German Born Children
The German-born children of Johann Georg and Maria Barbara Keller Baumann born in Germany are listed in The Bodigheim Connection above. The purpose of this section is to share what is known of them and their descendents, and to invite others to add data for a unfolding picture.
George Bowman II -- Johann Georg Baumann/Bowman, the second child and eldest son, married Anna Maria Gottschall, daughter of Johann Nicholaus Gottshall and Catharina Haas. Together George II and Anna Maria had a child, Johann George (George III), born on 27 APR 1765 and later baptized at the New Bethel Zion Church, the Bowman family church. Elias Baumann is listed as sponsor, along with Barbara Gottschall. George would have been 23 years of age, Elias19. A later child was born to the same couple on 2 FEB 1769 named Johann Nicholaus. The sponsors were Nicholaus Gottschall and Margareth.
I have wondered if knowing of George II explains the land purchase in 1768 by a George Bowman of 47 acres adjoining the original Bowman tract of land, just before George the father and son, John, moved to Virginia.
Sons, George Bowman III and Nicholas Bowman lived for a time in the Forrestville area of Shenandoah County, VA, just several miles north of where George the immigrant and his son, John, settled in Rockingham County, VA. The Solomon Lutheran Church records reflect that George Bowman married Elizabeth Roush on 13 JUN 1786. A year later George and Elizabeth Bowman had a son, Philip, born in Shenandoah County as well. Nicholas Bowman married a Catherine Derrick on 10 DEC 1791, and they had two sons, William and George, born in Shenandoah County, VA. There is no evidence after 1800 of either George Bowman or Nicholas Bowman remaining in Shenandoah County, VA. However, we have confirmed both George III and Nicholas' whereabouts after leaving Shenandoah County by DNA testing.
First, Nicholas Bowman - about 1820 or so, a male child was born to unmarried Mary Ann Gann. This child was named William Anderson Gann. A living, direct, male descendent of William Anderson Gann, Rick Gann, has a DNA profile that is almost idential to that of myself (Bernie Bowman) and to Don Bowman - two direct, male descendents of immigrant George Bowman. This means there is an exceedingly high probability that the father of William Anderson Gann was a descendent of immigrant George Bowman.
Mary Ann Gann lived along McGuires Creek in the Birds Crossroads area on the boundary between Jefferson and Sevier Counties of Tennessee. A significant German settlement developed in that area, and Nicholas Bowman is recorded as owning land in the Flat Creek area, within the same general area. It is almost a certainty that Nicholas Bowman, or perhaps more likely one of his sons, was the father of William Anderson Gann. Is this why the child was named William, reflecting his father's name? The two sons of Nicholas and Anna Maria Bowman would have been in their mid to late twenties at the time.
There is additional evidence of the Birds Crossroads Nicholas Bowman being the same Nicholas Bowman who married Catherine Derrick in Shenandoah County, VA. Catherine's relatives were some of the leaders in establishing the German settlement in Birds Crossroads. The family left behind a Derrick Cemetery, a Derrick Mill, a Derrick Fort, and other evidences of their stay in the area.
When you couple this evidence with the DNA evidence, there is an exceedingly high probability that the Nicholas Bowman who lived first in Shenandoah County, VA where he married Catherine Derrick, then on the boundary of Jeffeson and Sevier Counties of Tennessee is the grandson of immigrant George and Barbara Bowman, and son of George II and Anna Maria Gotschall.
There is no continuing record for Nicholas Bowman in Jefferson or Sevier Counties, BUT a Nicholas Bowman appears in Henderson County, TN in the 1830 census. We do know another member of the German settlement at Birds Crossroads, Reuban Thomas, also is listed on the 1830 census in Henderson County, evidence that there was movement from east Tennessee to middle Tennessee by folks known by Nicholas Bowman. DNA testing is pending on a descendent of the Henderson County, TN Nicholas Bowman. The results will be posted here when known. If any other descendents of Nicholas Bowman of Henderson County, TN have particpated in a DNA project, or would be willing to do so, please contact me (bernarddbowman@charter.net).
Now, back to George Bowman III, brother to Nicholas and grandson of immigrant George and Barbara Bowman, there is clear evidence that the George III and Elizabeth Roush moved from Shenandoah County, VA to Adams County, Ohio, along with other members of the Roush family. This move happened in about 1796 to 1800.
We have now confirmed this move by George and Elizabeth through DNA results, and again, it came first from a child born out of wedlock. A gentleman named Weeks could trace his lineage back, with some certainty, to a child fathered out of wedlock by a grandson of George and Elizabeth Roush Bowman. DNA results clearly showed that Mr. Weeks DNA profile, like that of Rick Gann, was almost identical to mine and to Don Bowman - and to Mr. Gann's. In addition, another descendent of another grandson of George and Elizabeth completed the test, and his DNA profile matched as well.
If any descendents of George Bowman and Elizabeth Roush of Adams County, OH is interested in more data and/or documentation on these findings, please contact me bernarddbowman@charter.net. Also, these DNA results are posted on the Family Tree DNA Bauman Project web site www.familytreedna.com/public/bauman.
It is interesting that the Roush family "myth" for years has been that the George Bowman who married into their family was a descendent of George Bowman and Mary Hite. We now know this was not the case.
Elias Bowman -- I have found considerable data an Elias Bowman who has proven, through DNA testing, to be the third child of immigrant George and Barbara Bowman. Elias married an Elizabeth Unknown about 1773 who was born about 1748 in Virginia. Elias and Elizabeth Bowman located in Berkeley County, Virginia - now West Virginia. They had five children born from 1773 to 1782. The children are listed as John, Mary, Barbara, Elizabeth, and George. There are records of Elias buying in 1782, then selling in 1790, two tracts of land totaling 97 acres. This land was located along Duncan Run in the extreme South-east corner of Berkeley County, just before it emptied into Opequon Creek.
In 1790 Elias relocated to Tennessee and in 1790 Elias Bowman is paying property taxes in Washington County, TN for property near Leesburg, just outside Jonesbourgh, TN. Elias also purchased land in Blount County, TN - possibly for an investment. His primary buying and selling of land and other activities took place in Washington County and Greene County, TN. He was one of two founding elders of a Lutheran Church. He purchased several slaves late in life. Elias died on 20 AUG 1829 and is buried in the Bowman (Elias) Family Cemetery just outside Leesburg, TN. His headstone indicates it was placed by his son, Rev. John Bowman. Rev. John Bowman never married, and was a minister in the Holson Conference of the Methodist Church.
Mary married Leonard Calvert and is recorded to have died in Cooper County, Missouri. The Calvert children are listed as John B., William M., Elias B., Leonard, Nodding, Sanuel J., David, Justinian W., and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth married a John Simpson and she is recorded to have died in Greene County, TN. The Simpson children are listed as Mary B., George, James, Robert, Elias Bowman, Nancy W., John and Abner.
Barbara appears to have married John McConnell with no indication where they may have lived. The McConnell children are listed as Abraham, John B., Mary, William, Elizabeth, Nancy and Moses Elias.
George settled in Monroe County, which later became Loudon County, TN, and his house is listed on the historical record along the Little Tennessee River. He married Susannah Davis about 1807, and had Elizabeth, Nancy, Mary, John P. Davis, Sara, and Hannah. He married Nancy Browder about 1825 and had James B., M.J., Frances, Susan, and Eliza Jane. All ten children are noted in his will.
Elias Bowman had three additional children while living in Washington County, TN; namely David, Samuel D., and Elias Jr. There is a record of an Elias Bowman marrying an Eve Rickert in Frederick County, VA in 1789, but at his death in 1829, Elias was married to an Elizabeth Smith. It is unclear if Eve or Elizabeth was the mother of David, Samual and Elias Jr.
David married Sarah (perhaps Smith), lived in Washington County,TN and had the following children: Sarah C., Margaret, Barbary, Hannah, Pleasant, Sand or Alexander, Nancy and Samuel C.
Samuel D. married Mary Unknown, children unknown, and died in 1845, and is buried in the family grave yard.
Elias Jr. is listed in the 1830 census as being married and having a son under five years of age. Nothing further is known.
Again, it was through DNA testing with Family Tree DNA,
Bauman Project, that we have confirmed that this Elias was the son of George and Maria Barbara Bowman, the Bowman House builders. Considerably more data about Elias is available upon request (bernarddbowman@charter.net).
I am still looking for Maria Anna and Andreas (Andrew), the oldest and youngest German-born children. Any help will be greatly appreciated!