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 Along the Meherrin River in Mecklenburg County The Bowens of Mecklenburg Co, VA The line begins with William and Robert Bowen who were surely kin to each other in some way and possibly brothers, although that has not been proven. They were at least producing children at the same time in Bristol Parish during the late 1720's and early 1730's. It has not been determined exactly where these Bowen families were living at this time as no mention of them in earlier records has been found. Most likely they were living in Prince George Co, perhaps near a creek called Bowen's Branch. The Bristol Parish records included the following Bowen birth records: Wm. son of William and amy Bowen Born 2d Dcemr 1729 Bapt 10th May 1730 Lucie D of Robert and Avis Bowen born 23th August 1730 David of Wm. & Amy Bowen born 13th Novr 1731 bapt 30th July 1732 Ephraim son of Robt & Avis Bowen born 12th Feby 1731 bapt 30th July 1732 Jesse s of William and Amy Bowyon born 11th March 1734 The Bristol Parish birth records also included the births of children born to the Andrews, Granger, and Bailey families. A land record proves that James Voughn Sr was one of the first to leave Bristol Parish to settle on land in Surry Co that was later taken in by Brunswick Co. Children and grandchildren of all these families were later found living along the Meherrin River very near the Bowens. There are many records that indicate these families were closely associated after their move to the Brunswick/Lunenburg area. There is reason to believe they might have been closely associated prior to the move as well. This is discussed in more depth on the Andrews page, the Vaughan page, the Bristol Parish page, and a page concerning the peculiar given name Avis that appeared in the Bowen records and many families that were associated with the Bowens. William and Robert Bowen disappeared from the Bristol Parish records after the March 11, 1734 birth of Jesse Bowen. Since the new year didn't begin until March 25 by the old calendar, we would actually consider this date March 11, 1735 by our modern calendar. The Bowens reappeared in the late 1730's or early 1740's in the Brunswick Co Court Orders. There are two entries that are probably for William Bowen even though the clerk's writing could be interpreted as Boreing or Boren. But a published index for Order Books 1-3 did not list any other persons by the name Boreing or Boren. A close examination of the clerk's writing in the original Brunswick Co documents indicates he was careless with the formation of the letter w which sometimes came out looking like r or re. The entry for William Boren is almost certainly William Bowen since it concerns roads in the part of Brunswick Co that had recently been taken in by the creation of the new county of Lunenburg. Brunswick OB 1:183 dated 2 Dec 1737 To William [Bowing/Boreing?]...............120 [This was a page that listed persons who had killed wolves or were due payment for some other unstated reason. There was no explanation for the payment with this entry.] Brunswick OB 1:458 From a 7 May 1741 entry that begins on p 424. Upon the petition of Seth Petty Poole against William Bowen for twenty five shillings said to be due by bill this day came as well the pet by Clement Read his attorney as the def in his proper person and were heard upon the subject matter of the said petition. Upon consideration whereof it is consider'd by the court that the pet recover agst the def the said twenty five shillings and his cost by him about his suit in this behalf expended. Brunswick OB 1:460 From a 7 May 1741 entry that begins on p 424. Upon the attachment obtained by Theophilus Feild against the estate of William [WCoore? obviously should be Moore from a later entry] order'd that Robert Bowen garnishee of the sd Wm be sumon'd to render an account of the sd Wm his estate according to law. Brunswick OB 2:25 From a 2 July 1741 entry that begins on p 5. Upon the attachment obtained by Theophilus Field from John Wall Gent a member of this court against the estate of William Moore who is said to be privately removed out of this colony into North Carolina so that the ordinary process of law cannot be [referred?/reserved?*] on him, for five pounds current money this day came as well the said Theophilus by Clement Read his attorney as Robert Bowen garnishee of the sd William in his proper person and the said Robert being first sworn declar'd that he had none of the goods or chattels rights or credits of the said William in his hands in his possession at the time of the levying the said attachment. Therefore it is consider'd that the said Robert go hence without day [sic] and that the said attachment be discontinued. [*This clerk frequently wrote a single S in the middle of a word that looked like an f, so this word could have been either referred or reserved. These records associating Robert Bowen with William Moore may be an important clue. Why would Robert Bowen have had possession of or rights to anything belonging to William Moore?] Brunswick OB 3:27 From a 3 Apr 1746 entry that begins on p 21. Sarah Crawley admx with the will annex'd of William Crawley deced ...... pet agst Robert Bowen ......... def The def being returned arrested and not appearing on the motion of the pet by Clement Read her attorney order'd that, unless the def do appear at the next court & plead to the pets action, judgment shall be entred [sic] for the pet agst him the said def and James Vaughan who was returned security for the appearance of the sd deft to answer the plea aforesaid. [Note: This clearly suggests a friendship or other relationship between Robert Bowen and James Vaughan. This must have been James Vaughan Jr d ca 1750 since James Voughn Sr had died in 1735. See Vaughan page.] Brunswick OB 3:067 From a 3 July 1746 entry that begins on p 40. Upon the petition of William [Bowen/Boren?] and others for divers matters concerning roads which now appear to be in the county of Lunenburg, order'd that the said petition be dismissed. [William Bowen's land was in the part of Brunswick that fell into Lunenburg when the new county was created.] Brunswick OB 3:091 From a 7 Aug 1746 entry that begins on p 52. Sarah Crawley admx with the will annexed of William Crawley deced ..............pet agst Robert Bowen ...............def Continued til the next court 3:198 From 4 June 1747 entry that begins on p 186. Sarah Crawley admx wit the will annex'd of William Crawley deced .......... pet agst Robert Bowen ............ def Discontinued for want of prosecution. Brunswick OB 3:255 From a 6 Aug 1747 entry that begins on p 242 Order'd that Lucy Jackson an infant under the age of twenty one years by Daniel Armstrong her next friend pay William Bowen one hundred and seventy pounds of tobacco for two days attendance at this court as a witness for the said Lucy against Walter Campbell and for coming & returning twenty miles twice according to law. Although these were the earliest records for William and Robert Bowen in Brunswick Co, there was an earlier record for a Benjamin [Bowing/Boring?] who had apparently purchased land in Brunswick Co from Thomas Wilson of Surry Co. The first record we have that reflects land held by either William Bowen or Robert Bowen in Brunswick Co was dated 1 Oct 1747 when William Bowen was granted a patent for 326 acres on the lower side of Little Creek in Brunswick Co. Lunenburg Co had been formed from Brunswick Co the year before in 1746, but the descriptions in the patents came from surveys done years before when the land was first entered for a patent. At the time that this land was surveyed, the land did lie in Brunswick Co. On the same date - actually the patent recorded just before Bowen's patent - George Vaughan was granted a patent for 290 acres in Brunswick Co in the fork of Eagles Nest Creek which was located on the south side of the river. On 12 May 1759, George Vaughan was granted a patent for an additional 400 acres that adjoined his first patent. Later deeds for the Bowens in Lunenburg Co and later in Mecklenburg Co referred to Eagles Nest Creek again and again. Some of the later Bowen land records indicate that they acquired parts of these Vaughan patents. However, the land that William Bowen Sr was granted in 1747 was not on the south side of the Meherrin River, but on the north side on land that was located in the southeast corner of Lunenburg near the Meherrin River very near the Brunswick Co line and James Mize's ford. It was also very near the land which James Voughn Sr had been granted in 1736, the year after his death. Voughn had been living on this land for some time as his 1735 will clearly referred to the land he left to his wife Anne as his homeplace. A few years later in 1741, his widow Anne Vaughan deeded the entire tract to her son George Vaughan. Her deed referred to the 1736 patent. (Brunswick Co DB 2 p 116) It is apparent from the Brunswick Co Court Orders that a Robert Bowen had moved from Bristol Parish to Brunswick Co at approximately the same time that William Bowen did. But no patents were found under the name Robert Bowen until 1768. However, a Robert Bowen held land in Lunenburg Co (the part that later became Mecklenburg Co) as early as 1753 when he deeded 150 acres to Clement Read "whereon the said Robert Bowen now lives" adjoining Edward Henry on Eagles Nest Creek. This would have been on the south side of the Meherrin River in what is now the northeastern corner of Mecklenburg Co. This Robert Bowen's land actually adjoined a patent that was granted to William Bowen in 1761, but there was some mixup involving the patents and Robert Bowen and Edward Henry both lost the land they had had surveyed for patents. There is reason to believe that the Robert Bowen who held this land on Eagles Nest Creek adjoining William Bowen's patent might have been an unproven son of William Bowen rather than the earlier Robert Bowen of Bristol Parish.  An unexplained John Bowen also appeared in the Lunenburg Co records between 1750 and 1754. It is not known if he was a brother to William and Robert Bowen, or possibly a son of one of them who had recently come of age. He disappeared from the records after 1754. Not all of the later Bowens in Mecklenburg Co can be proven as to their specific relationship to William Bowen Sr or Robert Bowen Sr or even John Bowen or Benjamin Bowen, but there is no doubt that these unplaced Bowens must have descended from one of these early Bowens, or maybe more than one since there were a number of Bowen/Bowen marriages. Since James Voughn Sr is known to have been an earlier resident of Bristol Parish, and a number of Thomas Andrews descendants moved from Bristol Parish to Lunenburg where the Bowens, Andrews, and Vaughans all lived very near each other, it is suspected that these families might have connected, but no proof has yet been found. |