Surname report submitted by Jane Peppler
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A onderful resource is the book, "The Family of Griffith Bowen, Gentleman, Welsh Puritan Immigrant, Boston, Mass, 1638-9, Especially the Branch of Esquire Silas Bowen, Born in Woodstock, Conn. 1722" by Daniel Bowen, available from Higginson Books. From this book I discovered that Dijah Bowen lost the use of his legs and eventually went insane after the death of his son Henry in 1826 and was "provided for comfortably in the country" while most of the rest of his family went west, from the Boston area to Ohio, where our branch of the Griffith Bowen family did not fare well. As the letter below indicates, of the four sons of Dijah Bowen (b. 1777) who moved from Boston to Zanesville, only one survived. I am hoping to hear from other descendants of this line.
The ill-fated relocation of the Bowen brothers from Massachusetts to Zanesville, OhioFrom a letter written by the sister of these men (Caroline Bowen Matthews b. June 10, 1825):"Charles was a wholesale bookseller and publisher in Boston ... I think my brother William, who was the first to go to Zanesville, O., went in 1835, perhaps earlier; then John, a year or two afterwards, and Charles in 1838. My sister went in 1837, I believe. Charles bought a dairy farm about two miles from the town, and built a fine house for himself in a very commanding situation. ... My mother and I remained behind, as my brother Francis was superintending my education, till 1840, when, as he wished to spend a year in Europe, we went to Ohio. "Charles was as successful with his farm as with his other business ... he was a Whig, and he went several winters to the State Legislature ... "William went into the flour business on a large scale, and built large flouring mills at Duncan's Falls, about ten miles from Zanesville. He was doing very well till one of the fluctuations incident to the business caused his failure. Then Charles, who had endorsed for him, felt it necessary to go again into business. He took hold of the wholesale grocery business, something quite new to him - but he was doing well with it, when he chartered a small steamboat for a cargo of goods to and from New Orleans. He took with him his wife and son, leaving his little daughters, six and nine years old, with my mother. So they started on the trip, from which they never returned. The steamboat, Belle Jane [actually Belle Zane], struck a snag in the night in the Mississippi and sank immediately. It was in November 1845. "My mother, with my sister and myself, were living in Zanesville, and of course the little girls remained with her. ... William took his family to Texas soon after Charles' death, [the spring of 1846] but, after about two years, George wrote to him that if he would cross the country to San Francisco, he would join him there. He therefore sent his wife and children to my mother, in Ohio, and started on the journey, from which he, too, was never to return. [He was killed on the way by Mexicans.] His widow and children remained with us about a year, and then went to Cambridge, where they lived till 1865, when they went to San Francisco, where, as I wrote you, they now are. "John's business, at the time of his death, was that of a smelting furnace, at Dresden, fifteen miles from Zanesville. He died quite suddenly of a fever [in 1848] ... Thus my mother lost, in less than five years, the three sons she went to Ohio to live near... My brother in Cambridge, and my brother in Valparaiso [George], both felt it was better for us to go to Cambridge. Accordingly, in April, 1853, we left Ohio, and my mother, sister and nieces, living in Cambridge, in the house where you saw us, till after her death... Mr. Matthews and I left Chicago and lived with her till her death. We came to New York in 1865. My nieces came with us and lived with us till they were married, and near us ever since." |
| Read a cool description of the sinking of the Belle Zane from the "History of Muskingum County." |
FIRST GENERATION
1. Griffith Bowen was born about 1600 in Langeuith, Glamorgan, Wales. He died in 1676 in London England.
He was married to Margaret Fleming (daughter of Henry Fleming and Sarah Dawkins) about 1627 in England. Margaret
Fleming was born about 1600 in Langeuith, Glamorgan, Wales. She died in 1675 in London, Middlesex, England.
Griffith Bowen and Margaret Fleming had the following children:
| +2 | i. | Henry , Lieutenant Bowen. |
| 3 | ii. | William Bowen was born in 1632. |
| +4 | iii. | Esther Bowen. |
SECOND GENERATION
2. Henry , Lieutenant Bowen was born in 1634 in Gower, Glamorgan, Wales. He died on 13 Mar 1723/24 in Woodstock,
Windham, CT.
He was married to Elizabeth Johnson (daughter of Isaac , Captain Johnson and Elizabeth Porter) on 20 Dec 1658 in
Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Elizabeth Johnson was born on 24 Dec 1637 in Roxbury MA. She died on 13 Aug 1683
in Roxbury MA. Henry , Lieutenant Bowen and Elizabeth Johnson had the following children:
| +5 | i. | Isaac Bowen. |
| +6 | ii. | John Bowen. |
| 7 | iii. | Abigail Bowen was born on 21 Aug 1670. |
4. Esther Bowen was born about 1650. She died in Feb 1724/25 in Cohansey, NJ.
Robert Ayars was born about 1650.
THIRD GENERATION
5. Isaac Bowen was born on 20 Apr 1676 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts. He died on 1 Jan 1725/26 in Stoughton,
Norfolk, MA.
He was married to Hannah Winchester (daughter of Josiah Winchester and Mary [Winchester]) in 1698 in Brookline MA.
Hannah Winchester was born on 11 Jan 1678/79 in Brookline MA. She died on 22 Nov 1717 in Roxbury MA. Isaac
Bowen and Hannah Winchester had the following children:
| +8 | i. | Henry , Esq. Bowen. |
6. John Bowen was born on 7 Sep 1662. He died in 1718 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts.
Hannah Brewer was born on 5 Jul 1665. John Bowen and Hannah Brewer had the following children:
| 9 | i. | Hannah Bowen was born on 14 Jul 1696. |
| 10 | ii. | Elizabeth Bowen was born on 9 Aug 1698. |
| 11 | iii. | Abigail Bowen was born on 3 Jul 1700. |
| 12 | iv. | Sarah Bowen was born on 4 Apr 1702. She died on 29 Jan 1704/5 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts. |
| 13 | v. | John Bowen was born on 23 Feb 1705/6. |
FOURTH GENERATION
8. Henry , Esq. Bowen was born on 30 Mar 1700 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts. He died on 1 Jan 1758 in
Woodstock, Windham, CT.
He was married to Margaret Davis (daughter of Matthew Davis and Margaret Corbin) on 10 May 1721 in Woodstock CT.
Margaret Davis was born on 7 Feb 1698/99 in Woodstock CT. She died on 14 Apr 1762 in Woodstock CT. Henry , Esq.
Bowen and Margaret Davis had the following children:
| +14 | i. | Silas , Esq. Bowen. |
FIFTH GENERATION
14. Silas , Esq. Bowen was born on 7 Apr 1722 in Woodstock CT. He died on 19 Feb 1790 in Brookfield MA.
He was married to Dorothy Lyon (daughter of Daniel Deacon Lyon and Priscilla Morse) on 17 Apr 1746 in Woodstock CT.
Dorothy Lyon was born on 12 May 1727 in Woodstock CT. She died on 16 May 1762 in Woodstock CT. Silas , Esq.
Bowen and Dorothy Lyon had the following children:
| +15 | i. | Henry , Deacon Bowen. |
SIXTH GENERATION
15. Henry , Deacon Bowen was born on 9 Mar 1748/49 in Woodstock CT. He died on 8 Dec 1830 in Eastford CT or
Woodstock.
He was married to Lydia Fowler (daughter of Dijah Fowler and Abigail Bigelow) in 1768 in Lebanon, CT. Lydia Fowler
was born on 7 Feb 1753 in Lebanon CT. She died on 9 Jun 1796 in Lebanon CT. Henry , Deacon Bowen and Lydia Fowler
had the following children:
| +16 | i. | Dijah Bowen. |
| 17 | ii. | Amos Bowen was born about 1770. |
| 18 | iii. | John Bowen was born about 1772. |
| 19 | iv. | Mark Bowen was born about 1774. |
| 20 | v. | Henry Bowen was born on 10 Oct 1780. |
SEVENTH GENERATION
16. Dijah Bowen was born on 27 May 1777 in W. Woodstock, Windham, CT. He died on 7 May 1852 in Needham,
Norfolk, Massachusetts.
He was married to Elizabeth Flint (daughter of Jacob Flint and Elizabeth Bradford) on 22 Oct 1803 in Charlestown,
Suffolk, MA. Elizabeth Flint was born on 21 Apr 1782 in Hillsborough, Hillsborough, New Hampshire. She died on 15
Jan 1863 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Dijah Bowen and Elizabeth Flint had the following children:
| 21 | i. | Henry Bowen was born on 26 May 1804. He died on 13 Oct 1805. |
| 22 | ii. | Henry 2 Bowen was born on 9 Feb 1806. He died in Jun 1826 in Charlestown, Massachusetts. |
| +23 | iii. | Charles Bowen. |
| 24 | iv. | Maria Bowen was born on 24 Feb 1809 in Massachusetts. She died on 1 Apr 1876 in New York City, New York. |
| +25 | v. | Francis Bowen. |
| +26 | vi. | William Flint Bowen. |
| +27 | vii. | George Henry Bowen. |
| +28 | viii. | John Langley Bowen. |
| +29 | ix. | Caroline Augusta Bowen. |
EIGHTH GENERATION
23. Charles Bowen was born on 24 Nov 1807 in Charleston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. He died on 19 Dec 1845 in
Mississippi River, Ohio.
He was married to Ann Elizabeth Williams (daughter of David Esq. Williams and Cynthia Williams) on 15 Nov 1831 in
Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Ann Elizabeth Williams was born in 1809 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. She died
on 19 Dec 1845 in Mississippi River, Ohio. Charles Bowen and Ann Elizabeth Williams had the following children:
| 30 | i. | Charles Henry Bowen was born on 5 Sep 1832 in Boston, Massachusetts. He died in Nov 1845 in Mississippi River. |
| +31 | ii. | Frances Anne Bowen. |
| +32 | iii. | Mary Williams Bowen. |
25. Francis Bowen was born on 11 Sep 1811 in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He died on 21 Jan 1890 in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, Cambridge Cemetery.
He was married to Arabella G. Stuart (daughter of Charles Stuart) on 8 Oct 1848 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Arabella
G. Stuart was born on 15 Jan 1827 in Lancaster, New Hampshire. She died on 30 Jun 1918 in Cambridge, Middlesex,
Massachusetts. Francis Bowen and Arabella G. Stuart had the following children:
| 33 | i. | Charles Stuart Bowen was born on 21 Jul 1850 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts. He died on 15 Nov 1919 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts. |
| 34 | ii. | Maria Bowen was born on 19 Mar 1852 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts. She died on 21 Jul 1937 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts. |
| 35 | iii. | Helen Elizabeth Bowen was born on 23 Jul 1854 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts. She died on 18 Mar 1902 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts. |
26. William Flint Bowen was born on 10 Mar 1814 in Boston, Massachusetts. He died on 27 Jan 1850 in border of Texas
and Mexico.
He was married to Rebecca Copeland (daughter of Josiah Copeland and Betsey Pratt) on 24 Mar 1835 in Boston,
Massachusetts. Rebecca Copeland was born about 1816. She died after 1893. William Flint Bowen and Rebecca
Copeland had the following children:
| +36 | i. | Ada C. Bowen. |
| +37 | ii. | Caroline Augusta Bowen. |
27. George Henry Bowen was born on 12 Jun 1816 in Boston, Massachusetts. He died after 1893.
He was married to Eulogia Goui about 1840 in prob. Chile. Eulogia Goui was born about 1820 in Chile.
28. John Langley Bowen was born on 11 Oct 1818 in Boston, Massachusetts. He died on 29 Sep 1848 in Zanesville,
Muskingum, Ohio.
He was married to Anne S. Van Buren on 15 Oct 1845 in Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio. Anne S. Van Buren was born
about 1824 in New York. She died in 1857. John Langley Bowen and Anne S. Van Buren had the following children:
| +38 | i. | Catherine Kate Augusta Bowen. |
| +39 | ii. | John Langley S. Bowen. |
29. Caroline Augusta Bowen was born on 10 Jun 1825 in Boston, Massachusetts. She died after 1893.
She was married to William F. Kent (son of Dan Kent) on 5 Aug 1854 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts. William
F. Kent was born on 1 Aug 1819 in Vermont. He died on 16 Apr 1856 in Buried in Cambridge Cemetery.
She was married to Watson Matthews (son of James Matthews and Sally Hallett) on 28 Dec 1859 in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Watson Matthews was born in 1819 in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. He died after 1893. Caroline Augusta
Bowen and Watson Matthews had the following children:
| 40 | i. | Francis V. Matthews was born in 1856 in Illinois. She died after 1870. |
| 41 | ii. | George Bowen Matthews died in 1865 in Buried in Cambridge Cemetery. He was born on 26 Apr 1865. |
NINTH GENERATION
31. Frances Anne Bowen was born on 25 Sep 1836 in Boston, Massachusetts.
She was married to Edwin M. Dr. Kellogg (son of Frederick Kellogg and Minerva Warner) on 11 Oct 1869 in Cambridge,
Middlesex, Massachusetts. Edwin M. Dr. Kellogg was born on 20 Sep 1826 in Reading, Pennsylvania.
32. Mary Williams Bowen was born on 25 Dec 1839 in Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio. She died on 29 Nov 1908 in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
She was married to Thorndike Deland Hodges (son of John Hodges and Mary Osgood Deland) on 25 Apr 1867 in Haverhill,
Massachusetts. Thorndike Deland Hodges was born on 19 Dec 1836 in Salem Massachusetts. He died on 6 Jun 1900 in
Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts. Mary Williams Bowen and Thorndike Deland Hodges had the following children:
| +42 | i. | Mabel Thorndike Hodges. |
| 43 | ii. | Frances Edwina Hodges was born on 14 Jul 1872 in Orange, New Jersey. She died on 3 Nov 1890 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts. |
| +44 | iii. | Richard Osgood Hodges. |
| +45 | iv. | Charles Bowen , Sr. Hodges. |
36. Ada C. Bowen was born in 1840 in Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio. She died after 1893.
She was married to Charles H. Paxon on 30 Jun 1869 in San Francisco or Sonoma, California. Charles H. Paxon was born
about 1836. Ada C. Bowen and Charles H. Paxon had the following children:
| 46 | i. | Lawrence Paxon was born in 1870. |
37. Caroline Augusta Bowen was born in 1846 in Galveston, Texas. She died after 1893.
She was married to Alfred Rev. Todhunter (son of John Alfred Todhunter) on 17 Jan 1877 in San Francisco, California.
Alfred Rev. Todhunter was born on 10 Feb 1851 in Isle of Wight. He died after 1893. Caroline Augusta Bowen and
Alfred Rev. Todhunter had the following children:
| 47 | i. | Harold Todhunter was born on 18 Mar 1879 in St John's Rectory, San Francisco, California. |
| 48 | ii. | Constance Todhunter was born on 10 Sep 1881 in San Rafael, California. |
| 49 | iii. | Eleanor Todhunter was born on 23 May 1883 in San Rafael, California. |
38. Catherine Kate Augusta Bowen was born in 1846. She died on 11 Jul 1876.
She was married to Melville Dr. Fowle in 1870. Melville Dr. Fowle was born about 1842 of Haverhill, Massachusetts. He
died in 1875.
39. John Langley S. Bowen was born in 1848. He died after 1870.
He was married to Margaret Sweet about 1864. Margaret Sweet was born about 1850. She died after 1870. John Langley
S. Bowen and Margaret Sweet had the following children:
| +50 | i. | John Jesse James G. Bowen. |
| 51 | ii. | Zella Bowen was born about 1868. She died in 1943. |
| 52 | iii. | Daniel Bowen was born in 1870. |
Jane Peppler
5301 Cedronella Drive
Chapel Hill NC 27514