Nathan "Abner" Fowlkes Family

Nathan "Abner" FOWLKES, born 19 Apr 1847; died in Jun 1936; age 89, and Pattie [Martha} Jane WILLIAMS, daughter of John Williams and Judith Clark of Lunenburg County, were married 11 Dec 1871. The obituary of Pattie Jane stated that she was born 29 Jun 1849, died 25 Aug 1926.

Funeral notice of Nathan Abner Fowlkes appeared in a Lynchburg, VA Newspaper on 22 Jun 1936:

Funeral services for Nathan Abner Fowlkes were conducted yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock from Mt. Zion Baptist Church by Dr. Ernest F. Campbell. Burial was in the church yard.
Flower bearers were Miss Winifred Knight, Miss Elizabeth Knight, Mrs. Arthur Thomasson, Mrs. Wray Knight and Mrs. Coleman Watson.
Pallbearers; Sherwood Knight, Jack Knight, William Knight, Arthur Thomasson, Harold Fore and Henry Fore.
[Nathan is burried at Mt Zion Church cemetery in Lunenburg County, VA]

Abner and Patty Jane Williams had no children of their own, however they did adopt Molly Evelyn ("Eva") Fowlkes (the daughter of Patrick Henry Fowlkes and wife Mary (Molly) Harper born at Rice Depot). The adoption letter from P. H. Fowlkes reads as follows:

Adoption letter:

To Whom it may concern, this is to say that in consideration of the kind promises of Mr. Fowlkes of Lunenburg Co., VA and Mrs. Pattie J. Fowlkes, his wife to adopt my little girl Mollie Evelyn Fowlkes and to raise her up as their own child and further to educate her and having implicit confidence in all their promises towards my child, the said little Mollie Evelyn Fowlkes - and being the father and sole guardian of the said child, I do promise not to take her away from them except in case of ill treatment which I do not in the least apprehend. But I do not mean by my promise to give to Mr. and Mrs. Fowlkes the full control of my child, and to manage her in their own way to convey the idea that I renounce her as my daughter. And I sincerely hope that they may so train the child that in after years she may be a great comfort and help to them for their great kindness towards her.
As written by my hand this the 20th day of April, 1883.

P. H. Fowlkes

Evelyn (later referred to as “Eva”) was born April 3rd, 1875

Patrick Henry Fowlkes claimed to be from Prince Edward County. Shortly after the marriage to Mary Harper they were said to have moved to Ettrick in Chesterfield and raised their family. An 1880 census shows Patrick Henry Fowlkes listed in the Manchester district (now south Richmond) and occupation as a teamster. (See tombstone of Patrick H. Fowlkes photographed in 2000 by Warren N. ("Ren") Morris, Jr., son of Marjorie Fore Morris of Keysville, VA.)

Molly Harper Fowlkes must have died when her last child was an infant. Only Molly Evelyn was actually adopted by Nathan and Patty Fowlkes however they eventually served as parents to all the Fowlkes children. The children of Patrick Henry and Molly were:

Martha Louise ("Mattie")Fowlkes (b) 4/3/1875 (d) 10/17/1917 in Richmond, VA (photo). She married John Watts Williams, (brother of Patty Jane Williams). Children:

Ruby Brant Williams
Ernest Guy Williams

Mollie Evelyn ("Eva") Fowlkes (b) 4/3/1875 (d) 1/23/1916 at Fort Mitchell [Obituary]. She married Howard G. Fore 4/4/1897. Children:

Paul Elrich Fore
Pauline E. Fore
Mary Howard Fore
Harold Gray Fore
Virginia Florence Fore
Fulton Fore
Henry Fore
Evelyn Fore
Roberta Sue Fore
Robert Garland Fore
Julian Fore

Clarence Walton Fowlkes - married 1st Goldie Brown. Children:

Louise Fowlkes
Grace Brown Fowlkes
Clarence Walton Fowlkes, Jr.

Clarence Walton Fowlkes (Sr) married 2nd Grace Lee Saunders. Children:

Eva Lorraine Fowlkes
Robert Eugene Fowlkes
Helen Lee Fowlkes
Warren Douglas Fowlkes
Nettie (Dolly) Ann Fowlkes
Mildred Gertrude Fowlkes
Richard Evelyn Bird Fowlkes
Curtis Edward Fowlkes
William Carter Fowlkes

Ernest Fowlkes - - - drowned as a child in the James River - Richmond or Chesterfield County.
Lillie Mayfield - - - died at about age 7
Roberta Isophinia Fowlkes (b) 2/14/1882 (youngest) (d) 3/26/1949 in Lynchburg, VA. She married David Hughes Knight, son of Robert Edwin Knight and Martha Pettus of Lunenburg 9/4/1901. Children:

Marjorie Gray Knight - - - my mother
David Hughes Knight, Jr.
Henry Wray Knight
Mary Harper Knight
Ann Elizabeth Knight
Robert Sherwood Knight
William Scott Knight
John Caskie Knight
Winifred Lea Knight
Lillie Mayfield Knight
Edwin Knight

Jim Dillard writes: “After the death of Mary Harper Fowlkes in Richmond or Chesterfield, Roberta Isophinia Fowlkes, my grandmother, who was an infant, was raised for several years by Miles Fowlkes and his wife Milty in Chesterfield. I found reference that Miles father was a William Fowlkes but did not find a connection to either Patrick Henry or Nathan.”