This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: DorrieSimon Surnames: Searl/Fowler/Chenoweth Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.iowa.counties.louisa/2105/mb.ashx Message Board Post: I'm looking for records of early settlers of Louisa Co. IA, William Fowler and his wife Naomi (Searl?). I recently found the following land record in Bureau County, IL: Deed # 946 William Fowler and Naoma his wife Co. of Louisa and Territory of Wisc. Sum of $30 to us in hand by Brown Searl, Co. of Bureau 65 acres off the W side of NE Quarter of section #5 in township # 15 N. of the baseline of Range 10 of the 4 principal Meridian. Naomi the wife of William Fowler claims as heir of the estate of her father the late Timothy Searl Deceased - This 5th day of July 1838. - signed by John Searl Justice of Peace I've found land patents for a William Fowler in Louisa Co. IA, and William Fowler is listed on the early census records there. I also found on the WPA Grave stone listing: FOWLER, Naomi Born: 1837 Died: 28 SEP 1879 Cemetery: GRANDVIEW Location: GRANDVIEW TWP. County: LOUISA CO. - IOWA Record Notes: LOT 81 ======== FOWLER, William Born: 1803 Died: 20 JUL 1864 Cemetery: GRANDVIEW Location: GRANDVIEW County: LOUISA CO. - IOWA Record Notes: LOT 81 The age of Naomi Fowler here would have to be wrong. She would have been born between 1815-1820 when the Timothy Searl family lived in Greene and Clark Co. OH. I'm wondering if the date was recorded wrong for the stone. In 1856 & 1860 Censuses, the family appears to be in Muscatine Co. IA 1856 - 76 Township, Muscatine Co. IA Wm. Fowler, 53, in IA 19yrs, PA Naomia, 36, in IA 19yrs, OH Jonas 19, in IA 19yrs, IL L Jane, 17, IA Henry S. 14, IA Wm. 12, IA John S. 9, IA Thos J. 5, IA (in same census Jonas Fowler, age 19, is in Center, Cedar Co. IA living with Cyrus and Cyntha Ridenour and Cain Hardman - children of Mary Searl Hardman, a sister of Naomi Searl) 1860-76 Township, Muscatine Co. IA Fowler, William, 56, farmer, PA Naoma, 40, OH Jonas 23, IL Henry L. 18, IA William, 16, IA John, 13, IA Charles, 11, IA Thomas J. 8, IA Then I found a marriage record of a Naomi Fowler to a Joel Chenoweth in Lousia Co. IA in 1865. There was a J.B. Chenoweth connected with the Searl family in Bureau Co. IL, so I don't know if there is a connection there. Iowa Marriages, 1851-1900 Name: JOEL CHENOWETH Spouse: NAOMI FOWLER Marriage Date: 31 Aug 1865 County: Louisa State: IA Naomi could have married after her husband William died in 1864, as I found Naomi and Joel in the 1870 census and Naomi is the correct age, b. 1820, in OH. 1870 Grandview, Louisa Co. IA Chenoweth, Joel, 59, farmer, OH Naomi, 50, keep house, OH Rebecca, 18, at home, IL Jno W, 11, school, IA Eva A. 9, at school, IA Then the mortality schedule shows Naomi Chenoweth as dying in Port Louisa in September 1879 - the same as the WPA stone in Granview for Naomi Fowler. U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 Name: Naomi Chenoweth Gender: Female Race: White Marital Status: Widowed Place of Birth: Kentucky Estimated Birth Year: abt 1825 Age: 55 Month of Death: Sep Cause of Death: Paralysis of brain Place of Death: (City, County, State) Port Louisa, Louisa, Iowa Census Year: 1880 I'm looking for any help on tying Naomi Fowler Chenoweth as the Naomi Searl Fowler I'm looking for. I'm pretty sure I've found the correct Naomi Searl Fowler in the land record in Bureau Co. IL as the daughter of Timothy Searl. But I'd like to be sure. Any help on finding a death record or marriage record or land record that would show Naomi's maiden name as SEARL would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure how early newspapers go back in Louisa Co. IA - but an obituary of Naomi Chenoweth from 28 Sept 1879 would be great! Naomi did have three sons who died in the Civil War, if there are records there that would help: Jonas, Henry S. and William Fowler, Jr. She also had a son John S. Fowler who moved to Muscatine Co. IA. It could be that he was John SEARL Fowler. Many times in the Searl family when you see S as the middle initial, you can almost bet that it is Searl! I'd love to hear from anyone researching the Searl, Fowler or Chenoweth families connected to Naomi OR anyone who has ideas of what records I could find in Louisa Co. and who to write to find them. thanks! dorrie Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.