Their son, Burgess, was born in Hancock county, Nov. 30, 1844. He came with his parents to Wisconsin, and continued to live with them until 1863, when he enlisted in the 17th regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers.

He went to Vicksburg, Miss.; came home on veteran furlough with the regiment; returned to the army in March, 1864; was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee; was in all the battles in which the 17th army corps was engaged --- Resaca, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountain, siege of Atlanta, Lovejoy station, march to the sea, through South and North Carolina to Washington in May, 1865; to Louisville, Ky., in June, 1865; sent from Louisville, Ky., to Madison to be discharged, in July, 1865; arrived at home Aug., 5, 1865, and remained there until twenty-six years old.

He was then married to May J,  (Mary Jane?) daughter of George and Mary (Welsh) Norman, and settled on a farm on section 7, which he had previously purchased of William Joslyn.

In 1879, he went to Wonewoc, Wis., and worked at wagon making for fifteen months. He then engaged in mercantile business at Yuba, where he is now doing a good business. Mr. and Mrs. Fowler have two children --- Winnie J and Willie A.

From 1906 History:

The first store in Yuba was established by Burgess Fowler in August, 1880, in the same building that had been formerly occupied by the saloon.

In 1882 Mr. Fowler erected a building, 24x44 feet in size, two stories in height. The upper story is used as a tenement; and the lower is occupied by the general merchandise store.

Mary Bulin Fowler's mother's maiden name was Mary Stanek.  Could this be the same Stanek family on the map of Yuba?  

Our Mary Stanek married Joseph Bulin and our Grandma Mary Bulin Fowler was born.

Now stay with me...  :)  Mary Stanek's parents were also named Mary and Joseph, and Joseph Bulin's parents were named Mary and Joseph, too !   There are many sets of Marys and Josephs in our family and we'll learn more about them later....

The name Mary is important in our family because of the Marys of the Fowlers, Allisons, Bulins and Staneks and also because of Aunt Mary Rasmussen Sorenson on the other side of our family.  But that is another story!   Mary is a family name and someday there should be another one !

Did Grandpa Burgess meet his 2nd wife, Mary Bulin, our Grandma Fowler at his store in Yuba?   If that day didn't happen, we wouldn't be here.   What happened to Mary Jane Norman Fowler, his first wife and their 2 kids?    We know Grandpa Jesse wrote their birthdates in his calender of August 1926.  Winnie Fowler, September 28, 1873 and Willie Allison Fowler, Nov. 9, 1876. They must have been close.  Oh, the questions ! 

We just found reference to Mary J. Norman Fowler, 1st wife of Burgess and mother to Willie and Winnie.  The 1906 Richland County history says she died in September 1886.  Willie would have been just 10 years old, Winnie, 13.  By 1890, Burgess had married Mary Bulin and had their first son, Charles.    We will try to find out more.

JOHN W.

Their son, John W, was born in Hancock county, Oct. 31, 1850, and was in his fifth year when his parents came to Wisconsin. His younger days were spent on the farm and in school. He was married Oct. 18, 1874, to Eva M, daughter of Lattimore and Lucy (Joslyn) Renick.

He settled at the time of his marriage on a farm lying on sections 8 and 18, that he had bought in company with his brother (Burgess) in 1870.

CARLOS JOSLIN

(THE PARENTS OF SARAH S. FOWLER, JOHN AND SARAH'S DAUGHTER)

Carlos Joslin, in June, 1847, pre-empted the southeast quarter of section 9, town 9 north, range 1 east, of the 4th principal meridian, now Orion, and in September of the same year removed his wife and three children from Mineral Point to this place.

He resided on his pre-emption but one year, when he sold to Frederick Schurman, and then entered the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 10, in the same town. Here he toiled to improve the land, and, in common with the rest of the early settlers on Ash creek, endured the hardships and enjoyed the pastimes of pioneer life.

In 1853 Mr. Joslin moved to the north part of the county and became one of the early settlers in the town of Henrietta, where he still resides, an aged and respected citizen.

Mr. Joslin was born in Chittenden Co., Vt., Nov. 30, 1805. His parents died when he was but a small boy, and he subsequently resided with his guardian, with whom, in about 1819, he removed to the State of New York.

In 1825, near Rochester, he married Mary Bostwick, a native of Canada. In about 1828 he emigrated to Michigan, and in 1841 came to Wisconsin and first settled at Madison, where he resided until November, 1846, then removed to Mineral Point, whence he came to this county.

Mr. and Mrs. Joslin have five children --- Lucy H, now the wife of Lattimer Renick; William H, James W, Mary A, now the wife of O Carl, and Albert E.

GEORGE NORMAN, SR

(THE PARENTS OF MAY JAY NORMAN, BURGESS' FIRST WIFE, MOTHER OF WINNIE AND WILLIE ALLISON FOWLER)

George Norman, Sr., one of the pioneers of Henrietta, is a native of England, born in Somersetshire, July 17, 1811, where he spent his younger days.

At the age of twenty-one he left his native land and came to America, and settled in the province of Ontario. He purchased land in what is now the town of Ora. Upon this land, which was heavily timbered, he built a log house and cleared a farm, and lived there until 1850.

He then sold out and came to Wisconsin, settled in Jefferson county, where he bought property in Watertown, and lived there until 1855. In that year he came to Richland county and entered land on section 20, of town 12, range 1 east, now known as Henrietta. He built a log house and then began clearing his farm. He occupied the log house until 1859, when he built a neat frame house, in which he now lives, on section 17.

He was married in 1834 to Mary Welsh. They have eight children --- George, Robert and Maria, twins; Joshua J, Caleb H, James, Thomas and Mary J.

Here is his biography from the 1906 Richland County History.  If we ever find our family of Willie and Winnie, we can share this with them.

George Norman was born in Somersetshire, England, in 1811, and Mary Welsh Norman was born in County Limerick, Ireland, in 1813. He died at the age of eighty-three years and she attained to the age of seventy-seven years.

George Norman was reared and educated in his native land, where he remained until he was twenty-one years of age, when he came to America, locating in the province of Ontario, Canada, where he engaged in farming and where his marriage was solemnized.

He there continued to reside for nineteen years, at the expiration of which he came to Wisconsin, first locating in Jefferson county, where he was engaged in farming until 1855, when he came as a pioneer to Richland county, settling in section 20, town of Henrietta, where his son James, of this sketch, now resides.

Here he bought 120 acres of government land, the same being heavily timbered. He built his little log house and barn and soon began to make the forest give way to cultivated fields, having raised the first wheat ever grown in the township.

He reclaimed much land from the forest and in the early days did much hunting of wild game, by which means he added materially to the attractions of the family larder; he also dug ginseng, which he sold at fair profit.

He was a man to whom was accorded uniform confidence and regard and he was one of the first to give support to the cause of the Republican party, with which he united at the time of its organization. Both he and his wife were zealous members of the First Adventist church, being specially active in religious work. They became the parents of eight children.