The Dowis Children -- All Nineteen of Them

William Calvin Dowis (1861-1933) married Hannah Jane Burdett (1875-1927) and began their farming family in Atlanta, Georgia in the late 1800s. By the early 1900s, they had moved a short distance north to Duluth in Gwinnett County, Georgia. There they continued to farm and attended the Baptist Church in town. Upon their deaths, William and Hannah were laid to rest under the trees in the Duluth Baptist Church cemetery.

In the far corner of their southern-styled, gravel covered family plot is a large marble memorial standing taller than the rest. On it is a listing of all nineteen of the Dowis children. It seems Hannah started giving birth around the age of 16 and didn't stop until she was 43. Along with the children's names, their birth and death dates, as well as their burial locations are also recorded. It's a genealogist's dream discovery.

The Children of
William Calvin Dowis and Hannah Jane Burdett

Solomon Dowis: b. 5/19/1891, d. 11/4/1967, bur. Westview, Atlanta, GA
Victor Dowis: b. 8/8/1892, d. 5/5/1923, bur. Duluth, GA
Ferd Dowis: b. 8/22/1893, d. 3/19/1958, bur. Lawrenceville, GA
Susie Dowis: b. 10/21/1894, d. 11/8/1894, bur. Mt. Paran, Atlanta, GA
Herbert Dowis: b. 12/30/1895, d. 3/22/1966, bur. Westview, Atlanta, GA
Carrie Bell Dowis Hunt: b. 4/13/1897, d. 6/27/1984, bur. Duluth, GA
Seaborn Dowis: b. 5/23/1898, d. 9/2/1898, bur. Mt. Paran, Atlanta, GA
Ezra B. Dowis: b. 1/18/1900, d. 6/9/1900, bur. Mt. Paran, Atlanta, GA
Vivian Dowis Huff: b. 10/15/1901, d. 1/11/1967, bur. Bonaventure, Savannah, GA
Olice Dowis: b. 1/16/1903, d. 8/14/1968, bur. Park Hill, Columbus, GA
Ruth Dowis Bell: b. 2/8/1905, d. 4/5/1953, bur. Cairo, GA
Jetta Dowis: b. 9/2/1906, d. 1/20/1995, bur. Duluth, GA
Curtis Dowis: b. 12/7/1908, d. 1/17/1978, bur. Duluth, GA
Bertha Dowis: b. 8/31/1910, d. 11/17/1910, bur. Duluth, GA
Burdett Dowis: b. 8/31/1910, d. 11/17/1910, bur. Duluth, GA
Mary Dowis Pass: b. 9/23/1912, d. 1/24/1991, bur. Gwinnett Memorial Gardens, Lawrenceville, GA
Calvin Dowis: b. 9/13/1914, d. 12/21/1914, bur. Duluth, GA
Lola Dowis Teague: b. 1/1/1916, d. 9/27/2001, bur. Memory Hill, Milledgeville, GA
Infant Son: b. 10/27/1918, d. 10/27/1918, bur. Duluth, GA

William and Hannah raised Baptist preachers, military men, policemen, and teachers, just to name a few. I found it interesting that though some did move away from the family home, none seem to have left the state of Georgia (not without returning, at least).

This family intrigues me; I might just have to learn more about them. Don't worry, I'll share.