Posted By:	Larry Cockerham
	Email:
	Subject:	Re: Mary Gower/John Randolph Robertson
	Post Date:	July 04, 2009 at 21:44:44
	Message URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/gower/messages/1213.html
	Forum:	Gower Family Genealogy Forum
	Forum URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/gower/

This may add to the confusion: Family tradition holds that this line of Gowers descends from an English Lord named Abel Gower who was lost at sea with several of his family members. So far, I haven’t found evidence of any proof, so we will begin our chart with Abel Gower Sr. who was a colleague of Kasper Mansker who established an early fort in what is now Goodlettsville, Tennessee. Abel and his son Abel Jr. were both massacred by Indians 10 Nov 1780 while harvesting corn which been planted earlier that year by John Donelson on his claim at Clover Bottoms. There is a historical marker at that location. Abel Gower Sr. was born about 1720 probably in Brunswick County, Virginia and was killed in an Indian attack 10 Nov 1780 at Clover Bottom, now property of the State of Tennessee in eastern Davidson County. Abel is believed to have married        Mary Robertson born about 1746 in Brunswick County, Virginia, the daughter of        Israel Robertson b. 1686 in Scotland and his wife Sarah Williams. Mary is believed to have been the sister of John Randolph Robertson ca1720-1761 who married Mary Gower, a cousin of Abel. John and Mary were parents of General James Robertson born 28 Jun 1742 who is generally considered the founder of Nashville. See Robertson family later. Abel Gower Sr. served with the North Carolina Regulators in 1771 and was in the battle of Alamance. He was related to General James Robertson and came with his party to the Watauga settlement and later to the Cumberland settlement. He was killed by the Creek Indians at Clover Bottom (now Davidson County) while gathering corn. He was buried near Clover Bottom. The Gower party is commemorated on a state historical marker near the Lebanon Road bridge at Stones River in Clover Bottom.