Viola SPEARS

(b. 7 July 1887 , Boones Camp, Johnson County, Kentucky, USA d. 21 January 1963 , Wayland, Floyd, Kentucky, USA )

Am I Your Ancestor?
SPEARS Family Tree – Connecting the Past to the Present!

What started out as our family is now your’s too!

Viola SPEARS was born 7 July 1887 in Boones Camp, Johnson County, Kentucky, USA

Viola SPEARS was the child of Lindsay SPEARS and Louisa BLEVINS

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

Viola married Jack BOWEN January 1906 in Kentucky, USA . The couple had (at least) 1 child.
Jack BOWEN was born 14 June 1883 in Kentucky, USA. Jack died 9 April 1969 in Lawrence, Kentucky, USA. Jack was the child of James M BOWEN and Sarah Ann Julie DUTTON.

Viola SPEARS died 21 January 1963 in Wayland, Floyd, Kentucky, USA.
Details of the family tree of Viola appear below.

Everyday Chronicles: Life of the Average American Woman in the Mid-1900s

Family and Children of Viola SPEARS

[Hide/Show]

Viola SPEARS married

Jack BOWEN-- Date: January 1906 Place: , Kentucky, USA
Jack BOWEN was the child of James M BOWEN and Sarah Ann Julie DUTTON

Children of Jack BOWEN and Viola SPEARS:

James Lindsey BOWEN (b.January 2, 1916, Johnson, Kentucky, USA d. abt. 1965, Randle, Washington, USA)
m. Gladys Marie SPEARS

Share the History, Life Events, and Stories of Viola SPEARS
(Add details like birth, baptism, census records, military service, obituary, personal achievements, and more.)

[Hide/Show]

Discovering the Ancestry of Viola SPEARS: Events, Photos & Historical Records

1887 Birth
7 July 1887
Boones Camp, Johnson County, Kentucky, USA

1889 - The automobile is invented (Gottlieb Daimler, Germany)

1889 - Benjamin Harrison becomes President of the United States

1891 - The zipper is invented (Whitcomb L. Judson, United States)

The motion picture camera is invented (Thomas Alva Edison, William K.L. Dickson, United States)

First Perforated Toilet Paper Roll is Patented

1893 - Grover Cleveland becomes President of the United States

1897 - Aspirin is invented (Felix Hoffmann (Bayer), Germany)

1897 - William McKinley becomes President of the United States

1898 - April 25 – Spanish-American War: The United States declares war on Spain

1898 - December 10 – The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War.

1901 - King Camp Gillette and William Emery Nickerson invented the world's first disposable razor blade in 1901. (Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

1901 - William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, was shot on the grounds of the Pan-American Exposition in the Temple of Music in Buffalo, New York, on September 6, 1901, six months into his second term. He was shaking hands with the public when an anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, shot him twice in the abdomen. Theodore Roosevelt becomes President of the United States.

1902 - July 17 - Willis Haviland Carrier designed the first modern air-conditioning system. (Buffalo, New York, USA)

1903 - The first engine-powered airplane is invented (Wilbur & Orville Wright, United States)

1904 - June 28 - U.S. begins construction of Panama Canal.

1906 Marriage / Partner
Viola SPEARS and Jack BOWEN January 1906, , Kentucky, USA

She was 18 years old.

1906 - August 22 – The first Victor Victrola, a phonographic record player, was manufactured, revolutionizing the way people listened to music at home.

In 1906, Reginald Fessenden made the first AM radio broadcast on December 24th. This event marked a significant advancement in radio technology, paving the way for the modern broadcasting industry.

1907-1908 - The electric washing machine is invented (Alva J. Fisher, United States)

1908 - First Model-T car is produced by Henry Ford (United States)

1909 - William Howard Taft becomes President of the United States

1912 - April 15 - Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic

1913 - The assembly line is invented (Henry Ford, United States)

The bra is invented (Mary Phelps Jacob, United States)

1913 - Woodrow Wilson becomes President of the United States

1913 - October 31 – The Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across the United States, is dedicated

1915 - January 25 - First United States coast-to-coast long-distance telephone call

1916 Birth of Child
James Lindsey BOWEN was born January 2, 1916, Johnson, Kentucky, USA

Viola was 28 years old.

1917 - March 2 – The enactment of the Jones Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.

1917 - April 6 – WWI: The United States declares war on Germany

1918 - March 19 – The United States Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time

1919 - June 4 – Women's rights: The United States Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would guarantee suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification

1920 Greasy, Johnson, Kentucky
Name: Viola Bowen
[Viera Bowen]
Age: 32
Birth Year: abt 1888
Birthplace: Kentucky
Home in 1920: Greasy, Johnson, Kentucky
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Jack Bowen
Father's Birthplace: Kentucky
Mother's Birthplace: Kentucky
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Jack Bowen 35
Viola Bowen 32
Isom Bowen 12
Annie Bowen 10
Isaac Bowen 6
Jim L Bowen 4
Jack Bowen 1
[1 8/ 12]
1920 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1920 - January 17 - Prohibition goes into effect on January 17, 1920, under the provisions of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution

1921 - Warren G. Harding becomes President of the United States

1921 - Charles Strite of Minnesota patents the pop-up toaster.

1923 to 1927 - Television is invented (Vladimir Kosma Zworykin (Russia), Philo Taylor Farnsworth (United States))

1923 - Calvin Coolidge becomes President of the United States

1927 - The aerosol can is invented (Erik Rotheim, Norway)

1927 - April 7 – Bell Telephone Co. transmits an image of Herbert Hoover (then the Secretary of Commerce), which becomes the first successful long distance demonstration of television

1928 - Sliced bread (bread slicing machine) is invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder (United States)

1929 - Herbert Hoover becomes President of the United States

1929 - October 29 - Black Tuesday - Stock market crash - The Great Depression Begins - It lasted until 1941 (WW2)

1930 - Scotch tape is invented (Richard Drew (3M), United States)

In 1930, on February 18, Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, marking a significant milestone in the study of our solar system.

1931 - The paper towel is invented (Arthur Scott, United States)

1931 - March 3 – The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the United States National anthem.

1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes President of the United States

1933 - December 5 – The 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, repealing Prohibition

1934 - The metal beverage can is invented (American Can Co., United States)

1935 - The snowmobile was invented by Joseph Bombardier (Quebec, Canada)

1935 - August 14 – United States President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law

1938 - The ballpoint pen is invented (Lazlo Biro, Hungary)

1938-1944 - Sunscreen is invented (Franz Greiter, Switzerland and Benjamin Green, United States)

1938 - October 27 - Du Pont announces a name for its new synthetic yarn: nylon.

1940 Johnson, Kentucky
Name: Viola Bowen
Age: 52
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1888
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: Kentucky
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Home in 1940: Johnson, Kentucky
Map of Home in 1940: View Map
Street: Two Mile Creek Williamsport Ky
Inferred Residence in 1935: Boons Camp, Johnson, Kentucky
Residence in 1935: Boons Camp, Johnson, Kentucky
Sheet Number: 21B
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 2nd grade
Weeks Worked in 1939: 0
Income: 0
Income Other Sources: No
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Jack Bowen 52
Viola Bowen 52
James Bowen 23
Gertrude Bowen 19
Norma Lou Bowen 18
Raymon Bowen 1
Russell Smith 12
Glen Bowen 2
Gladys Bowen 16
1940 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1940 - April - 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1941 - December 8 - (the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor) United States declares war on Japan (WW2)

1944 - D-Day, which occurred on June 6, 1944, was a pivotal World War II operation where Allied forces launched a massive invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. Known as Operation Overlord, it involved over 156,000 troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other Allied nations. The operation aimed to liberate Western Europe from Nazi German control. The landings marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany, leading to the eventual Allied victory in Europe.

1945 - The atomic bomb is invented (J. Robert Oppenheimer, et al., United States)

The microwave oven was invented accidentally in 1945 by Percy Spencer, a Raytheon engineer. While testing a magnetron, he noticed microwaves melted a candy bar in his pocket. Experimenting further, he discovered microwaves could cook food quickly. Raytheon patented the process, and by 1947, they built the first commercial microwave oven, called the 'Radarange.' Initially used in commercial settings, microwaves becomes affordable for home use by the 1960s and 1970s, revolutionizing cooking.

1945 - Harry S. Truman becomes President of the United States

1945 - On September 2, 1945, World War II officially ended with the formal surrender of Japan. The surrender ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, where Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender in the presence of Allied representatives, including General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz.

1948 - Velcro is invented (George de Mestral, Switzerland)

1950 - June 25 - Korean War begins when North Korean forces invade South Korea.

1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President of the United States

1953 - On July 27, 1953, the Korean War ended with the signing of an armistice agreement at Panmunjom. This ceasefire halted the conflict between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, backed by United Nations forces primarily from the United States. The agreement established the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near the 38th parallel, effectively maintaining the pre-war boundary and creating a buffer zone between the two Koreas.

1961 - John F. Kennedy becomes President of the United States

1961 - Vietnam War officially begins with 900 military advisors landing in Saigon.

1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense 13-day standoff in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. The crisis is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. It began when American spy planes discovered the missiles, leading to a U.S. naval blockade of Cuba and intense negotiations. The crisis ended when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey.