I have great news! A cousin, Greg Bowers, solved my brick wall mystery ancestor. It looks like Johannes Bauer {John Bowers} was the son of Christian Bauer {Bower} and Veronica Spickler {Spicker}.

The next mysteries, of course, are the Swiss parents of Christian and Veronica. Anyone out there able to identify Christian and Veronica’s parents?

Here’s a brief summary of what Greg discovered:

Christian Bauer {Bower}, was a miller by trade,
born: 5 December 1734 in Switzerland and
died: 18 January 1790 near Manchester, Carroll County, Maryland at 55 years 1 month and 13 days old.

About 1767, Christian Bauer married Veronica Spickler.

Veronica Spickler {Spicker} was
born: 22 April 1742 in Switzerland and
died: 22 October 1796 near Manchester, Carroll County, Maryland at 54 years old.

Christian and Veronica Bauer {Bower} were both buried in the Jerusalem Lutheran Church Cemetery, formerly Bower’s Church Cemetery, near Manchester, Carroll County, Maryland.

Christian and Veronica Bauer’s springhouse at 1322 Bachman Valley Road, Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland has been designated by the Maryland Historical Trust as a state historical site. It stands today, February 2012.

Children of Christian and Veronica Spickler Bauer {Bower} have been documented as follows:

1) Barbara Bauer may have been born around 1768. According to Christian’s will, Barbara had a daughter, Elizabeth {Elizabet}. According to the A Directory of the Bower-Swickard Families, Christian’s daughter, Barbara Bower married Martin Easterday of Frederick County in 1783. However, online researchers suggest that the Barbara Bauer who married Martin Easterday was in fact the daughter of Conrad Bauer and Maria Eva {last name unknown.} There was an Elizabeth Bauer buried in the cemetery next to Christian and Veronica Spickler Bauer’s tombstones who was born 7 June 1788 and died less than 2 years old on 2 February 1790.

2) Christian Bowers may have been born around 1769. Christian married Salome Yingling (Jüngling, Jungling, Yuengling) on 6 April 1790 in the Reformed and Lutheran Church, Manchester, Carroll County, Maryland. Ambrose Bower of A Directory of the Bower-Swickard Families suggests that Martin Easterday married Salome after the death of her husband, Christian.

Christian and Salome Yingling Bauer’s children were Johannes {John} who married Christina Swickard, Christian, Susana, Salome, and David who married a woman whose last name was Harmon.

3) Johannes Bauer (John Bower) and Susanna {last name unknown}. See previous post for their family story.

4) Matthias Bower was born 13 January 1774 in Baltimore County, Maryland and died 2 May 1849, Plain Twp, Stark County, Ohio at 75 years old. He is buried in Warstler, Stark County, Ohio. On 5 December 1806 in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, Mathias married Catherine Houck {Hauck, Hawk}. Catherine Houck was born 9 January 1775, Baltimore County, Maryland and died 14 August 1849, Plain Twp, Stark County, Ohio at 74 years old, 3 months after her husband died.

Mathias and Catharine Houck Bower’s children were Salome who married John W. Lautzenhiser {Loutzenheiser}, John, Jacob, Harriet who married Daniel Swihart, William who married Sarah Jane Grogg, Susan, Sarah who married Jacob Koontz, Eliza who married John Kimmel, Rachel who married Christian Anderson Zents {Sentz}, David who first married Elizabeth Golden and then Catherine Dean, and Anna who married Abraham Daniel Grogg.

5) Catherine (Caty) Bowers married Jacob Houck. Jacob may have been the brother of Catherine Houck who married Johannes’ brother, Matthias Bower.

6) Jacob Bowers married Elizabeth {last name unknown.} They had most of their children in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland. Jacob and Elizabeth’s children were Jacob, Anne, George, Ester, Jacob, Margaret, Adam, Margaret and Mary Jane Bowers.

7) According to A Directory of the Bower-Swickard Families, it is suggested that Barnhart Bower was the son of Christian Bower. Online researchers disagree with this book and state Barnhart Bower was the son of Conrad Bower and Marie Eva {last name unknown,} just like the Barbara Bower who married Martin Easterday. Online researchers say that Barnhart Bower married Mary Minnick.

8) According to A Directory of the Bower-Swickard Families, it is suggested that Samuel Bower was the son of Christian Bower.

9) According to A Directory of the Bower-Swickard Families, it is suggested that Ambrose A. Bowers, 345 Fair Ave., NW New Philadelphia, Ohio, was the son of Christian Bower.

10) According to A Directory of the Bower-Swickard Families, it is suggested that the Honorable John P. Bower, member of the Ohio Senate, Rushsylvania, Ohio, was the son of Christian Bower.