Relatively Speaking Blog

When I first began researching my ancestors, the 1900 census was one of the first enumerations I examined. For that census I easily located my great grandfather, Charles Walter Fowler, in Fayette County, PA, where he spent much of his life and was employed as a carpenter. He was counted in Smithfield, a small town where other Fowler relatives also lived. Charles was listed with Eliza, his wife of 23 years and 6 of his 7 daughters. His oldest daughter Molly had married the previous year; his youngest was my grandmother Marjorie who told me some stories about Charles.

Charles was born on March 8, 1854 to John and Caroline Fowler. Most likely he was born in Monongalia County, Virginia, which became West Virginia during the Civil War. However, no birth record was found for him in that county, raising the question of whether his birth was either not registered with the county or it occurred across the state line in Fayette County PA, like his younger siblings. Charles spent his early years in Monongalia County, where the family resided as demonstrated by deeds and the 1860 census. In this enumeration, Charles’ birthplace was listed as Virginia, as was his father’s and older siblings’; his mother’s birthplace was Maryland.

1860 Census District 3, Monongalia County WV
Name	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth
John P. Fowler	32	Farmer	VA
Caroline Fowler	32		MD
Henry C. Fowler	10		VA
Hannah Fowler	7		VA
Charles Fowler	6		VA
Mary K. Fowler	4		PA
Simeon D. Fowler	2		PA
Nancy Stafford	27	Domestic	VA

Like my other maternal great-grandfather, Charles lost his father when he was a boy. Although his mother lived into her eighties, she apparently did not have the means to raise a family, as none of the children were listed with her by the next census. According to my grandmother, Charles was raised by his Uncle Asa, with whom he remained close; the 1870 census confirmed that Charles was in his uncle’s household. Asa was a farmer, and as a farm laborer, Charles likely helped his uncle with the family farm. Charles did not appear to live in a vicinity near his siblings.

1870 Census Springhill Township, Fayette County PA
Name	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth
Asa Fowler	46	Farmer	PA
Mary Fowler	46		PA
Charles Fowler	16	Farm laborer	VA
Mary Clemmer	24	Domestic	PA

By the 1880 census Charles had relocated to the next county over in Greene County. He had married a native of that county, Eliza Marie Zollars on July 15, 1876; they had two young daughters. Charles’ brother Simeon also lived with them—a few years later Simeon would marry, Mary Jane Zollars, the twin sister to Charles’ wife Eliza. Charles now worked as a carpenter.

1880 Census Franklin Township, Greene County PA
Name	Relationship to head of household	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth	Father’s Birth Place	Mother’s Birth Place
Charley Fowler	Head	26	Carpenter	PA	PA	PA
Mariah Fowler	wife	22	Kept house	PA	PA	PA
Mary E. Fowler	daughter	3		PA	PA	PA
Maggie H. Fowler	daughter	1		PA	PA	PA
Simon Fowler	brother	22	day laborer	PA	PA	PA

Charles probably apprenticed with an experienced carpenter to learn this trade during the 1870s. Over the next 20 years, he perfected his skills, and my grandmother mentioned he was recognized as a craftsman with a specialty for building staircases. Although he lived in Smithfield in 1900, he worked in Uniontown. Charles took a train to Uniontown to work for the week and came home weekends. Around 1903 he moved the family to Uniontown, where he resided for the next couple of enumerations, and continued his occupation of carpenter until he retired.

1910 Census Uniontown, Fayette County PA
Name	Relationship to head of household	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth	Father’s Birth Place	Mother’s Birth Place
Charles W. Fowler	Head	56	Carpenter	PA	PA	PA
Eliza M.	wife	52	Kept house	PA	PA	PA
Margaret P.	daughter	31	Dress Maker	PA	PA	PA
Adeline H.	daughter	21		PA	PA	PA
Margery B.	daughter	15		PA	PA	PA

In Uniontown Charles rented rather than purchased any property. My grandmother noted that the family had lived on Lawn Avenue when they moved to town. By the 1910 census, Charles was renting a house at 83 Stewart Avenue where he lived with his wife and his three unmarried daughters. By the 1920 census they had moved several blocks to 34 Mifflin Avenue; all their daughters were married, except for Margaret who remained single and worked as a dress maker. My grandmother commented that her parents had also lived “out on the pike” or Route 40, but the exact timeframe when they lived there is unclear. None of the houses in which the Fowlers inhabited stand today.

1920 Census Uniontown, Fayette County PA
Name	Relationship to head of household	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth	Father’s Birth Place	Mother’s Birth Place
Charles W. Fowler	Head	65	Carpenter	PA	PA	PA
Eliza M.	wife	62		PA	PA	PA
Margaret	daughter	41	Dress Maker	PA	PA	PA

Searching for Charles in the 1930 census was not as easy as it was to find him in other enumerations. The timeline my grandmother had given was that Charles and Eliza had broken up housekeeping around 1931, but Charles was not to be found in Fayette County. I stumbled on Eliza living with their oldest daughter, Molly, but Charles was not part of this household. According to my grandmother, Charles was involved with the Odd Fellows Lodge much of his life and not only was he a member, but he also served as an officer. I knew Charles spent his last year at the Odd Fellows Home in Grove City PA. Since Charles was not with Eliza in 1930, I turned to the enumerations for Grove City, PA.

No Charles Fowler was identified in Mercer County, PA, after an initial search. I then broadened my parameters with just a first name and an approximate birth date. As I scrolled through the results I spotted Charles Filer, 76, an inmate, born in WV, with a father born in WV and mother in MD. This had to be Charles with a misspelled surname. Sure enough, when I went to the page for 1930, the enumerations were for the institution Odd Fellows Home for Aged and Infirm. Finally I had found him and in the process discovered he had entered the home sooner than first thought. Within the year Eliza joined him at the home, but shortly thereafter Charles died on November 20, 1932. Eliza lived another 7 years and both are buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Grove City, PA.

As I have mentioned before the census is a helpful tool to provide some details about relatives and their lives in ten year increments. But without any context, such as a family story, the census by itself leaves room for speculation surrounding the circumstances. With the few accounts my grandmother told about her father Charles, the enumerations aided in confirming some of what she recounted to me. It also showed memory is not always accurate and helped to correct an assumption about the timeline of his life. Together the census and my grandmother’s memories give a fuller perspective to Charles’ life.