Who's Your Daddy, William?
Who are William H Bowman's
parents?
Since this has long been #1 on my genealogy
"hit list",
I feel I must devote some space to this lingering question.
Maybe, with some luck and tenacity, just the right person will step forward
with the documentation I need to put this to rest.
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#1 What I know for sure:
William H Bowman was born in Tennessee.
Conjecture:
Family stories say he was from eastern Tennessee,
and the following tidbits have been passed on:
a) he was from the Powell River area in Tennessee
b) from his home, he could see three states
(Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia)
c) he possibly came from the Sequatchie Valley in Tennessee
d) he was from the Pearl River area in Tennessee
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#2 What I know for sure:
William migrated from Tennessee to Indiana,
and ended up in Martin County, Indiana by about 1833:
Conjecture:
Family stories and other speculation include:
a) he passed through Washington County, Indiana
(I have done research in Washington County, and there are
a couple of Bowmans
that garnered my attention. They were listed in biographies as being from
eastern Tennessee,
and arriving during the time frame that William apparently did)
b) he possibly traveled with Hiram and Nancy
Kilgore,
and Henry and Catherine Holt (both families are from the
Sequatchie Valley
area of Tennessee, and both families settled in Martin County, Indiana)
c) he possibly traveled with Septima Bowman and Pleasant Bowman, whose
relationship has not yet been proven (more on this
below)
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#3 What I know for sure:
William and Julia bought land and settled in Martin
County, Indiana.
They raised their family, died, and were buried there.
Conjecture:
Family stories and other speculation include:
a) Pleasant Bowman, William Bowman and Septima Bowman all settled in
the same area in Martin County. Pleasant and Septima are possibly
brothers of William. Court records prove for a fact that Septima and Pleasant
were brothers. Given the facts that all three Bowman men arrived in Martin
County at approximately the same time; that the families lived near each other;
that Pleasant and William's families are buried next to each other in Burns City
Cemetery; and that family naming patterns are similar, I feel that at the very
least, there is a cousin relationship, and that very possibly all three men are
brothers. Also of interest is the fact that photos from the collection of
the William Howard Bowman and Margaret (Sims) Bowman line (William Howard is
William H and Julia's son) include photos from the Pleasant Bowman family line.
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#4 My best guess for the names of William's
parents:
(this stands true, whether Pleasant and Septima are
William's brothers or not)
.
Father: JOHN, WILLIAM, PLEASANT
Why?: William and Julia's first son was named Pleasant, and his second
son was named John. His name was William, and he had a son named
William. If Pleasant is his brother,
keep in mind that Pleasant also had sons named John and William.
Within those two families (William and Julia
Bowman, and Pleasant and Sarah Bowman),
Pleasant is used two times, William is used three times and John is used two
times.
Mother: MARY, MARY JANE, SARAH, ELIZABETH
Why?: William and Julia's first daughter was named Mary Jane, and his second daughter was named Sarah. Within the three families (William and Julia Bowman, Septima and Polly Bowman, and Pleasant and Sarah Bowman), Mary, or Mary Jane is used two times, Sarah is used two times and Elizabeth is used two times.
Undoubtedly, all of these possible names are very common, but one has to take notice, and remember naming patterns.
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A great Bowman contact of mine (Hal
Bowman) recently stated the following:
John Bridges, who was a Bowman cousin, worked at the Crane Naval Depot in Martin
Co, IN years ago.
He stated that William's parents are buried near Jasper, Dubois, IN.
Family stories said the tribe departed Claiborne Co, TN under "nefarious
circumstances"
but apparently that complete information was never shared with ancestors.