George and Catherine (Gantz) Bowers

(This family history was corrected in Volume 3, p. 60)

George Bowers, Sr. and his wife, Catherine (Gantz) Bowers, were born in Pennsylvania on Nov. 8, 1795, and March 11, 1805. George was the son of Samuel Bowers, who served as an artillery man during the war of the Revolution. Catherine's father was a captain in the Revolution.

The James Bower Farm - Twp. Road 10 and Road S in Liberty Twp.

George and Catherine were married March 14, 1822, in Licking County, and settled in Henry County in 1835. They resided in Section 3 of Liberty Township. The original deed was for forty acres, for the sum of $100 and signed by Governor Wilson Shannon, State of Ohio in 1843. There were no houses in the city of Napoleon at that time, and the nearest neighbors to the north were eight miles away. Their family consisted of ten children: Titus, George, Mary, David, Eliza, Samuel, Margaret, Sarah, Orpha, and Hattie. One of the children, George Bowers, Jr., continued farming, adding some acreage to the original. He had been born in Licking County, April 2, 1828, and married Margaret Ellis of Seneca County on January 20, 1858. Their children were Clars (Meekison), Flora (Crockett), Charles, Samuel, May (Haag), and Ora. The youngest son, Ora carried on the family farm.

Ora Earl Bowers was born February 25, 1876, in Liberty Township. He married Etta Mae Bales of Napoleon Township, daughter of Jacob and Martha Bales on January 10, 1900. Their children were: Robert (deceased); Earl, formerly of Toledo and now residing Route #5 Napoleon; Thelma Hill of Toledo; and James. The farm now consisted of 111 acres. Again the youngest son remained on the family farm.

James Bales Bowers was born November 19, 1920. He married Margaret Ellen Weisz, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Weisz, Edgerton, Ohio, who is teaching in the Wauseon Schools since April 21, 1962. Their children are: David James, born December 8, 1963; John Alan, born June 5, 1965; Carol Mae, born November 6, 1966; and Ellen Elizabeth, April 29, 1972. James is now farming 231 acres. He raises corn, soy beans, wheat, pickles, and tomatoes. He also is a cattle-feeder. The family are members of the Liberty Chapel United Methodist Church, and the children attend Liberty Center Schools. The farm has been in the Bowers family for 132 years at Roads S and Township Road 10 in Liberty Township.

Submitted by the Family