The Bowie Family

My ancestor William Bowie was born about 1761 in New Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, Scotland.  He was the ninth of ten known children of James Bowie, originally of Denny, Stirlingshire, and his wife, Margaret Tyre.  William Bowie’s siblings were John, Margaret, Janet, Agnes, Christian, James, Elizabeth, William (born c. 1757, died as an infant) and Robert.

Brothers John and James Bowie both migrated to the Americas.  John Bowie was an officer, a Major, in the US Revolutionary Army.  He married Rosa Reid, the daughter of another officer.  John Bowie settled in Abbeville, South Carolina, where he owned land and other property, including an enslaved Negro woman named Cate, who was left along with any issue she had to his daughter Rosa in his will.  It is uncomfortable to think of a not-so-distant relative being a slave owner, however I felt that it was right to share what little I know of Cate’s story.

Too Many Too Young

This post is prompted by the #52ancestors prompt “Negatives”.  One of the negatives of researching family history or, indeed, any history, is high infant and childhood mortality. I thought I would write about one family who suffered more than their fair share of such loss.

Robert Charley was born around 1734 in Combe Martin, Devon, a picturesque town on the north Devon coast.  He was baptised in the parish church on 11 September 1734. Robert was a younger child on Richard Charley and his wife Joan Willis.  Unfortunately, the baptism registers have a gap from 1725 to 1731, so I don’t know about any children born in that period.  Robert’s known siblings were Elizabeth, Richard, William, Mary and another Mary.  The first Mary died in infancy and it was common practice to reuse the names of dead children.  Brother Richard also appears to have died young in 1737, aged about 20; I don’t know about Elizabeth and the second Mary.

Neighbours

This post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Courting”.  It is the story of a couple who were neighbours in London before they married, Samuel Joseph George Elliston and Elfrida Mary Buss.  Yes, they both had names that are a bit of a mouthful, but appear to have been more commonly known as George and Ella or Ellen.