Individual Details
John Bowman Senior
(Abt 1765 - 1804)
Who were John Bowman's ancestors?
No verified answer exists. And, given the large number of individuals that have tried to answer the question, it seems likely to me that there never will be a verifiable answer.
The source of the difficulty, though, is easy to identify.
There were more than forty immigrants with the surname of Bowman, Bauman, Bachman, or Boughman who enter America through the port of Philadelphia between 1700 and 1773, according to a printed report on the "Jacob Bowman Family of Virginia_Tennessee" that has no source given. The report was posted by "Irwells50 on Ancestry.Com".
Here are the possibilities that I have found: Wendel Bowman (about 1681-1735); Reverend Johann Jakob and Verena Bauman/Bowman
The first possiblity that is often mentioned is Wendel Bowman (about 1681 to 1735) or his brother, John Bowman, came to America in 1707 and settled in Pennsylvania, first in Germantown and then in Lancaster County. I have no information on the descendants of John Bowman, brother of Wendel. On Wendel Bowman, there is considerable information, some of which suggests that our John could be a descendant, but most of it denies any link between our John and Wendel.
In 1955, Wayne St. Clair Bowman, writing on pages 229 to 231 in Charles Ikenberrry and W. Lewis Eikenberry's A History and Genealogy of Peter Eichenberg Family stated, "Wendell Bowman ... lived for a time in Germantown, now a part of Philadelphia, but later moved to Lancaster County, where he died in 1735 at the age of fifty-four, leaving eight children and many grandchildren. From this section came John and Elizabeth Eikenberry Bowman to southern Virginia in 1784."
Now, what does "section" mean? In the context of the above paragraph, it seems to me to mean that John and Elizabeth came from the region of Pennsylvania as did Wendel Bowman. The same region, obviously, does not verify ancestry.
Wayne St. Clair Bowman stated, "The relationship between John Bowman, who moved to southern Virginia in 1784, and the Bowmans of the (Shenandoah) Valley is difficult to determine, although descendants of practically all the settlers claim a kinship."
Emmert Bittinger rejects our John Bowman who married Elizabeth Eichenberg as a descendant of Wendel. Bittinger has done extensive research on Wendel Bowman's descendants, and published his findings in "The Children of Wendel and Ann Bowman Reconsidered," Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, October 1995. Both the John who is descended from Wendel and our John who married Elizabeth Eichenberg were born in or about 1764, thus adding to the confusion, but they are not the same person in Bettinger's opinion.
James Marlan Denlinger, “Reader’s Anestry,” Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, April 1999, linked our John with Jacob "Dunker Jockel" Bowman, a descendant of Wendel Bowman. If this were correct, our John would be the second great grandson of Wendel. Our John’s parents would be Jacob “Dunker Jockel” Bauman (1743 to unknown date) and unknown wife; grandparents Jacob “Nimrod” Bauman, Sr. (1722 to 1788) and Veronica; great grandparents Christina Bauman, Sr. (about 1700 to 1735) and Barbara; and second grandparents Wendel (about 1681 to 1735) and Anna. Unfortunately, it is not clear why James Denlinger believed this link to be verified. It may be the common birth year of 1764.
Another version of this lineage is Jacob "Dunker Jockel" Bowman's father, Jacob "Nimrod" Bowman." Both Jacobs had sons named "John."Maybe "Nimrod" is the Jacob who fathered our John, but there is no evidence to verify such a link.
In Wayne St. Clair Bowman's account, our John Bowman moved from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Franklin County, Virigina, with no mention of a time residing in Rockingham County, Virginia. St. Clair's account is supported by birth places for John's children: child number one, John Jr. was born in 1783 in Lancaster County, and child number two, Susannah was born in Franklin County.
A second possibility is the Reverend Johann Jakob Bauman (dates unknown) or his brother, Daniel, both of whom arrived from Switzerland in Philadelphia in 1737 October 8 aboard the ship Adventurer are the ancestors of our John Bowman. While several sources list four possible sons of one of these men, I have yet to find any verifiable link to our John. Below is what I have found on links that others have suggested are possible.
Marshall Wingfield is cited in a report "Jacob Bowman Family of Virginia_Tennessee" (source from report unknown to me) as stating that Jacob (John Jacob) Bowman and his brothers, John (our John?), Benjamin and Peter, settled in Rockingham County, Virginia around 1785. John (our John?) then moved to Franklin County, Virginia on 6 October 1788, and he bought a farm on Rocky Branch of the Blackwater River. He next bought 230 acres on Griffith Creek from Martin Ihoy for 30 pounds. In 1789 he was willed 100 acres in the same area by his friend, Jacob Cradler. Also in 1789, John bought 116 acres on Little Creek from Robert Mead. In 1792 he purchased another 30 acres from Mr. Mead. When he died his estate was valued at more than $5,000.
The details of the land transactions seem accurate to me as being made my our John, but the link between our John Bowman and the John Bowman mentioned by Marshall Wingfield as a brother to Jacob, Benjamin and Peter does not seem accurate to me.
Wingfield in the same report lists the father of these brothers was either Daniel or Jacob Bowman who arrived on the Adventurer. However, a few pages later in this report, a family tree is provided by the unknown source of this report. The dates and links in this family tree do not match those of our John Bowman.
As a side note, when the Adventurer docked in Philadelphia with Jacob and Daniel Bowman aboard is unclear. Bryon Bowman gives 1727 October 2, while another source that I have misplaced listed 1737 October 8 as the date of landing in America.
More specifically, the John Jacob Bowman (unknown birth year, died 1794), son of either Reverend Johann Jakob or Daniel Bowman, who married Susannah Millhouse in 1768 is not the father of our John Bowman. John Jacob and Susannah Millhouse Bowman did have a son, John, but this son who was born in 1773 and died in 1796 married Elizabeth Eve Steel. Our John Bowman was born around 1764, died in 1804 and married Eizabeth Sarah Eichenberg.
Could Johann Jakbo Bowman (unknown birth year, died 1794) be the brother of our John Bowman. Could be, but I have no evidence that he is.
Bryon W. Bowman, in 1956, wrote, in a book entitled Genealogy of a Bowman Family, “The name of the father of Jacob, Benjamin, John (note, this is our John) and Peter Bowman, all of which settled in Rockingham County, Virgina, is predicated on the fact that Jacob is listed in the 1790 census of Rockingham County as Jacob, Jr. Nothing further is known about Jacob Bowman, Sr., although he is presumably a descendant, perhaps a son, of either Daniel or Jacob Bowman, both of whom arrived in Philadelphia October 2, 1727 on the ship Adventure "last from Rotterdam.”
A third possibility is Hans Jacob Bowman (1725-1803) and Fronica ("Froeny" Verona) (1727-1786). This possibility comes from Ancesetry.Com and has no source listed.
A fourth possibility is that John Bowman descended from the Bowmans of England who came to America. This was the least likely possibility, in my opinion, until I received the results of a DNA test by Ancestry that showed me to be 50% Great Britain. Except for this DNA test, I know of no evidence to link John to the English Bowmans. Also, everything that I have heard or read of our ancestors suggest Germanic heritage, not English.
I have information on the Bowmans who might be John's ancestors, but I have not linked them to him because of the uncertainty. I am happy to share that information, though, if you would like it.
Please contact me for the information.
No verified answer exists. And, given the large number of individuals that have tried to answer the question, it seems likely to me that there never will be a verifiable answer.
The source of the difficulty, though, is easy to identify.
There were more than forty immigrants with the surname of Bowman, Bauman, Bachman, or Boughman who enter America through the port of Philadelphia between 1700 and 1773, according to a printed report on the "Jacob Bowman Family of Virginia_Tennessee" that has no source given. The report was posted by "Irwells50 on Ancestry.Com".
Here are the possibilities that I have found: Wendel Bowman (about 1681-1735); Reverend Johann Jakob and Verena Bauman/Bowman
The first possiblity that is often mentioned is Wendel Bowman (about 1681 to 1735) or his brother, John Bowman, came to America in 1707 and settled in Pennsylvania, first in Germantown and then in Lancaster County. I have no information on the descendants of John Bowman, brother of Wendel. On Wendel Bowman, there is considerable information, some of which suggests that our John could be a descendant, but most of it denies any link between our John and Wendel.
In 1955, Wayne St. Clair Bowman, writing on pages 229 to 231 in Charles Ikenberrry and W. Lewis Eikenberry's A History and Genealogy of Peter Eichenberg Family stated, "Wendell Bowman ... lived for a time in Germantown, now a part of Philadelphia, but later moved to Lancaster County, where he died in 1735 at the age of fifty-four, leaving eight children and many grandchildren. From this section came John and Elizabeth Eikenberry Bowman to southern Virginia in 1784."
Now, what does "section" mean? In the context of the above paragraph, it seems to me to mean that John and Elizabeth came from the region of Pennsylvania as did Wendel Bowman. The same region, obviously, does not verify ancestry.
Wayne St. Clair Bowman stated, "The relationship between John Bowman, who moved to southern Virginia in 1784, and the Bowmans of the (Shenandoah) Valley is difficult to determine, although descendants of practically all the settlers claim a kinship."
Emmert Bittinger rejects our John Bowman who married Elizabeth Eichenberg as a descendant of Wendel. Bittinger has done extensive research on Wendel Bowman's descendants, and published his findings in "The Children of Wendel and Ann Bowman Reconsidered," Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, October 1995. Both the John who is descended from Wendel and our John who married Elizabeth Eichenberg were born in or about 1764, thus adding to the confusion, but they are not the same person in Bettinger's opinion.
James Marlan Denlinger, “Reader’s Anestry,” Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, April 1999, linked our John with Jacob "Dunker Jockel" Bowman, a descendant of Wendel Bowman. If this were correct, our John would be the second great grandson of Wendel. Our John’s parents would be Jacob “Dunker Jockel” Bauman (1743 to unknown date) and unknown wife; grandparents Jacob “Nimrod” Bauman, Sr. (1722 to 1788) and Veronica; great grandparents Christina Bauman, Sr. (about 1700 to 1735) and Barbara; and second grandparents Wendel (about 1681 to 1735) and Anna. Unfortunately, it is not clear why James Denlinger believed this link to be verified. It may be the common birth year of 1764.
Another version of this lineage is Jacob "Dunker Jockel" Bowman's father, Jacob "Nimrod" Bowman." Both Jacobs had sons named "John."Maybe "Nimrod" is the Jacob who fathered our John, but there is no evidence to verify such a link.
In Wayne St. Clair Bowman's account, our John Bowman moved from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Franklin County, Virigina, with no mention of a time residing in Rockingham County, Virginia. St. Clair's account is supported by birth places for John's children: child number one, John Jr. was born in 1783 in Lancaster County, and child number two, Susannah was born in Franklin County.
A second possibility is the Reverend Johann Jakob Bauman (dates unknown) or his brother, Daniel, both of whom arrived from Switzerland in Philadelphia in 1737 October 8 aboard the ship Adventurer are the ancestors of our John Bowman. While several sources list four possible sons of one of these men, I have yet to find any verifiable link to our John. Below is what I have found on links that others have suggested are possible.
Marshall Wingfield is cited in a report "Jacob Bowman Family of Virginia_Tennessee" (source from report unknown to me) as stating that Jacob (John Jacob) Bowman and his brothers, John (our John?), Benjamin and Peter, settled in Rockingham County, Virginia around 1785. John (our John?) then moved to Franklin County, Virginia on 6 October 1788, and he bought a farm on Rocky Branch of the Blackwater River. He next bought 230 acres on Griffith Creek from Martin Ihoy for 30 pounds. In 1789 he was willed 100 acres in the same area by his friend, Jacob Cradler. Also in 1789, John bought 116 acres on Little Creek from Robert Mead. In 1792 he purchased another 30 acres from Mr. Mead. When he died his estate was valued at more than $5,000.
The details of the land transactions seem accurate to me as being made my our John, but the link between our John Bowman and the John Bowman mentioned by Marshall Wingfield as a brother to Jacob, Benjamin and Peter does not seem accurate to me.
Wingfield in the same report lists the father of these brothers was either Daniel or Jacob Bowman who arrived on the Adventurer. However, a few pages later in this report, a family tree is provided by the unknown source of this report. The dates and links in this family tree do not match those of our John Bowman.
As a side note, when the Adventurer docked in Philadelphia with Jacob and Daniel Bowman aboard is unclear. Bryon Bowman gives 1727 October 2, while another source that I have misplaced listed 1737 October 8 as the date of landing in America.
More specifically, the John Jacob Bowman (unknown birth year, died 1794), son of either Reverend Johann Jakob or Daniel Bowman, who married Susannah Millhouse in 1768 is not the father of our John Bowman. John Jacob and Susannah Millhouse Bowman did have a son, John, but this son who was born in 1773 and died in 1796 married Elizabeth Eve Steel. Our John Bowman was born around 1764, died in 1804 and married Eizabeth Sarah Eichenberg.
Could Johann Jakbo Bowman (unknown birth year, died 1794) be the brother of our John Bowman. Could be, but I have no evidence that he is.
Bryon W. Bowman, in 1956, wrote, in a book entitled Genealogy of a Bowman Family, “The name of the father of Jacob, Benjamin, John (note, this is our John) and Peter Bowman, all of which settled in Rockingham County, Virgina, is predicated on the fact that Jacob is listed in the 1790 census of Rockingham County as Jacob, Jr. Nothing further is known about Jacob Bowman, Sr., although he is presumably a descendant, perhaps a son, of either Daniel or Jacob Bowman, both of whom arrived in Philadelphia October 2, 1727 on the ship Adventure "last from Rotterdam.”
A third possibility is Hans Jacob Bowman (1725-1803) and Fronica ("Froeny" Verona) (1727-1786). This possibility comes from Ancesetry.Com and has no source listed.
A fourth possibility is that John Bowman descended from the Bowmans of England who came to America. This was the least likely possibility, in my opinion, until I received the results of a DNA test by Ancestry that showed me to be 50% Great Britain. Except for this DNA test, I know of no evidence to link John to the English Bowmans. Also, everything that I have heard or read of our ancestors suggest Germanic heritage, not English.
I have information on the Bowmans who might be John's ancestors, but I have not linked them to him because of the uncertainty. I am happy to share that information, though, if you would like it.
Please contact me for the information.
Events
| Birth | Abt 1765 | , Lancaster, PA |  | ||
| Death | 1804 | apoplexy - , Franklin, VA | |||
| Will | 30 Sep 1804 | , Franklin, VA | | ||
| Marriage | , Lancaster, PA - Elizabeth Sarah Eichenberg | |
Families
| Spouse | Elizabeth Sarah Eichenberg (1766 - 1830) |
| Child | John Bowman Junior (1783 - 1871) |
| Child | Susannah Bowman (1787 - 1863) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Peter Bowman (1786 - 1850) |
| Child | Frances "Fanny" Bowman (1788 - 1858) |
| Child | Christian Bowman Senior (1791 - 1867) |
| Child | Eva Bowman (1793 - 1833) |
| Child | Daniel Bowman Senior (1795 - 1883) |
| Child | Benjamin Bowman (1804 - 1873) |
Notes
Birth
John Bowman, Sr. was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylavania, according to one source; in Plum Run, Conocac, Maine, according to a second source. Both of these possibilities came from Ancestry.com, where it also gave a birth date of 15 October 1764, but no further source information was provided.Will
John Bowman, Sr.'s will is reprinted on page 244 of the Franklin County Will Book.Marriage
John Bowman, Sr. and Elizabeth Eichenberg may have been married in 1782 in Franklin County, Virginia, or in 1780 at Conestoga Township, Pennsylvania. No sources were given for either of these dates and places on the web site.If the information that John Jr. was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1783 is accurate, then the parents likely were wed in Pennsylvania.