CLOWER FAMILY
The Clower family at Biloxi, Mississippi had its origins in Scott County, Mississippi where Josiah C. Clower (1859-1930) and the children of Thomas H. Clower (1838-1906), his brother, would settle on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the 1890s and early 1900s. J.C. Clower was the first to arrive and was followed by Mary J. ‘Molly’ Robbins Clower (1855-1930+) and her children. Molly was the widow of Thomas H. Clower. Thomas S. Clower and John Robbins Clower, her sons, would be long time business partners in the retail furniture business at Biloxi and Gulfport with J.C. Clower, their uncle.
Josiah C. Clower
Josiah Coger Clower (1859-1930) was born on November 22, 1859, at Hillsboro, Scott County, Mississippi to John K. Clower (1820-1880+) and Mary Addison (1813-1880+). Circa 1890, J.C. Clower married Mary Thornton (1866-1963), also a Mississippi native. Their children were: Jessie Lee Clower (1891-1971) m. Sergeant Major Robert Laurie Brinson (1887-1967); Aida Clower (1895-1990) m. James L. Yates (1889-1975); and Maybelle T. Clower (1898-1973) m. Amos Lamar Byrd (1896-1988). In 1900, Bonnie Clower (1882-), a niece and the daughter of Thomas H. Clower (1838-1906), lived with the J.C. Clower family on Front Street [Beach Boulevard] at Biloxi, Mississippi.(1900 Harrison Co., Mississippi Federal Census T623_808, p. 1A, ED 31 and The Biloxi Daily Herald, 1902, p. 59)
Jessie T. Clower
Children: Joe Mill Brinson; Robert L. Brinson II; Woodruff Brinson.
Religion and Politics
The Clower family was devoted to the Methodist Church and was probably one of its earlier supporters at Biloxi. Even in his incipient days on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Josiah C. Clower was involved in his religion. In May 1895, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Seashore Campground, at the time west of Biloxi, with Dr. E.F. Griffin, J.L. Dantzler, and J.A. McLeod.(The Biloxi Herald, May 4, 1895, p. 1)
Biloxi Store
J.C. Clower was in the ‘plain and fancy furniture and house furnishings business’ at Biloxi, Mississippi as early as 1895. At this time, salient characteristics of persona were evident in the community as he was described in 1902 as: ‘a through business man, a careful financier, and punctual in all his methods’. Mr. Clower was also a civic dynamo and an entrepreneur of the first magnitude. In his early years at Biloxi, he belonged to the Odd Fellows, Woodmen of the World, and the Biloxi Commercial Club.(The Biloxi Daily Herald, 1902, p. 59)
The Biloxi Herald lauded the Clower furniture store in September 1895 as follows: Those contemplating making purchases of furniture and house furnishing goods can find no better place than the large store of J.C. Clower where the stock is large and complete and prices right. Buying for cash direct from the factories, he can compete with the large New Orleans’ merchants.(The Biloxi Herald, September 28, 1895, p. 8)
Gulfport Store
In November 1911, J.C. Clower opened another furniture store in Gulfport, Mississippi. It was located at 1311 26th Avenue. The company organization was as follows: J.C. Clower, president; Thomas S. Clower, secretary; and John R. Clower, treasurer. They sold carpets, matting, rugs, linoleum, house and office furniture, stoves, ranges, and furnishing and fixtures of every description.(The Daily Herald, September 26, 1912, p. 11)
Malcolm G. Clower
Malcolm Graham Clower (1881-1957) was born in Scott County, Mississippi on January 27, 1881. His parents were Thomas H. Clower (1838-1906), an Alabama native, and Mary J. ‘Molly’ Robbins (1855-1930+), a Mississippi lady. In 1900, the Clowers were farming for their livelihood in Beat 1, Scott County, Mississippi.(1900 Scott Co., Mississippi Federal Census T623_827, p. 18A, ED 88)
After the demise of Thomas H. Clower in mid-November 1906, at Hillsboro, Scott County, Mississippi, Molly Robbins Clower relocated the family to Biloxi, Mississippi.
440 East Howard Avenue
Malcolm died August 1, 1957.
Elizabeth Latimer Clower
REFERENCES:
The Biloxi Daily Herald, Business and Professional Men, (The Biloxi Daily Herald: Biloxi, Mississippi-1902).
The Daily Herald 50th Golden Jubilee Number Biographical and Historical 1884-1934, (The Daily Herald: Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi-1934).
Harrison Co., Mississippi Chancery Court Cause No. 11489, ‘The Estate of J.C. Clower-February-1930.[Will Bk. 6, p. 268]
Journals
The Biloxi Herald, “”,
The Biloxi Herald, “Seashore District Conference”, May 4, 1895.
The Biloxi Herald, “Purely personal”, September 14, 1895.
The Biloxi Herald, “Local City News”, September 28, 1895.
The Biloxi Herald, “Local City News”, July 25, 1896.
The Biloxi Herald, “Local City News”, February 6, 1897.
The Biloxi Daily Herald, “Reader”, November 7, 1900.
The Biloxi Daily Herald, “City News”, November 15, 1906.
The Daily Herald, “Biloxi Machine Works will apply for Charter”, February 26, 1910.
The Daily Herald, “Cleophan entertained”, April 12, 1911.
The Daily Herald, “Furniture business sold to Biloxian”, October 24, 1911.
The Daily Herald, “Charter of Incorporation of the J.C. Clower Furniture Company”, November 24, 1911.
The Daily Herald, “J.C. Clower Furniture Company”, September 26, 1912.
The Daily Herald, “Removal sale-Goods at cost”, December 28, 1912.
The Daily Herald, “Morgan now sole owner of store”, March 17, 1913.
The Daily Herald, “New furniture store in Biloxi”, October 10, 1913
The Daily Herald, “Stockholder and annual meeting”, January 11, 1916.
The Daily Herald, “Bank of Gulfport”, March 17, 1917.
The Daily Herald, “Chairman Tremmel names auto”, May 5, 1918.
The Daily Herald, “Brinson-Clower wedding”, November 29, 1918.
The Daily Herald, “Charter of Incorporation of the Gulf Park College”, May 22, 1919.
The Daily Herald, “Miss Hicks gets $800 judgment”, April 20, 1922.
The Daily Herald, “Judgment rendered against G. & M.C.T. Co. awarded”, April 21, 1922.
The Daily Herald, “Rushing work on syrup company”, October 27, 1921.
The Daily Herald, “Cane growers dissatisfied”, September 16, 1922.
The Daily Herald, “Charter of Incorporation of the Mississippi Cane Syrup Company”, October 22, 1922.
The Daily Herald, “Mrs. Latimer buried”, April 11, 1932.
The Daily Herald, “Henry E. Latimer died last night”, March 22, 1941.
The Times Picayune, “Plan inter-city Kiwanis rally”, January 12, 1924.
The Times Picayune, “Biloxi bank names D.J. Gay president”, January 18, 1924.
The Times Picayune, “Yates-Clower”, September 7, 1926.
The Times Picayune, “Superior Oil Company of Gulfport”, January 31, 1929.
Clower Family Notes
Malcolm G. Clower (1881-1957) d. August 1, 1957.
Thomas H. Clower , buried July 16, 1969.
MC Clower-December 14, 1967.
Mary Clower-October 13, 1962.
Joseph Clower-February 19, 1944.
Molly Robbins Clower
Fifth Addition- Blk 13, Lots 282-307
Josiah H. Clower (1859-1930)-died January 30, 1930.
Mary Thornton Clower (1866-1963)
James Lewis Yates (1889-1975)
Aida Clower Yates (1895-1990)
Amos Lamar Byrd (1897*-1988)
October 1, 1896 February 29, 1988 [*military burial marker does not agree with birth year on tombstone]
Maybelle Clower Byrd (1898-1973)
Fifth Addition- Blk 13, Lots 282-307
Josiah H. Clower (1859-1930)-died January 30, 1930.
Mary Thornton Clower (1866-1963)
James Lewis Yates (1889-1975)
Aida Clower Yates (1895-1990)
Amos Lamar Byrd (1897*-1988)
October 1, 1896 February 29, 1988 [*military burial marker does not agree with birth year on tombstone]
Maybelle Clower Byrd (1898-1973)
Another Clower plot that I found
Joseph Coga Clower
September 26, 1894 February 17, 1964
Catherine Foxworth Clower
June 7, 1897 September 23, 1981
Charles D. Clower
May 30, 1951 December 2, 1993
Lois W. Dennis
July 13, 1896 November 11, 1972
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