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/
---
MEMORIAL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Warwickshire JOHN BOWATER
By comparing the dates of London John Bowater’s epistles from when he was imprisoned 1679-1682 to the records of Warwickshire John Bowater it is easy to see they were two separate men at two separate locations. In addition to the confusion with the John Bowaters, there were also zealous attempts to find the maiden name of the Warwickshire John’s probable wife, Ann. This resulted in the assimilation of 3 more John Bowaters into the mix, just because they all married women named Ann. It seems that the dates and locations were totally ignored in lieu of the enthusiasm of seeing John Bowater’s name in a record - any record.
• 12 Feb 1601 • Ann Crosse married a John Bowater at the St Lawrence Jewry, London. This marriage was about 28 years before the London John was even born.
• 26 Apr 1672 • Ann Cattar married a John Bowater at the Holy Trinity Church of England, Coventry. This marriage also have caused many trees to list the merged London and Warwickshire John Bowater as being born in Coventry and some even with the false title of Esquire. The Coventry John was buried in 1730 at the Holy Trinity Churchyard, proving he was not related to either of the John Bowaters who were both Quakers.
• 04 Jan 1727 • Ann Carter married a John Bowater in a clandestine marriage in Stepney District, London. This is 48 years after Ann of Bromsgrove and 23 years after London John had died.
To view these records, please see Ann of Bromsgrove’s memorial: Mrs. Ann Bowater #213942637.
• EARLY LIFE – OCCUPATION •
So far no records have been found to show his birth location or date, his education or occupation. The only clue so far is his son John Junior’s marriage record in 1683 stating John Junior was a person who makes nails and he was marrying a daughter of a man who also made nails. This suggests John was not a man of privilege or wealth or his son would not have had to labor making nails.
• 1660-1673 • QUAKER FAITH •
It is currently unknown when John became a Quaker, however Bromsgrove historian Jenny Townshend mentioned Quakerism came to the Bromsgrove area in the 1660’s so it must have been between 1660 and 1673, the first known Quaker record where his name appears.
• 08 Jan 1673 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Thomas Coffey Marriage
• 27 Feb 1674 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Thomas Wakman Marriage
• 26 Apr 1676 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Vowbee Marriage
• 28 Dec 1678 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Phillip MiIner Marriage
• 08 Jan 1679 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to William Ashmoore Marriage
• 25 Aug 1680 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Youtton Marriage
• 23 Feb 1681 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Crowe Marriage
• 1681-1683 • DEATH •
The last known record that has been found to list John’s name is the marriage of John Crowe 23 Feb 1681. In the document, John Bowater, his son John Junior and son Thomas are listed together. The next entry in that record book is the marriage of John Junior to Frances Corbott 22 Apr 1683. He lists his residence as Bromsgrove and his father’s as the “same place.” (This also proves he is a separate man from the London John Bowater who had been living in London since his release from prison in 1682.) This marriage record however does not list John Sr. as one of the witnesses. On the next marriage record in the same book for Richard Parker dated 19 May 1683 has John Bowater and Frances Bowater, suggesting this is John Junior and his wife Frances. However he is not listed as Junior, which was traditionally used only until the father had passed away. This suggests John Senior might have passed away before this date. I have yet to find another record showing he was still alive after this date, or when and where his death occurred.
• 17 Jan 2019 • A human skeleton was found during remodeling of the Clent Hills Veterinary Surgery Clinic in Bromsgrove. Upon examination by an archaeologist the skeleton was dated between the 1620’s to 1800’s and there were indications that suggested it was a non-conformist (Quaker) burial. A local historian Jenny Townshend further confirms the area was used by the Quakers of Bromsgrove: “Where Clent Hills Vets is now was a Quaker burial ground with the meeting house behind it. The Quakers came to Bromsgrove in the 1660s, the meeting house was built not long after that and the last burial was in 1797. By the 1880s it was used as a carpenters’ workshop and timber yard."
It was decided not to seek a license to exhume the remains, the skeleton reburied and the remodeling plans altered to make the new footings shallower to accommodate the burial ground underneath. Staff intends to place a plaque to recognize the site.
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/
---
MEMORIAL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Warwickshire JOHN BOWATER
By comparing the dates of London John Bowater’s epistles from when he was imprisoned 1679-1682 to the records of Warwickshire John Bowater it is easy to see they were two separate men at two separate locations. In addition to the confusion with the John Bowaters, there were also zealous attempts to find the maiden name of the Warwickshire John’s probable wife, Ann. This resulted in the assimilation of 3 more John Bowaters into the mix, just because they all married women named Ann. It seems that the dates and locations were totally ignored in lieu of the enthusiasm of seeing John Bowater’s name in a record - any record.
• 12 Feb 1601 • Ann Crosse married a John Bowater at the St Lawrence Jewry, London. This marriage was about 28 years before the London John was even born.
• 26 Apr 1672 • Ann Cattar married a John Bowater at the Holy Trinity Church of England, Coventry. This marriage also have caused many trees to list the merged London and Warwickshire John Bowater as being born in Coventry and some even with the false title of Esquire. The Coventry John was buried in 1730 at the Holy Trinity Churchyard, proving he was not related to either of the John Bowaters who were both Quakers.
• 04 Jan 1727 • Ann Carter married a John Bowater in a clandestine marriage in Stepney District, London. This is 48 years after Ann of Bromsgrove and 23 years after London John had died.
To view these records, please see Ann of Bromsgrove’s memorial: Mrs. Ann Bowater #213942637.
• EARLY LIFE – OCCUPATION •
So far no records have been found to show his birth location or date, his education or occupation. The only clue so far is his son John Junior’s marriage record in 1683 stating John Junior was a person who makes nails and he was marrying a daughter of a man who also made nails. This suggests John was not a man of privilege or wealth or his son would not have had to labor making nails.
• 1660-1673 • QUAKER FAITH •
It is currently unknown when John became a Quaker, however Bromsgrove historian Jenny Townshend mentioned Quakerism came to the Bromsgrove area in the 1660’s so it must have been between 1660 and 1673, the first known Quaker record where his name appears.
• 08 Jan 1673 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Thomas Coffey Marriage
• 27 Feb 1674 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Thomas Wakman Marriage
• 26 Apr 1676 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Vowbee Marriage
• 28 Dec 1678 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Phillip MiIner Marriage
• 08 Jan 1679 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to William Ashmoore Marriage
• 25 Aug 1680 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Youtton Marriage
• 23 Feb 1681 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Crowe Marriage
• 1681-1683 • DEATH •
The last known record that has been found to list John’s name is the marriage of John Crowe 23 Feb 1681. In the document, John Bowater, his son John Junior and son Thomas are listed together. The next entry in that record book is the marriage of John Junior to Frances Corbott 22 Apr 1683. He lists his residence as Bromsgrove and his father’s as the “same place.” (This also proves he is a separate man from the London John Bowater who had been living in London since his release from prison in 1682.) This marriage record however does not list John Sr. as one of the witnesses. On the next marriage record in the same book for Richard Parker dated 19 May 1683 has John Bowater and Frances Bowater, suggesting this is John Junior and his wife Frances. However he is not listed as Junior, which was traditionally used only until the father had passed away. This suggests John Senior might have passed away before this date. I have yet to find another record showing he was still alive after this date, or when and where his death occurred.
• 17 Jan 2019 • A human skeleton was found during remodeling of the Clent Hills Veterinary Surgery Clinic in Bromsgrove. Upon examination by an archaeologist the skeleton was dated between the 1620’s to 1800’s and there were indications that suggested it was a non-conformist (Quaker) burial. A local historian Jenny Townshend further confirms the area was used by the Quakers of Bromsgrove: “Where Clent Hills Vets is now was a Quaker burial ground with the meeting house behind it. The Quakers came to Bromsgrove in the 1660s, the meeting house was built not long after that and the last burial was in 1797. By the 1880s it was used as a carpenters’ workshop and timber yard."
It was decided not to seek a license to exhume the remains, the skeleton reburied and the remodeling plans altered to make the new footings shallower to accommodate the burial ground underneath. Staff intends to place a plaque to recognize the site.
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/
---
MEMORIAL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Warwickshire JOHN BOWATER
By comparing the dates of London John Bowater’s epistles from when he was imprisoned 1679-1682 to the records of Warwickshire John Bowater it is easy to see they were two separate men at two separate locations. In addition to the confusion with the John Bowaters, there were also zealous attempts to find the maiden name of the Warwickshire John’s probable wife, Ann. This resulted in the assimilation of 3 more John Bowaters into the mix, just because they all married women named Ann. It seems that the dates and locations were totally ignored in lieu of the enthusiasm of seeing John Bowater’s name in a record - any record.
• 12 Feb 1601 • Ann Crosse married a John Bowater at the St Lawrence Jewry, London. This marriage was about 28 years before the London John was even born.
• 26 Apr 1672 • Ann Cattar married a John Bowater at the Holy Trinity Church of England, Coventry. This marriage also have caused many trees to list the merged London and Warwickshire John Bowater as being born in Coventry and some even with the false title of Esquire. The Coventry John was buried in 1730 at the Holy Trinity Churchyard, proving he was not related to either of the John Bowaters who were both Quakers.
• 04 Jan 1727 • Ann Carter married a John Bowater in a clandestine marriage in Stepney District, London. This is 48 years after Ann of Bromsgrove and 23 years after London John had died.
To view these records, please see Ann of Bromsgrove’s memorial: Mrs. Ann Bowater #213942637.
• EARLY LIFE – OCCUPATION •
So far no records have been found to show his birth location or date, his education or occupation. The only clue so far is his son John Junior’s marriage record in 1683 stating John Junior was a person who makes nails and he was marrying a daughter of a man who also made nails. This suggests John was not a man of privilege or wealth or his son would not have had to labor making nails.
• 1660-1673 • QUAKER FAITH •
It is currently unknown when John became a Quaker, however Bromsgrove historian Jenny Townshend mentioned Quakerism came to the Bromsgrove area in the 1660’s so it must have been between 1660 and 1673, the first known Quaker record where his name appears.
• 08 Jan 1673 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Thomas Coffey Marriage
• 27 Feb 1674 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Thomas Wakman Marriage
• 26 Apr 1676 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Vowbee Marriage
• 28 Dec 1678 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Phillip MiIner Marriage
• 08 Jan 1679 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to William Ashmoore Marriage
• 25 Aug 1680 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Youtton Marriage
• 23 Feb 1681 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Crowe Marriage
• 1681-1683 • DEATH •
The last known record that has been found to list John’s name is the marriage of John Crowe 23 Feb 1681. In the document, John Bowater, his son John Junior and son Thomas are listed together. The next entry in that record book is the marriage of John Junior to Frances Corbott 22 Apr 1683. He lists his residence as Bromsgrove and his father’s as the “same place.” (This also proves he is a separate man from the London John Bowater who had been living in London since his release from prison in 1682.) This marriage record however does not list John Sr. as one of the witnesses. On the next marriage record in the same book for Richard Parker dated 19 May 1683 has John Bowater and Frances Bowater, suggesting this is John Junior and his wife Frances. However he is not listed as Junior, which was traditionally used only until the father had passed away. This suggests John Senior might have passed away before this date. I have yet to find another record showing he was still alive after this date, or when and where his death occurred.
• 17 Jan 2019 • A human skeleton was found during remodeling of the Clent Hills Veterinary Surgery Clinic in Bromsgrove. Upon examination by an archaeologist the skeleton was dated between the 1620’s to 1800’s and there were indications that suggested it was a non-conformist (Quaker) burial. A local historian Jenny Townshend further confirms the area was used by the Quakers of Bromsgrove: “Where Clent Hills Vets is now was a Quaker burial ground with the meeting house behind it. The Quakers came to Bromsgrove in the 1660s, the meeting house was built not long after that and the last burial was in 1797. By the 1880s it was used as a carpenters’ workshop and timber yard."
It was decided not to seek a license to exhume the remains, the skeleton reburied and the remodeling plans altered to make the new footings shallower to accommodate the burial ground underneath. Staff intends to place a plaque to recognize the site.
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/
---
MEMORIAL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Warwickshire JOHN BOWATER
By comparing the dates of London John Bowater’s epistles from when he was imprisoned 1679-1682 to the records of Warwickshire John Bowater it is easy to see they were two separate men at two separate locations. In addition to the confusion with the John Bowaters, there were also zealous attempts to find the maiden name of the Warwickshire John’s probable wife, Ann. This resulted in the assimilation of 3 more John Bowaters into the mix, just because they all married women named Ann. It seems that the dates and locations were totally ignored in lieu of the enthusiasm of seeing John Bowater’s name in a record - any record.
• 12 Feb 1601 • Ann Crosse married a John Bowater at the St Lawrence Jewry, London. This marriage was about 28 years before the London John was even born.
• 26 Apr 1672 • Ann Cattar married a John Bowater at the Holy Trinity Church of England, Coventry. This marriage also have caused many trees to list the merged London and Warwickshire John Bowater as being born in Coventry and some even with the false title of Esquire. The Coventry John was buried in 1730 at the Holy Trinity Churchyard, proving he was not related to either of the John Bowaters who were both Quakers.
• 04 Jan 1727 • Ann Carter married a John Bowater in a clandestine marriage in Stepney District, London. This is 48 years after Ann of Bromsgrove and 23 years after London John had died.
To view these records, please see Ann of Bromsgrove’s memorial: Mrs. Ann Bowater #213942637.
• EARLY LIFE – OCCUPATION •
So far no records have been found to show his birth location or date, his education or occupation. The only clue so far is his son John Junior’s marriage record in 1683 stating John Junior was a person who makes nails and he was marrying a daughter of a man who also made nails. This suggests John was not a man of privilege or wealth or his son would not have had to labor making nails.
• 1660-1673 • QUAKER FAITH •
It is currently unknown when John became a Quaker, however Bromsgrove historian Jenny Townshend mentioned Quakerism came to the Bromsgrove area in the 1660’s so it must have been between 1660 and 1673, the first known Quaker record where his name appears.
• 08 Jan 1673 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Thomas Coffey Marriage
• 27 Feb 1674 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Thomas Wakman Marriage
• 26 Apr 1676 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Vowbee Marriage
• 28 Dec 1678 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to Phillip MiIner Marriage
• 08 Jan 1679 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to William Ashmoore Marriage
• 25 Aug 1680 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Youtton Marriage
• 23 Feb 1681 • Warwickshire North Meeting – Witness to John Crowe Marriage
• 1681-1683 • DEATH •
The last known record that has been found to list John’s name is the marriage of John Crowe 23 Feb 1681. In the document, John Bowater, his son John Junior and son Thomas are listed together. The next entry in that record book is the marriage of John Junior to Frances Corbott 22 Apr 1683. He lists his residence as Bromsgrove and his father’s as the “same place.” (This also proves he is a separate man from the London John Bowater who had been living in London since his release from prison in 1682.) This marriage record however does not list John Sr. as one of the witnesses. On the next marriage record in the same book for Richard Parker dated 19 May 1683 has John Bowater and Frances Bowater, suggesting this is John Junior and his wife Frances. However he is not listed as Junior, which was traditionally used only until the father had passed away. This suggests John Senior might have passed away before this date. I have yet to find another record showing he was still alive after this date, or when and where his death occurred.
• 17 Jan 2019 • A human skeleton was found during remodeling of the Clent Hills Veterinary Surgery Clinic in Bromsgrove. Upon examination by an archaeologist the skeleton was dated between the 1620’s to 1800’s and there were indications that suggested it was a non-conformist (Quaker) burial. A local historian Jenny Townshend further confirms the area was used by the Quakers of Bromsgrove: “Where Clent Hills Vets is now was a Quaker burial ground with the meeting house behind it. The Quakers came to Bromsgrove in the 1660s, the meeting house was built not long after that and the last burial was in 1797. By the 1880s it was used as a carpenters’ workshop and timber yard."
It was decided not to seek a license to exhume the remains, the skeleton reburied and the remodeling plans altered to make the new footings shallower to accommodate the burial ground underneath. Staff intends to place a plaque to recognize the site.
Gravesite Details
No markers as per the religion.
Family Members
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