The Beginnings
As noted in the section, The Bodigheim Connection, George and Maria Barbara Keller Bowman were married in the Reformed/Lutheran church in Bodigheim, Mosbach, Baden, Germany. It is most interesting that George Kamp and George Lindemuth, the sponsors for son John's baptism in Berks County, were also married in the same church at Bodigheim. Johann Georg Kamp married Anna Maria Kortner on 10 APR 1749, just before boarding the ship. George Lindemuth had married Maria Anna Drach Fehr on 13 JAN 1733, and already had numerous chuildren when they boarded ship. His wife was pregnant with another during the voyage.
The record shows the three couples arrived in Philadelphia on Sunday, September 19, 1749, having traveled from Rotterdam and Cowes, England on the ship, Patience, captained by Hugh Steel. In addition, a George Lintz,who later owned property in Greenwich Township, also traveled on the same ship. With an arrival date of 19 SEP 1749, it has now been confirmed with the manumission tax record that they began their journey down the Rhine River to Rotterdam in May of 1749.
The next record chronologically is that of the birth of George and Maria's son, John, on 26 AUG 1750, with his baptism on 9 SEP 1750 at the Zion Moselem Lutheran Church in Richmond Township. As noted, Kamp and Lindemuth were sponsors at the baptism. The Berks County record reflects a Johannes Baumann born to Johan Georg and Mar. Barb. (Keller) Baumann. The church record reflects Johannes Bauman born to Johan Georg and Mar. Barb. nee Kellerin Bauman. (The Bowman genealogy book notes that John was born on 1 JUL 1750, probably before George migrated - obviously information needing updating.)
In addition, we have a record of George and Maria Barbara Bauman being sponsors for George and Maria Lindemuth’s ninth child, Maria Ann, in April of 1750, before the birth of their own son.
The Zion Moselem Lutheran Church in Richmond Township where John's baptism was recorded, was approximately nine miles from Bowman's property in Greenwich Township. After Bowman's friend and first cousin, George Kamp and others, founded the New Bethel Zion Church in Grimville in 1762, it is probable that George and Maria Barbara would have participated in this congregation. It is in the New Bethel Church where we find a record of Georg Bauman and wf. Maria Barbara being sponsors at the baptism of Georg Henrich Munch, child of Johannes and Maria Munch in 1765. The New Bethel Zion Church was only about two miles from Bowman's property.
Naturalized Citizen of His Majesty's Colony
Copy of George Bowman's (spelled Bauman) naturalization certification
Talk about names
It is important at this point to stop with the story and talk about names. As we will discuss later, George’s full name was Johann (Hanns) Georg Baumann, which he used while living in Germany. His wife was Maria Barbara Keller as noted above. It appears that George primarily used the name Georg or George Bauman while residing in Pennsylvania. By the time he got to Virginia, it appears he primarily used George Bowman. However, for anyone doing research, it is important to use all variations on the names – Johann, Johan, Georg, George, Baumann, Bauman, and Bowman. In the following text I will use “George Bowman” when speaking generically of him, but his actual name is reflected in the record when speaking from a particular record.
George, the landowner
We do not know where George and Maria lived for the first year in the new country. We do know George purchased 118 acres, less the allowance for a road, from George Ott on June 11, 1751. (This appears in Philadelphia land records; BerksCounty was not yet formed.) At the time of his purchase, it appears the land adjoining George’s property was vacant on one or more sides, indicating he was pushing back the frontier. We know George paid taxes on this tract of land in GreenwichTownship in, or for, the year 1752. Later tax records show he had 100 acres of land, two horses, two cows, and later two sheep. We also have an application survey indicating George purchased an adjoining 47 acres in May of 1766, but there is no other confirmation of this. Tax records for George extend up through 1768 or 1769.
It also appears from a survey for a neighboring land transaction that George sold his land to George Old, but the exact date is unknown at this time. Unfortunately GreenwichTownship is one of few townships whose land warrants were never platted. However, working from land surveys of plots adjacent to George and Maria Barbara, I have been able to establish that their property was located in the extreme north-east corner of GreenwichTownship, at the intersection of Greenwich with AlbanyTownship, and WeisenbergTownship, LehighCounty. In fact, one side of George’s property was the boundary line between Greenwich and AlbanyTownships. There is high probability the property lies adjacent to Grim Road, between Stagecoach Road and Nunemaker Road.
George and Barbara’s neighbors in Greenwich Township at various times were William Grinding, Andrew Onangst (Unaugust), George Herring (Horring), Peter Hall, George Kamp (Camp), and Thomas Baltzer. In AlbanyTownship, neighbors were Jacob Lantz (Luntz), Henry Frey (Fry) and Henry Sunday. In WeisenbergTownship neighbors at various times were David Muskanunk (Muskenung), John Dearr (Derr), and William Grinding whose property straddled the Greenwich/Weisenberg line. (Land sales were frequent, so neighbors changed often.)
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(Note: Over the years, many people have confused George Bowman, the son-in-law of Yost (Joist) Hite and his family, with George Bowman, the subject of this narrative and builder of the Bowman House at the Frontier Culture Museum. John W. Wayland wrote a history of the George Bowman/Hite family. It is not inconceivable they may have shared some common origin or familial relationship in Germany, but if so, nothing is known of it at this time. One of the objectives of the Family Tree DNA Bauman Project is to find a living, direct, male, Bowman descendent of George Bowman and Maria Hite who has done, or would consider doing, a DNA test to determine if any relationship existed. If interested, the address is www.familytreedna.com/public/bauman.)
More about George Bowman in Europe and America is available at www.frontiermuseum.org/research/1820_American_Farm -- click on "Bowman Family" for an article by David Puckett, Curator of Collections at the museum.