Henry and Ethel Fowler, Hattie’s aunt and uncle

More of the Hattie Belle Grace story: this photo is of her uncle Henry with whom Hattie lived in 1910, along with her Fowler grandparents. That’s really all we know about Hattie’s interaction with her uncle other than she kept this photo of them. So let’s explore Henry and his wife Ethel.

Henry(i) A. Fowler was born on December 7, 1870 in Washington, Sullivan County, New Hampshire. On his birth record his “ethnicity” is listed as Canadian, just as Hattie Grace’s was. He was the oldest child of Clinton and Ellen Fowler. Like many NH residents of the time, Clinton was a farmer.

Henry married late for his time. At the age of 32 he married Ethel Barton in 1913. Ethel was 10 years his junior at 22. Later census show her to be even younger. In 1920, Henry and Ethel lived in Henniker, Merrimack, New Hampshire with little Andrew, age 5. Like his father, Henry was a farmer. By 1930, he’d changed professions and was working as a trucking teamster. Andrew appeared to be their only son. In 1930 Andrew as 15 and Henry 59.

Three years later in 1933 Henry died in Henniker. He was 62 and his son only 18. I’m not sure how Ethel was 22 in 1913 and managed to be 43 in 1940. She shaved off the years somewhere. No record of her death has been found yet. Andrew appeared to live until 1994.