George Boardman Gow was born on January 11, 1832, in Waterville, Maine, to Eliphalet and Serena Gow. He grew up and attended school in Waterville before enrolling at Waterville College (present-day Colby College). He married Lucy Marston, and they had at least two children: John, born around 1856; and George, born around 1861. They moved to Groton, Massachusetts, in the 1850s, and he worked as a Baptist minister. By 1860, he owned $2,300 of real estate and $1,700 of personal property.

 

He supported the Union war effort. In June 1861, he assured a friend that he “marched to defend not one but every principle of religious & civil liberty.” He added that “Our Fathers fought for liberty but when they had conquered a foreign foe like Israel of ole they left the work undone…Slavery the cursed source of our present calamities was suffered to continue for a time.” Now, however, the men of Massachusetts had “leaped from the quiet of peace” and stood “foremost in defence of your country’s honor.”

 

Gow moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, in the 1860s. His wife died on February 18, 1875, and he married Ellen Gow on June 27, 1876. He moved to Brattleboro, Vermont, around 1876, and he was reportedly “very prominent and popular in the affairs of the town.” He helped establish a free library in Brattleboro, and he served as president of its board of trustees.

 

He moved to Glens Falls, New York, around 1883, but poor health prompted him to move to Poughkeepsie, New York, in the 1890s. His wife died in September 1897. He returned to Glens Falls around 1902, and he died there of “general debility” on January 17, 1913.

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