By 1815, William Clower, born August 1790 in Greene County, Georgia, had mitigated to the Mississippi territory.  William’s father, John Clower, was either the son of George Clower or the brother of George Clower.  The Clowers, mitigated from Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina,  Georgia and onto the new territories of Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas.  William ancestors served in the American Revolutionary War as members of the 10 Regt. N.C. Continental Line.  Also, secondary documentation indicates that George Clower married Elizabeth Morgan, the sister of General Daniel Morgan of the American Revolutionary War.
 

Initially, William, his wife Purity and their family probably settled near the Pearl River in what became Lawrence County, Ms.  By the 1830's, William and his family had mitigated up the Yazoo River and settled on the banks of the Bophumpa Creek, located six miles north of Lexington, Ms. In 1851, William and Purity Clower “sold” for $5 to the Methodist Episcopal Church 15 acres “to preach and expound God’s Holy word therein”.  A portion of this land became the location of the Clower or Sweetwater Cemetery.  The church has disbanded and the cemetery is on a hill, near the creek in a wooded area.  The Clower portion of the cemetery has been cleared of undergrowth¹ and has an iron fence around it.  William, Purity, and many of their descendants are buried in this cemetery.

By 1860 William and his sons had accumulated significant property on the Bophumpa Creek.  Two of William’s sons died in 1845 and 1855.  William’s remaining sons, John, Benjamin and Green Berry, fought in the Civil War.

William’s oldest daughter, Lavina, second oldest son was Rueben Webster Millsaps.  Ruben, a major in the Confederate Army, was a financier and philanthropist. He was a trustee of Vanderbilt University, founded Millsaps College, and President of Capital State Bank of Jackson.  He built a Victorian residence on State Street in Jackson, Ms.  His home, the Millsaps Buie House, is now an elegant historic inn in downtown Jackson.  Ruben is listed in Who’s Who in America (1897 – 1942).

Although William and his family accumulated wealth in this new land, the cemetery tells a story of lives cut short by early death.  The house that William built near the banks of the Bophumpa Creek and the church are gone.  But on portions of this land cotton is still grown.

Note:
1.  This clearing and caring of the cemetery is because of the efforts of Ray Johnson of Morgan City, Mississippi.  You may desire to make a contribution to Ray Johnson for maintenance of the cemetery.