The birth of William Samuel Bowers on February 12, 1875 may have contributed to or been a direct cause of his mother's death eight days later on February 20. William grew up, married, and started a family in the Eden Township area of Fayette County until some time after 1900.

Between 1906 and 1910, William and family followed his older brother, Norman, to northern North Dakota to take advantage of a State homesteading program that offered 160 acres of land to anyone for only a claim filing fee of $14.00 and a promise to farm the land.

But for reasons unknown, by 1920 he had returned to Fayette County in Iowa. Then, between 1925 and 1930, he and his family moved to Mason City in Cerro Gordo County in Iowa, where he spent the rest of his life.