GEORGE BOWERS

(circa 1595-1656) - Manby, Lincolnshire, England; Braithwell, Yorkshire, England; Scituate, Plymouth co., MA ; Plymouth, Plymouth co., MA; Cambridge, Middlesex co., MA

(First Generation - Bowers Family)

FATHER
MOTHER
NOT KNOWN
NOT KNOWN


BIRTH George was probably born circa 1595, based upon his marriage[1]. According to a tidbit in the New England Historic Genealogical Register, volume 8, page 278, searches of the Manby, Lincolnshire and Brathwell, Yorkshire, England Parish Registers turned up no baptism records for George, his wife or children. Pity, that...
DEATH He died in 1656[1].
MIGRATION & RESIDENCE While the Bowers' migration information is currently lost to the ages, they were at Scituate, Plymouth co., MA by 1636/7[2]. They removed to Plymouth, Plymouth co., MA by 1639[2]. Yet, George only sold lands at Scituate and bought land at Plymouth in 1640 -- after the initial move[2]. Then, he bought lands at the Eele River from Governor Winslow, who reserved the right to repurchase them in case he himself decided to settle there[2]. His neighbors soon complained after his settlement in Plymouth that he was not allowing others' cattle to pass through his land. So a committee was appointed to lay out a cattle path through his land which "would be least prejudicial to him[2]." Finally, the family moved to Cambridge, Middlesex co., MA in 1641/2 in order to be near his sons whilst they went to Harvard[2].
OCCUPATION George was a Planter, as opposed to a Husbandman and was referred to as "Mister"[2].
FREEMANSHIP He made Freeman on 7 March 1636/7 at Scituate, Plymouth co., MA[2]. Yet, on 31 May 1652, he was called before the Court for voting without being a Freeman[2]. This fact originally made me go "Huh...?!" Then, Doug Schneider shared the following insights on George & this case: "George Bowers was in trouble for voting without being a freeman in Chelmsford [Essex co., MA] because he was not a freeman there. Yes, he was a freeman in Scituate, [Essex co., MA,] and I guess he thought that was good enough - as he told the court. I think they let him off easy. He was apparently a man of some means, but often at odds with his son Benanual and with local authorities."[34]
TOWN SERVICE & INVESTMENTS Bowers was elected constable for Plymouth, Plymouth co., MA on 5 March 1638/9[2]. In 1640, George Bower and John Barnes were put in charge of getting timber for the new Colony jail[2]. In January of 1641/2, George joined a consortium of 16 Plymouth men contracted to build a barque, with each owning 1/16th share[2].
ESTATE George's will was dated 8 November 1656 and proved on 30 December 1656. He did not mention his daughter Ruth Knowles. He did leave bequests to his wife; his sons Benanuel, John and Jerathmeel and his daughters Patience and Silence[2].
MARRIAGE #1 On 9 February 1614/15 George first married Barbara SMITH or SMYTH, in Braithwell, Yorkshire, England[1,3,4,5,6,2,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. Their marriage license as given in "Paver's Marriage Licenses" reads: "George Bower, of Manby, [dioc. Lincoln], and Barbara Smith, of Braythwell -- at Braythwell.". Barbara died on 25d:1m(March):1644 in Cambridge, Middlesex co., MA[1,16].

CHILDREN 2. i. Ruth BOWERS Ruth was born circa 1619 as based on her marriage date. On 15 August 1639 when Ruth was 20, she married Richard KNOWLES, in Plymouth, Plymouth co., MA[21].
3. ii. Matthew BOWERS Matthew died in 30d:11m(January):1644/5 in Cambridge, Middlesex co., MA[22].
4. iii. Reverend John BOWERS The Reverend John died on 14 June 1687 in Derby, CT[23]. He graduated from Harvard in 1649[2]. Before 1657 John first married Rebecca GREGSON, daughter of Thomas GREGSON & Jane [surname not known], in New Haven or Derby, CT[1]. He second married Bridget THOMPSON,/b>, daughter of Anthony THOMPSON.
5. iv. Benanuel BOWERS Benanuel died in 1698[1]. According to "interesting letters written by his granddaughter", Benanuel was persecuted as a Quaker and sent his four eldest daughters to Philadelphia for their education. One of them became the noted author Bathsheba Bowers[15]. On 9 December 1653 Benanuel married Elizabeth DUNSTER, in Cambridge, Middlesex co., MA[2].
6. v. Patience BOWERS Patience married Humphrey BRADSHAW of Cambridge, Middlesex co., MA[15].
7. vi. Silence BOWERS Please see her own page.

MARRIAGE #2 On 15 April 1649 George second married Elizabeth WORTHINGTON, in Cambridge, Middlesex co., MA[1,2,4,9,10,17,18,19,20,].

CHILDREN 2. i. Captain Jerathmeel BOWERS Jerathmeel was born on 3 May 1650 in Cambridge, Middlesex co., MA[2,30] and died in Groton, Middlesex co., MA on 23 April 1724; he was 73[15].

Before 1674 when Jerathmeel was 23, he married Elizabeth [surname not known], in Billerica, Chelmsford or Groton, Middlesex co., MA[1]. Elizabeth was born in 1645[15] as based on her given age at death. She died in Chelmsford, Middlesex co., MA on 4 March 1721; she was 76[15].





GENERATION Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (G8) Grandfather
FAMILY NUMBER 1954
SOURCES 1. Torrey, Charles, New England Marriages Prior to 1700., (Boston: New England Historic and Genealogical Society). [Torrey].

2. New England Historic and Genealogical Register. Vols. 1+, (Boston: New England Historic and Genealogical Register, 1845+), [NEHGR], 79:288.

3. Paige, Lucius R., History of Cambridge, Mass. 1630 to 1877, (Boston: H. O. Houghton and Co., 1877), [Cambridge], 493.

4. Paige, Lucius R., History of Cambridge, Mass., (Cambridge: The Cambridge Hist. Soc., 1930), [Cambridge Hist. Supp.], 62.

5. Savage, James A., A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, 1860-1862., (Boston 1860-1862; rpt Baltimore 1955), [Savage], 1:223.

6. Bowers, A. B., Bowers Family of England, typescript, ([Washington, D.C., 1911]), [Bowers (ms)], 18.

7. Smith, Tenney, Charles Smith and Rachel Amy Bryant, Their Ancestors and Descendants, (Brattleboro, Vt.: The Vermont Printing Co., 1938), [Smith-Bryant], 122,188.

8. Emery, William Morrell, Newell Ancestry, The Story of the Antecedents of William Stark Newell, (Boston: privately printed, 1944), [NewellAnc], 101.

9. Sibley, John Langdon, Biographical Sketches of Graduates of Harvard University, (Cambridge: C.W. Sever, 1873-85), [Sibley's Harv. Grad.], 1:192.

10. Sumner, Edith Blake Bartlett, Ancestors and Descendants of Amaziah Hall and Betsey Baldwin, (Los Angeles: American Offset Printers, 1954), [Hall-Baldwin], 27.

11. Libby, Charles Thornton, The Knowles Family of Eastham, Mass., from the Register, (Boston: NEHGS 1925-26), [Knowles], 288.

12. Bullock, Joseph Gaston Baillie, A History and Genealogy of the Habersham Family in Connection with the History, Genealogy and mention of Families of Clay, Stiles, Cummings, King, Elliott, Milledge, Maxwell, Adams and Many Other Names, (Columbia S.C.: R.I. Bryan Co., 1901), [Habersham], 74.

13. New Haven Genealogical Magazine, v.1-8, later The American Genealogist, Jacobus, D. L, ed., (New Haven, Conn., 1922+), [New Haven Gen. Mag.], 236.

14. Ludington, Ethel M. (Saltus), Ludington-Saltus Records, (New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1925), [Ludington-Saltus], 92-3.

15. [NEHGR], 80:278.

16. Ibid. 79:288; 8:345.

17. [Cambridge], 492.

18. [Savage], 1:219,223.

19. Essex Institute Historical Collections, vol. 1+, (Salem, Mass., 1859+), [EIHC], 78:176.

20. [Smith-Bryant], 123.

21. The Mayflower Descendant, vols. 1-34, Bowman, George Ernest, ed., (Boston: Mayflower Society, 1899-1937), [MD], 13:85:210.

22. [NEHGR], 8:345; 79:288.

23. Ibid. 79:288-9.

24. Dedham, Norfolk co., MA Vital Racords, [DedhamVR], 127.

25. Duncklee, Ada Melinda Lakin, A Sketch of the Duncklee Family: and a History of the Descendants of David Duncklee of Amherst, N.H.: and of His Sister Hannah Duncklee Howe of Milford, N.H., (Milford, N.H.: J. P. Melger, 1908), [Duncklee], 7.

26. Linzee, John William, The History of Peter Parker & Sarah Ruggles of Roxbury, Mass., (Boston, Mass.: [S. Usher], 1913), [Parker (#9), Parker-Ruggles], 186.

27. [NEHGR], 48:459.

28. [Hall-Baldwin], 29.

29. [DedhamVR], 11.

30. The Early Records of the Town of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1636-1659, [appended to the Norfolk co., VRs CD], [DedhamTR], 194.

31. Ibid. 195.

32. Ibid. 214.

33. Cambridge, Middlesex co., MA Vital Records, [CambVR], I:76.

34. Research of Doug Schneider.


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