Individual Details
Sophia Hill Ferguson
(7 May 1805 - 6 Apr 1896)
"Genealogy of a Bowman Family," by Byron Whitener Bowman, 1956:
Biography of Sophia Bowman, 1805-1896
Sophia Hill Ferguson Bowman, beloved wife of Benjamin Bowman, was a woman of
strong, sturdy character, with Scotch, Irish, French, and Spanish blood in her
veins, and was the best mother ever a boy had. Her positive religious
character impressed her children more than any other religious factor. Many a
time she sat and read her Bible with tears coursing down her cheeks, that would
make one feel as though she had something they did not have. She taught her
children to fear God and keep His commandments. In her old and declining
years, she would often express the wish to go and be with her Lord, and when
the summons came in her 91st year, she fell asleep as peacefully as a babe
falls to sleep in its mother's arms. She died of old age, without a pain or a
struggle. Her son, Thomas A. has said often the joy he shall have some day
when he can join that sainted mother in the City of God.
Her religious experience was rather remarkable. Her conviction of sin was
rather the result of her own thoughts and reading the Word of God, and for a
long period she prayed and fasted one day each week, hoping thereby to get
peace of mind, during which time she read the New Testament through several
times. Finally coming to the end of her own strivings, she laid the book down,
exclaiming: "If I am ever saved, the Lord will just have to save me, for I can
do nothing more." Then all at once her burden was gone and she had rest of
soul. This state continued, and she began to fear it was an indication that
the Holy Spirit had left her, and she began to pray as earnestly for her old
burden to return, that she might feel that she hated sin as before. This
experience she had often been heard to relate, alas, for someone to instruct
her in the way of the Lord more perfectly.
In the vicinity, there was no church except a Presbyterian Church to which she
went to tell of her newfound joy. The minister called the session together to
receive her into membership, but she said: "You do not baptize people, you
only sprinkle them, and my Bible teaches me to be baptized." "Very well," said
the pastor, "I will have a talk with you and explain all that to your
satisfaction." Well, he and his elders had many talks with her but not to the
satisfaction of her mind in the least.
One day some two years later, a stranger appeared at the door and asked for a
night's lodging, saying he was a traveling minister of the Gospel. He was
welcomed, and in the course of the conversation said he was a Baptist. So she
at once asked him if he would preach to a few neighbors in her house and
baptize her and a neighbor woman whose experience was similar to her own. He
gladly complied with the request, the neighbors having been informed of the
service that evening, and the baptism followed the next day, the minister
giving the two thus baptized a certificate of baptism. He proved to be an
old-school Baptist and later organized a church in that community.
It is not known for sure whether great-great grandmother Ferguson was a member
of any church or not, but from the correspondence that Thomas A. Bowman had
with some of his Ferguson cousins who were in Texas many years ago, he found
them to be very decidedly Methodist, but evidently our great-great grandmother
Bowman got her religious ideals from the Bible, which she always loved and read
till the day of her death. She was born May 7, 1805, and died Apri 6, 1896..
It has been related that once while the family lived on the Daugherty place the
following incident occurred: The Daugherty brothers were very offensive to the
Federalists, and frequent raids were made on the home to try to catch them, for
they frequently visited their home. Once a company of Union soldiers dashed
up, surrounded the house, and asked my great-grandmother Sophia if Fred
Daugherty was in. She answered them truthfully that he had been there but had
left the day before, whereupon they called her a damn liar and proceeded to
search the house, but not finding Mr. Daugherty, they went away. Another time
they came suddenly again and made the same demand, though this time Mr.
Daugherty was hiding in a closet upstairs. She answered them thus: "Once
before you came and asked me, and I told you the truth, and you called me an
ugly liar; if I tell you the truth again, you will not believe me, so you will
just have to find out for yourselves." They turned and rode away without
searching the house, and Mr. Daugherty was not captured.
Thomas Anderson, her baby son, and she were never separated, he living at home
except when away at school till the father's death, after which he was married
and she made her home with him until her death, April 6, 1896, which occurred
at Marble Hill, Mo., while on a visit to her oldest living son, Rev. B. L.
Bowman, and at her own request, she was buried in the cemetery at that place.
Her age was 90 years, 10 months, and 29 days.
This one more incident which her son Thomas A. related during his lifetime, and
which he said was a source of consolation to him during his life: When he was
just a child, he was stricken with a severe case of flux such that the family
physician gave him no hope of recovery and, on the contrary, said that a few
hours would decide the issue, which he feared would be unfavorable. This was
early in the evening. He said he would return at midnight and see what the
result would be, for he thought by that hour the case would be decided.
Great-grandmother Sophia retired to her room and prayed most earnestly that her
son might recover, provided he would be a good man when he grew up, and that if
he would not be such, that he might go then as five of her children had already
gone. Then she returned to his couch to watch, and when the physician returned
at midnight as he promised, he was greatly surprised to find the turn had come
for the better, and from that hour his recovery was rapid. He said then and
there he wished that all her descendants may meet her some day on the other
shore.
She was always an industrious, hard-working woman, a model housekeeper and a
fine cook, all of which she taught her daughters. She never was known to speak
disparingly of one of her neighbors in her life, as anyone knew, but she was
always on the most intimate terms with her neighbors. She seemed to enjoy the
most intimate confidence and love of them all.
Biography of Sophia Bowman, 1805-1896
Sophia Hill Ferguson Bowman, beloved wife of Benjamin Bowman, was a woman of
strong, sturdy character, with Scotch, Irish, French, and Spanish blood in her
veins, and was the best mother ever a boy had. Her positive religious
character impressed her children more than any other religious factor. Many a
time she sat and read her Bible with tears coursing down her cheeks, that would
make one feel as though she had something they did not have. She taught her
children to fear God and keep His commandments. In her old and declining
years, she would often express the wish to go and be with her Lord, and when
the summons came in her 91st year, she fell asleep as peacefully as a babe
falls to sleep in its mother's arms. She died of old age, without a pain or a
struggle. Her son, Thomas A. has said often the joy he shall have some day
when he can join that sainted mother in the City of God.
Her religious experience was rather remarkable. Her conviction of sin was
rather the result of her own thoughts and reading the Word of God, and for a
long period she prayed and fasted one day each week, hoping thereby to get
peace of mind, during which time she read the New Testament through several
times. Finally coming to the end of her own strivings, she laid the book down,
exclaiming: "If I am ever saved, the Lord will just have to save me, for I can
do nothing more." Then all at once her burden was gone and she had rest of
soul. This state continued, and she began to fear it was an indication that
the Holy Spirit had left her, and she began to pray as earnestly for her old
burden to return, that she might feel that she hated sin as before. This
experience she had often been heard to relate, alas, for someone to instruct
her in the way of the Lord more perfectly.
In the vicinity, there was no church except a Presbyterian Church to which she
went to tell of her newfound joy. The minister called the session together to
receive her into membership, but she said: "You do not baptize people, you
only sprinkle them, and my Bible teaches me to be baptized." "Very well," said
the pastor, "I will have a talk with you and explain all that to your
satisfaction." Well, he and his elders had many talks with her but not to the
satisfaction of her mind in the least.
One day some two years later, a stranger appeared at the door and asked for a
night's lodging, saying he was a traveling minister of the Gospel. He was
welcomed, and in the course of the conversation said he was a Baptist. So she
at once asked him if he would preach to a few neighbors in her house and
baptize her and a neighbor woman whose experience was similar to her own. He
gladly complied with the request, the neighbors having been informed of the
service that evening, and the baptism followed the next day, the minister
giving the two thus baptized a certificate of baptism. He proved to be an
old-school Baptist and later organized a church in that community.
It is not known for sure whether great-great grandmother Ferguson was a member
of any church or not, but from the correspondence that Thomas A. Bowman had
with some of his Ferguson cousins who were in Texas many years ago, he found
them to be very decidedly Methodist, but evidently our great-great grandmother
Bowman got her religious ideals from the Bible, which she always loved and read
till the day of her death. She was born May 7, 1805, and died Apri 6, 1896..
It has been related that once while the family lived on the Daugherty place the
following incident occurred: The Daugherty brothers were very offensive to the
Federalists, and frequent raids were made on the home to try to catch them, for
they frequently visited their home. Once a company of Union soldiers dashed
up, surrounded the house, and asked my great-grandmother Sophia if Fred
Daugherty was in. She answered them truthfully that he had been there but had
left the day before, whereupon they called her a damn liar and proceeded to
search the house, but not finding Mr. Daugherty, they went away. Another time
they came suddenly again and made the same demand, though this time Mr.
Daugherty was hiding in a closet upstairs. She answered them thus: "Once
before you came and asked me, and I told you the truth, and you called me an
ugly liar; if I tell you the truth again, you will not believe me, so you will
just have to find out for yourselves." They turned and rode away without
searching the house, and Mr. Daugherty was not captured.
Thomas Anderson, her baby son, and she were never separated, he living at home
except when away at school till the father's death, after which he was married
and she made her home with him until her death, April 6, 1896, which occurred
at Marble Hill, Mo., while on a visit to her oldest living son, Rev. B. L.
Bowman, and at her own request, she was buried in the cemetery at that place.
Her age was 90 years, 10 months, and 29 days.
This one more incident which her son Thomas A. related during his lifetime, and
which he said was a source of consolation to him during his life: When he was
just a child, he was stricken with a severe case of flux such that the family
physician gave him no hope of recovery and, on the contrary, said that a few
hours would decide the issue, which he feared would be unfavorable. This was
early in the evening. He said he would return at midnight and see what the
result would be, for he thought by that hour the case would be decided.
Great-grandmother Sophia retired to her room and prayed most earnestly that her
son might recover, provided he would be a good man when he grew up, and that if
he would not be such, that he might go then as five of her children had already
gone. Then she returned to his couch to watch, and when the physician returned
at midnight as he promised, he was greatly surprised to find the turn had come
for the better, and from that hour his recovery was rapid. He said then and
there he wished that all her descendants may meet her some day on the other
shore.
She was always an industrious, hard-working woman, a model housekeeper and a
fine cook, all of which she taught her daughters. She never was known to speak
disparingly of one of her neighbors in her life, as anyone knew, but she was
always on the most intimate terms with her neighbors. She seemed to enjoy the
most intimate confidence and love of them all.
Events
| Birth | 7 May 1805 | , Franklin, VA | |||
| Marriage | 15 Jul 1826 | , Franklin, VA - Benjamin Bowman |  | ||
| Death | 6 Apr 1896 | Marble Hill, Bollinger, MO | |||
| Burial | Marble Hill Cemetery by Baptist Church, Marble Hill, Bollinger, MO |
Families
| Spouse | Benjamin Bowman (1804 - 1873) |
| Child | Lucy Ann Bowman (1827 - 1897) |
| Child | Elizabeth Mary "Betsy" Bowman (1829 - 1859) |
| Child | Charles Chisholm Bowman (1831 - 1837) |
| Child | John Otea Bowman (1833 - 1838) |
| Child | William Edwin Bowman (1835 - 1837) |
| Child | Benjamin Leroy "Lee" Bowman (1837 - 1920) |
| Child | James Orin Bowman (1839 - ) |
| Child | Columbus Carroll Bowman (1841 - ) |
| Child | Samuel Sterling Bowman (1843 - 1916) |
| Child | Sophia Perizade Bowman (1846 - 1924) |
| Child | Thomas Anderson Bowman (1850 - 1915) |
| Father | John Ferguson ( - ) |
| Mother | Mary Hill ( - ) |
| Sibling | Parizade Ferguson (1790 - 1869) |