John Bowles of Whitby township, Ontario county

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According to the 1837 Directory of Home co., John Bowles homesteaded at Whitby township Con. 5 Lot 17 in the 1830's (see the township maps above). The 1869 Connor and Coltson’s Directory of Ontario County lists him at Con. 9 Lot 14 and Con. 5 Lot 15. In that directory, his son William, a laborer, was living at Con. 6 Lot 23 which is the Town of Brooklin which is described as "a village in the Township of West Whitby on the gravel road 5 miles north of Whitby town". full reference

The family’s tradition is that John and Elizabeth emigrated from County Queens (now County Laois, Ireland) directly to Whitby, Ont. in 1825 but records indicate that this is the same John Bowles who emigrated from Carlow, Ireland in 1825, settled first in Quebec City, married there in 1832 and then moved on to settle somewhere in Ontario. DNA tests for this branch have also proven to be identical to those of the Quebec City line

The John Bowles from Quebec City married an Elizabeth Green in Quebec City in 1832. The birth of their first child in 1833 would fit the idea that they were married in 1832 better than the traditional theory that they married in Ireland before 1825. Signatures for John and Mary’s marriage certificate in Quebec City are also extremely similar to the signature of John Bowles of Whitby on his last will and testament and are almost identical to Mary’s signature on the will’s probate document. Both signatures are slightly different but there are also 40 years between the two signatures. See the Comparison of Their Signatures.

See Michael Bowles of Ontario Co.'s Family Tree for more information on John's descendants.

There are some references online to a John Herbert Bowles of Ashburn who drowned in 1864 but on further research this has proven to actually be a Bowler, a son of Daniel Bowler, the postmaster in Ashburn.

There was another Bowles family living in Oshawa in the 1891 Census. He worked as a teamster and the 1891 census indicates he was born in England:

John Bowles¹⁹⁸ (b. ~ 1856 England) m. Mary Guy (b. ~ 1856 England)

1. Charles¹⁹⁹ b. ~ 1887 England

2. Gertrude⁷⁷¹ b. Aug, 28, 1889 Town of Oshawa, Ont. ref. # 026402/89

However the 1888 marriage registration for John Bowles and Mary Guy is in Oshawa and indicates he was born in Ireland:

John Bowles (b. ~ 1859 Ireland; James, Ellen)

m. Mary Guy (b. ~ 1864 England; Morris, Ellen) Nov. 20, 1888 Oshawa, Ont.

If this John Bowles was born in Ireland he could be another relative of the Whitby Bowles.