Gowers in Middle Tennessee

In my last post I shared the story of our ancestors Abel Gower Sr. and Jr. who both tragically died in a conflict with Native Americans in the fall of 1780. It was a story of devastating loss for the Gower frontier family, a story found in numerous historical sources from the early history of Tennessee. These deaths were a difficult beginning to life in Tennessee for our Gower relatives. The following stories show that eventually things got better and the Gowers made an indelible mark on their new community.

Charlotte Reeves Robertson 1751-1843
wife of ancestor Gen. James Robertson

The Heroics of a Gower Teen. That deadly encounter in 1780 was not the first time the Gowers had experienced a life threatening conflict with Native Americans. In "Indian Wars and Warriors" (Tennessee Historical Magazine, Vol. IV) Albert Goodpasture writes about Nancy Gower (1761-1831) the daughter of Abel Gower Jr. and his wife Mary. During the Gowers' dangerous river journey from Virginia to the frontier of Tennessee, on one occasion the Gowers were attacked by Indians on the Tennessee River. While the men were fully engaged in warding off the raiders, 18 year old Nancy took the helm of their boat and carefully steered it down river. When she finally guided their craft past the Indian attack and were safe from danger, Nancy's mother Mary noticed blood stains on her daughter's dress. Only then did they realize that Nancy had been shot in the thigh. They bandaged her wound and in time she recovered fully and lived to tell the harrowing tale of this dangerous episode.

The Father of Middle Tennessee. The above mentioned Abel and Mary Gower had a grandson, Gen. James Robertson (1742-1814), who was very instrumental in leading their frontier community. He was such a significant leader that he has become known as "The Father of Middle Tennessee" and is honored as such even today. In 1791 President George Washington got word of Robertson's outstanding leadership and appointed him brigadier general of the U.S. Army for the entire region south of the Ohio River.

Marker at the Nashville burial site
for Gen. James Robertson and
his wife Charlotte Reeves Robertson

A Doctor and a Mayor. Gower ancestors James Robertson and his wife Charlotte Reeves Robertson (1751-1843) had 9 children, the 4th of whom was Felix Robertson (1781-1865). Born Jan 11, 1781, he was the first white male child born in the historic Cumberland Settlement. Felix was trained as a Physician at the University of Pennsylvania, and went on to practice medicine in early Nashville for 40 years. In 1818 and 1819 he was selected the Mayor of Nashville for two different terms. He was also the president of the Medical Society of Tennessee.

The early years of the Gowers in Tennessee were difficult and fraught with conflict and even death. But after a difficult beginning our Gower ancestors made an indelible mark on the Cumberland Settlement which became the city of Nashville. They will forever be remembered in the history books of that famous city. 

Leroy Gower and Ellen Taylor Gower,
the first Gowers to leave Tennessee
and settle in Stone County, Arkansas

From Tennessee To Arkansas. Our Gower ancestors first began to settle in Nashville in 1780 and continued to be members of that community for several generations. Abel and Mary Gower's Great Grandson Jackson William Gower (1831-1902) and his wife Mary Anderson Gower (1833-1912) were the first Tennessee Gowers to continue the inevitable move westward. After marrying in 1849, Jackson and Mary moved out west to the Mountain View area of Stone County, Arkansas where they settled and raised their family. 

Their first child, Leroy Gower -- born in 1854 -- was the first Gower child to be born in Arkansas. This Leroy Gower (1854-1909) and his wife Ellen Taylor Gower were the Grandparents of Leroy Ertin Gower (1899-1974), who was "Grandpa Gower" to many of us. The source from whom I received the picture above on the right claims that "this is the oldest known picture of any Gowers in Arkansas." I could find no date for this remarkable photo, but both these folks died in their early 50s in 1906 and 1909, respectively. It may have been taken around the turn of the 20th century.

- - -

Steve Shepard

(he/him/his)

The Gowers in Tennessee: The Clover Bottom Tragedy

I have written before about our earliest Gower ancestors who settled in Virginia in the early 1600s. One of them was Abel Gower (1640-1710) who had migrated from England. In the subsequent three centuries our Gower ancestors made their way all across our country. Leroy and Nola Gower, my Grandparents, were the first of our Gower ancestors to make it to the West Coast when they arrived in Southern California in 1942. Here in San Diego some of their descendants still live today. 

Purportedly Abel Gower Jr.
(1725-1780)

The Westward Migration to Tennessee. As our Gower ancestors made their way across country, one of the places they settled for a number of years was Nashville, Tennessee. My 7X Great Grandparents, Capt. Abel Gower Sr. and his wife Eleanor Salmon Gower, were part of the early migration from Virginia that joined the Cumberland Settlement of Middle Tennessee. They were accompanied by their son Abel Gower Jr. and his wife Mary Robertson Gower. ("Abel" was the first name of choice for many of our Gowers in the early years.)

This historic immigration into Tennessee, begun in December, 1779 was led by frontiersmen John Robertson and Col. John Donelson. They and those they led, endured an arduous journey of nearly 1000 miles of wild frontier, including confrontations with Native Americans. Much of their travel was overland, while a good portion was on the Cumberland River as a part of "the Donelson flotilla," a collection of nearly 30 vessels of various kinds with immigrants in each one. After journeying for several months they arrived April 24, 1780 and joined the Cumberland Settlement which eventually became the city of Nashville, Tennessee.

An artist's rendering of
The Donelson flotilla, 1780

During their first summer in Tennessee, Col. Donelson and his group planted some crops in prime growing land a few miles away from the Settlement in an area known as Clover Bottom, near the confluence of the Cumberland and the Stones Rivers. On November 1, 1780, a group of about a dozen settlers went to harvest the crop of Corn and Cotton. The harvesters were led by our ancestor Capt. Abel Gower and included his son Abel Gower Jr. 

A Surprise Attack at Clover Bottom. When they finished the harvest, they loaded their boats with the corn and the cotton and headed back home. They had gone only a short way when they were suddenly attacked by a large band of Chickamauga Indians, natives who had lived in the area for generations. The settlers were outmanned and suffered great losses in the attack. Abel Gower Sr. and his son were shot and killed during the raid. In all the chaos their bodies floated down the river and were never recovered. Also killed in the attack was James Robertson, the son of one of their leaders Col. John Robertson. Only three of the harvesting settlers lived to tell the tale. Those three survived the attack by hiding in the nearby forest and laying low until they could make their way back to the safety of the settlement.

An historical marker today in
Davidson County, Tennessee

November 1, 1780 was a fateful day in the life of our Gower ancestors when they lost two important family members. The effects of that tragedy on the lives of their surviving family is hard to fathom. This illustrates how difficult it was to settle this untamed wilderness that was our nation in earlier times. It also brings to our attention what a great debt of gratitude we owe our forebears. Their courage, determination and resilience is an inspiration to us. 

In my next post I will write about the Gower response to the tragedy at Clover Bottom and the remarkable impact our ancestors made on the Cumberland Settlement of Middle Tennessee. That in itself is a memorable story.
- - -
Steve Shepard
(he, him, his)