PLEASE DO NOT MERGE THIS MEMORIAL OR ADD CHILDREN
The focus of this memorial is to state just the facts that have been found so far, and explain the common misconceptions surrounding John Bowater and his family.
The John Bowater conundrum begun with a book called Smith’s History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania published in 1862. The book confused an older London John Bowater who traveled to America and was imprisoned for his faith upon his return, with a younger John Bowater Junior who immigrated to America and was the son of the Warwickshire John Bowater. Both men were Quaker ministers, both died a year apart and both men also had daughters named Mary. Then this amalgamation of John Bowaters became fully muddled when Mary, the daughter of the London John Bowater, was the subject of a theory which merged her into the other Mary who was the daughter of John Junior in America. The premise of the theory is that after the London John Bowater died in 1704, Mary left London to live with her brothers in America, Thomas and John Junior. This was accomplished by assuming the London John Bowater, (who had already been confused with John Junior in Smith’s History…), was now also the same man as the senior Warwickshire John Bowater, the father of Thomas and John Junior. The theory inadvertently made John Junior as both Mary’s father and her 40-year older brother. The theory then proceeds to merge this combined Mary again, as the wife of the James Wright who was already married to another woman named Mary.
Nevertheless, irrefutable proof that London John and Warwickshire John were not the same man can be found by simply comparing the original documents:
•The London John Bowater # 213090752 was imprisoned from 1679 to 1682 and wrote multiple letters from prison proving he was there during those years.
•The Warwickshire John Bowater #213891742 and his sons Thomas and John Junior witnessed a marriage dated 23 Feb 1681 in Bromsgrove.
John Bowater could not possibly be in two places at the same time and so he must be two separate men. This also fully unravels the theory that the London born Mary traveled to live with her brothers Thomas and John Junior in America. She was the daughter of the London John Bowater and not the daughter of the Warwickshire John Bowater, therefore they were not her brothers.
*Note: The dates have been converted to from the old Julian style to Gregorian using this site: https://planetcalc.com/505/
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MARY BOWATER
Death date is the Burial Death. • Converted to Gregorian: 09 Apr 1713
The burial record has an abbreviation of Ratt., for the neighborhood of Ratcliff which is 1.44 miles away from John Bowater's last residence on Wheeler (now Quaker) Street.
She was born in the same district that she died, in Stepney in Tower Hamlets, London.
The parish burial records are listed under "Tower Hamlets, St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney."
The parish records are located at the church of St. Dunstan and All Saints which is less than a mile from John Bowater's grave at Vallance Gardens.
The focus of this memorial is to state just the facts that have been found so far, and explain the common misconceptions surrounding John Bowater and his family.
The John Bowater conundrum begun with a book called Smith’s History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania published in 1862. The book confused an older London John Bowater who traveled to America and was imprisoned for his faith upon his return, with a younger John Bowater Junior who immigrated to America and was the son of the Warwickshire John Bowater. Both men were Quaker ministers, both died a year apart and both men also had daughters named Mary. Then this amalgamation of John Bowaters became fully muddled when Mary, the daughter of the London John Bowater, was the subject of a theory which merged her into the other Mary who was the daughter of John Junior in America. The premise of the theory is that after the London John Bowater died in 1704, Mary left London to live with her brothers in America, Thomas and John Junior. This was accomplished by assuming the London John Bowater, (who had already been confused with John Junior in Smith’s History…), was now also the same man as the senior Warwickshire John Bowater, the father of Thomas and John Junior. The theory inadvertently made John Junior as both Mary’s father and her 40-year older brother. The theory then proceeds to merge this combined Mary again, as the wife of the James Wright who was already married to another woman named Mary.
Nevertheless, irrefutable proof that London John and Warwickshire John were not the same man can be found by simply comparing the original documents:
•The London John Bowater # 213090752 was imprisoned from 1679 to 1682 and wrote multiple letters from prison proving he was there during those years.
•The Warwickshire John Bowater #213891742 and his sons Thomas and John Junior witnessed a marriage dated 23 Feb 1681 in Bromsgrove.
John Bowater could not possibly be in two places at the same time and so he must be two separate men. This also fully unravels the theory that the London born Mary traveled to live with her brothers Thomas and John Junior in America. She was the daughter of the London John Bowater and not the daughter of the Warwickshire John Bowater, therefore they were not her brothers.
*Note: The dates have been converted to from the old Julian style to Gregorian using this site: https://planetcalc.com/505/
---
MARY BOWATER
Death date is the Burial Death. • Converted to Gregorian: 09 Apr 1713
The burial record has an abbreviation of Ratt., for the neighborhood of Ratcliff which is 1.44 miles away from John Bowater's last residence on Wheeler (now Quaker) Street.
She was born in the same district that she died, in Stepney in Tower Hamlets, London.
The parish burial records are listed under "Tower Hamlets, St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney."
The parish records are located at the church of St. Dunstan and All Saints which is less than a mile from John Bowater's grave at Vallance Gardens.
PLEASE DO NOT MERGE THIS MEMORIAL OR ADD CHILDREN
The focus of this memorial is to state just the facts that have been found so far, and explain the common misconceptions surrounding John Bowater and his family.
The John Bowater conundrum begun with a book called Smith’s History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania published in 1862. The book confused an older London John Bowater who traveled to America and was imprisoned for his faith upon his return, with a younger John Bowater Junior who immigrated to America and was the son of the Warwickshire John Bowater. Both men were Quaker ministers, both died a year apart and both men also had daughters named Mary. Then this amalgamation of John Bowaters became fully muddled when Mary, the daughter of the London John Bowater, was the subject of a theory which merged her into the other Mary who was the daughter of John Junior in America. The premise of the theory is that after the London John Bowater died in 1704, Mary left London to live with her brothers in America, Thomas and John Junior. This was accomplished by assuming the London John Bowater, (who had already been confused with John Junior in Smith’s History…), was now also the same man as the senior Warwickshire John Bowater, the father of Thomas and John Junior. The theory inadvertently made John Junior as both Mary’s father and her 40-year older brother. The theory then proceeds to merge this combined Mary again, as the wife of the James Wright who was already married to another woman named Mary.
Nevertheless, irrefutable proof that London John and Warwickshire John were not the same man can be found by simply comparing the original documents:
•The London John Bowater # 213090752 was imprisoned from 1679 to 1682 and wrote multiple letters from prison proving he was there during those years.
•The Warwickshire John Bowater #213891742 and his sons Thomas and John Junior witnessed a marriage dated 23 Feb 1681 in Bromsgrove.
John Bowater could not possibly be in two places at the same time and so he must be two separate men. This also fully unravels the theory that the London born Mary traveled to live with her brothers Thomas and John Junior in America. She was the daughter of the London John Bowater and not the daughter of the Warwickshire John Bowater, therefore they were not her brothers.
*Note: The dates have been converted to from the old Julian style to Gregorian using this site: https://planetcalc.com/505/
---
MARY BOWATER
Death date is the Burial Death. • Converted to Gregorian: 09 Apr 1713
The burial record has an abbreviation of Ratt., for the neighborhood of Ratcliff which is 1.44 miles away from John Bowater's last residence on Wheeler (now Quaker) Street.
She was born in the same district that she died, in Stepney in Tower Hamlets, London.
The parish burial records are listed under "Tower Hamlets, St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney."
The parish records are located at the church of St. Dunstan and All Saints which is less than a mile from John Bowater's grave at Vallance Gardens.
The focus of this memorial is to state just the facts that have been found so far, and explain the common misconceptions surrounding John Bowater and his family.
The John Bowater conundrum begun with a book called Smith’s History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania published in 1862. The book confused an older London John Bowater who traveled to America and was imprisoned for his faith upon his return, with a younger John Bowater Junior who immigrated to America and was the son of the Warwickshire John Bowater. Both men were Quaker ministers, both died a year apart and both men also had daughters named Mary. Then this amalgamation of John Bowaters became fully muddled when Mary, the daughter of the London John Bowater, was the subject of a theory which merged her into the other Mary who was the daughter of John Junior in America. The premise of the theory is that after the London John Bowater died in 1704, Mary left London to live with her brothers in America, Thomas and John Junior. This was accomplished by assuming the London John Bowater, (who had already been confused with John Junior in Smith’s History…), was now also the same man as the senior Warwickshire John Bowater, the father of Thomas and John Junior. The theory inadvertently made John Junior as both Mary’s father and her 40-year older brother. The theory then proceeds to merge this combined Mary again, as the wife of the James Wright who was already married to another woman named Mary.
Nevertheless, irrefutable proof that London John and Warwickshire John were not the same man can be found by simply comparing the original documents:
•The London John Bowater # 213090752 was imprisoned from 1679 to 1682 and wrote multiple letters from prison proving he was there during those years.
•The Warwickshire John Bowater #213891742 and his sons Thomas and John Junior witnessed a marriage dated 23 Feb 1681 in Bromsgrove.
John Bowater could not possibly be in two places at the same time and so he must be two separate men. This also fully unravels the theory that the London born Mary traveled to live with her brothers Thomas and John Junior in America. She was the daughter of the London John Bowater and not the daughter of the Warwickshire John Bowater, therefore they were not her brothers.
*Note: The dates have been converted to from the old Julian style to Gregorian using this site: https://planetcalc.com/505/
---
MARY BOWATER
Death date is the Burial Death. • Converted to Gregorian: 09 Apr 1713
The burial record has an abbreviation of Ratt., for the neighborhood of Ratcliff which is 1.44 miles away from John Bowater's last residence on Wheeler (now Quaker) Street.
She was born in the same district that she died, in Stepney in Tower Hamlets, London.
The parish burial records are listed under "Tower Hamlets, St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney."
The parish records are located at the church of St. Dunstan and All Saints which is less than a mile from John Bowater's grave at Vallance Gardens.
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