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Genealogy of the Bowen Family before Sterling Bowen
(Pre 1800)


"Living Made Simple"
By D E Bowen



B&W Photos
1880-1950


from Elise Brown Bowen

from Eunice Bowen Branyon


Very Early Bowens

Quick Summary of the pre1800 history

1050
Starting in Wales and the Crest


Welsh Immigration Time Line

Bowen's of Bristol Parish

1730
Bristol Parish Bowens


??-1762
William and Amy Bowen


??-1780's
Robert Bowen


1730
William,Jr son of William & Amy


1731-1804
David,Sr son of William & Amy


1732-1790
Ephraim son of Robert & Avis Bowen


1734-1797
Jesse son of William & Amy


Bowen's of Mecklenburg County

1740-80
Bowens of Mecklenburg County


1750-1822
Sterling Bowen


1787??
Drury, Sterling, & Isaac Bowen's Move to Abbeville County, SC


1750?-1817
Charles Bowen


Families associated with the Bowens in Mecklenburg County

Vaughan

Avis

Andrews
Drumright
Gee


Turner

Kirks

More Info & Bowen's of Mecklenburg County

1748-1764
Lunenburg Tithes before 1770


1780
Mecklenburg Census


1782
Mecklenburg Taxes


1782
Mecklenburg Land Taxes


1780???
John Bowen


????-1787
Hicks Bowen


????-1819
Littleberry Bowen


????-1824
William Bowen III


????-1821
Isham Bowen


????-1826
James Bowen


????-1832
Asa Bowen


????-1815
David Bowen, Jr.


1762-182?
Bracy Bowen


1767-???
Littleberry Bowen Kirks


1805-????
Edwin Bowen


Other Stuff

1840's-1900's
Bible Records of Thomas Adam Bowen


1841-1911
James Bryant Bowen


1806
Mecklenburg Taxes


1824
Mecklenburg Land Taxes


Pre 1890
Bowen Marriage Records in Virginia


Eunice Bowen Branyon
1907-1980


Elise Brown Bowen
1920-2012





Bowen Coat of Arms



David Bowen, Sr.

David Bowen Sr's birth was recorded in the Bristol Parish records as 13 Nov 1731. His parents were recorded as William and Amy Bowen.

He was again proven as a son of William Bowen and Amy in a 1762 deed:

Lunenburg Deed Book 7, p 266
24 May 1762 William Bowen Senr of Saint James Parish of Lunenburg Co to David Bowen son of the said William Bowen ... 70 acres part of 240 acres granted by patent 14 Feb 1761 to the said William Bowen ... Eagles nest creek the upper end joining the land of James Cammwell and the upper part joining the land of James Thomason.
Signed William (+) Bowen, Amey (a) Bowen
Witnesses Robert (+) Bowen, Drury (D) Bowen, Elizabeth (E) Nawblin [Noblin?]

David's wife can be proven by two deeds.

Mecklenburg Co DB 5 p 145
1777 (no month, day) David Bowen of Mecklenburg to Mark Evans of same. 30L about 90a. Beginning at a posimmon tree on the Eagles Nest Creek thence up the said creek a south course to Littleberry Bowen's corner on a dogwood thence along Littleberry Bowen's line a west course to James Bowen's line thence a north course to James Bowen's corner on a post oak thence an east along along Isham Bowen's & Robert Bowen's to the first station the same being granted to the said David Bowen by patent bearing date October the 11, 1757.
Signed David X Bowen
Wit Wm Drumright, Drury Bowen, Hicks X Bowen.
Memorandum of quiet and peaceable possession signed and wit by same.
Court held 8 December 1777 acknowledged by David Bowen. Anne Bowen wife of the said David personally appeared in court and being privily examined voluntarily relinquished her right of dower in the estate conveyed by the said indenture.

Mecklenburg DB 7 p 572
9 February 1790. David Bowen of Mecklenburg to Jones Gee. 45L about 75a. Beginning at a corner white oak on Balaam Jones line thence from the said Joneses line up a small branch to the head and thence along Samuel Hopkins's line an east course to the head of another small branch thence down the said branch as it meanders to a bend of the said branch and thence along a line of markd trees an east course to a corner on [Hix &?] Bowens line thence along the said Bowen line to a corner on William Thomassons line thence along the said Thomassons line to a corner white oak on James Marimans line thence along the said Marimans line to Balaam Joneses line thence along the said Joneses line to the first station.
Signed David X Bowen
Wit William Walker, Robert Nance, Wyatt Nance
Mem of quiet and peacably possession .. signed & wit by same 9 Feb 1790
Court 12 April 1790 acknowledged by David Bowen, Nancy Bowen wife of the said David personally appeared in court .. relinquished her right of dower.

Nancy was a common nickname for Anne, so this was probably the same wife.

Many of the deeds contained errors as to who patented the land. The land that David Bowen was selling to Mark Evans was certainly not patented by David Bowen. In most cases, when this kind of error is found in a deed, it almost always turns out to be the previous owner who actually patented the land. I have not been able to find a patent to anyone in Brunswick Co, Lunenburg Co, or Mecklenburg Co who received a grant dated 11 October 1757, so the date itself is in error too. But William Bowen's patent for his land on the Little Creek in Lunenburg Co was dated 1 October 1747. The date is somewhat similar, but that's the wrong piece of land on the wrong side of the river. A persimmon tree on the Eagles Nest Creek was the southeastern corner of Robert Bowen's land where it adjoined William Bowen's land, and David Bowen was deeded about 70 acres of that land by his father in 1762. But that land was granted to William Bowen on 14 February 1761. The date doesn't agree at all, although the persimmon tree on Eagles Nest Creek does. But David's share of his father's land was about 70 acres and this 1777 deed refers to 90 acres.

It's very difficult to determine how William Bowen Sr divided up his patent. The descriptions of the land deeded to Samuel Kirks, David Bowen, and Jesse Bowen are very vague. The land probably was not surveyed again for this division. The dividing lines were marked with chopped trees. The deeds for this division offer few clues as to where these lines of chopped trees were located. But Jesse's deed mentioned the land adjoined John Clack's land which would put his division somewhere on the eastern side of William Bowen's patent. Kirks' deed mentioned the adjoining lands of George Walton and James Thomason. Since Walton owned the land on the west side of Bowen's patent and George Vaughan had sold part of his land on the south to James Thomason, that would indicate that Kirks' division fell into the western part of the patent. So David Bowen's land must have been in the middle somewhere with Kirks' part on the west and Jesse's part on the east.

Lunenburg Co DB 7 p 266
24 May 1762 William Bowen Sr of St James Parish in Lunenburg to David Bowen, son of the said William Bowen, for the natural love which he has for David, a certain tract of land of about 70 acres, it being part of a tract of 240 acres of land granted by patent on Feb 14, 1761 to the said William Bowen, it being that part of the said land which lies on the Eagles Nest Cr, the upper end joining the land of James Cammwell and the upper part joining the land of James Thomason, and the other part divided by a line of marked trees between said David and the other part of the land, and running up the Buck Branch to Watens Order of Council mentioned the said patent.
Signed William (X) Bowen, Amey (O) Bowen
Wit Robert (X) Bowen, Drury (D) Bowen, Elizabeth (E) Nawblin [Noblin?]
Rec 1 June 1762

"Upper" here means upstream which was actually south. Since George Vaughan who patented the land to the south of William Bowen's patent had sold parts of this patent to James Campbell and James Thomason, the deed to David Bowen was apparently referring to the land they had purchased from Vaughan. Thomason's deed in 1760 referred to Bowen's and Walton's land as adjoining. Walton's land lay to the west of Vaughan's land while the Bowen land lay to the north, so Thomason's land must have come from the northwestern part of Vaughan's patent. Campbell's deed in 1761 adjoined Bowen and Thomason, so we know Campbell's land was east of Thomason's, and the tract that David Bowen was deeded was the part of William Bowen's land that lay north of their common line. That would seem to place David Bowen's land directly south of the persimmon tree on Eagles Nest Creek where Robert Bowen's land and William Bowen's land adjoined. Since the deed states that David's portion was on Eagles Nest Creek, that again indicates his division came from the center of the o Original patent.



But this land does not agree with the description in the 1777 deed from David Bowen to Mark Evans.

However, George Vaughan's patent for land on Eagles Nest Creek was also dated 1 October 1747 which is similar to 11 October 1757 quoted in David's 1777 deed. There is no mention of a persimmon tree in George Vaughan's patent, but the land certainly lay on Eagles Nest Creek. An examination of the adjoining land in the 1777 deed doesn't agree at all with what we would expect if this were the central part of William Bowen Sr's patent. It's a fascinating deed because it refers to Isham Bowen's land - and there is no deed to Isham Bowen until 1784 when he purchased land from John Short and wife Edy. The 1782 land tax records don't reflect that Isham Bowen held any land. The same is true for James Bowen. He purchased land from Charles Bowen and wife Amy in 1778, but otherwise James isn't known to have held land prior to that and wasn't listed as holding any land in 1782. Were some of the Bowens left off of the land tax records? Did the 1777 deed name the wrong neighbors?

Actually I suspect this 90 acres that David Bowen sold in 1777 came from George Vaughan's patent. Vaughan's second patent added additional land to the north, east, and south of his original patent that adjoined William Bowen Sr's patent on the south side. His land also lay on Eagles Nest Creek.

Patent granted to George Vaughan 1 Oct 1747 290 acres Brunswick Co in the fork of Eagles Nest Creek. Beginning at a beech on this creek thence south sixty degrees west eighty poles to a white oak thence south three degrees east one hundred and seventy six poles to a white oak thence south forty three degrees west one hundred and forty poles to a white oak on a branch thence up the sd branch as it meanders to a hiccory on the same thence north thirty degrees east eighty eight poles to a red oak at the road thence north thirty three degrees east one hundred and fifty six poles to a poplar on the Eagles Nest Creek aforesaid thence down creek as it meanders to the  beginning.

Patent granted to George Vaughan 12 May 1759 400 acres Lunenburg Co on the branches of Eagles Nest Creek and the branches of Taylors Creek. Beginning at his own old corner beech on the Eagles Nest Creek thence on his own line South sixty degrees east seventy eight poles to a white oak south three degrees east two hundred poles to a white oak south fifty two degrees west one hundred and eighty poles to a white oak on a branch of Taylors Creek thence down the same as it meanders to Bates's line thence on his line north fifty three degrees east seventy poles to David Walkers corner white oak in the same thence on his lines north ten degrees west two hundred and eighteen poles to a black jack east forty poles to a black jack thence new lines north seven degrees east one hundred and sixty four poles to a Spanish oak north seventy degrees west two hundred eighty poles to a black jack [Wm Bowen's S line] south thirty degrees west one hundred sixty two poles to a white oak [George Walton's E line] south sixty degrees east one hundred thirty six poles to pointers in his own old line thence on his line north thirty five degrees east sixty poles to a poplar on the Eagles Nest Creek aforesaid & thence down the same as it meanders to the first station.

Early Patents near Eagles Nest Creek


Note: Twitty's long blue lines should actually follow "the meanders" of Taylor's Creek.
Blue indicates rivers, creeks, branches.


More work needs to be done with the land records to determine how this land came into the hands of the Bowens and whether or not the references to Isham Bowen's land and James Bowen's land in this deed are correct.

Mecklenburg DB 7 p 572
9 February 1790. David Bowen of Mecklenburg to Jones Gee. 45L about 75a. Beginning at a corner white oak on Balaam Jones line thence from the said Joneses line up a small branch to the head and thence along Samuel Hopkins's line an east course to the head of another small branch thence down the said branch as it meanders to a bend of the said branch and thence along a line of markd trees an east course to a corner on [Hix &?] Bowens line thence along the said Bowen line to a corner on William Thomassons line thence along the said Thomassons line to a corner white oak on James Marimans line thence along the said Marimans line to Balaam Joneses line thence along the said Joneses line to the first station.
Signed David X Bowen
Wit William Walker, Robert Nance, Wyatt Nance
Mem of quiet and peacably possession .. signed & wit by same 9 Feb 1790
Court 12 April 1790 acknowledged by David Bowen, Nancy Bowen wife of the said David personally appeared in court… relinquished her right of dower.

Even though the 75 acres in this deed would suggest this was the land from the center of William Bowen Sr's patent, the adjoining lines and neighbors don't agree at all. Balaam Jones and Samuel Hopkins are not known to have purchased any of William Bowen's patent or land adjoining his patent.

The references to William Thomasson's land and James Mariman's [Merrymoon] land again sound like the land came from the George Vaughan patent rather than the William Bowen patent. On 15 February 1771, James Cammel purchased 415 acres from George Walton's patent dated 24 March 1762. (Mecklenburg DB 3 p 146) This east side of Walton's patent and the west side of George Vaughan's patent adjoined. On 28 March 1771, James Cammel sold 100 acres from the 415 acre tract to James Merymoon. (Mecklenburg DB 3 p 151). This 100 acres adjoined Thomerson. Meanwhile, on 9 March 1771, James Thomason sold 150 acres on the Eagles Nest Creek to William Thomerson. This land had been purchased from George Vaughan and came from Vaughan's 12 May 1759 patent. (Mecklenburg DB 3 p 3) So the James Merryman land cut from Walton's patent and the William Thomason land cut from Vaughan's patent adjoined. This land must have come from either Vaughan's patent or Walton's patent. However, there is no record of David Bowen purchasing this land - just as there is no record for James Bowen or Isham Bowen holding land that early.

What did happen to the 70 acres that William Bowen Sr deeded to son David Bowen? None of these deeds seem to reflect that land.

In 1795, David Bowen purchased 25 acres on Buffalo Creek in the western part of Mecklenburg Co where he lived until his death. See section 9 of the 1870 Mecklenburg Co map.

Mecklenburg DB 8 p 499
10 April 1795. James Wilkins of Mecklenburg to David Bowen of Mecklenburg. 18L 25a. On the waters of Little Buffalow Creek. Beginning on a scrub white oak and running southward on Zachariah Glasscocks line to a corner white oak thence along sd Glasscock line north seventy degrees west eighty eight poles to pointers on William Stroud line fourteen poles on the said Stroud line to a corner hickory thence along said Stroud line west to a hiclory on the said line thence along new markd line south course to the first station.
Signed James Wilkins
Wit Jones Gee, Luke Miles, Robt Newton

Notice that Jones Gee witnessed both deeds. His name appeared on a number of other Bowen records too.

David Bowen appeared as a witness on many of the Bowen deeds. The problem is, there was another younger David Bowen who was also appearing in the records at the same time and it's very difficult to tell one from the other. The records seldom used Sr or Jr behind their names, so unless the record mentions a wife or other known family, it's virtually impossible to determine which is which. The younger David Bowen, son of William Bowen Jr and Lucrecy, married Savory Bowen, daughter of Charles Bowen and Amy. This younger David Bowen's will mentioned Jenny Bowen, but this was Savory's unmarried sister, not Lewis Bowen's wife.

David Bowen Sr had died by 1804 according to a deed from Ambrose Gregory of Mecklenburg to Daniel Sizemore of Mecklenburg dated 13 Feb 1804 (Mecklenburg Deed Book 11, p516). This deed was for land on the east side of the Great Buffalo Creek and mentioned the line of Henry Green and the line of David Bowen deceased. David Bowen Sr appears to have lived until at least 1799 according to the tax records which listed a David Bowen and a David Bowen Jr that year. In 1800 and subsequent years, only one David Bowen was listed. He was not noted as Sr or Jr and, as neither of them seem to have owned much in the way of slaves or horses at that time, it's impossible to recognize which one was appearing in the records after 1799. The land tax records do no reflect David Bowen Sr's death either as they continued to list his 25 acres before and after his death until the land was sold by his heirs. The tax records never noted it as his estate land. So we can only roughly place his death at sometime between 1799 and 13 Feb 1804, possibly around 1800.

The land was mentioned in an 1807 deed.

Meck. DB 13, p227, 228 5 Feb. 1807 Stephen Pettypool of of Mecklenburg to Ambrose Gregory of said county. 6 shillings. Three different tracts of land containing in the whole 325 acres being in county of Mecklenburg and bounded as follows. 1st one tract bounded by the lines of William Newton, Robert Newton son of George and Robert Newton son of Henry and the said Ambrose Gregory, the same containing 45 1/2 acres.  2ndly the tract of land the said Pool purchased of Daniel Sizemore and bounded by the lands of David Bowen and Allen Noblin, Peter Overby (son Zack), Henry Green and Ambrose Gregory containing 45 1/2 acres.  3rdly the tracts of land the said Pool purchased of Aaron Butler, Thomas Boswell and William Wilkerson containing 225 acres, bounded by lands of Aaron Butler, Macadiah Overby, John Vaughan Senr, Joseph Blank, John Jarrott, Franklin Wilkinson and the said Ambrose Gregory.
Signed Stephen P. Pool
Wit John P. Finch, Charles Hamblin, John Blanks
Ack 8 June 1807 by Stephen Pettypool

The 25 acres from David Bowen's estate was sold in 1811 to Ambrose Gregory by David Bowen's "legatees". The land was on Little Buffalo Creek and adjoined Stephen P. Pool, Zachariah Glascock, Alan and John Noblin, and David Perkins.The deed reflected David's children as Bracie Bowen, Elizabeth Bowen, Nelley wife of William Glascock, Lewis Bowen, Benjamin Bowen, Elijah Bowen, Nancy wife of John Sparks, and Reter/Retter/Ritter Bowen.

The last name has often been interpreted as Peter (and no Peter Bowen could never be found in later records), but a close examination of the witness section shows that the name was recorded as Retter and Ritter. The first letter is definitely an R rather than a P here. It is virtually impossible to tell "his mark" from "her mark" in this document. I would guess that this might have been an unmarried daughter.

Mecklenburg Deed Book 14, p 462-463, 10 Aug 1811



From this deed, it can be determined that Nancy Bowen had married John Sparks and Nelly Bowen had married William Glascock. Benjamin Bowen's marriage to Martha "Patsy" Sparks can be found in the Mecklenburg marriage records. The bond date was 12 September 1803.

Notice that John and Alan Noblin owned adjoining land in 1811 when the land was sold, but weren't mentioned when David Bowen purchased the land in 1795. According to Noblin research, Allen Noblin b 1780 and John Noblin b 1783 were sons of Thomas Noblin and Frances who had purchased part of the George Walton patent at the same time that William Bowen Jr, Charles Bowen, William Drumright, and several others purchased tracts from Walton in 1770. An Elizabeth Nawblin [Noblin?] witnessed all three of the deeds when William Bowen Sr divided his patent in 1762. Is it just coincidence that these Noblin sons settled near David Bowen's family when they were grown?

Benjamin Bowen remained in Mecklenburg Co through at least 1837. His widow Martha Sparks was found on the 1850 Cleveland Co, NC census living with daugher Nancy Bowen Pinson and husband Gilbert Pinson. Nancy was their only surviving child.

Lewis Bowen's wife can be proven as Jinny -?-.
DB 14 p 401 19 Aug 1811 Benjamin Bowen and Lewis Bowen to Robert Hester.
DB 14 p 546 Jinney Bowen and Patsey Bowen dower release for above.
Records for Lewis Bowen can be found later in Rutherford Co and Greenville Co, SC.

Bracy Bowen b 1762 was also found in Rutherford Co, NC. He may have been the same as Bressie Bowen who made a deposition concerning the accuracy of the copy of Hicks Bowen's will in 1787.

Other Bowens left records in the Rutherford Co area who seem to be descended from David Bowen Sr, but their exact connection hasn't been proven. One was David Bowen b ca 1802 VA, d 1882 Rutherford Co, NC.

A Mabry/Mayberry Bowen b ca 1785/90 - ca 1871 was listed from 1816 to 1818 on the land tax records of Mecklenburg Co. He was taxed for 16.25 acres on "Waters Buffalo".

DB 16 p 141
12 January 1816 Peter Overby [Z] and Nancy Overby [Z] of Mecklenburg to Mabry Bowen of said county. $80.25 16 1/4 a on the waters of Great Buffaloe Creek beginning at a post oak on the black meadow branch in Thomas Hendricks and Peter Overby [Z] line thence N 86E 19 poles to a corner pine on a bend thence S78E 30? poles to corner pointers in Overby's line thence N21E 92 poles to a sweet gum & black gum on the said branch thence up the said branch as it meanders to Hendricks line near the branch thence along his line to the beginning.
Signed Peter + Overby, Nanny Overby
Acknowledged by Peter Overby before Charles Hamblin & Stephen P Pool magistrates 12 Jan 1816
Rec 16 Jan 1816

DB 16 p 141 rec 1816 Mabry Bowen from Nanny Overby dower release

Mayberry Bowen's wife was Hannah Sparks, sister to John Sparks who married Nancy Bowen and Martha Sparks who married Benjamin Bowen. David Bowen Sr's land was on Buffalo Creek. Mayberry's birth date would tend to place him as a probable grandson. By 1820, Mayberry had moved to Rutherford Co, and by 1850 he and Hannah were listed on the 1850 Cleveland Co, NC census. Mayberry was age 60 on the 1850 census but age 85 in 1870.

Although the Bowens of Rutherford Co are difficult to trace directly back through each generation, they appear to be descendants of David Bowen Sr.