WILLIAM H. SOWERS, a highly esteemed citizen of Covington, Ohio, where he has been living a retired life for the past few years, is a veteran of the great Civil War, and was born January 9, 1842, in Covington, Miami County, Ohio, a son of John and Mary (Thompson) Sowers.

John Sowers was born in Berks County, Penna., where he was reared, and as a young man came to Covington, Ohio, where he was married to Mary Thompson, who was born in Newberry Township, the daughter of John Thompson. Sylvester Thompson, the grandfather of Sowers, came from North Carolina in 1808, and for many years ran a still house on the home farm in Ohio. His son John, who was born in 1798, in North Carolina, accompanied the family to Ohio, and grew up on the farm in Newberry Township, south of Covington, which adjoined that of the Sowers. John Thompson married Katharine Rench, who was born in Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of twelve children, of whom Mrs. Sowers was the eldest; three died in infancy, and but two are now living - Mrs. Catherine Falkner and Mrs. Lavina Marlin of Covington. John Sowers died in 1898, and his widow survived him until 1902, at which time she was the oldest native-born woman in Miami County.

William H. Sowers was reared in Covington, where on April 19,1861, he enlisted for three months' service in the Eleventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On October 11th of the same year he became a member of the Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and with that regiment he served until being mustered out of the service October 12, 1864, at Columbus, Ohio he being stationed for nearly all of that period at Louisville, Ky. After his service, Mr. Sowers returned to Covington, but later went to Bradford, where for some time he was engaged in the mill and grain business, also operating a general store with his father and brothers, the warehouse and store being in one building. In addition to this, Mr. Sowers was agent for the Pennsylvania Rail road at that time. In 1883 he removed with his family to Chicago, where for seven years he was in the employ of the Adams Express Company, and he then took charge of the parcel room and bureau of information at the Union Depot, Chicago, continuing in that capacity until 1905. At this time Mr. Sowers returned to Covington, where he has since lived a retired life. Mr. Sowers has not been in the best of health for the past few years, due, no doubt, to his army service, and he spends his winters at Hot Springs, Ark.

In 1862, while at Louisville, Mr. Sowers was united in marriage with Luella Dunning, who is a daughter of James Barry and Sarah (Porter) Dunning, the former a native of Virginia and one of the early grocers of Covington, and the latter a native of Kentucky. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Sowers, namely: Edward, who died at the age of thirteen months; and Nettie, who married Winfield Freeman, and died after a married life of one year.