HENRY HOWSER AND HIS DESCENDANTS

Our Heritage has grown more interesting as we have searched records in an effort to find more about our ancestors. Many words of appreciation are due to those who compiled the booklet about Hugh Borders and his wife, Luvicy Sepaugh Borders, in 1940. Their information was most helpful but some of the records concerning the grandparents of Luvicy Sepaugh need to be revised and expanded.

When we began our search we visited Aunt Kate Aydolette, then 99 years old, to get helpful information. We visited the home place, "The Rock House," built by the grandfather of Luvicy Sepaugh Borders about 1803, and the nearby Howser family cemetery, which are now owned by the National Park Service. It was exciting to learn that the National Park Services hopes to restore the "old Stone Mansion" built by our ancestor, Henry Howser, so exhibit to the public. Vandals have done much damage to the home and cemetery, so both are closed to the public at this time. We have visited many family cemeteries, county court houses, libraries, churches, church archive depositories, state archives, and the National Archives in search of information. Our records, however, are still incomplete.

The following information has been found:

We are descendants of Henry Howser, builder of the rock house. He was born in Germany about 1756, and came to America with his family through the Port of Boston. They settled for a while among other German- speaking people in Pennsylvania. He was there during the outbreak of the Revolutionary War and his name is listed on two different muster rolls in Pennsylvania in 1771, showing service of about on year.

By profession Henry Howser was a stone mason and built a number of iron furnaces in Pennsylvania before migrating south to Lincoln County, N.C. by 1779. According to documents in the National Archives he was married there on December 15, 1779 to Christina Hafner (Havener). There are indications that this might have been a second marriage, the first having been to Jane Howser. However, documented evidence would appear to rule this out (in spit of the name "Jane" being etched over the door of the rock house along with that of Henry Howser).

In 1780, a daughter, Elizabeth, was born to Henry Howser and his wife, and in time, eight other children were born to them. They will be listed later. Elizabeth married Jacob Sepaugh and this is the line through which we are descended.

We know that the Howsers were not paupers because of the land he bought. Henry Howser had applied for another, which he recieved in 1790, after he had moved to South Carolina. In 1778, he bought 125 acres on Kings Creek in South Carolina, near where the battle of Kings Mountain was fought a little over seven years earlier. He moved there promptly with his family. In July 1789, he bought an additional 125 acres.

By 1803, he had built a handsome two story stone mansion for his family, and the house remains there today. He was interested in land and bought many more acres to enlarge his farm. He also ran a distillery to provide an additional income since there were few calls for the services of a stone mason.

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