Abbreviated

Est. 1914

Wallace Zachariah Nolyar Bowers born October 23, 1867, in Bascom, Florida (Jackson County) to Edd and Basha Hunter Bowers was said to be an unusual person who had a strong desire to make a difference in the world. He married Annetta Davis, of Marianna, the daughter of Reverend Anthony Davis, an African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.) minister and Mrs. Melvinia Davis in Bascom, Florida.

They were the proud parents of nine (9) children: Torah Pocahontas, Louquilla, General Green (Doc) John Roth, Ned Dickerson, Anthony Davis, Andrew Hunter (Ress), Chester Author (Dime) and Joseph Frank.

Nolyar was regarded as an outstanding Black leader in the Liberty Hill community.  He was the owner of a farm and a small grocery story. Annetta was a highly respected educator in Bascom, Florida (Jackson County) and worked for many years to mold the lives of young people. 

One afternoon, armed with a strong conviction for the power of family, he called his sons and daughters and their families together and organized the first “Bowers Family Reunion.”  This unexpected inaugural gathering took place on the second Saturday in July 1914. One hundred eleven (111) years later, descendants of the Bowers Family still come together to continue the tradition.

The Bowers Family Reunion has expanded to a weekend celebration of family, fellowship, entertainment and cultural enlightenment. Hosted by descendants of the Bowers ancestry, for thirty-five years, the Bowers Family Reunion was held in Bascom, Jackson Couty, FL as well as Marianna and Panama City, FL where it originated. Now the yearly event is hosted and organized by descendants who are successful and enterprising entrepreneurs, educators, medical professionals, lawyers, religious leaders, creative artists, corporate executives and civic and community leaders. It has been held throughout the United States including Florida (Marianna, Panama City, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Wewahitchka, Jacksonville, Tallahassee); Georgia (Atlanta, Albany); South Carolina (Charleston); Alabama (Huntsville), California (Los Angeles); and New York (Manhattan and Harlem). In 2024, the Bowers Family Reunion had its first destination reunion in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

God first, Family, Education and Upward Mobility

Bowers Family Values