Bower Family - Progress 2009

1911 Census

The year started off with the publication of the 1911 Census, two years early.

The web-site proved to be user friendly and I found entries for the Bower/Blake Family.

Bower/Pitts Family

I have been contacted by a distant relative in Australia, who provided an extraordinary amount of new information:

- The baptism of Christopher Bower at All Saints Church, Fulham 12.11.1794 (Parents William & Elizabeth (Pitts) Bower, Grandparents John Pitts & Elizabeth Bates).
- an entry in a book on Fulham about William's father George Bower who ran Rowberry Mead before William took over and then Elizabeth, as a widow. Unbelievable.
- The Bowers after Christopher Bower died in 1851 including the whereabouts of his wife Elizabeth (Pitts) Bower in 1861, 1871 and 1878, her son Benjamin in 1851 and her daughter Elizabeth in 1849-1881.
- Details of my 3 x Great Grandfather James Benjamin Pitts, a Coach Smith who died in High Holborn in 1839 and
- His widow Kezia Pitts who emigrated to Australia with her step-son James Benjamin Pitts, the 2 x Great Grandfather of my correspondent.
- The latter also sent me a copy of the Parish Record of a marriage of George Henry Pitts in Chelsea in 1827
at which my 3 x Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Bower, appears to have signed as witness. Fantastic!

Second Visit to Fulham

In view of the extent of the new information, I made a second visit to Fulham which was very enjoyable.

Second Vist to Fulham

Colin Bower
31 January 2010