Bowers Family, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory

The following is from "Mehahtubbee's Children, Book II" by R. McLellan (c) 2012

Permission for personal usage only. US and International Copyright Law apply.  COPYING said material onto another website or inclusion in any book, journal or other periodical is strictly forbidden without express written consent from this author.

"For the purposes of establishing a timeline for our Bowers relations in the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory, I refer to reader to the 1890 Non Citizen Permits for Sugar Loaf County, Choctaw Nation.   

For each non-Choctaw, a fee had to be paid in order for the individual to work within the Choctaw Nation. The following persons worked for Polk McAlvain in 1890.  D.S. Johnson, Will Bullard, JN. Hardsiak, Walter Hall, W.I. Hatchen, P.E. Potter, W.I. Young, J. Nickle, W.H. Bowerman, Jas. Esoiri, Henry Cate, T. Shiply, T.P. Bowers, Dave Gentry, Sol Rever, JNO. Cretsinger, JNO. Carrel, Seb Edmonson, Seb Long, Peter Rever, JNO. Hall, J.D. Bowers, Bill Cannon, R. Bullard, Logan McGee, G. Bullard.

The J.D. Bowers listed in the 1890 permit roster was John D. Bowers, father of Louisa Matilda Bowers McAlvain.

John Bowers was born in Grainger County, Tennessee in 1837 and his death date is listed as 6 September 1884 in Polk McAlvain's Day Book.  Sadly, the place of his death and burial are not recorded."

The Bowers Sisters

Below is a photograph I recently received from a descendant of Nancy Helon Bowers, sister to Louisa Matilda Bowers McAlvain.

After reviewing the birth dates of these sisters and their children and comparing them to dates of migration, I believe them to be the following individuals.

Back row - L-R: 

Nancy Helon Bowers
Born: 18 December 1860, Grainger Co., Tennessee
Married: ca 1886-1887 to Maud Sharp
Married 2nd: 23 August 1898, Leflore Co., Oklahoma to John T. Estes.
Children: Floyd Burton Sharp (1888-1935), Claude Sharp (1892-?), Velma Eudoxia Estes (1910-1986)
Died: 1946, California

Susan Adaline Bowers
Born: 13 October 1859, Grainger Co, Tennessee
Married: ca 1876, Fulton Co., Arkansas, Simpson Sloan.
Married 2nd:  ca 1892, Louis Andrew Campbell
Children: Helen Arizona Sloan (1880-1954), Charles Murphy Sloan (1885-1958), Bessie Lela Campbell (1893-?), Nellie Edna Campbell (1900-1973).
Died: 3 February 1926, Superior, Pinal Co., Arizona

I believe the infant that Susan Adaline is holding was the above named Charles Murphy Sloan.

Louisa Matilda Bowers
Born: 17 June 1863, Grainger Co., Tennessee
Married: 1881 Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Albert Choate. 
Married 2nd:  12 July 1886, Sugar Loaf Co., Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Polk McAlvain
For Children see the entry regarding Polk McAlvain below.
Died: 25 December 1918, McAlester, Pittsburg Co., Oklahoma

Front Row - L-R:

I believe the first little girl to be Helen Arizona Sloan, the baby is possibly Floyd Burton Sharp, and the little boy I believe to be John Walter McAlvain.

Polk McAlvain - Parentage

Above is Polk McAlvain's Dawes Census Card which holds the information he gave the federal government concerning his family and parentage.

Polk McAlvain

Some of the Polk McAlvain Family of Kennedy, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory

NB: The following information is for PERSONAL USE ONLY. 

I suppose there have been as many stories concerning Polk McAlvain and his origins as there are descendants.  While genealogical curiosity is healthy, the stories that emerge from misinformation or conjecture can be a source of extreme frustration when researching an individual as many a family historian can attest.

With the desire to know more about this Choctaw Indian ancestor, I began researching him back in the early 1990's.  The longer I researched, the more questions presented themselves and it soon became clear that no one family member had the same answer to the things I asked.  As that was the case, I felt it best to follow only the documents which I found pertaining to him.  While certainly drawing my own conclusions on many things, without documentation, at best they could only be called supposition. 

The earliest records found to date with Polk's name on it are his Confederate Service Records.  He served in the 1st Choctaw/Chickasaw Mounted Rifles, 1st Brigade, Company K.

The next official recording of Polk was found to be an 1874 Census of Skullyville County, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory.  He was enumerated as "Polk McIvion, 1 Indian Male over 21 and Under 45."  Within his household was 1 Indian Female over 16 years.  No livestock or crops. 

(NB: Disparaging dates of birth seem to plague this family history.)

Looking at the year, I have always assumed the female to have been his first wife, Sinnie (Sinah) Perry with whom he had one daughter recorded by Polk in his day book, named Randy, born 14 February 1874.  Sadly both Sinnie and the little girl died.  There are family stories about them dying in a house fire.

Polk's second wife was Mary Choate.    Together they had

1.  Stonewall Jackson McAlvain

Born: 10 September 1877

Died: Labor Day, 1903

2.  Robert L. McAlvain

Born: 21 January 1879

Died:  1969

3.  Louis Riley McAlvain

Born: 19 April 1881

Died: 1930

Mary Choate's date of death is unknown to me.  However, she had obviously passed away before 1886 when Polk McAlvain married Louisa Bowers, daughter of John Bowers and Polly Majors.

Louisa Bowers was born 17 June 1863 in Grainger County, Tennessee.  Documents indicate that her father, John Bowers worked for Polk McAlvain sharecropping for a time, hence them being allowed to live in the Choctaw Nation.

Together Louisa and Polk had the following children:

1.  John Walter McAlvain

Born: 14 January 1883

2.  Charles McAlvain (died in infancy)

Born: 25 March 1885

3.  William Richard McAlvain

Born: 8 April 1887

4.  Thomas Jay McAlvain

Born: 8 December 1889

5.  Florence Alice McAlvain

Born:  22 March 1892

6.  David Warren McAlvain

Born:  20 August 1894

7.  Martha McAlvain

Born: 2 December 1896 (died in infancy)

8.  Audie Carl McAlvain

Born: 20 February 1898

9.  Lulabelle & Jewell McAlvain (twin girls - died in infancy)

Born: 10 August 1900