Sowards Family Featured in 1912 St. Joseph Observer

The Mr. & Mrs. Henry Sowards family, which owned Sowards Ford, now the Denver Access, was featured in the September 28th, 1912 St. Joseph Observer. They had 15 children (10 sons and 5 daughters), including three pairs of twins. As of the writing of that article, all were living; they ranged in age from 37 years to 60 years.

They had, at the time, 78 grandchildren, and many more great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

The Sowards family came from Ohio to Missouri in 1860. They were known as “spirit workers,” according to the Observer. They were governed by the advice of good spirits and warned by “rappings” of evil that was to come. These powers were shared by some members of their family, down to the fifth generation.