JAMES SAMUEL PAGE BOWLER
& MATILDA HILL
& SARAH WESTOVER CANFIELD
Photo of Sarah not available
Welcome to the Home Page of my great-great-grandparents. I hope that you will enjoy your journey into their time and place. If you find any errors with the histories, write to me and let me know and I will correct them.I obtained the histories from The Bowler Family - Our Strong, Yet Tender Roots, written by my cousin, Nellie Rae Hunt Jones. She has graciously given me permission to use them in this format, and I thank her very much. I have tried to transcribe all of them correctly, but some errors may have been missed. In posting this page, my intention is not to supersede any known descendant Family Organization, but merely to share what I have on this set of grandparents in my ancestry.
Contents:
Autobiography Ancestors Descendants
Relative Links:
The JSPBowler page of the Western Association of Leavitt Families
History of James Samuel Page Bowler and Matilda Hill
James Samuel Page Bowler was born 4 September 1845 on Pike Street, Leicester, Leicestershire, England. His parents were John Bowler, born at Long-Whatton, Leicester, England, and his mother, Ann Elizabeth Taylor, born at Preston, Lancashire, England.
An Aunt and Uncle Samuel Page wanted little James for their heir to their estate as they had no children of their own and begged for him to be named after their name so his parents named him James after a brother and Samuel Page after this uncle and aunt. Later Uncle and Auntie Page wanted to adopt James but circumstances were that he should have to give up Mormonism before this could happen so it was never done.
In his very early years he went to live with this Aunt and Uncle Page and was with them for a year or more, but because of differences of opinion on religion, J.S.P. returned to his family in Leicester.
His mother died of childbirth when J.S.P. was 5 1/2 years old. His Grandmother, Ann Wanmer Taylor, cared for the family. Auntie Page came once more and plead her cause to get this child but, “No”, they wouldn’t let him go under the conditions requested. J.S.P. went frequently to Hill Street Chapel grave yard to visit the grave of his dear mother.
Then he entered an infant school for children who had lost their mothers. The care of four motherless children was a task too much for his grandmother and it was suggested that he be sent to stay with his father’s parents for awhile. This was just eleven miles away to Long-Whatton. He went by dogcart. Here J.S.P. had many youthful experiences with his cousin, William Burrows, that he never forgot.
When he returned to his family they had moved residence and J.S.P. went to learn the shoe-making trade from Elder John Walsom , the man who baptized him into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . Elder Walsom had a shoe factory in the city. J.S.P. came home Sundays but stayed at work during the week.
After his grandmother’s death, his grandfather married again to Miss Harry Moore of Keyworth, Leicestershire. He later said no one could have been better to him than his wonderful step-mother.
The Crimean War was on and an epidemic of measles caused much death around the area so things seemed heartsickening. Finally J.S.P. got employment at a hosiery department and lived with an Uncle Benjamin Bowler. Everything was so sad and gloomy he couldn’t stand it so he returned to his home in Leicester. He was then employed at the Harris Factory working 12 hours a day. one day he broke his arm and had to go to the hospital for two weeks.
Persecution of the Mormons was so great that things were not pleasant anywhere. People were out of employment all around him but he found work with William Hardy and finished learning the shoe-making trade. He lived with Mr. Hardy and his wife in their home. While he was there he began to study music. He took a great interest in it and spent many hours studying. kind parents to me. He later said, “Mr. and Mrs. Hardy were like kind parents to me. Any success I find in this life, I owe to them. “He tried to get his brother John to stay and work and live with him and not wander around so much, but John preferred to enlist in the army. Later he deserted the army and went to America. Later his sweetheart, Mary King, followed him and they were married and settled in New York state. Later he became a Baptist minister.
J.S.P. studied music and the shoe trade until his step-mother died. Then his heart went out of what he was doing.
He was invited to a wedding reception and while he was there he met Matilda Hill. They saw each other for awhile and then decided to get married. So they published the banns in St. Margaret’s and St. Mary’s parishes. They were married Dec 3, 1863 in St. Mary’s church. They went to live on Fleet Street where a reception was held in their honor.
Matilda Hill was the daughter of Joseph Hill and Mary Hensworth, highly respected members of the Wesleyan Church. Mr. Hill being a local preacher and home missionary.
Within a year their first child was born and they moved to Hazelock Street. Then a sympathetic strike came up at the place where J.S.P. worked and he had to find employment elsewhere. He found work in Gisborough. Trade conditions were not favorable so he went to Nottingham and found employment with Charles Bentley. After working for six months he sent for his family. There on No. 2, Henry Street, his children, Elizabeth, John, Kate, Mary Ann, Florence, Walter and Francis, were born.
It was nearly time for their first child before Matilda found out that J.S.P. was a Mormon. He had feared her reaction so didn’t tell her until Uncle Jabez Bowler came to bid them farewell before leaving for the United States and she found out that they were all Mormons. At first he was afraid she would leave but instead she decided to join the Church herself. This made life much more enjoyable for all. They enjoyed Church as a family group and as their children came taught them the principles of the Gospel.
As a family group they sang in many places and enjoyed their musical abilities while in England. Then they began to think of going to Zion. A missionary, Zera P. Terry, from Hebron, Utah wanted them to come to Hebron. They finally decided to do that. They left Liverpool, England Saturday, 23 Oct 1880, aboard the ship, “Wisconsin”, for New York.
In a brief weeks time before leaving they had to dispose of 6 rooms of furniture at a great loss, business had to be closed, debts paid and collected. The company leaving England at that time was 358 souls. They had a hard trip over. Everyone got seasick. They met with a terrible storm and almost met with destruction. They were all very glad to land in New York alive. From there they took the Pennsylvania Railroad car to Utah. The trip was most interesting. When they reached the Rocky Mountains, they all sang, “Let the Mountains Shout for Joy”.
It was a long tedious journey to Hebron from Salt Lake City and took several days . They had to camp out at night, a real hardship on Matilda who was 7 months with child. It was a happy day when they arrived in Hebron and were welcomed by the Saints there,
J.S .P. was immediately called to work in the music department in the Hebron Ward. This he enjoyed very much. He also worked in the Sunday School and MIA. He was very anxious to get to work as it had been a long time since they had received any money to live on. They boys immediately got work riding pony mail and herding sheep. George Hebron, their only child to be born in America, came Jan 15, 1881.
J.S.P. went to Cedar City to work in the shoe factory that was just getting started. Because of Matilda’s poor health he was called home. With him he brought the trunks that were side tracked when they first got to Utah. Also he brought materials to make boots and shoes and was to return the finished products as pay for the materials. Just a few days later the cry came, “Fire”. The tool shop had caught fire and it had burned all of his precious tools and supplies. Now what to do.
They went to Salt Lake City to conference and while there J.S.P. got work in the Z.C.M.I. shoe factory and stayed there for 2 years. They wanted to come back to Hebron because their older children were still there, so J.S.P. got a job teaching school in Hebron.
After the school year ended, J.S.P. went to Panaca and operated a shoe shop in the back of Wadsworth’s Store but this didn’t work out. They heard of the mild climate, the fruit and vegetables, the quiet little town, the beautiful trees and all about Gunlock so decided to go there. After a visit, J.S.P. got a teaching job in Gunlock. He worked alternately in Gunlock and Hebron for 5 years.
One day Bishop Joseph S. Huntsman decided to sell his property in Gunlock and offered it to J.S.P. so he took the offer. He was immediately called as a counselor to Bishop Franklin 0. Holt in the Ward. He took a maiI contract from St. George to Pine Valley. The contract was for 5 years, so after it was up he had to find something else to do . He traded homes with John F. Laub and moved back to Hebron. There he was Justice of the Peace and bought a cattle herd.
In Oct 1893 he secured a job teaching school at Fort Hamblin (Mountain Meadows) so he moved there for one year. In 1894 he went to Parowan to work in the Co-op store. He went back to Hebron, sold his holdings, then purchased a house in Parowan, renting a house from Donald McGregor. He later bought 2 lots and 12 acres of field. He was elected as Justice of the Peace and had the privilege of marrying several couples. He liked his work quite well but Matilda wanted to move back to Gunlock where she could he closer to her married children. So J.S.P. bought the old home back from John F. Laub and moved back. He later said if he ever felt a failure it at this time. He was very discouraged.
He got a job as a Census enumerator. His Matilda died soon afterwards, Dec 15, 1900. He was so lonely he could die . At times he thought he could never survive this. A little over a year later he married (a widow) Sarah Westover Canfield, 27 Feb 1902. He got a commission as Postmaster in Gunlock. He was Justice of the Peace, superintendent of Sunday School, worked in MIA, and most of all, was Choir leader. He also served as ward clerk and helped to get the telephone installed in Gunlock. happy again.
Sarah died before he did. She had so faithfully taken care of him. His son Harry and wife Hattie moved in with him and cared for him the rest of his days. He died Dec 16, 1932 at his home in Gunlock.
Updated 3 Jan 08
Owned and maintained by Paul E. Price