from Ball, T.H., editor. Encyclopedia of Genealogy and Biography
of Lake County, Indiana with a Compendium of History 1834-1904.
Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1904. pp. 91-92.
Another true pioneer, and in fact one of the earliest dwellers in
the hamlet that grew into the county seat was LUMAN A. FOWLER. He
was born in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, October 1, 1809. He
came with Henry Wells in the fall of 1834 and spent one night with some
explorers on the wooded bank of the Lake of Red Cedars. He returned
to the camp of Solon Robinson and with his small company, six in all,
himself making seven, he spent the winter. There were two other families
before the winter closed twenty-one persons in all, that made up the
hamlet. In 1835 Luman A. Fowler went to Michigan, then a territory, and
in October was married to Miss Eliza Cochran, born in New York October
27, 1816. In December they came to the hamlet where he had spent the
last winter. Travelling in those days was more expensive than it is now,
for the Fowler record of expenses for the first year has this item at the
head of the list: "Amount of money paid out from the time of starting to
the landing on Robinson's Prairie is $83.00." Their first child was born
in October, 1836, Harriet Ann, and eight other children. four sons and
four daughters, followed her into the household. These eight all married
and their descendants are many, some in Lake county, some are out of
the county.
Luman A. Fowler became fully a public man. He was elected
Sheriff of Lake county in 1837, in 1847, 1849, in 1859, 1861, thus
holding the office for ten years. One of his sons, born in Crown Point
and still residing in Crown Point, has held the office of town or city
marshal.
from Goodspeed, Weston A., ed. Counties of Porter and Lake Indiana. Chicago: F.A. Battery & Co., 1882. p. 609.
LUMAN A. FOWLER, one of the early settlers of Lake County, was born in Berkshire County, Mass., October 1, 1809, and is a son of Josiah and Louisa (Stewart) Fowler. His parents moved to Palmyra, N.Y., where his mother died, his father afterward moving to Washtenaw County, Mich., where he died. Luman A. Fowler had a fair education, and was by trade a carpenter and joiner. At Dearborn, Mich., on October 18, 1835 he was married to Miss Eliza Cochran, daughter of John and Jane (Kessler) Cochran, born October 27, 1816, in Madison County, N.Y. This union was blessed with nine children--Harriet A., (deceased), Rollin D., Josephine (now Mrs. Williams), Arnold, Luman A., William S., Mary J. (now Mrs. Peterson), Alta E. (now Mrs. Pinney) and Mabel E. (now Mrs. Beidelman). Mrs. Fowler is yet living in Crown Point. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Fowler emigrated to what is now Lake County, locating in Centre Township, where Mr. Fowler farmed. At that period Indians and game were more abundant than white subjects, and they endured the hardships of most early settlers. Afterward Mr. Fowler became a leading citizen, whose judgment on public matters was often invoked by friends and neighbors. He was elected County Sheriff seven times, serving fourteen years--an evidence of public confidence. In 1850, he went to California, where he spent six years in mining, and returned to Crown Point where, on April 12, 1870, after eight days' illness with pneumonia, he departed. He was an honorable man, and very greatly lamented.