with Lillie were Daulton, Odell and Arthur. Mollie F. Fowler (1876-1932?) Married John Henry Fowler (1871-1945), though this line needs more verification Possible children were Early May, William Richard, James H., Jim, Leander Doyle, Burt, Emma Lou, Jesse, Andrew Wayne, Addie Bell and Floyd. Thomas Monroe Fowler (1880-1937) Married Mary Eliza Naylor Children were Mary, Elmer, Vera and Blanche. Samuel Dalton Fowler (1882-1913) Married Clyde Lorene Mann Fowler Hilburn (1889-1968) Children were Jesse Thomas, William Leslie and Littie Fowler. Buried at Zion Baptist Church Cemetery. Elender M. Fowler (1884-after 1900) Ruby Fowler Lovelace (1887-1952) My great-grandmother Married James Luther “Jim” Lovelace (1885-1968) Children were Ovid, Jack, Blanch, Homer, Guy (my paternal grandfather), Otha, Hobert and Marie. Buried at Zion Baptist Church Cemetery. Daisy Fowler Lovelace (1893-1976) Married Walter Lee Lovelace (1890-1976), a first cousin of Ruby’s husband, Jim. Walter’s father was Lynn Boyd Lovelace, who was a brother of Jim’s father, Charles Buchanan Lovelace. Children were Starley, Amelia, Walter Jr., Mildred Louise and Anna Elizabeth. |
Ruby Fowler Lovelace’s children, back row from left: Ovid, Jack, Marie, Blanch, front row from left: Jack, Hobert and Guy. Brother Otha, a veteran of World War II, died at his home in New Jersey in 1961 at age 42.
Jenny’s grandmother, Rose Lee Fowler Montgomery (1905-1977), kept these photos for many years. When Jenny became interested in genealogy, a cousin shared them with her. I am grateful Jenny is sharing her family’s photos with us. I have a few relatives who aren’t online and I plan to mail them a copy to see if they recognize anyone.
In this blog, I’m posting the photos that have been identified first. The photos of people who still need to be identified are posted last. Some of the photos were weathered, so I cleaned them up a little.
Ruby Fowler Lovelace, photo credit: Jenny West
Ruby Fowler Lovelace
Ruby was born Aug. 12, 1887, in Chester County, Tennessee. She married James Luther “Jim” Lovelace on March 28, 1905.
Ruby’s grandchildren called her “Grandmomma Ruby.” Her youngest daughter, Marie Lovelace Carlton (1921-2022), remembered Ruby as mild-mannered and said she never lost her temper or got mad. She was always worried and afraid during storms, which may be where my grandfather, Guy Lovelace, picked up his own anxiety during bad weather.
Ruby Fowler Lovelace, photo credit: Jenny West
Church records show Jim and Ruby joined Zion Baptist Church on Aug. 18, 1918, at a revival “preached by Dr. Woolridge with music led by Brother Thomas.”
Their extended family was a big part of the lives of Ruby and Jim, with Jim’s parents, Charles Buchanan “Charlie” Lovelace (1858-1938) and Nancy Jane Yelverton Lovelace (1861-1936), living on the farm next door. Marie remembered Ruby preparing homemade moon pies for the frequent gatherings the Lovelace family would have.
In later years, grandson Bill Lovelace remembered Ruby as sensitive and said she cried often. He remembered “Granddaddy Jim” getting angry with her and her bursting into tears. My mother also remembered Ruby as kind but nervous. She also shared that Ruby sought treatement for depression at a hospital in Memphis.
On Jan. 29, 1952, when Ruby was 64, Jim called Marie to let her know Ruby was having problems with her heart and he had called Dr. Stewart. When Marie arrived at the house, she shared with me her memory of Ruby cooking pork tenderloin, fried potatoes and chocolate pies. At 3 p.m., singer Kate Smith came on the radio, and Ruby told Marie and her sister Blanch that she was going to lie down. About an hour later, Marie went to let her know she was leaving and found that Ruby had died in her sleep.
My maternal grandparents, Guy and Virginia Lovelace, and their family were living in the house across the field from Ruby and Jim. My mother remembers playing next to the road with her brother Bobby when someone at Ruby’s house shouted for them to quickly get Guy, their father.
My mother’s brother, Bill Lovelace, shared that the next day the family held Ruby’s wake in her house. His father went inside to see her, and Bill waited in the truck in the driveway. When Guy returned, Bill remembers his father leaning his head on the steering wheel and crying. It was the only time Bill remembers seeing his father cry.
After Ruby’s death, Jim lived at home alone for a while and then stayed with several of his children.
Finally, he went to live with his son and daughter-in-law, Hobert and Carolyn Lovelace, until his death from cancer in 1968, 16 years after Ruby had died.
Jim and Ruby are both buried at Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Haywood County.
Ruby Fowler’s in-laws, Charles Buchanan “Charlie” Lovelace and Nancy Jane Yelverton Lovelace, photo credit Jenny West
I recognized this photo as soon as I saw it because I got a copy a while back from my Aunt Marie Lovelace. They are the parents of Ruby’s husband, Jim and my third great-grandparents. Charlie is the ancestor who was written up in the Zion Baptist Church minutes in 1890 for allowing dancing in his house.
Eva Pearl Lovelace Patterson (1889-1951) and Edward Mansfield Patterson (1880-1944), photo credit: Jenny West
I had already gotten a copy of this photo from Joan of Bells, Tennessee, who contacted me a few years ago. This is Eva Pearl Lovelace Patterson, Joan’s grandmother and the sister of my great-grandfather Jim Lovelace. Eva Pearl and Ruby were sisters-in-law.
Eva Pearl married Edward Mansfield Patterson on April 2, 1905, in Haywood County. Their children were Irene, Helen, Homer Edward and Viola. They also had a son named Richard Hess Patterson (1915-1916), who died at 15 months.
They lived and farmed near the home of Eva’s parents, Charlie and Nancy Jane Yelverton Lovelace, as did Ruby and Jim Lovelace.
You can read more about the photos Joan shared in this blog entry.
Because a few of these photos are of my ancestors, I have no doubt many of the unidentified photos are as well.
First, here are some photos of our mutual ancestors that Jenny had already identified.
Ruby’s brother, Oliver Wilson Fowler, photo credit: Jenny West
Oliver Wilson Fowler was born Jan. 12, 1875, in McNairy County, Tennessee. He first married Lucy Browder, and they had four children: Vassie, Rose Lee, Willie and Otis. After Lucy died, he married Lillie Dell Hudson, who had children of her own, including Leona and Ira. Together, Wilson and Lillie had Daulton, Odell and Arthur. Between 1910 and 1920, Wilson moved to St. Francis, Arkansas.
Wilson died June 9, 1951, and was buried in Harris Chapel Cemetery in Wynne, Arkansas.
Rose Lee, Willie and Vassie Fowler
These are three of the children of Wilson Fowler with his first wife, Lucy. I assume the one on the left is Rose Lee.
Rose Lee Fowler Montgomery (1905-1977), photo credit: jlou13579 on Ancestry.com
Rose Lee Fowler Montgomery was born Dec. 19, 1905, in Brownsville, Tennessee, to Oliver Wilson Fowler (1875-1951) and Lucy Browder Fowler. She was a granddaughter of Lewis M. Fowler and Sarah E. Patterson Fowler, and a niece of my great-grandmother Ruby Fowler Lovelace.
Rose Lee was still young when her mother died in 1917. Two years later, in 1919, she married John Otto Montgomery Sr. (1898-1942). She would have been about 13 or 14. Together, Rose Lee and John made their home in Arkansas and had several children, including John Clifford Montgomery, James Everett Montgomery, Paul Montgomery, John Otto Montgomery Jr. and Dorothy Lee Montgomery Baldwin.
John Otto Montgomery died in 1942, leaving Rose Lee a widow in her 30s. She continued living in Parkin, Arkansas, where she spent most of her life. Her obituary describes her as a housewife and member of Gladden Baptist Church outside Parkin.
Rose Lee died March 3, 1977, at Crittenden Memorial Hospital in West Memphis after being in poor health for about a year. She was 71. At the time of her death, she was survived by three sons, J.E. Montgomery of Parkin, Paul Montgomery of West Memphis and Otto Montgomery of Marion; one daughter, Dorothy Baldwin of Parkin; brothers Willie Fowler and Otis Fowler of Wynne; half-brothers Dalton Fowler of Wynne, Arthur Fowler of West Point, Mississippi, and Odell Fowler of Pine Bluff; stepbrother Ira White of Levesque; stepsister Leona Crowder of Parkin; 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Her funeral was held at Stevens Funeral Home Chapel, with the Rev. Jack Thorn of Parkin officiating. She was buried in Hughes Cemetery.
Rose Lee’s son, Otto Montgomery, is Jenny’s father and lives in Marion, Arkansas. They are planning a research trip to Haywood County in the coming weeks, and I shared a few of the places they should visit.
Vassie Fowler, photo credit: Jenny West
Vassie Fowler (1903-1971), photo credit: jlou13579 on Ancestry.com
Vassie Alleen Fowler Gracey was born Aug. 18, 1903, near Brownsville, Tennessee, to Oliver Wilson “W.O.” Fowler (1875-1951) and Lucy Browder Fowler (1882-1917). She was one of the Fowler children who began life in West Tennessee before much of the family moved into Arkansas.
Vassie was still a young girl when her mother died in 1917. Her father later married Lillie Dell Hudson Fowler (1886-1971), and the family continued to grow with half-siblings and step-siblings who remained close enough to be listed in Vassie’s obituary many years later.
She married Granville Gracey (1898-1971), and they spent much of their lives in eastern Arkansas. Vassie was a housewife and a member of Gladden Baptist Church near Parkin, Arkansas. After Granville died in August 1971, she made her home in Parkin with her sister, Rose Lee Fowler Montgomery (1905-1977).
Vassie died Oct. 15, 1971, at Crittenden Hospital in West Memphis. She was 68. Her survivors included brothers Willie Oliver Fowler (1907-1990) and Otis Monroe Fowler (1912-1980), both of Wynne; sister Rose Lee Fowler Montgomery of Parkin; half-brothers Daulton Wilson Fowler (1918-2006), Arthur Fowler and Odell Fowler (1926-2005); stepbrother Ira White; and stepsister Ogee Leona White Crowder (1906-1997).
Her funeral was held at Stevens Funeral Home in Forrest City, with the Rev. James Miller officiating. She was buried in Forrest City Cemetery.
Lillie, Odell and Wilson Fowler, photo credit: Jenny West
Odell Fowler (1926-2005) was born Nov. 26, 1926, in Wynne, Arkansas, to Wilson Fowler and Lillie Dell Hudson Fowler (1886-1971).
Odell grew up in Wynne and attended schools there. He served in the Army during the Korean War before returning home and building a life in Arkansas. He married Clarice Payne Fowler (1928-2003), and they had four children: Sterling Odell Fowler, Lenny Fowler, Reba Carter and Sue Carrow. Another son, Preston Darnell Fowler, died before his father.
Odell worked for many years as a heavy equipment operator at the Pine Bluff Arsenal before retiring. He and Clarice lived in White Hall, Arkansas, and he attended West 28th Avenue Church of Christ in Pine Bluff.
He died Jan. 26, 2005, at John L. McClellan Veterans Hospital in Little Rock. He was 78. Clarice had died two years earlier, on Feb. 25, 2003. Odell was buried at Walnut Lake Cemetery in Dumas, Arkansas.
For more of my genealogy research, visit rscottwilliams.info.
Unidentified Potential Kin
Here is a gallery of some photos of Jenny’s ancestors whose identities we still need to determine. These could be Fowlers, Pattersons, Browders or others. If you’re able to identify any of the people in these photos, please email me at [email protected]. If we can put any more names to faces, I’ll post the information here on this page.
- “Fowler,” The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), August 11, 1938, 19.
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