I have information from two different sources that my family line goes back to a William Bower who was born C1639 (probably in or around Langton Matravers in Dorset, England). He was married to Hannah who was born C 1643. William and Hannah had the following children all born in Langton Matravers: Robert Bower, b: C1665. Sarah Bower, b: C1667. Elizabeth Bower, b: C1669. Abigail Bower, b: 1671. John Bower, b: C1673. Martha Bower, b: C1677. Anna (Hannah) Bower, b:C1679. Elizabeth Bower, bap: 7th Sept 1678. Abigail Bower, bap: 26th Dec 1680. John Bower, bap: 2nd July 1682. William Bower, b: C1675; married Sarah who was born C 1688 and who was buried 23rd Sept 1734 in Langton Matravers. William and Sarah Bower had the following children, all baptised in Langton Matravers: Israel Bower, bap: 28th Jan 1715; married Jane (Jenny) Hibbs in Jan of 1737 in Langton Matravers. Jane was born C 1715. Moses Bower, bap: 1st Jan 1711; m: 20th Dec 1731 Langton Matravers to Margaret Brownsea. Aaron Bower, bap: 19th April 1713; m: Elizabeth Patten on 12th Nov 1735 Studland, Dorset. Samuel Bower, bap: 16th Dec 1716; buried 15th May 1730. Jane Bower, bap: 28th Sept 1718. Miriam Bower, bap: 15th June 1720; M: Water Spencer on 11th June 1739 in Langton Matravers. Tucker Bower, bap: 17th Sept 1721; buried 15th Sept 1722 Langton Matravers. Alice Bower, bap: 17th June 1721: bur 9th June 1723 Langton Matravers. Tucker Bower, bap: 3rd Oct 1723; m: Grace Edmonds on 28th July 1746 Langton Matravers. Richard Bower, bap: 14th Mar 1725. Benjamin Bower, bap: 23rd May 1727. Reuben Bower, bap: 26th Mar 1729. Anna Bower, bap: 23rd May 1731. Israel Bower and Jane Hibbs (above) had the following children who were baptised in Langton Matravers. Israel Bower, bap: 31st September 1737; m: Margaret Edmonds (born C1739) in 1760 in Swanage, Dorset. Samuel Bower, bap: 3rd Aug 1739; buried 30th June 1769 Langton Matravers. William Bower, bap: 1st Mar 1743; buried 21st Mar 1743 Langton Matravers. Betty Bower, bap: 14th Apr 1745. Jenney Bower, bap: 18th Mar 1748. Richard Bower, bap: 23rd Nov 1748. Timothy Bower, bap: 13th Oct 1751; m: Mary Brine on 29th Apr 1773 Langton Matravers. Sarah Bower, bap 2nd Sept 1753; buried 27th Nov 1753 Langton Matravers. Susannah Bower, bap 10th Nove 1754. Israel Bower and Margaret Edmonds had the following children: Israel Bower, bap: 3rd Aug 1760 Langton Matravers; m: Abigail Edmonds on 23rd June 1783 Langton Matravers. Phineas Bower, bap: 20th Jun 1762, Langton Matravers; d: 11th Apr 1843 Langton Matravers. Elizabeth Bower, bap: 23rd Sept 1765 Swanage, Dorset. Mary Edmonds Bower, bap: 3rd Aug 1766 Swanage, Dorset. John Bower, bap: 8th June 1769 Swanage, Dorset. William Bower, bap: 3rd Nov 1771 Langton Matravers. Jane Bower, bap: 28th Apr 1774 Langton Matravers. Richard Bower, bap: 25th Aug 1776 Langton Matravers. Susannah Bower, bap: 9th Dec 1781 Langton Matravers. >From here I’m more certain of my information. Israel Bower and Abigail Edmonds had the following children, all baptised in Langon Matravers. Matilda Bower, bap: 17th Oct 1784; m: Joseph Marsh on 20th Oct 1807 Langton Matravers. Reuben Bower, bap: 13th Aug 1786. Ann Bower, bap: 6th Jul 1788. Israel Bower, bap: 27th June 1790; m: Tabitha Turner. Robert Bower, bap: 9th Aug 1792; m: Sarah Smith on 11th Apr 1814 in Langton Matravers. Robert appears to have been still alive in 1851 as his name appears in the 1851 census. Sarah appears to have died prior to 1851 as she doesn’t appear in the 1851 census. Robert and Sarah’s children were: Robert Charles Bower, bap: 2nd Aug 1836, Swanage. Harriet Bower, bap: 11th Nov 1832, Langton Matravers. Titus Bower, bap:19th June 1814, Langton Matravers. Mary Ann Bower, bap:27th July 1817, Langton Matravers. Jane Bower, bap:5th May 1822, Langton Matravers. Louisa Bower, bap:4th Sept. 1825, Langton Matravers George Smith Bower, Born:17th Feb 1820, Langton Matravers; bap:26th March 1820, Langton Matravers; m: Louisa Woodrow on 28th May 1844 Swanage, Dorset; d: 18th May 1884 in Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia. Children of George Smith Bower and Louisa Woodrow were: Elizabeth Bower, born: About 1844 George Bower, born: about 1846, Herston, Dorset. Maria Bower, born:1849/50, Herston; m: Charles Cross in Vic, Australia. Walter Bower, born:1850/55; d:before 1858 Louisa Bower, born:about 1855, Herston, Dorset. Walter Bower, born:about 1858 Frederick Bower, born:about 1861 Nathaniel Bower, born:about 1863, Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia; M; Annie Dawe in 1885, Castlemaine, Vic, Australia. Alfred Bower, born:about 1860, Victoria, Australia. George Bower and Elizabeth Ann Luty lived in Melbourne where George worked as a stonemason and when work dropped off they moved to Sydney, NSW, Australia. They moved there between 1876 and 1878. Their children were: Elizabeth Alice Bower, b: 1866. Minnie Bower, b: 1868. Louisa Bower, b: 8th Dec 1870 Collingwood, Victoria; m: William Burt in Melbourne, Vic. George William Bower, b: 1872. Nathaniel James Bower, b: 1874. Alfred Bower, b: 1876. Florence Maud Bower, b: 1879, Sydney, NSW. Arthur Leslie Bower, b: 1881, Sydney, NSW. Lorenzo Bower, b: 1885, Sydney, NSW. Albert E Bower, b: 1887, Sydney, NSW. Walter E Bower. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If anyone has connections to this family, or any information about them, I would love to hear from you. Regards, Andrea Fitzgerald.