George Flower (1788 - 1862)

Born 17 Apr 1788 in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Jane (Dawson) Flower — married 6 Jun 1809 (to 3 Mar 1836) in Lancaster, Lancashire, England

Husband of Eliza Julia (Andrews) Flower — married 15 Jul 1817 in Vincennes, Indiana, USA

Descendants

Died 15 Jan 1862 at age 73 in Grayville, Illinois, USA

Biography

George was born in 1788, the son of Richard Flower and Elizabeth Fordham. He was christened In Cowbridge Independent Chapel, Hertford, on 16 May 1788.^[1]

George married his first cousin, Jane Dawson in June 1809 in Lancaster^[2]

MARRIED. On Tuesday last, at St. Mary's church, Mr. George Flower, eldest son of Richard Flower, of Hertford, Esq. to Miss Jane Dawson, eldest daughter of the late John Dawson, of Aldcliffe Hall, near this town ^[3]

George married Eliza Julia Andrews on 19 March 1836 at Edwards, Illinois, United States^[4]

Extract from Family letters concerning George

In her letter, Eliza Flower (1803-1846) is referring to Richard Flower and his wife Elizabeth, their son George Flower and his soon to be wife Jane Dawson, daughter of Jane and John Dawson, Flowers sister and brother in law. The marriage of the two cousins in 1809 was obviously not to the Claytons liking. Unfortunately the marriage failed within a few years and the couple separated in 1815 but did not divorce until 1836.

Not long after his separation George Flower, convinced he should emigrate, left on an exploratory trip to America in 1816 , equipped with letters of introduction to such leading Americans as Thomas Jefferson, at who’s home in Monticello, Virginia he stayed for several weeks. George Flower retuned to England in early autumn 1817, and shortly after sailed again to America, determined now upon settling in Illinois, the same community his father would emigrate to in 1818. On his journey George Flower met Eliza Julia Andrews, the daughter of Rev Mordecai Andrews and Elizabeth (Rutt) Andrews. Miss Andrews soon married George Flower although he was still legally married to Jane Dawson.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑

   1788 CHRISTENING of George Flower

   (FamilySearch database: 1 Nov 2018)

2. ↑

   1809 MARRIAGE of George to Jane Dawson

   England Marriages, 1538–1973 "

   FamilySearch database: 13 March 2020), Geo Flower, 1809.

3. ↑

   Lancaster Gazette - Saturday 10 June 1809

   Accessed from the British Newspaper Archive

   Accessed by Trevor Pickup on 13 March 2021

4. ↑

   1836 MARRIAGE of George Flower

   "Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935"

   (FamilySearch database: 13 January 2020), George Flower, 1836.

5. ↑

   Timothy Whelan, ed.,

   "Politics, Religion, and Romance:

   The Letters of Benjamin Flower and Eliza Gould Flower 1794-1808"

   (Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales 2008), page 320