Dade County History Book

SARAH ELIZABETH FOWLER AND WILLIAM S. PORTER

Elizabeth Fowler was born December 10, 1855. Her family was affluent and as a result was waited on hand and foot. This made her life later very hard. She was the daughter of Alfred M. and Nancy E. Paris Fowler. After she had her children they lived on the Creek Road area of Dade County. She would make sauerkraut by the barrel. In the  winter she would sell it for 5c a bucket. In the winter they would break the ice from the top of the barrel to get to the kraut. In later life she was called “Aunt Sissy”. She ran a boarding house in South Chattanooga for several years.

On November 3, 1880 she married William Samuel Porter who was born March 22, 1855. He was the son of Kit and Martha Withrow Porter.

They had six children.

1. Mary Lou was born September 20, 1881. She did not marry until she was a mature lady. Her husband was John Davis. He was a builder and built many houses in and around Battery Place and Fortwood in Chattanooga. After he retired he built a motor home, long before the days of commercially built ones, and they traveled to Florida every winter. They returned to Chattanooga every spring. After his death she continued the practice of going to Florida for the winter. She would live with a family to look after the elderly members. When she retired she bought a mobile home. She met a wonderful man named George Worth. They married and had several happy years together. She died March 31, 1964 and is buried at Sarah’s Chapel.

2. Robert Byron (see Annie and Robert Porter).

3. Herbert Cleveland (see Beulah and Herb Porter).

4. Flora Elizabeth was born June 11, 1887. She was a beautiful girl but died very young January 31, 1906. She is buried at Sarah’s Chapel.

5. Walter Grady was born August 1, 1890. He was always eager to learn and spent much of his life pursuing knowledge. As a young man he fell while working on a roof and was crippled for the rest of his life. He died in December 1975 and in a buried at Sarah’s Chapel.

6. William Joel was born July 29, 1894. As an adult he worked with the U.S. Postal Service. He married Bertha Schook and lived in Chattanooga for many years. He then moved and for many years no one in the family knew his whereabouts. He was later located in Arizona where he had moved for his health. He died January 1983 and is buried in Phoenix, Arizona.

William Porter died February 22, 1929 and is buried at Satah’s Chapel. Sarah Elizabeth

Died August 26, 1937 and is also buried at Sarah’s Chapel. (Submitted by Janie Mahan, P.O. Box 56, Wildwood Ga 30747)