Janice
You do not have the death cert. That will give the informant. It costs $3 from state archives.
Dave

Janice, lots of errors on that 1850 census. She was not born in Massachussets and her daughter Sarah Ann was 19 not 13.
Have you looked for her other children on the US 1850 census? They were, with ages in 1850 :

Bower, Charlotte 27

Bower, Charles 25

Bower, Thomas 22

Bower, Louisa 17.

I suppose it is possible they were known as Poulton and perhaps Charlotte was married.

Dave

The mass vital before 1910 were not in a long form...so there is no other information on the them

Yes there are also mistakes on census....I have the marriage records form the children listed and most of there death records. The father is john and the mother is elizabeth reaney.....

Janice

Janice
There is no doubt about the following facts, all at St James Norton
Elizabeth Reaney married John Bower, a cutler, more specifically a table blade forger. on 23rd April 1821
Their son HENRY was baptised on 17th Feb 1822
A further 10 children followed. we have the baptism records for 9 of them, most of which also record birth date. They are
Charlotte 1823, Charles 1825, John 1826, Thomas 1828, Elizabeth 1830, Sarah Ann 1831, Louisa 1833, James 1836, William 1837.
The 10th was Mary, for whom we have the Birth registration in Q1 1841.
I have death records (in infancy) for John, Elizabeth and James and at your end there are the detailed further life stories of 7 of them, mainly from death and marriage records and of Elizabeth herself. When comparing some of the so-called facts from these records there are many errors in reported birth dates for the children.
So the Elizabeth Poulton who died in Mass in 1869 was without doubt the Elizabeth Reaney who married John Bower in St James Norton in 1821. The mystery we are trying to solve is who were her parents. The informant on her death was almost certainly Edwin Poulton, and he was very quick to remarry. Did he really know who her parents were?

Turning now to Elizabeth's first born son HENRY. I have his marriage certificate at St James Norton in Sept 1839. He said he was 18, his bride Lucy Marsden was 16 and Henry was a Table Blade Forger whose father was John Bower, also a Table blade forger. They had a child Joseph in Q1 1840 so Lucy was pregnant at the marriage. The baptism for Joseph is in our parish records over to the left
There are no further children to this couple in UK. They disappear from UK records, just like the rest of Henry's family.
It looks like they all finished up in Boston between 1841 and 1845 at latest (Charlotte had a child there in 1846 and Charles married there in 1846). Did John Bower go with her and pass away en route?
Maybe Edwin Poulton met up with them in Boston.
Can you find any trace of Henry, Lucy and Joseph in Mass?
Dave

I can research the mass records pretty easily....and live about 15 minute walk to boston public libray and new england historical and genealogical society......Henry married in vernon vt.....I found it in the civil war pension pAPERs FOR his wife. I do not recall if the marriage is in vt vital records....right now as I type this....I do not have my paper work in front of me.........Interesting that Henry had a marriage at a young age. I did not know that :)

On the 1841 census at Keetons Hill, Sheffield, there is a Lucy Bower aged 15yrs and a
Joseph Bower aged 1yr.
They are living with the Marsden family, Head of household is John Marsden, aged 46yrs and
he is a gardener and his wife is Mary Marsden aged 46yrs.

On the 1855 census in Franklin, Mass., USA there is a Henry Bowers aged 35yrs (1820), he is
a labourer born in England.
I can't make out the name of his wife, and there are also 6 children all born in Mass.

Moira.

Hi Janice et al,
To add to Moira's finds.

1860 Census for Buckland/Franklin/Massachusetts

HENRY BOWERS 38 (est. 1822) England Occ: Table Cutter (poss.Cutler)
living with:
HULDAH BOWERS 37 (abt.1823) Massachusetts
HENRY BOWERS 15 (abt.1845) ditto
WILLIAM BOWERS 13 (abt. 1847) ditto
JAMES BOWERS 11 (abt.1849) ditto
ERNEST BOWERS 9 (abt.1851) ditto
HERBERT BOWERS 5 (abt.1855) ditto
FRANCIS BOWERS 2 (abt.1858) ditto
SUSAN RYTHER 40 (abt.1820) ditto

It looks to me as if HENRY BOWER possibly abandoned his wife LUCY (nee Marsden) and son JOSEPH and took off to America.

Meanwhile ELIZABETH (53) AND EDWIN(43)POULTON on the 1860 USA Census are living at Shelburn/Franklin/Massachusetts.

HAPPY HUNTING:sleuth_or_spy:

Janice et al
What great finds by Moira and Wendy. Just to complete the picture on Lucy and Joseph:
Joseph remained with his Marsden grandparents through 1851 and 1861 and in 1871, now married, his Marsden grandmother was with him.
Lucy married to Robert Pearson in 1850. They are on the 1851 and 61 censuses. They had no children. Lucy was a widow (greengrocer) in 1871 and in 1881 she was with son Joseph. She died in 1890.
The 1860 Mass census shows clearly the unreliability of the age of lizabeth Bower nee Reaney as variously reported in Mass. We have 3 birth years of 1807, 1805 and 1803. And of ourse Elizabeth had good reason to tell her much younger "husband" Edwin that she was younger than she may have been.
I can think of only one more slim possibility of finding more clues about this couple.
The birth registration in 1841 of Mary Bower (mother maiden name Reaney) in Ecclesall Bierlow (part of Sheffield) can be purchased online from the UK GRO (General Registry Office). It will cost £7 and will be delivered to your email address within 1 to 2 weeks of ordering. It will contain, at least, the following info:
Name of child, Address of birth, Name of father, name and maiden name of mother, name of informant.
The address could be a clue and, if you are lucky, the informant could be John Bower.
If you need help ordering that please just ask us.
Dave

The bower family moved to buckland, Franklin county....and not to be confused with franklin, Norfolk county.

This is the Henry Bower who married Lucy marsden

Henry Bower

Birth Date: 3/25/1818 (england select birth and christening 1538-1975) his parents are william and mary

Death Date: 27 Sep 1849
Cemetery: Sheffield General Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place: Sheffield, Metropolitan Borough of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England find a grave

He is the henry in parishes records born 1818.......

also the charles bowers who married in 4/3/1845 acton mass parents were sam and mary (mass vital records 1840-1910). mass vr and he died woburn ma 1879..she married mary haywood.


family trees in ancestry says joseph stayed england and did marry


there is no charlotte bower/s marrying in massachusetts 1846 vital records.

None of the above people match who the parents and ancestry of Henry bower who was the son of John and elizabeth reaney

Janice,
The original marriage record for Henry Bower to Lucy Marsden on 30th Sept 1839 at Norton Parish Church is on FMP.
It clearly states:
Henry Bower, Bachelor, age 18, Table Blade Forger, address New George Street, Father's name JOHN BOWER, table blade forger.
Lucy Marsden, Spinster, Age 16, address Heaton's Hill, Highfield, Father's name Samuel Marsden, Gardener.
Therefore the correct Henry is NOT the one born 1818 and buried in General Cemetery in 1849.

Here are the baptism records (in chronological order) of John and Elizabeth's children (from our Parish Records over to the left:
Bower, Henry (of Greenhill, born ~).
Baptised February 17, 1822, by ~ at St James, Norton.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (Cutler).

Bower, Charlotte (of Meadowhead, born ~).
Baptised August 31, 1823, by ~ at St James, Norton.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (Cutler).

Bower, Charles (of Sheffield, born 1825-02-17).
Baptised March 13, 1825, by William H Vale at Sheffield Parish Church, Church Street, Sheffield.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (Cutler).

Bower, John (of Sheffield, born 1826-09-11).
Baptised October 1, 1826, by W H Bull at Sheffield Parish Church, Church Street, Sheffield.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (Blade Maker).

Bower, Thomas (of Sheffield, born 1828-08-15).
Baptised September 14, 1828, by E Goodwin at Sheffield Parish Church, Church Street, Sheffield.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (Cutler).

Bower, Elizabeth (of Sheffield, born 1830-02-28).
Baptised May 2, 1830, by J Gibson at Sheffield Parish Church, Church Street, Sheffield.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (Cutler).

Bower, Sarah Ann (of Sheffield, born 1831-09-10).
Baptised November 6, 1831, by W Harris at Sheffield Parish Church, Church Street, Sheffield.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (cutler).

Bower, Louisa (of Sheffield, born 1833-07-16). Death record says 17th July 1834
Baptised September 1, 1833, by E Goodwin at Sheffield Parish Church, Church Street, Sheffield.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (Cutler).

Bower, James (of Sheffield, born 1836-03-09).
Baptised April 3, 1836, by Wm Carter at Sheffield Parish Church, Church Street, Sheffield.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (Cutler).

Bower, William (of Sheffield, born 1837-05-21). Death record says 12th March 1837
Baptised June 18, 1837, by J Gibson at Sheffield Parish Church, Church Street, Sheffield.
Parents name(s) are Elizabeth & John (Cutler).

There is no baptism record for their daughter Mary, but there is a birth registration at GRO
BOWER, MARY mother maiden name REANEY
GRO Reference: 1841 M Quarter in ECCLESALL BIERLOW UNION Volume 22 Page 113

The above list shows that John and Elizabeth moved from Norton to central Sheffield between 1823 and 1825

Dave

Thanks everyone who helped me solve this great family mystery. janice

Janice
While looking at your problem I wondered how and why a cutler from Sheffield with a large family would travel to a specific place in Massachussetts in the 1840s. How could he afford the fare for himself and all his family members? Why Franklin county Massachussetts?.
They could not have randomly set off from Sheffield for USA. When they set off they must have known where they were going.
The answer in fact is very simple. In 1834 a man called John Russell built a cutlery factory called Green River Works on the Green River in GREENFIELD, Franklin County Mass. This was one of the earliest cutlery factories in USA.
When cutlery manufacture in USA was in its infancy in 1830s/40s, the factory owners were desperate for experienced cutlers, but there were none in USA. They had agents in Sheffield who would persuade experienced cutlers to emigrate to USA by paying the fares for them and their families, and when they got there they would pay them higher wages than the local employees.
In the case of John Bower and family, the John Russell Works was getting the already experienced John Bower, his experienced 19 year old son Henry and also Charles (16 so with about 6 yrs experience) and 13 yr old Thomas with about 3 yrs experience. That seems to me like an excellent investment.
I note that Henry Bower married (bigamously) Huldah Carey in Vernon, Vermont in 1843. Vernon is just a few miles north of Greenfield on the Green River.
Crossing the Atlantic at that time was a perilous journey of 6 weeks or more and disease was rife. It is possible that John may have passed away on board.
I think you can be pretty certain that Edwin Poulton became part of this family in USA.
Dave

Hi Dave:

I hope this article explains why someone may have moved to Buckland MA.



11/5/2017 greenfield recorder

Beginnings lamson and Goodnow company ---

The cutlery began on the Shelburne-side of Shelburne Falls, off Deerfield Avenue, in 1837. It was started by Silas Lamson, the inventor of the curved scythe snath — an innovation that allowed a worker cutting grass, grain or other tall crops to stand fully erect, making it easier on the back. In 1837, his two sons and Abel Goodnow were interested in making knives, which is the origin of the Lamson & Goodnow name.

The company grew steadily, adding new buildings in Shelburne Falls. Experienced cutlery workers were recruited from both Sheffield, England and Solingen, Germany. Descendants of these European workers were still employed by the company in 2009.

In 1851, the company moved to more spacious grounds, on the Buckland side of the Deerfield River, and by 1852, it employed 200 people, according to the Shelburne town history. The Lamson & Goodnow website says the company employed at least 500 workers during the Civil War and added tableware to its line of agricultural cutlery.