Sophia (Scott) Bowers (1872 - abt. 1918)

Born 25 Jul 1872 in Queensland, Australia

Ancestors

Wife of Edward James Bowers — married 25 May 1896 in Queensland, Australia

Descendants

Died about 18 Jan 1918 at about age 45 in Benton Harbor, Berrien, Michigan, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Wendy Scott [send private message]

Biography

Sophia Scott was born on 25 July 1872 on the Darling Downs, Queensland. She was the daughter of William Scott and Sophia Neale.^[1]

On 25 May 1896, she married Edward Bowers.^[2] They had the following children:

1. Angelina Winnifred Bowers, 1897
   
2. Elsie Scott Bowers, 1899
   
3. William Leslie Bowers (known as Leslie), 1903
   

In 1904, her husband passed away. From 1908 to 1910, she was a teacher at the Myora Aboriginal School on Stradbroke Island (where her father had also taught and been a superintendant until his death in 1906.)^[3]

In 1916, as a widow aged 43 years, she and her children, along with several other members of the Scott family, emigrated to Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States of America. They sailed from Sydney on the SS Ventura on 31 May 1916, arriving in San Francisco on 19 June 1916.^[4]

The family became part of the House of David, a religious commune in Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan.^[5]

Sophia passed away on 18 Jan 1918, aged 45, and is buried in the Crystal Springs Cemetery, Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan.^[6]

This profile is a collaborative work-in-progress. Can you contribute information or sources?

Research Notes

Findagrave.com gives a different birthdate (10 Jul 1872) than the Queensland Birth registration. For this reason I am a little tentative about the findagrave record - If anyone can provide any corroborate evidence (or any other details about Sophia, Edward or any of their children), it would be much appreciated. Scott-13767 16:29, 8 December 2017 (EST)

Sources

1. ↑ Queensland Government, Family History Research
   

   Birth registration number: 1872/C/3702
   Name: Sophia Scott
   Date of birth: 25/07/1872
   Father: William Scott
   Mother: Sophia Neale

2. ↑ Queensland Government, Family History Research
   

   Marriage registration number: 1896/C/1618
   Date of Marriage: 25/05/1896
   Name: Edward Bowers
   Other Party: Sophia Scott

3. ↑ Walker, F. 1998 04 20: Useful and Profitable: History and race relations at the Myora Aboriginal Mission, Stradbroke Island, Australia, 1892-1940. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, Cultural Heritage Series 1(1): 137-175. Brisbane. ISSN 1440-4788.
4. ↑ "California, San Francisco Passenger Lists, 1893-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV1W-8377 : 12 March 2018), Sophia Bowers, 1916; citing San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1410 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,465,660. Note: Images 544 and 543 form the double-page spread of the manifest.
5. ↑ First-hand information as recalled by Wendy Scott whose grandfather Ernie Scott went to the USA to visit his uncle Walter in 1981.
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 10 September 2020), memorial page for Sophia Scott Bowers (10 Jul 1872–18 Jan 1918), Find A Grave: Memorial #130724684, citing Crystal Springs Cemetery, Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan, USA ; Maintained by Mookie (contributor 47515129).

See also:

• VENTURA'S PASSENGERS. (1916, May 31). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 13. Retrieved 31 May 1916.
• Additional Immigration records: Ancestry.com. Honolulu, Hawaii, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1900-1959 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Honolulu, Hawaii, compiled 02/13/1900 - 12/30/1953; National Archives Microfilm Publication: A4156; Roll: 073; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787 - 2004; Record Group Number: RG 85 Image Note: Duplicates of this image are also found at Image and Image. The only additional information these documents provide is that they had 8 pieces of baggage amongst the four family members.
• Israelite House of David information: wikipedia,
  Israelite House of David, Benton Harbor, Michigan,
  South West Michigan Directory,
  Casetext: People v. Israelite House of David