The birthday boy for today was not born anywhere close to Perry County, Missouri. His name was Floyd Brooks Bowser, who was born on July 14, 1886, thus making today his 140th birthday. Floyd was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, a city located on the Ohio River, the border between Ohio and Kentucky, also not far from West Virginia. Floyd was the son of Samuel and Rosina (Craig) Bowser. Floyd is found in the 1900 census at the age of 13. His father was a farm laborer in the Rush Township of Scioto County, Ohio. That township is located just outside of Portsmouth. There were 9 children in this Bowser household.

Next, we find Floyd in the 1910 census at the age of 24. He is called Brooks in this entry. The family was living in Portsmouth, and his father was the conductor of a street car. Floyd was a tip repairer at a shoe factory.

Floyd would get married during the next decade, so we will now turn our attention to the woman who would become his bride. This is how we get a connection to our German Family Tree. Her name was Nora Friederika Louise Siewing, who was born on February 14, 1890. Nora was the daughter of Henry and Maria (Emde) Siewing. The German Family Tree spells her name as Sewing, but I think that may be incorrect. Nora was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim, and his baptism record gives her the surname, Siewing. I looked for Nora is the very complete book that we have for the Sewing family called The Sewing Circle, but failed to find her. That book also does not have any entries for the surname, Emde. So, I think there was another family named Siewing. This same question was addressed in a previous post titled, Sewing or Siewing?

By the time of the 1900 census, Nora’s family was living in St. Louis. Nora was 10 years old, and her father was a day laborer.

I failed to locate Nora in the 1910 census, but a census entry for her parents was included in the previous post that was mentioned earlier, and they were still living in St. Louis. I have reason to believe that Nora was also still living in St. Louis.

There is another question that I do not have an answer to in this story. How did a girl from St. Louis get to know her future husband who was living in Portsmouth, Ohio? However, we do know that Floyd Bowser married Nora Siewing at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Louis on September 30, 1914. We can view this couple’s church marriage record below. It says Nora was from St. Louis, and Floyd was from Portsmouth, Ohio.

We can also take a look at this St. Louis marriage record for this pair.

This couple had their first child, a son named Floyd, Jr., who was born in 1915. His birth certificate shown below indicates that Floyd, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The line for Nora’s birthplace butchers the name, Cape Girardeau. Floyd is called a foreman at a shoe factory.

Their other child, a daughter named Rosina, who was probably named after Floyd’s mother, was born in 1917. We can also view Rosina’s birth certificate from Philadelphia.

I found baptism records for both of the Bowser children in the books of Carmel Presbyterian Church in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania. Melrose Park is part of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Sadly, Rosina died before she even turned one year old. Floyd had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. The precinct where he registered was found in Philadelphia. By the time Floyd filled out this form, his daughter had died earlier that year, so it says he had a wife and child. Floyd is called a shoemaker.

In the 1920 census, we find the trio of 2 Floyd’s and Nora (who is called Louise in this entry) living in Philadelphia. Floyd is called a shoemaker in a shoe factory.

The Bowser’s made a move during the next decade. In 1930, we find them living closer to Nora’s birthplace. They were living in Murphysboro, Illinois. Floyd had changed locations, but he did not change his occupation. He was called a foreman in a shoe factory. There was a Brown Shoe Company in Murphysboro that made Buster Brown shoes.

Another move was made by the Bowser’s prior to the 1940 census. In that year’s entry, we find this couple living in Clarksville, Tennessee. Once again, Floyd is called the foreman in a shoe factory. Their son, Floyd, was no longer living with them, but there were two Ludwig’s, probably a widowed father and his son, included in their household. The father was also working at the shoe factory. I think the shoe company may have been the Red Wing Shoe Company which was located in Clarksville.

Floyd Bowser died in 1949 at the age of 62. His Tennessee death certificate states that he died of a coronary occlusion.

Nora is found as a widow in the 1950 census. After her husband’s death, she went to live with her son, Floyd, Jr., who had gotten married and was living in St. Louis. Floyd, Jr. was a news photographer for a newspaper, and Nora was doing housekeeping for a private party.

Nora Bowser did not die until 1981 at the age of 91, too recently to view her death certificate. Floyd and Nora Bowser are buried together in the St. Peter’s Cemetery in St. Louis.

Floyd Bowser got involved in the shoe making business quite early in his life and continued in that line of work throughout his life. However, he and his family did not remain in just one location as he did so. He worked at several shoe factories in different cities in different states. I took a quick look at the son, Floyd, Jr., and he went on to have several children. So, there are likely to be some Bowser descendants from the family of Floyd and Nora still to be found today.