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 Bowen Coat of Arms David Bowen, Jr. David Bowen of the County of Mecklenburg. 3 October 1814, proved 20 February 1815 Lend unto my beloved wife Savery Bowen during her natural life all my estate both real and personal and at her death I give the same to Henderson James Bowen son of Jinny Bowen to him and his heirs forever. Friend Jones Gee executor ... not compelled to give security. Signed David (X) Bowen Witnesses Charles (X) Bowen, Jeffa (X) Bowen, Catey Bowen In Mecklenburg County 20th February 1815. This will was presented in Court by Jones Gee the Executor ... proved by two of the witnesses thereto subscribed ... ordered to be recorded. This was the will of David Bowen "Jr", simply meaning the younger David Bowen as opposed to David Bowen Sr, son of William Bowen Sr and Amy. The few records we have for him are, at best, puzzling. His wife Savery was the daughter of Charles Bowen. Jeffa Bowen and Catey Bowen who also witnessed David's will were Savery's brother and sister. Jinny Bowen, mother of Henderson James Bowen, was also Savery's sister and Charles Bowen's daughter. Everyone mentioned in this will reflects the family of Charles Bowen except for the extr, Jones Gee, who was the son of Neavil Gee Sr. Jones Gee was also the extr for the will of Charles Bowen written the next year in 1815. When David Bowen Sr moved to the western part of the county on Buffalo Creek, he sold his land in the northeastern part of the county near the other Bowens to Jones Gee. Jones Gee also witnessed the deed when David Bowen Sr purchased his new land on Buffalo Creek. The legatees of David Bowen Sr sold his land on Buffalo Creek in 1811 after his death. David Bowen Jr was not mentioned in that deed as one of the legatees even though he was still living at the time. So this David Bowen Jr does not appear to have been the son of David Bowen Sr. David Bowen Sr did have a son named Lewis Bowen whose wife's name on a deed was Jenny. 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. (Benjamin Bowen was brother of Lewis Bowen. His wife was Martha "Patsey" Sparks.) So we know the wife of Lewis Bowen was named Jenny. But Lewis Bowen was listed on the census in 1820 and 1830 in Rutherford Co, NC and in 1840 in Greenville Co, SC with a wife and quite a few children. That does not agree with the records we have concerning Jenny, daughter of Charles Bowen and mother of Henderson James Bowen. These records leave us with several possibilities: 1) Perhaps Lewis Bowen divorced or deserted his wife Jenny and young son and took up with or married another woman. If David Bowen Jr was Lewis Bowen's brother and for some reason was not included in the deed as one of David Bowen Sr's legatees, then David Bowen Jr might have been trying to provide for his fatherless nephew. 2) Perhaps Lewis Bowen's wife was a completely different Jenny and not Charles Bowen's daughter at all. If so, then Charles's daughter Jenny must have either been the widow of another unknown Bowen, or her son was illegitimate. David Bowen Jr might have wanted to provide for his wife's sister's fatherless child. Charles Bowen also named Henderson Bowen in his will and provided for him just like he had for his own children. Even though Charles had other grandchildren at the time, he provided for only this one. It would appear that both Charles Bowen and David Bowen Jr were concerned about the welfare of this child and both were making a special effort to provide for him. Charles Bowen's daughter Jenny was still living in Mecklenburg Co in 1850 with her brother Jeffa. She died about 1859 when her will was recorded. Her will named William Nash as her sole heir and extr. Her son Henderson James Bowen did not appear in the records again after Charles Bowen's will of 1815 and certainly died before Jenny did since she made no provision for him or any other children. There are a few additional records concerning this David Bowen Jr that might eventually help to determine the family he belongs to if additional records are found in the future. Mecklenburg Co DB 14 p 56 17 July 1807 Littleberry Bowen Kirks of Mecklenburg Co "for and in consideration of the natural love and affection which I bair to David Bowen and Savory his wife of sd county". One negro boy by the name of Medley. Signed Littleberry Bowen Kirks (X) Wit Jones Gee, Charles (X) Bowen This kind of deed was typically from a father to his son or stepson or son-in-law, or perhaps from one brother to another brother or stepbrother or brother-in-law. Usually there was a very close kinship involved. Often these deeds were from an older man to a younger man to help the younger one get started. Sometimes a father would deed his land to his children prior to his death rather than willing it to them after his death. But this deed involved a slave, not land. Littleberry Bowen Kirks was the stepson of Jesse Bowen and later the stepson of Littleberry Bowen. It's not known if his mother Winifred was born a Kirks or married a Kirks, but her son, who was originally listed as Littleberry Kirks in the records, incorporated Bowen into his name - or perhaps Bowen was already a part of his name and his earliest records just didn't include it. The records referred to him in various ways - Littleberry Kirks, Littleberry Bowen Jr, Littleberry Bowen Kirks, and Littleberry Kirks Bowen. After Jesse Bowen died, Winifred married again to Littleberry Bowen. Her son Littleberry Bowen Kirks was named as an heir in both of her husbands' wills. The 1782 Mecklenburg census listed two David Bowens. One with 11 whites - certainly David Bowen Sr who had a number of proven children at that time - and the other with only 2 whites - certainly David Bowen Jr. A David Bowen and another David Bowen Jr were also listed on the 1782 tax records indicating both were at least age 21. So David Bowen Jr must have been born by 1761/62. Littleberry Bowen Kirks was not listed under Jesse Bowen until 1788 which means he was at least 6 years younger than David Bowen Jr. So this "love and affection" deed from Littleberry Bowen Kirks to David Bowen and Savory was not a deed from an older man to a younger one, but from a younger man to an older one. If David Bowen Jr was born by 1761/62 or even a few years earlier, then his father, whoever he was, was probably born by 1742 or earlier. The 1787 will of Hicks Bowen provides evidence of his siblings which included a David Bowen, Littleberry Bowen (eldest brother), and William Bowen, among others. These siblings were almost certainly the children of William Bowen Jr and Lucrecy. If David Bowen Jr is the same David Bowen whose name appeared on Hicks Bowen's will, then he would have been a son of William Bowen Jr and a younger brother to Littleberry Bowen. That would have made David Bowen Jr the "stepuncle" of Littleberry Bowen Kirks, stepson of David's brother Littleberry Bowen. Since Littleberry Bowen Kirks was also the stepson of Jesse Bowen, David Bowen Jr would have been Littleberry Bowen Kirk's "stepcousin" by this second relationship. Since Samuel Kirk's wife Edith appears to have been a daughter of William Bowen Sr, there may have been a third relationship between Littleberry Bowen Kirks and David Bowen Jr that can't yet be defined. There were also two deeds that we don't yet have which could give us more information and make the relationships more clear. Both deeds bear the same date and sold land to the same grantee. DB 26 p 426 1835 Savory Bowen sells that 25 acres (that belonged to David Bowen Jr.) to Richard Gregory, Jr. DB 26 p 427 1835 Nancy A. Bowen sells land to Richard Gregory Jr. David Bowen Sr was born in 1731, so it's very unlikely that his wife Nancy was still living in 1835. Nancy A Bowen was most likely Nancy Angelina Bowen who was named as a granddaughter in the will of Littleberry Bowen. Nancy Angelina Bowen and her mother Angelina Bowen inherited all the land that belonged to Littleberry Bowen at his death. Mecklenburg Co WB 8, p 107-108    |