Compiled by Charles T. ("Charlie") O'Haver
Great-Grandson of John William O'Haver
E2 JOHN WILLIAM O'HAVER (3/3 or 18/1834 - 4/13/1896) was married twice. . .the first time on 12/4/1855 in Hardy Co., (VA) to Lydia V. Aronhalt who was born 12/5/1834 and died 3/28/1914. John and Lydia had 7 children before they divorced some time after 1875. According to the 1880 census records, Lydia and her children were living with John's brother Joseph A. in Grant County, WV. John's second marriage was on 12/24/1883 to Mary Susan Darr. Bible records show "the marriage took place at the home of the bride's parents in the presence of Mrs. Maggie Watson, mother of the bride, by Rev. Clarry at Franklin Mines, MD". Mary Susan was born 2/8/1854 and her father was John Darr. She died May 17, 1940. John William and Mary Susan are buried in the Gaster Cemetery at Dry Run in Garrett Co., MD. There were 5 more children in that marriage. (A Garrett Co., MD marriage record shows John's second wife as Mary Kelly. Ages and dates, however, are the same as those for Mary Susan Darr.)
(Lydia's grave is located in a long-abandoned overgrown Tannery Cemetery on top of Hoffman Hill at Gormania, WV. The densely-wooded mountain is owned by the Buffalo Coal Mining Company. This writer, a great-grandson of Lydia and John -- and Sonny O'Haver, John's great-grandson by his second wife -- located the grave June 5, 1998 after years of searching. It is still uncertain where Lydia died as no death record has been located in either Grant County or neighboring Mineral Co., WV.)
E2-F1 MARY LOUISA O'HAVER (pronounced Lu-eye'-zah) was born in Union District, Virginia (later Mt. Storm, WV) on 10/21/1856 (Her Mineral County, WV death record shows her birth date as 3/18/1857). She married Phillip William Bowers in Garrett Co., MD on 1/24/1889. Gormania, WV Methodist Church records show the family living in Steyer (Garrett Co.), MD in 1906 when the couple and son Allen became full members. (Phillip joined in January; Mary Louisa and son Allen P. joined in March {recorded by E.J. Westfall, pastor}). The Bowers' left the church on 4/7/1908 apparently due to leaving the area. However, they re-joined on 1/28/1910, now living in Gormania. Mary Louisa died suddenly on 5/9/1920 at age 63 at Potomac Manor (Mineral Co.), WV. Phillip died Monday 5/2/1927 at the home of his son Allen at Durbin (Grant Co.), WV. Services for Phillip were conducted at the Gormania Presbyterian Church the following Friday (5/6) with Rev. E.J. Johnson, pastor of the M/E Church officiating. Burial was in the Tannery Cemetery at Gormania. (Sonny O'Haver made note that the funeral was not conducted at the M/E Church of which Phillip was a member, because the structure was heavily damaged by a tornado and flood a few weeks earlier and wasn't re-opened until September.) At this point I haven't been able to establish where Mary Louisa was buried, but in learning that Phillip is in the Tannery Cemetery on Hoffman Hill, this is most likely where she is -- as is her mother and at least one other family member.
(NOTE: A Garrett County newspaper article dated 5/5/1927 {not an obituary} listed four sons as survivor to Phillip -- including a step-son "Leif" of Potomac Manor. Leif was actually Mary Louisa's half-brother Marquis Lafayette O'Haver.)
E2-F1-G1 ALLEN PAUL BOWERS was born ____ / ____ /1893. Gormania, WV M/E Church records show Allen becomming a member in March 1906; left the church on 4/7/1908 with his family and re-joined 1/28/1910. (In a church ledger dated 1919-1922, it is noted that P.W. {widowed} living in Gormania, and A.P. {married} living in Gormania, left the church once again because of moving. This may have been the move to Durbin, WV where Phillip died in 1927.) Allen married Beaulah Lee who was born ____ / ____ /1900. Church records show both Beaulah and Allen re-joined the church in Jan. 1929. Allen died _____ / _____ /1952, and Beaulah died _____ / _____ / _____. They are buried in the Pope Cemetery at Gormania.
E2-F1-G2 CHARLES M. BOWERS was born ____ / ____ /1897. (Lived in West Newton, PA at the time of his father's death in 1927.) Gormania M/E Church records show Charles as single and living in Gormania when he joined the church on 2/17/1918. He was baptised the same day, and became a full member on 6/2/1918 by Rev. D.B. Orr, pastor. Another ledger note in the 1919-1922 church record shows Charles as married and living in Gormania, but removed from membership "by letters". Charles may have also moved when his brother and father moved to Durbin, WV. He married Myrtle M. ______________ who was born _____ / _____ /1902. Myrtle died _____ / _____ /1956, and Charles died _____ / _____ /1967. They are buried in the Pope Cemetery at Gormania.
E2-F1-G2-H1 SONNY BOWERS
E2-F1-G2-H2 LORETTA BOWERS
E2-F1-G3 HARSH BOWERS was born __________________ (prior to 1920). (Lived in Virginia at the time of his father's death in 1927.)
E2-F2 JOHN W. GAVER O'HAVER was born 9/18/1858 in Virginia. In 1885 in Allegany Co., MD he married Sarah Elizabeth Blackburn born in 1865 in WV to James and Christianna Blackburn. John and Sarah moved to Hambleton (Tucker Co.), WV about 1908 and he worked at the Parsons Tannery in neighboring Parsons, WV. On 2/19/1930, John walked home from work as usual, and a short time later he was found dead in the back yard at his home. He had suffered a heart attack. Services were conducted at the family home in Hambleton with the Rev. A. Brooke Withers of the Parsons Baptist Church officiating. John was returned to Bayard, WV for burial. (A notation in the Parsons Newspaper stated: "Mr. O'Haver was a consistent member of the Baptist Church and attended here at Parsons. He was one of the county's best Christian fathers, industrious, frugel, kind and generous, and will be greatly missed not only in his family, but in Hambleton, where he has lived for the last twenty-three years.") . Sarah died 3/3/1940 at age 70 yr. 11mo. 11 da. She is buried next to John and their daughter Anna May in Bayard Cemetery. The couple had 5 children.