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Susan was born on January 18, 1854, in Cooper, Missouri, the daughter of William Gowens and Martha Owen[1]. Susie Ann lived to be 101 years old!
Susie was one 13 children, collectively confirmed by the 1860 and 1880 census rolls for Kelly, Cooper, Missouri:
Aunt Susie's great-great grandaughter (Myra Jean/Dean Toussaint Devine) remembers Aunt Susie telling of Susie's father, William Henry Gowens, taking Susie to see Abraham Lincoln as child. (Lincoln came to Missouri only once, during the debate over the Kansas/Missouri compromise, so this occurred in 1859.)
Susan Ann married Henry Clay Hunt[2]. and they had the following children together (from Ancestry.com trees and unless noted, need further documentation before they are confirmed and given WikiTree profiles):
Susie Ann married John Sims on January 1, 1901, in Morgan, Missouri after her children were grown[3].
Susie Ann died on March 1, 1955, in Florence, Missouri, at the age of 101, and was buried in Versailles, Missouri.
Mrs. Susie A. Sims Mrs. Susie A Suns, 101 died at her home in Florence at 6:30 am Tuesday.
She was born in Cooper County .Ian. 18. 1854, the daughter of the late Henri and Martha Gowens.
She was first married to Clay Hunt. They were the parents of seven children.
Her second marriage was to John Sims. Her marriage to Mr. Sims came after her children had established homes of their own.
Mr. Sims, residing at Akinsville for many years, died in 1916 and she had lived on a farm with a daughter, Mrs. Nora Klein, and family near Florence.
More recently, she made her home with a son. J. B, Hunt, and Mrs. Hunt.
She was a member of the Mt Carmel Baptist Church in Morgan County.
Her 101st birthday was celebrated in January.
She is survived by four children:
23 grandchildren: and several great grandchildren.
Mrs Sims was the last member of a family of 11 children. Funeral services will be held Thursday at the Mt. Carmel Church.
The body is at the Richards’ Funeral Home m Tiipton. Burial will be in the Mt. Carmel Church Cemetery.
Family lore, passed to Myra Toussaint Devine, daughter of Mamie L. Gowens and granddaughter of Terry E A Gowins, was that Great Aunt Susie told of being taken to a big event by her father. Hundreds of people had gathered to hear Abraham Lincoln speak.
Susie was too small to see over the crowd, so Susie's dad William hoisted up on his shoulders so she could see the president. She was probably about 5 at the time, because this likely took place in November 30, 1859, when Lincoln arrived at the St. Joseph, Missouri, train station.
Lincoln crossed the Missouri River by ferry and entered the town of Elwood, Kansas. In the evening he delivered a speech at the Great Western Hotel condemning the institution of slavery.
Daniel Wilder, editor of the Elwood newspaper, drove Lincoln to that town on Nov. 30. He later wrote of Lincoln, "They were legs you could fold up. The knees stood up like the hind joints of a Kansas grasshopper's legs. He wore a hat of stovepipe shape. . . . The buttons were off his shirt."
Lincoln was already a national figure when he came to Kansas in 1859. This was one year after his famous debates with Stephen Douglas, when both were running for a U.S. Senate post from Illinois.[4]
Lincoln's supporters invited him to visit Kansas because of his political influence. They hoped his presence would boost their chances in the territorial elections. Why did Lincoln accept the invitation to Kansas?
* Kansas was a national story due to violent clashes between anti- and proslavery supporters.
Lincoln's visit to Kansas coincided with the hanging of John Brown in Virginia. Earlier in the year, Brown had been fighting for the abolition of slavery. His violent methods were controversial. After Kansas, Brown went to Harpers Ferry where he raided a federal arsenal. He was hanged for treason in Virginia on December 2, 1859, the very day Lincoln was speaking in Kansas.
Lincoln's comments on this pivotal national event reflect his belief that the slavery question could be solved peacefully. This was just 16 months before the Civil War began.
"We have a means provided for the expression of our belief in regard to slavery—it is through the ballot box--the peaceful method provided by the Constitution. John Brown has shown great courage, rare unselfishness . . . But no man, north or south, can approve of violence and crime." --Abraham Lincoln, Elwood, Kansas, November 30, 1859
As Lincoln spoke in Atchison the evening Brown was hanged, he was asked about secession. Lincoln declared secession would be treason, and said, "If they [southerners] attempt to put their threats into execution we will hang them as they have hanged old John Brown today."
From Ancestry.com family trees, confirmed by census records, these are Susie's likely siblings. Those without notes need to be further documented.
The 1860 Census for Moniteau, Missouri records the following family unit, confirming all the above children born prior to 1860:
WM H, 38, farmer (William Henry) MJ, 28, female (Martha Jane) JT, 9, male, born 1851 (James Thomas) CB, 14, male born 1847 (Coleman Bruce) SA, 6, female, born 1854 (Susie Ann) WH, 5, born 1855 (William Henry) AF, female (Abigail Florence) Terry E, 1, male, born 1859 (Terry E.)
The 1880 Census for Kelly, Cooper, Missouri shows the later children in this family unit:
William Gowen Age 60 Martha Gowen Age 47 Luella Gowen Age 16 Euralee Gowen Age 14 Martha Gowen Age 11 Lay Gowen Age 9 (Leatha Gowen) Joseph Gowen Age 8 (Joseph Shelby)
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Aunt Susie is 22 degrees from Emeril Lagasse, 23 degrees from Nigella Lawson, 22 degrees from Maggie Beer, 44 degrees from Mary Hunnings, 26 degrees from Joop Braakhekke, 31 degrees from Michael Chow, 19 degrees from Ree Drummond, 23 degrees from Paul Hollywood, 23 degrees from Matty Matheson, 24 degrees from Martha Stewart, 30 degrees from Danny Trejo and 28 degrees from Molly Yeh on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.