My maternal grandmother Marjorie Fowler Ludwick lived to be almost 102. When I became interested in genealogy, I would try to get information from her about the family and her life. On one such occasion I asked her about her early life, which began in Fayette County, PA. Marjorie was born in 1894 in Smithfield, PA, the youngest of seven daughters of Charles W. and Eliza Fowler. She recalled that they lived in a flat across the street from a doctor who owned a house with a large lot of land on either side of him. His son, Morford, who was about three years younger than Marjorie, would come across the street and call over the fence, “Mrs. Fowler can Marjorie come out and play?”; and with her mother’s permission, she would join Morford to play. Morford’s father, Doctor Guiher, traveled by horse and buggy to visit his patients and Morford and Marjorie would go with him on his house calls. In looking at the 1900 census for Smithfield Borough one finds: H.B. Guiher, physician, age 37, Maud his wife, age 27, and Morford his son, 3 years old.
Marjorie’s father, Charles, a carpenter with a specialty in staircases, worked in Uniontown and would stay there during the week. Marjorie went with her mother every Saturday to meet her dad at the train station; Sunday evening they walked him back to catch a return train. When Marjorie was about 8 years old, the family finally moved to Uniontown. They lived on Lawn Street and during the 1930’s her parents lived “out on the pike.” Marjorie recalled a Japanese garden that was put on the estate of the Seaman’s family, which they had opened up to the public to view. In the book, History of Uniontown, there is a mention of a Mrs. Titlow who owned some property and that she “conveyed it to Frank M. Seamans, Jr., August 5, 1903, who made elaborate and expensive improvements and added many acres of ground which he also embellished, making it one of the most delightful and desirable suburban residences in this part of the state.”[i] It is possible that this may be the family who created the Japanese garden that my grandmother visited.
Before her marriage in 1917 to William Ludwick, Marjorie lived in Uniontown with her parents and was employed by a photography studio. Although she didn’t mention the name of the studio, several old family photos have the imprint Kough, Uniontown, PA on them and I also have in my possession a picture sleeve with an order form from The Croft Studio, 28 East Main St. It is most likely that Marjorie worked for one of these studios. Found in one book is a listing of the Kough family:
In 1893…[Oliver C. Kough] came to Uniontown, where he entered a photographic studio, remaining until he had mastered the art of photography. He then opened a gallery at Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1901, gaining experience and perfecting his art. He then returned to Uniontown where he succeeded McClellan Leonard in his well established business. Mr. Kough has been very successful and stands among the best photographic artists of the county.[ii]
Marjorie also worked as a telephone operator for Tri-State Telephone Company. She related that Lula Walters who was the chief operator of the phone company, came to see Marjorie’s sister Ida, who had worked for the phone company before her marriage and was home visiting. While Lula was at the Fowler house, Marjorie asked Lula for a job at the phone company and was hired.
Her father Charles was born in 1854, the third child of John and Caroline Moser Fowler. The Fowlers frequently crossed between the Pennsylvania and [West] Virginia border, and it is believed that Charles was born in Fayette County, as no birth record has been located in Monongalia County, WV. His father John died in 1862 at the age of 36, leaving behind his wife Caroline, son Charles and five other children: Henry Caleb, Hannah J., Mary Catherine, Simeon D., and Asa. Another daughter Elizabeth died one day after she was born.
From Marjorie’s stories, after the death of his father, Charles would often stay with his uncle; Charles is listed in the 1870 census in Springhill Township, living with his Uncle Asa and Aunt Mary Fowler. That same census year two of his siblings were listed in different households in Dunkard Township, Greene County, PA. Hannah Fowler is with the Abraham Sterling family as a domestic servant. Also living in this household is John McCann, a farm hand–Hannah would become John’s second wife in 1891. Three doors away living with Valentine Moser, probably a relative to Caroline, was a Henry Calendine. This most likely is Henry Caleb Fowler, as his grandfather’s will listed him as Callendine. None of the other children, however, have been found in the 1870 census; Caroline is listed in Union township, Monongalia County West Virginia by herself. It is unclear if the other children were just not recorded with their mother, or if they were living with other relatives, and never indexed.
Henry Caleb, Uncle Cal as my grandmother called him, moved to Oakland MD and married Catherine Gauer; Hannah married John McCann as mentioned and resided in Nicholson township Fayette County; Mary Catherine married Daniel H. Hugh and lived in Fairchance, Fayette County; Simeon D. married second Delilah Miller and settled in Greene County; Asa married first Emma Nedley who died in 1895 and second Sarah Nedley; and Charles married Eliza Zollars, or Lydia as she was referred to by family.
Except for the first few years of their marriage, Charles and Lydia remained in Fayette County until they were aged. Around 1932 they “broke up housekeeping” as my grandmother would say and they went to live at the Oddfellows Home in Grove City, PA where they spent their final years. Although the descendants of Charles and Lydia no longer live in Fayette County, many have remained in nearby counties. As I continue to research this line, more of the rich heritage of the Fowler family in Fayette County is sure to be discovered.
________________________________
[i] James Hadden, History of Uniontown, Pennsylvania (Akron: New Werner Company, 1913), 198.
[ii] John W. Jordan and James Hadden, editors, Genealogical and personal history of Fayette county, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1912), 42.
Relatively Speaking Blog 