Bowers Family Collection

The Bowers Family Collection is comprised of oral history transcripts, notes and photocopied poetry, correspondence and legal documents, and two research papers on the Bowers family and oral history by Teresa A. Strong. Although the materials range from 1876-1974, the bulk of the collection concerns Mrs. Strong's research on Ruby Bowers McAndrew from 1974-1979.

Teresa Strong's paper An Arizona Oral History... consists of research on oral history in general and describes the Bowers family project in particular. The paper includes material on the methods Strong used in her interview. Oh and by the way... is essentially an expanded version of the first paper. The Appendix, however, contains a number of noteworthy items. Photocopies of poetry and correspondence of a number of Bowers family members are included in the Appendix, as well as biographical data sheets for many of the interviewees documented in the Interview Notes (Box 1, Folder 8). The Appendix also contains information regarding the Indian T.B. Sanitarium, which were later known collectively as the Phoenix Indian Medical Center and operated by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

The Miscellaneous Legal Papers consist of a title, deeds, and mortgage agreements for the McAndrew family property in Prescott. The folder includes a map of Prescott (undated) with lot numbers and street names.

The Bowers Family Interview Notes concern the interviews of the following family members: Mildred Bowers Carney, Mary Ann Bartlett Brumfield, Ruby Bowers McAndrew, Lucille Lemon Bowers, Helen Thomas Bowers, and Jewell Hammontree Paterson.