Louisa Matilda BOWERS ³ ⁴

Born: 17 Jun 1863, Grainger County, Tennessee ⁵ ⁶
Marriage (1): Albert CHOATE about 1882 in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory ¹
Marriage (2): Polk McALVAIN on 12 Jul 1886 in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory (Kennady/Kennedy, Le Flore County, Oklahoma) ²
Died: 25 Dec 1918, Wister, Le Flore County, Oklahoma ² ⁷
Buried: Kennady/Kennedy Cemetery, Wister, Le Flore County, Oklahoma ²

bullet General Notes:

George Johnston's records show Louisa died at the home of her daughter, Florence Thomas nee McAlvain, in Wister. Ruthie King's records show she died while having gall bladder surgery in McAlester. ² ⁷

bullet Research Notes:

There is some confusion about the year of Louisa's birth. Polk McAlvain's daybook has the year as 1863. George Johnston also has the year as 1863, based in part on her gravemarker. But, the author visited her grave on 14 July 2001 and observed that it shows the year to be 1864. The census records are inconclusive. I have used the 1863 date in deference to Ruthie King, the genealogist for the McAlvain family. I expect George Johnston made the same decision.

bullet Noted events in her life were:

1. Census: 1870, Grainger County, Tennessee. ⁸

Household of John Bowers:
Bowers, Louisa, 6, F, W, TN

2. Census: 1885, Sugarloaf County, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. ⁹

Household of Poke McLevaney:
No. 146
Louisa McLevaney, 30, Indian Female

3. Enrollment Application: 1902, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory (Wister, Le Flore County, Oklahoma). ¹⁰

On 16 Dec 1902, Louisa gave testimony "In the matter of the application of Louisa M. McAlvain for enrollment as an inter married citizen of the Choctaw Nation." The transcript of this testimony can be found at the website in the cited source.

This testimony establishes that Louisa (and thus the rest of her Bowers family) came to the Choctaw Nation about 1878 and that she had a prior marriage to Albert Choate, a Choctaw citizen, who died after about 2 years of marriage (there may have been a separation before his death).

Louisa married Albert CHOATE about 1882 in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory.² (Albert CHOATE died about 1883 in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory ².)

Louisa next married Polk McALVAIN on 12 Jul 1886 in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory (Kennady/Kennedy, Le Flore County, Oklahoma).² (Polk McALVAIN was born in 1838-1842 in Choctaw Nation, Mississippi,² died on 14 Jun 1909 in Kennady/Kennedy, Le Flore County, Oklahoma ² and was buried in Kennady/Kennedy Cemetery, Wister, Le Flore County, Oklahoma ² ⁷.)

bullet Marriage Notes:

Polk and Louisa were married at the home of Polk McAlvain by Judge N. J. Nelson. Note that they were enumerated as husband and wife in the 1885 census for Sugar Loaf County, Choctaw Nation, and also that Polk's Daybook recorded the birth of their son, Charles, as 1885. Ruthie reports it wasn't uncommon at this time and place for people to live together and hold themselves out as married and then officially marry when a person authorized to perform marriage came around. ²

1 Ruth McLellan, Choctaw McAlvain Genealogy, Ruthies Genealogical Realm, http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/2765. Ruthie King is a 2nd Great Grandaughter of Polk McAlvain and Louisa Matilda Bowers (Curtis Alton Pugh, Lois Lucille McAlvain, Thomas Jay McAlvain, Polk McAlvain).

2 Ruth McLellan, Choctaw McAlvain Genealogy, Ruthies Genealogical Realm, http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/2765.

3 Family Records of George G. Johnston. George G. Johnston, son of George Goold Johnston and Ola Pearl Bowers, belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Motivated by love of family and the teachings of their church, George, who passed away in 2005, and his wife, Lela, who passed away in 2001, spent much of their life together researching their families. This included not only research at the Family History Libraries in Mesa, AZ and Salt Lake City, UT, but also genealogy trips to interview other Bowers and Anderson descendants and to find the burial places of our Bowers and Anderson ancestors, as well as extensive correspondence with other descendants. George and Lela not only researched the past, but also kept up with the marriages, births and deaths of the current descendants of John DeWitt Bowers and Tilitha Ann Anderson. Our family is indebted to them.

4 "Daybook of Polk McAlvain." Polk McAlvain was Louisa Matilda Bowers' Choctaw husband. The original daybook passed from Florence Thomas nee McAlvain, daughter of Polk and Louisa, to her daughter, Lucille Blackard nee Thomas, in 1990. George G. Johnston has viewed the daybook and taken notes and photographs of it. The author has a copy of his notes.

5 Family Records of George G. Johnston, (Information from 11th Census, Choctaw Nation and gravemarker).

8 1870 Census, Grainger County, Tennessee, FHL Film No. 553,029, Page 132 (12th District, Clear Spring P. O., Dwelling 13, Family 13).

9 Ruthie McLellan, Compiler, Miscellaneous Choctaw Nation Records, http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/2765.

10 Ruth McLellan, Choctaw McAlvain Genealogy, Ruthies Genealogical Realm, http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/2765, (Found in Dawes Census Packet #2225).

Louisa Matilda BOWERS 3 4

Sources

Louisa Matilda BOWERS ³ ⁴