Talk:Theophilus Jowers

Jowers vs. Wormwood

Now this is the Sloss ghost story I am familiar with. What's the origin of Fright Furnace's story about James "Slag" Wormwood? Is it something they made up because Jowers' story simply wasn't scary enough for the audience they're attempting to draw? --Lkseitz 08:15, 31 October 2006 (PST)

• You'd have to ask them. --Dystopos 08:21, 31 October 2006 (PST)

Theophilus vs. Richard

In Sloss Furnaces and the Rise of the Birmingham District, W. David Lewis claims Kathryn Tucker Windham "fictionalized" Jowers' name and that it was actually Richard, but he doesn't cite any references. (I will admit that Windham is a wonderful storyteller, but not a historian.) A search of the Iron Age papers at the Birmingham Public Library digital collections turns up no results for this Jowers, although it's quite possible the OCR failed on it due to the poor quality of the print. I looked through the Iron Age published just after September 10, 1887 and couldn't find a story about it. Lewis, however, doesn't give a date, just a month (September), so could the 10th be the wrong day? --Lkseitz 08:12, 16 March 2009 (PDT)

• That is so funny, this was the first thing I noticed when I cracked open Lewis' book last night. I tried to change the article this morning but I got a server error (which is also funny, since we talked about that yesterday as well). --Wheresdib 08:17, 16 March 2009 (PDT)
  • The new first rule of Bhamwiki is "Don't talk about Bhamwiki". --Dystopos 09:15, 16 March 2009 (PDT)

• Dang, I really prefered the name "Theophilus". --Wheresdib 12:51, 16 March 2009 (PDT)

• I wonder if she borrowed it from Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor. --Dystopos 07:53, 28 March 2009 (PDT)

• Now I've got an email from a Jowers genealogist who insists that "Theophilus Eugene" is correct and has additional details (but didn't offer a published reference). I'll see if I can dig up the article that Karen Utz quotes at the central library next chance I get. The story didn't seem to make the "Weekly Age" (which BPL has online) at all. --Dystopos 16:49, 6 January 2011 (PST)

• And Windham's book was published by the Birmingham Historical Society... --Dystopos 17:30, 6 January 2011 (PST)

• OK. I re-read Windham's book. She quotes the whole Age story (in which the victim is just called "Jowers") and cites research assistance from the Society and the library archives, and interviews with the family. I think that's enough to give her credit as a good source. --Dystopos 14:30, 7 January 2011 (PST)