Joseph Henry Bowditch1,2,3

b. 6 December 1817, d. 12 August 1900
FatherJoseph Bowditch1,3,4 b. 11 May 1776, d. 30 Aug 1824
MotherLucinda Morse1,3,4 b. 26 Apr 1786, d. 18 Aug 1858
Relationship2nd great-grandfather of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsFrederick Bowditch Ancestors
     Joseph Henry Bowditch was probably born on 6 December 1817, in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.5,6,7,2,8 He was baptized with his sisters Sarah and Helen on 5 June 1822 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.9 He was married by C. T. Thayer, pastor of the First Parish Church, to Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot, daughter of George Abbot and Nancy Stickney, on 2 April 1845 at the bride's parents' home in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.3,10,11 He died on 12 August 1900 in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina, at age 82.12 He was buried at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co., North Carolina.5
     His father died on 30 August 1824 when he was just six, and on 4 October 1825 Richard Wheatland, a Salem merchant, was appointed guardian of his financial interest in the estate, and of the interests of his siblings Sarah, Helen, and Francis. Their mother Lucinda officially replaced Wheatland as guardian on 4 April 1826. On 4 October 1826 a court-ordered inventory valued each child's share of the estate at $1191.26 ($388.88 for their share of their father's house and land in Salem, and $802.38 from his personal estate).13
     According to the genealogy by Frederick Bowditch, Joseph moved from Salem to Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina, about 1835 ("at age 17").2 The first record found for him there is a mention in the local paper in 1841 about an Independence Day dinner where he offered a toast.14,15 He started a wholesale and general trading business there, and in late 1843 entered into a partnership with James D. Howell.16,17
     Joseph and Elizabeth's wedding, at 7:30 the evening of 2 April 1845 (Elizabeth's parents' 25th anniversary), was apparently quite an event. James W. Boyden, a childhood friend of Elizabeth's who was then at Harvard Law School, attended the wedding and devoted nine pages of his diary to a description of his trip to Beverly, and the wedding itself.
     James traveled from Cambridge to Beverly by train early in the afternoon, along with Gustavus Trask, a friend who was also attending the wedding. While walking up Cabot St. toward Elizabeth's parents' house, where the wedding was to take place later that day, they met and talked with Rev. C. T. Thayer, who was to perform the ceremony. Nearing the house they saw Joseph H. Bowditch, the groom, and learned that he had arrived in Boston on Sunday (30 March), but missed the train, and walked to Beverly.18 Boyden went with Joseph to Joseph's mother Lucinda's house, where he visited with her and with Joseph's sister Sarah and brother Francis, who had also arrived on Sunday after being away at sea.
     When James went to the Abbot house in the evening for the wedding he noted that the "windows shown brightly beneath the tall waving elms and the starlit heavens. It seemed as if the Creator's kind hand had lighted innumerable lamps to guide his children's feet to the house."19 He was led by Cora, the Abbot's household servant, to a room where several of Joseph's friends from Salem had gathered, and from there went down to the parlor for the ceremony. The room was decorated with bouquets of flowers on either side of several windows, along with burning candles. Elizabeth wore her hair in curls, "crowned with a sweet chaplet of flowers," and held a pendant bouquet in her left hand. She was dressed in "maiden white," and Joseph wore a plain black coat and pants with a lighter vest and tie. Joseph had two groomsmen (unnamed in the diary), and Elizabeth had as maids her sister Georgiana and her childhood friend Hannah Rantoul. A "cool refreshing rain" fell immediately after the ceremony, but soon "the bright stars shone out again in beauty." Guests were treated with wedding cake "and other sorts" served from trays carried among the crowd by "negro servants," along with wine and lemonade.
     The attendees seemed to include all of Elizabeth's "companions of youth and the associates of the family," and included "smiling clergymen, sagacious physicians, acute lawyers (even the U. S. District Attorney for Massachusetts) and aspiring law students, the Historian of Beverly, gentlemen of leisure and men of business, the gray headed Squire and many black haired Squires besides, teachers and pupils, the college student and the counting room clerk, the ship master, the cashier of the bank, the Representative to General Court ...".10
     The morning after their marriage, Joseph and Elizabeth left for his home in Tarboro. They took about two weeks, traveling "leisurely" and spending time in New York and Baltimore on the way, and arrived in Tarboro on 16 April 1845.20,10
     They boarded for a time while waiting for a house to become available, probably with Dr. Josiah Lawrence and his wife Elizabeth.21 They moved into their own house, previously occupied by a Mr. Williams, either late in December 1845 or in January 1846.22
     In mid-September 1845 they (or at least Elizabeth) came back home for a visit, and returned to Tarboro later that month.23,24
     In 1847 he and Elizabeth brought their one-year-old son Nathaniel to Beverly, where they spent the summer. Exactly when they left Tarboro is unknown, but their plan was to go in March, and return in October. Joseph planned to go with them, return to Tarboro after a few days, then come back to Beverly the first of August and stay until October when all would go back to Tarboro. Besides visiting family and friends, they wanted to be there for Elizabeth's sister Georgiana's marriage to Charles Lamson on 2 September.25,26,27,28
     At the end of the summer, on 28 September 1847, they left Beverly for home.29 Elizabeth later described their trip in a letter to her parents, and it provides some interesting insight into the difficulty of travel in the mid-1800s.

     I am at home again safe and sound, after rather a tedious journey. We left N. York on Sunday morn at nine o'clock in the cars, and arrived in Philadelphia about two. It was our intention to be in Baltimore that night, but on arriving in Philadelphia found that we could not leave there until 10 o'clock that night. So we went to the public house by the Railroad depot, and took a good long nap, all of us, to prepare us for our night's journey. ...
     We took the cars at 1/4 before ten, Thanny going to sleep before they started. I made him a nice bed on one of the seats, and he slept without waking till we got to Balt. about 5 in the morning. We went to Mr. Goulds. It was about his time for rising, but we went to bed, and there Thanny took another nap. ... we staid until Thursday morn'g at 6 o'clk.
     It rained, but before we got to Washington City it was very pleasant. I chose that route, as I dislike the boat, I am so sick. We left Washington about nine in the boat for Aquea Creek. What a three hours I did spend. There was a head wind, and I was deadly sick. ... It was a happy hearing to me that we were to land.
     We took the cars for Richmond, and within an hours arrival we found a bridge had been burnt, over which the cars had to pass, and all the passengers were obliged to get out & walk over the other side, and all the baggage went round in waggons drawn by mules. The cars waited for us on the other side. They are rebuilding it again. If Jo. had had his bandbox & preserve jar, I think with the addition of Thanny he would have been a sight to behold.
     On our arrival at Petersburg it rained in torrents, but we went from one depot to the other, I being very careful to keep Thanny well covered up. We started from Petersburg about nine and arrived in Weldon sometime about 3 I think. Thanny was quite troublesome all the way, wanted Cracker & drink all the time, but from Weldon to Rocky Mt. slept soundly.
     It was about 7 o'[____] that we arrived at Mrs. Gray's and I was might[____] pleased to do so, although it is such a dismal looking place. We breakfasted, washed, &c., & in about an hour started in the yellow barouche, with a great black negro to drive us. ... The ride was very pleasant. It was a delightful morning, and it was twelve o'clock Friday morng that we arrived here.30

     In October 1847, immediately after returning from Beverly, they were again boarding with the Lawrences31,29, while looking for a house to buy. They eventually did buy a house, on St. Andrews St. not far from the courthouse, whose previous occupants included Jos. R. Lloyd, James Weddell, and Henry I. Toole.32,33,34
     They are listed in Tarboro in the 1850 census, along with Sarah M. Bowditch, most likely Joseph's sister who was either visiting or living with them, and with Robt. B. Harrison, a 17-year-old male who was working as a clerk.35 They are again listed in Tarboro in the 1860 census. In addition to their children, also listed in their household were Annie Rodel (age 18, a domestic born in Germany), and Charles Cevalier (age 22, a merchant born in Canada East).36
     He and James Howell ended their business partnership in 1848, with closeout sales starting in July, and the dissolution became official on 1 January 1849.37,38 He later ran a book-selling business, from at least late 1851 to 1853, and was apparently affiliated with W. L. Pomeroy, a bookseller in Raleigh, North Carolina.39
     Around this time he began to think seriously about quitting the retail business and going into farming. In late 1852 he sold a 25 by 150 foot lot on Main St. in Tarboro to Colin Macnair for $1000.40 On 14 April 1853 he placed an ad in the local newspaper saying that he had "determined to exchange Merchandizing for Agriculture," and offering for sale his store lot "on the Court House Square, well known as THE BRICK STORE," along with warehouses and other structures, his goods, and his house "in one of the best neighborhoods."41 He also offered for sale a piano, and a horse and rockaway (a four-wheel carriage) "made in Jersey City to order."42
     However, he apparently changed his mind, or perhaps found no buyers for his property, for by 20 May 1854 he was back in business at the brick store, this time by himself, selling "dry goods ... English and French china ware, hardware and carpenter's tools, groceries, &c."43 During this time he employed a man named George to operate a street cart, paying him $1.75 for a twelve-hour workday.44 He often traveled north to buy goods, and also went west into the mountains. His diary for 1854 reports a three-week trip by horse into the "up-country," and mentions the magnificent mountains. He continued his travels throughout his life. As late as age 72 his wife wrote in April that he had been gone since December.45
     On 1 November 1855 he took in as a partner Richard T. Hoskins. They must have been quite successful. During their time together they expanded and improved the store, until it was characterized as "The Stewart's of Tarboro." Their partnership was officially dissolved on 19 January 1861, when Joseph was preparing to move his family to Yancey Co., but Hoskins continued the business at the same location with George Seay as a partner.46,47,48
     He was a slave owner, at least during his time in Tarboro. He also "rented" at least one slave, Laura, from her owner in 1845 to help his wife Elizabeth. In 1852 he reported in his diary that they had "quite a family" of Negroes, and in 1854 that he "sold Martha and her two children for $1355 to Bennet T. Pitt."49,50 The U. S. census slave schedules show that Joseph had three slaves in 1850, females age 37 and 13, and a male age 7. These may have been "Martha and her two children" who were mentioned in his diary. In 1860 two slaves are listed for him, a male age 21 and a female age 14.51,52
     On 12 December 1859 he purchased two tracts of land totaling perhaps 3300 acres in the mountainous region of western North Carolina, "on the waters of the South Toe River" in Yancey Co., from T. Geo. Walton, D. J. Copaning, J. W. Burton, and W. M. Walton, all of nearby Burke Co., for $6000.53,54,55 He built a house there, and the family moved in the spring of 1861.45,56
     The timing of their move seems terrible. Joseph had views on farming he wanted to explore, but no real farming experience57, and he had a wife and five children to support, with another child born in 1862. Only one son, Nathaniel, was old enough to help work the farm. And of course the Civil War began with the attack on Fort Sumter just a month after the move.58
     In their new home they were even more isolated from the civilization they had grown up with in the north. In 1860 Yancey Co. residents "lived in a frontier environment largely isolated from the outside world." There were no local newspapers, medical care was substandard, schools were poor (except for the private Burnsville Academy), and roads were inadequate, especially in areas of the county not near Burnsville, the county seat. And things only got worse during and immediately after the Civil War. Years later their son Frederick's wife Helen wrote that Frederick "always felt that his father had done a very unwise thing, when he took his family of five young children into the mountains of North Carolina where there were no schools or advantages."59,60
     Very little is known about the family during the war. In a claim filed with the Southern Claims Commission in 1870 Joseph stated that he lived in Yancey Co. throughout the war, and we have no evidence to the contrary.61
     They may have suffered some sort of misfortune and property loss, either during the war or shortly afterward.62 In 1860, when they were living in Tarboro, they reported in the census that their real estate was worth $12,500 (presumably including the land purchased in Yancey Co. in 1859), and their personal property was worth $15,500. By 1870, when Joseph was in Tarboro and the rest of the family was in Yancey Co., the total values were down to $9000 and $7500, respectively. At least some of the decrease in the value of their personal property is due to the loss of the two slaves they had in 1860, before the war. It's worth noting, however, that even though the values were lower than ten years earlier, the value of their Yancey Co. real estate ($3000) was the highest in Crabtree Twp. by more than a factor of three.63,64,65
     They seriously considered moving back to Tarboro after the war. And indeed, although Elizabeth and the children remained on the farm in Yancey Co., Joseph restarted (or perhaps never completely gave up) his business interests in Tarboro, and apparently spent much of his time there.66,67
     In the early morning hours of 30 September 1865 a fire destroyed several buildings in Tarboro, including "the brick store of Messrs. Hoskins & Bowditch."68,69 He built two stores in its place, and on 2 May 1867 advertised one for rent.70 Within three months the two stores were occupied by the merchants E. Rosenthal and B. J. Keech.71 In the 1870 census, Joseph is listed in Tarboro as a dry goods merchant, while the rest of the family is listed on the farm in Crabtree Twp.64,65 He probably left Tarboro for good later that year. On 23 November 1870 he placed an ad in the local paper offering all his merchandise for sale at cost, "wishing to close out his business."72
     During his time in Tarboro he served in at least a couple local offices. He was town clerk in 184973, and on 1 April 1850 he, James Weddell, and James M. Redmond were elected to one-year terms as town commissioners.74
     He again served as commissioner in Tarboro in 1868, along with Henry H. Shaw and Wm. H. Johnston. They were appointed by North Carolina Gov. William Holden, which apparently caused some controversy. Holden was elected in 1868, and attempted to work with the Federal government during the Reconstruction era, supporting civil and voting rights for all citizens, including former slaves. As part of that effort he tried to suppress the activities of the Ku Klux Klan, but with limited success. An article in the Tarboro newspaper, noting that Holden had declared that he would only appoint commissioners in agreement with his policies, asked "are the above named appointees considered in full sympathy with the sentiments and administration of a man, who is seeking by every means in his power, to perpetuate his rule by the oppression of the white people of the State?" Gov. Holden was impeached in December 1870, and removed from office three months later.75,76
     Joseph also was a lay delegate to the 53rd Annual Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church for the Diocese of North Carolina, held in Raleigh 19-22 May 186977, and served as a trustee of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Orange Co., from 1869 to 1872.78
     On 13 February 1870 he filed a claim with the Southern Claims Commission for $350, as compensation for the loss of two 6-8 year old mules during the Civil War. They were taken about 1 April 1865 by Capt. John H. Ray of Company K, Third North Carolina Mounted Infantry, for use by the Union Army. The company was moving from Greenville, Tennessee, toward South Carolina to keep the mountain pass open while the army was in pursuit of ex-Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Despite supporting testimony from two neighbors, and from Capt. Ray himself, his claim was disallowed.
     As part of the claim process, he was required to answer several questions designed to determine his loyalty to the Union during the war. His answers, dated 30 May 1873, as well as the depositions of two neighbors, indicate that his sympathies were with the Union during the war. He never took any oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, or worked for the Confederate government in any military or civilian capacity. He did serve on a "vigilant committee of safety." At one point he was detained at Burnsville for 24 hours by Confederate soldiers under the command of Lt. Col. S. D. Bird, and was later informed that $25.00 had been offered to anyone that would shoot him.54
     His wife Elizabeth's brother John Edwin Abbot came to live with them in North Carolina, perhaps as early as 1868 when he traveled there from Milwaukee after his sister Ellen's wedding, and likely by 1875 when he deeded land to Elizabeth.79,80
     On 14 March 1874 Elizabeth sold 500 acres of their land in Yancey Co. to J. W. Gibbs.81 About a week later, on 20 March 1874 a deed for the same property that Joseph had purchased in 1859 was made, with Russel Chapman, and Fred Phillips and Martha J. Phillips his wife, all of Edgecombe Co., conveying their "right, title, and interest in the property" to Elisabeth B. Bowditch of Yancey Co. for $4000.82,83
     On 17 October 1874 Elizabeth exchanged tracts of land in Yancey Co. with Nelson M. Harris and his wife Nelly Martha Ann Harris, with Elizabeth receiving 50 acres adjoining "the Henry Silvers place" in return for a 58-acre tract of land "known as part of the Griffith old orchard."84,85 On 30 July 1875 Elizabeth's brother John deeded to her for $1.00 a 750-acre parcel of land in Yancey Co. described as "the homestead of Joseph H. Bowditch alloted and layed off by the Sheriff of said county."86,87 On 16 January 1879 Elizabeth sold 120 acres, part of the land they were then living on in Yancey Co., to Susannah Carraway for $540.88
     On 26 January 1880 their house and all of their furniture and clothing were destroyed in a fire.89 Relatives and friends in the north sent clothing and money, and they built a new house that in 1964 was still standing near Micaville in Yancey Co.90 In June 1880, four months after the fire, they and their children Georgiana, John, Frederick, and Charles were enumerated in the 1880 census living with the family of John and Martha Griffeith in Yancey Co., presumably while their new house was being built. Listed with them, but crossed out, was Elizabeth's brother John Abbot.91
     About 1884, due to failing health, he and Elizabeth began dividing their property among their children. On 11 July 1885 John and Georgiana together received the home lot, containing 888 acres and the house, plus all their parents' personal belongings. In return they agreed "to maintain J. H. Bowditch and his wife E. B. Bowditch during their natural life, and to provide all things necessary for their comfort and happiness." The rest of the property was divided by appraisers, and lots were drawn for each share. Their son Joseph had received 690 acres in 1884, and was deeded an additional 46 acres in 1885. Charles and Fred were jointly deeded 1130 acres on 4 October 1885.
     Joseph and Elizabeth's son Nathaniel had left his family about 1877, and hadn't been heard from since. On 20 October 1885 Nathaniel's siblings Georgiana, John, Joseph, Frederick, and Charles agreed to pay him $200 each should he return, presumably covering his share of the estate.92,93
     In 1900 Joseph and Elizabeth were living with their children John and Georgiana in Crabtree Twp., along with Elizabeth's brother John E. Abbot.7
     On 11 June 1904, after both Joseph and Elizabeth had died, their grandchildren John H. Bowditch and Mary (Bowditch) Hall, children of their son Nathaniel, filed a complaint with the Superior Court of Yancey Co. asking for their share of the estate.94 An amendment to the complaint, filed on 3 August 1905, asked that the earlier deeds dividing the estate among their children be declared invalid on the grounds that (1) Elizabeth had "became so diseased, enfeebled and unsound" that she was sent to the State Hospital at Morganton; (2) after treatment she was released on probation to her daughter Georgiana; and (3) Georgiana used her undue power and control to unjustly influence Elizabeth into executing the various deeds of land to her children.95,96
     The court agreed and declared that the deeds were null and void. Nathaniel's children John and Mary were declared "tenants in common" of the land, along with Georgiana Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch, Frederick Bowditch, Charles Bowditch, and John E. Abbot (Elizabeth's brother, who had earlier purchased John Abbot Bowditch's share). Commissioners were appointed by the court to divide the land, and delivered their final report on 15 March 1907. Various amounts totaling 395 acres were taken from the tracts originally deeded to Georgiana, Joseph, Frederick, and Charles, and awarded to John and Mary. The commissioners report doesn't mention the land then owned by John E. Abbot.97,98

Children of Joseph Henry Bowditch and Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot

Citations

  1. [S3549] Vital Records of Salem, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 104; from records of St. Peters Episcopal Church.
  2. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 66 (p. 43).
  3. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Joseph H. Bowditch and Elisabeth B. Abbott, "Beverly / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 773.
  4. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 45 (p. 29).
  5. [S7543] Joseph Henry Bowditch Cemetery Marker, Micaville Cemetery, Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  6. [S5150] Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881, Essex Co., Massachusetts, Case No. 2882; records for Helen M. Bowditch et. al. image 49. A document dated 4 October 1825 gives his age as "eight years next December."
  7. [S1537] 1900 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  8. [S3346] The date is from his cemetery marker, and is consistent with his age listed in the censuses from 1860 to 1900. The 1900 census also lists his birth date as December 1817, and probate records dealing with his guardianship after his father's death include a document dated 4 October 1825 that gives his age as "eight years next December." However, his marriage record gives his age as 25 years, 3 months, 27 days, corresponding to a birth date of 6 December 1819, and a letter from his wife Elizabeth to Hannah Rantoul dated 6 December 1845 says "Today is Jo. Henry's birth day, twenty seven years old," corresponding to a birth date of 6 December 1818.
  9. [S3549] Vital Records of Salem, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, pp. 104,105; from records of St. Peters Episcopal Church.
  10. [S6155] James W. Boyden, "Diary of James W. Boyden, 1845-1846", entry for 2 April 1845, pp. 75-83 (seq. 85-93).
  11. [S3346] That date was also Elizabeth's parents' 25th anniversary.
  12. [S6938] Obituary, Joseph H. Bowditch, The Tarborough Southerner, Tarboro, North Carolina, 6 September 1900, p. 3, col. 1.
  13. [S5150] Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881, Essex Co., Massachusetts, Case No. 2882; records for Helen M. Bowditch et. al.
  14. [S4472] "Fourth of July", Tarboro Press, 10 July 1841, p. 2, cols. 1,2.
  15. [S3346] The dinner was hosted by Solomon Pender at the Planter's Hotel. Joseph's toast, one of many, was "Our twenty-six Independencies of North America - may their ratio and its increase to the old thirteen, forever embrace the virtues which animated and gave them existence as a nation."
  16. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 55,66 (pp. 35,43). Says he established his business "with the aid of his father." But he was only five years old when his father died in 1824. Perhaps he began the business using his share of his father's estate?
  17. [S4473] "Notice", Tarboro Press, 23 December 1843, p. 2, col. 4. Numerous ads for the firm of Bowditch & Howell appear in Tarboro papers from 1844 through 1848.
  18. [S3346] The distance would have been about 15-20 miles, depending on the exact starting point in Boston.
  19. [S3346] Sunset on 2 April in Beverly was around 6:11.
  20. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 30 April 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1275.
  21. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 30 April 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1275. The letter says "I board with a very fine lady ... A black servant of Miss Laurence's has just been into my room, and says 'Mistress Bowditch, good morning.' Miss E. Laurence sends her compliments." The most likely candidate for E. Laurence is Mary Eliza Toole, who married Dr. Josiah Lawrence on 20 February 1833.
  22. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letters from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 6 December 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1280; 27 December 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1281; 26 January 1846, BHS ID# 948.001.1282.
  23. [S6155] James W. Boyden, "Diary of James W. Boyden, 1845-1846", entries for 13 September 1845, p. 308 (seq. 322), 19 September 1845, p. 316 (seq. 330), and 21 September 1845, p. 318 (seq. 332). On 13 September he wrote that he might travel to Beverly as "Mr. & Mrs. J. H. Bowditch (E. B. Abbot) have written me, that they shall be in Beverly at that time." He saw Elizabeth on 19 September, and during a visit with her father on 21 September noted that "Mrs. Bowditch was in her chamber, sick." (This may have been morning sickness, as she was then about three months pregnant with her first child.) He does not mention seeing Joseph, however.
  24. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 27 October 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1278. She wrote "It seems a long while since I saw you, though it is really not much more than a month ... till I come again I shall enjoy the delightful thoughts of my first visit home."
  25. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 26 October 1846, BHS ID# 948.001.1285.
  26. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to George and Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts), 15 November 1846.
  27. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Georgiana (Abbot) Lamson (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 8 October 1847.
  28. [S3346] As noted in her 15 November 1846 letter to her parents, during her visit Elizabeth hoped to "pass him [Nathaniel] over to Ma and go frolicking as in former days." But it didn't quite work out that way. In a 28 October 1847 letter to Hannah Rantoul, Elizabeth wrote "We have not seen much of each other this past summer, for my Thanny confines me very much, more than I anticipated ere I came on." I suspect any parent can relate to that experience.
  29. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 28 October 1847, BHS ID# 948.001.1286.
  30. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to George and Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts), 10 October 1847.
  31. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Georgiana (Abbot) Lamson (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 8 October 1847.
  32. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Georgiana (Abbot) Lamson (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 14 November 1847. Georgiana asks "Have you purchased the house that you were speaking of."
  33. [S4479] "Tarboro' and Vicinity", The Southerner, 23 May 1857, p. 2, cols. 1-3. Mentions their home, saying "On St. Andrew's street ... with the splendid residences of ... Mr. J. H. Bowditch ... render this quite an attractive street."
  34. [S4490] "For Sale", The Southerner, 16 April 1853, p. 2, col. 6.
  35. [S673] 1850 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina. Sarah is also listed in the 1850 census with her mother Lucinda in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.
  36. [S674] 1860 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina. There are five children listed in the household - Nat (age 14), Georgiana (12), John (3), and Joseph Bowditch (2), and Fred Hoskins (4/12). The household is split between two sheets, with the first four children listed below J. H. and E. B. Bowditch at the bottom of one sheet, and Fred Hoskins listed at the top of the next sheet. The family of R. T. and A. E. Hoskins is listed just above Joseph and Elizabeth's family. It's very likely that Fred "Hoskins" is actually Joseph and Elizabeth's son Fred Bowditch, born 22 November 1859, and his listing with the surname Hoskins is probably the result of an error when making the state or federal copy.
  37. [S4474] "Selling Off", Tarborough Press, 29 July 1848, p. 2, col. 5.
  38. [S4475] "Notice", Tarborough Press, 6 January 1849, p. 2, col. 4.
  39. [S4476] "New Books", The Southerner, 3 January 1852, p. 3, col. 5. Similar ads appear in the same paper in issues from 1852 to 1853.
  40. [S4489] "Sales and Improvements", The Southerner, 1 January 1853, p. 2, col. 2.
  41. [S4490] "For Sale", The Southerner, 16 April 1853, p. 2, col. 6. The same ad ran in other issues from April through November 1853.
  42. [S4491] "Notice", The Southerner, 18 June 1853, p. 2, col. 6. The same ad ran in other issues from July through December 1853.
  43. [S4477] "Business Notice", The Southerner, 20 May 1854, p. 3, col. 1. The same ad ran in other issues in 1854 and 1855.
  44. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 55,66 (pp. 35,43).
  45. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 55 (pp. 35,36).
  46. [S4478] "New Firm", The Southerner, 3 November 1855, p. 2, col. 4. The ad names him as R. T. Hoskins. In the 1860 census he is listed as a merchant, and his family is next to J. H. Bowditch's family. He is called Richard in the 1870 census.
  47. [S4479] "Tarboro' and Vicinity", The Southerner, 23 May 1857, p. 2, cols. 1-3.
  48. [S4480] "Dissolution", The Southerner, 19 January 1861, p. 2, col. 6.
  49. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 55 (p. 35).
  50. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 14 November 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1279. Elizabeth wrote that she initially didn't want or need the help, and that Laura stayed for a time with a poor woman. Later, after Laura started working for Elizabeth, Elizabeth wrote that Laura was "right smart," that she hoped to have her again the next year, and that Laura had told the servants that she wanted to live there.
  51. [S774] 1850 U.S. Census Slave Schedule, Joseph Bowditch owner, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.
  52. [S775] 1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedule, Joseph Bowditch owner, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.
  53. [S4456] Deed, Yancey Co., North Carolina; T. Geo. Walton, D. J. Copaning, J. W. Burton, and W. M. Walton to Joseph H. Bowditch, 12 December 1859.
  54. [S766] Barred and Disallowed Case Files of the Southern Claims Commission, 1871-1880, NARA Series M1407, Roll/Fiche 2011 (Report 6, Office 407, Case 13341).
  55. [S3346] Although the sales agreement was made in 1859, the deed was not registered until 8 January 1867. One tract contained 1327 acres, but the deed does not state the acreage of the other tract, and the metes and bounds description includes sections following ridge lines, etc., and is thus difficult to plot. In his 1870 claim filed with the Southern Claims Commission, Joseph said he owned about 3300 acres, 50 of which was cultivated and the rest woodland.
  56. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from Sarah Darlington to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 29 August 1860 and 16 March 1861. The August 1860 letter says "I think you do wisely in not letting G'a leave you till you break up there in the Spring," and the March 1861 letter says "I presume by this time you are quite unsettled, if not entirely moved, and I hope you will be comfortably fixed for the summer ... I shall direct this to Tarboro, supposing that anything will be forwarded to you."
  57. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Sarah Darlington to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 30 June 1860. Sallie wrote "I am very glad that Mr. Bowditch intends putting his farming views into practice; I did not believe he ever would be satisfied till he did so."
  58. [S3346] He may have been able to hire help to work on the farm. Although he had two slaves in Tarboro, a male age 21 and a female age 14, it's unknown whether or not they moved to Yancey Co. with the family, or had farming experience.
  59. [S4497] Jerry L. Cross, Center of the Mountain Heartland: A Historical Profile of Yancey County, pp. 23,29,35-41.
  60. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 23 (p. 15).
  61. [S766] Barred and Disallowed Case Files of the Southern Claims Commission, 1871-1880, NARA Series M1407, Roll/Fiche 2011 (Report 6, Office 407, Case 13341). In response to a question about where he lived during the war, Joseph said "in Yancey County," and that "I never changed my residence during that time."
  62. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from James Gould (Baltimore, Maryland) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 6 May 1866. He wrote "May your future, tho' a little clouded now, soon brighten ... Mr. Bowditch (my love to him) must not be discouraged. Matters are settling down and peace now restored the horizon is brightening. I lost every cent of property twice, once when older than he is."
  63. [S674] 1860 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.
  64. [S675] 1870 U.S. Census, Nathan Lawrence household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.
  65. [S676] 1870 U.S. Census, Nathaniel Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  66. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from James Gould (Baltimore, Maryland) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 9 December 1866, 8 April 1867, and 12 December 1867. On 9 December 1866 he wrote "Am very glad that you look forward to making Tarboro again your home with so much pleasure," on 8 April 1867 he wrote "You say Mr. B. has not been with you since Dec.," and on 12 December 1867 he wrote "Was glad to learn Mr. B. was with you, as when here he thought it might be some months before he could go home."
  67. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from Sarah Darlington (Faribault, Minnesota) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 22 April 1868 and 27 December 1870. On 22 April 1868 Sallie wrote "I shall direct them to Mr. Bowditch at Tarboro, and if you are not yet there, he can forward them to you," and on 27 December 1870 she wrote "I am very sorry to learn that you have abandoned the idea of moving to Tarboro."
  68. [S4496] "News Items - Fire at Tarboro", The Western Democrat, 3 October 1865, p. 2, col. 4. This article mentions several stores and other buildings that were lost, adding "Mr. Richard Hoskins was the largest sufferer," but does not mention Joseph Henry Bowditch.
  69. [S4481] "Our Visit to Edgecombe", The Southerner, 10 March 1866, p. 2, col. 2. This article, published six months after the fire, says the fire "destroyed several fine buildings, among which was the brick store of Messrs. Hoskins & Bowditch." However, the Hoskins - Bowditch partnership was dissolved in 1861. It's unclear whether the reference to "Hoskins & Bowditch" in the article implies that Joseph again had a financial interest in the store or building, or if it's simply a reference to the store formerly owned by them.
  70. [S4482] "Store For Rent", The Southerner, 2 May 1867, p. 2, col. 5.
  71. [S4483] "Change of Quarters", The Southerner, 25 July 1867, p. 3, col. 2.
  72. [S4484] "Selling Off!", The Tarboro Southerner, 24 November 1870, p. 2, col. 5.
  73. [S4485] "To Flat Captains", Tarborough Press, 12 May 1849, p. 2, col. 4.
  74. [S4486] "Town Officers", Tarborough Press, 6 April 1850, p. 2, col. 1.
  75. [S4487] "Our Town Officers - What Are They?", The Tarboro Southerner, 27 August 1868, p. 3, col. 3.
  76. [S4493] Horace W. Raper, "Holden, William Woods", from William S. Powell, Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Vols. 1-6.
  77. [S4488] "Proceedings of the Protestant Episcopal Convention", The Tarboro Southerner, 27 May 1869, p. 2, col. 2.
  78. [S4492] Kemp P. Battle, Sketches of the History of the University of North Carolina, p. 74.
  79. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 61,62 (pp. 38-40).
  80. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from John Edwin Abbot (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) to Joseph Henry Bowditch, 20 October 1868.
  81. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 57 (pp. 36,37). The book only gives the year for this sale. However, the author's notes, and an envelope that apparently contained the deed, have the complete date, and make it clear that he had the actual deed. Unfortunately the deed itself is currently missing.
  82. [S4457] Record of Deeds, Yancey Co., North Carolina, Book 6, pp. 827-829, 20 March 1874.
  83. [S3346] The circumstances behind these transactions are unknown. Russell Chapman (1802-1874) was a bank officer in Tarboro, and a friend of Joseph H. Bowditch. Frederick Phillips (1838-1905) was a lawyer, judge, insurance agent, bank president, and post-Civil War mayor in Tarboro. Perhaps Chapman and Phillips helped finance the original 1859 purchase, and Joseph and Elizabeth were using the money from the 14 March sale to J. W. Gibbs to pay off the debt.
  84. [S4458] Record of Deeds, Yancey Co., North Carolina, Book 6, pp. 829,830, 17 October 1874.
  85. [S4459] Deed, Yancey Co., North Carolina; Elisabeth B. Bowditch to Nelson M. Harris and Nelly M. A. Harris, 17 October 1874.
  86. [S4460] Record of Deeds, Yancey Co., North Carolina, Book 6, pp. 831,832, 30 July 1875.
  87. [S3346] In his genealogy The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 61 (pp. 38,39), Frederick Bowditch speculates that perhaps John had previously helped Elizabeth and Joseph financially (perhaps then acquiring this parcel of land), and that since he may have then been living with them, this transaction may have been made as compensation.
  88. [S4462] Record of Deeds, Yancey Co., North Carolina, Book 8, pp. 485,486, 16 January 1879.
  89. [S7260] "Spirits Turpentine", The Wilmington Morning Star, 20 February 1880, p. 1, col. 2.
  90. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 56 (p. 36).
  91. [S832] 1880 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  92. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 56,57 (pp. 36,37). The author doesn't give the exact dates of these transactions, but except for Joseph's share, his notes, with references to the actual deeds, do. The deeds themselves, though, are currently missing. For Joseph's share, the author cites information obtained by Joseph's granddaughter Helen Runion from Burnsville, North Carolina, records.
  93. [S4471] Frederick Tryon Bowditch, "Index to Deeds and Agreements."
  94. [S3346] After leaving his family in 1877 Nathaniel was never heard from again, and thus he, and by extension his children John and Mary, had never received a share of the estate.
  95. [S4467] Complaint, and Amendment to Complaint, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 11 June 1904 and 3 August 1905; J. H. Bowditch, Wm. Hall and Mary Hall v. J. A. Bowditch, G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch and J. E. Abbott.
  96. [S3346] A passage in a 22 November 1884 letter from Joseph and Elizabeth's son Fred in Urbana, Illinois, to his brother Charles at home in North Carolina, suggests that the allegation about Georgiana's influence may have been right. Fred asks if anything's been done about "sitting up affairs," says someday they'll "be well repaid for all our trouble," and that their parents "are getting old and feeble and are easily worried by any one who wishes to trouble them," but that they are doing what they think is right, "and if there is any injustice it is on account of undue influence on the part of some one."
  97. [S4468] Court Decision, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina; J. H. Bowditch and Mary Hall v. G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Frederick D. Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch Jr. and J. E. Abbott.
  98. [S4465] Report of Commissioners in Partition Proceeding, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 15 March 1907; Joseph Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Charles I. Bowditch, Georgie A. Bowditch, John H. Bowditch, Mary Hall and William Hall.
  99. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, pp. 9,10.
  100. [S1614] Georgiana Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  101. [S6683] "Died", The Southerner, 9 June 1855, p. 2, col. 5.
  102. [S7024] John A. Bowditch and Julia Hilliard, Marriage Record.
  103. [S1611] Joseph Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  104. [S7262] Frederick Darlington Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  105. [S1613] Charles I. Bowditch, Death Certificate.

Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot1,2,3

b. 28 February 1821, d. 26 August 1902
FatherGeorge Abbot1,2,3 b. 25 Mar 1791, d. 18 Jan 1848
MotherNancy Stickney1,2,3 b. 9 Nov 1796, d. 19 Jun 1851
Relationship2nd great-grandmother of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsFrederick Bowditch Ancestors
George Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot (1821-1902)
     Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot was born on 28 February 1821 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1 She was married by C. T. Thayer, pastor of the First Parish Church, to Joseph Henry Bowditch, son of Joseph Bowditch and Lucinda Morse, on 2 April 1845 at the bride's parents' home in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.2,4,5 She died on 26 August 1902 in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina, at age 81.6,7 She was buried at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co., North Carolina.8
     In her late teens Elizabeth spent at least two winters, 1838/39 and 1840/41, living in Baltimore, Maryland, with James and Eliza (Leach) Gould. James's wife Eliza was a cousin of Elizabeth's father George, and they had no children of their own. Elizabeth didn't know them well before this time, but they grew very close, and James and Elizabeth corresponded regularly in later years.9
     Elizabeth's father accompanied her to Baltimore on her first trip. They stopped in New York and Philadelphia on the way, arriving in New York on 2 December. They saw the play "Amilie, or the Love Test," and Elizabeth was amazed by the extravagance of women's fashions. But she disliked all the pigs that were "allowed to run about the streets for the purpose of cleaning them." They left New York for Philadelphia on 5 December, and arrived in Baltimore on 7 December.10
     In Baltimore she spent her time seeing the sights there and in Washington, visiting with friends, reading (including books in French), taking music lessons, and going to museums, lectures, parties, and dances. She also had her portrait painted, sitting for two hours a day for four weeks.11
     She liked the sociability of people there, compared to the "cold and formal reserve which so definitely characterizes a New Englander." She had at least two suiters, William Peabody and Reuben Stump Harland, who "the young persons say" went to Washington on 26 December 1838 to fight a duel over her. (If they did, both survived.) She spent New Year's Eve in 1838 with William Peabody. But she was in no hurry to settle down. She later wrote "my heart is my own yet, and will be this many a day. ... I am but eighteen. What person at that age knows his own mind? I do not."12
     She loved to dance, and while in Baltimore went to dancing school every Saturday afternoon, and often to "Practicing Balls" on Tuesdays. James Gould later said she was "the Belle of the evening at the Cadet Ball."13,14
     At one point she visited a nearby nunnery, which she found sad and melancholy, and thought that the nuns looked miserable. "I think, that the best way of serving God, is by doing good to his creatures. I do not think, that he requires us to seclude ourselves from all his beautiful works, and appear so solemn and retired."15
     In 1839, probably on 7 February, James Gould took her to Washington where they met with Pres. Martin Van Buren. They were "ushered in by a black servant up a flight of stairs into his receiving room" where several others were also waiting. When the President entered she was impressed by his appearance, with "a face as handsome as I should wish my husband to be possessed with. ... His whole countenance was expressive of innocence and good nature." They tried to get into the Senate chamber where Henry Clay was speaking, but it was too crowded. They then went to the House where she saw John Quincy Adams, among others. Returning to the Senate after Clay's speech, they finally saw Clay, and heard others speak. She was unimpressed with Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson, writing "He has the appearance of a stupid inactive disposition."16,17
     The Goulds wanted Elizabeth to stay longer, but her father, a sea captain, was away from home on a long voyage, and she wrote that "I think that I must come home and take my father's place." So she returned home to Beverly, leaving on 14 April 1839. James Gould traveled with her as far as New York, where they encountered Levi Brigham, the father of a business associate of Elizabeth's father. Elizabeth traveled from there to Boston with him, and probably arrived home the next day.18,19,20
     The Goulds had hoped she would return the next winter, but were concerned that her mother "might think us unreasonable, at a time when she might need her services so much" (her father would still be at sea). We have no evidence that Elizabeth was in Baltimore during that next winter, but she did return for the winter of 1840/41. That visit was again filled with a combination of educational and social activities. She was especially interested in a series of lectures by George Washington Burnap, minister of the First Independent Church of Baltimore, who spoke on "The Sphere & Duties of Woman."20,21
     Joseph and Elizabeth's wedding, at 7:30 the evening of 2 April 1845 (Elizabeth's parents' 25th anniversary), was apparently quite an event. James W. Boyden, a childhood friend of Elizabeth's who was then at Harvard Law School, attended the wedding and devoted nine pages of his diary to a description of his trip to Beverly, and the wedding itself.
     James traveled from Cambridge to Beverly by train early in the afternoon, along with Gustavus Trask, a friend who was also attending the wedding. While walking up Cabot St. toward Elizabeth's parents' house, where the wedding was to take place later that day, they met and talked with Rev. C. T. Thayer, who was to perform the ceremony. Nearing the house they saw Joseph H. Bowditch, the groom, and learned that he had arrived in Boston on Sunday (30 March), but missed the train, and walked to Beverly.22 Boyden went with Joseph to Joseph's mother Lucinda's house, where he visited with her and with Joseph's sister Sarah and brother Francis, who had also arrived on Sunday after being away at sea.
     When James went to the Abbot house in the evening for the wedding he noted that the "windows shown brightly beneath the tall waving elms and the starlit heavens. It seemed as if the Creator's kind hand had lighted innumerable lamps to guide his children's feet to the house."23 He was led by Cora, the Abbot's household servant, to a room where several of Joseph's friends from Salem had gathered, and from there went down to the parlor for the ceremony. The room was decorated with bouquets of flowers on either side of several windows, along with burning candles. Elizabeth wore her hair in curls, "crowned with a sweet chaplet of flowers," and held a pendant bouquet in her left hand. She was dressed in "maiden white," and Joseph wore a plain black coat and pants with a lighter vest and tie. Joseph had two groomsmen (unnamed in the diary), and Elizabeth had as maids her sister Georgiana and her childhood friend Hannah Rantoul. A "cool refreshing rain" fell immediately after the ceremony, but soon "the bright stars shone out again in beauty." Guests were treated with wedding cake "and other sorts" served from trays carried among the crowd by "negro servants," along with wine and lemonade.
     The attendees seemed to include all of Elizabeth's "companions of youth and the associates of the family," and included "smiling clergymen, sagacious physicians, acute lawyers (even the U. S. District Attorney for Massachusetts) and aspiring law students, the Historian of Beverly, gentlemen of leisure and men of business, the gray headed Squire and many black haired Squires besides, teachers and pupils, the college student and the counting room clerk, the ship master, the cashier of the bank, the Representative to General Court ...".4
     The morning after their marriage, Elizabeth and Joseph left for his home in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina. They took about two weeks, traveling "leisurely" and spending time in New York and Baltimore on the way, and arrived in Tarboro on 16 April 1845.24,4
     They boarded for a time while waiting for a house to become available, probably with Dr. Josiah Lawrence and his wife Elizabeth.25 They moved into their own house, previously occupied by a Mr. Williams, either late in December 1845 or in January 1846.26
     In mid-September 1845 they (or at least Elizabeth) came back home for a visit, and returned to Tarboro later that month.27,28 She was pregnant at the time with her first child, and a few months later her parents traveled to Tarboro for the birth. They left Beverly on 23 February 1846, and Nathaniel was born on 18 March. How long they stayed in Tarboro isn't known, but it was apparently long enough to get to know people there. In a letter to her parents dated 15 November 1846 Elizabeth wrote "Your friends here often speak of you, and are very much interested to hear of your health."29,30,31,32
     In 1847 she and Joseph brought their one-year-old son Nathaniel to Beverly, where they spent the summer. Exactly when they left Tarboro is unknown, but their plan was to go in March, and return in October. Joseph planned to go with them, return to Tarboro after a few days, then come back to Beverly the first of August and stay until October when all would go back to Tarboro. Besides visiting family and friends, they wanted to be there for Elizabeth's sister Georgiana's marriage to Charles Lamson on 2 September.33,31,34,35
     At the end of the summer, on 28 September 1847, they left Beverly for home.36 Elizabeth later described their trip in a letter to her parents, and it provides some interesting insight into the difficulty of travel in the mid-1800s.

     I am at home again safe and sound, after rather a tedious journey. We left N. York on Sunday morn at nine o'clock in the cars, and arrived in Philadelphia about two. It was our intention to be in Baltimore that night, but on arriving in Philadelphia found that we could not leave there until 10 o'clock that night. So we went to the public house by the Railroad depot, and took a good long nap, all of us, to prepare us for our night's journey. ...
     We took the cars at 1/4 before ten, Thanny going to sleep before they started. I made him a nice bed on one of the seats, and he slept without waking till we got to Balt. about 5 in the morning. We went to Mr. Goulds. It was about his time for rising, but we went to bed, and there Thanny took another nap. ... we staid until Thursday morn'g at 6 o'clk.
     It rained, but before we got to Washington City it was very pleasant. I chose that route, as I dislike the boat, I am so sick. We left Washington about nine in the boat for Aquea Creek. What a three hours I did spend. There was a head wind, and I was deadly sick. ... It was a happy hearing to me that we were to land.
     We took the cars for Richmond, and within an hours arrival we found a bridge had been burnt, over which the cars had to pass, and all the passengers were obliged to get out & walk over the other side, and all the baggage went round in waggons drawn by mules. The cars waited for us on the other side. They are rebuilding it again. If Jo. had had his bandbox & preserve jar, I think with the addition of Thanny he would have been a sight to behold.
     On our arrival at Petersburg it rained in torrents, but we went from one depot to the other, I being very careful to keep Thanny well covered up. We started from Petersburg about nine and arrived in Weldon sometime about 3 I think. Thanny was quite troublesome all the way, wanted Cracker & drink all the time, but from Weldon to Rocky Mt. slept soundly.
     It was about 7 o'[____] that we arrived at Mrs. Gray's and I was might[____] pleased to do so, although it is such a dismal looking place. We breakfasted, washed, &c., & in about an hour started in the yellow barouche, with a great black negro to drive us. ... The ride was very pleasant. It was a delightful morning, and it was twelve o'clock Friday morng that we arrived here.37

     In October 1847, immediately after returning from Beverly, they were again boarding with the Lawrences38,36, while looking for a house to buy. They eventually did buy a house, on St. Andrews St. not far from the courthouse, whose previous occupants included Jos. R. Lloyd, James Weddell, and Henry I. Toole.39,40,41
     She probably returned again to Beverly for a visit in the spring of 1850. In September 1849 her friend Hannah Rantoul wrote "When you come next spring dearest ...". And a January 1850 letter to her mother from James Gould said "We shall be much pleased to see Lizzie. Had a letter from her a short time since in which she spoke of coming on in March." Finally, in a July 1850 letter her mother wrote "Ask Nat if he remem how he used to run round the entry, and Grandma after him, and sis with a grave face say Naat bad boy" and "I feel much better than when you were here ...". Since Elizabeth's daughter Georgiana ("sis") was born 21 May 1848, after Elizabeth's 1847 visit, Elizabeth's mother must have been talking about a subsequent visit home.42
     She and Joseph are listed in Tarboro in the 1850 census, along with Sarah M. Bowditch, most likely Joseph's sister who was either visiting or living with them, and with Robt. B. Harrison, a 17-year-old male who was working as a clerk.43
     During the winters of 1854-55 and 1855-56 Sallie Darlington, a woman from Chester Co., Pennsylvania, lived with them. Sallie had answered an ad that Elizabeth's husband Joseph had placed in the New York Times, looking for an organist for the Episcopal Church "in a pleasant Southern town."44,45,46,47 There's no evidence that Elizabeth and Sallie ever met again in person, but they must have become close in the time that they were together. Their correspondence lasted many years48, and Elizabeth's son Frederick, born in 1859, was given the middle name Darlington.49,50,51
     The family is again listed in Tarboro in the 1860 census. In addition to their children, also listed in their household were Annie Rodel (age 18, a domestic born in Germany), and Charles Cevalier (age 22, a merchant born in Canada East).52
     On 12 December 1859 Joseph purchased two tracts of land totaling perhaps 3300 acres in the mountainous region of western North Carolina, "on the waters of the South Toe River" in Yancey Co., from T. Geo. Walton, D. J. Copaning, J. W. Burton, and W. M. Walton, all of nearby Burke Co., for $6000.53,54,55 The family moved there in the spring of 1861.56,57
     The timing of their move seems terrible. Joseph had views on farming he wanted to explore, but no real farming experience58, and he had a wife and five children to support, with another child born in 1862. Only one son, Nathaniel, was old enough to help work the farm. And of course the Civil War began with the attack on Fort Sumter just a month after the move.59
     In their new home they were even more isolated from the civilization they had grown up with in the north. In 1860 Yancey Co. residents "lived in a frontier environment largely isolated from the outside world." There were no local newspapers, medical care was substandard, schools were poor (except for the private Burnsville Academy), and roads were inadequate, especially in areas of the county not near Burnsville, the county seat. And things only got worse during and immediately after the Civil War. Years later their son Frederick's wife Helen wrote that Frederick "always felt that his father had done a very unwise thing, when he took his family of five young children into the mountains of North Carolina where there were no schools or advantages."60,61
     Very little is known about the family during the war. In a claim filed with the Southern Claims Commission in 1870 Joseph stated that he lived in Yancey Co. throughout the war, and we have no evidence to the contrary.62
     They may have suffered some sort of misfortune and property loss, either during the war or shortly afterward.63 In 1860, when they were living in Tarboro, they reported in the census that their real estate was worth $12,500 (presumably including the land purchased in Yancey Co. in 1859), and their personal property was worth $15,500. By 1870, when Joseph was in Tarboro and the rest of the family was in Yancey Co., the total values were down to $9000 and $7500, respectively. At least some of the decrease in the value of their personal property is due to the loss of the two slaves they had in 1860, before the war. It's worth noting, however, that even though the values were lower than ten years earlier, the value of their Yancey Co. real estate ($3000) was the highest in Crabtree Twp. by more than a factor of three.64,65,66
     They seriously considered moving back to Tarboro after the war. And indeed, although Elizabeth and the children remained on the farm in Yancey Co., Joseph restarted (or perhaps never completely gave up) his business interests in Tarboro, and apparently spent much of his time there.67,68 In the 1870 census, Joseph is listed in Tarboro as a dry goods merchant, while the rest of the family is listed on the farm in Crabtree Twp.65,66
     Elizabeth's brother John Edwin Abbot came to live with her family in North Carolina, perhaps as early as 1868 when he traveled there from Milwaukee after their sister Ellen's wedding, and likely by 1875 when he deeded land to Elizabeth.69,70
     On 14 March 1874 Elizabeth sold 500 acres of their land in Yancey Co. to J. W. Gibbs.71 About a week later, on 20 March 1874 a deed for the same property that Joseph had purchased in 1859 was made, with Russel Chapman, and Fred Phillips and Martha J. Phillips his wife, all of Edgecombe Co., conveying their "right, title, and interest in the property" to Elisabeth B. Bowditch of Yancey Co. for $4000.72,73
     On 17 October 1874 Elizabeth exchanged tracts of land in Yancey Co. with Nelson M. Harris and his wife Nelly Martha Ann Harris, with Elizabeth receiving 50 acres adjoining "the Henry Silvers place" in return for a 58-acre tract of land "known as part of the Griffith old orchard."74,75 On 30 July 1875 her brother John deeded to her for $1.00 a 750-acre parcel of land in Yancey Co. described as "the homestead of Joseph H. Bowditch alloted and layed off by the Sheriff of said county."76,77 On 16 January 1879 she sold 120 acres, part of the land they were then living on in Yancey Co., to Susannah Carraway for $540.78
     On 26 January 1880 their house and all of their furniture and clothing were destroyed in a fire.79 Relatives and friends in the north sent clothing and money, and they built a new house that in 1964 was still standing near Micaville in Yancey Co.80 In June 1880, four months after the fire, they and their children Georgiana, John, Frederick, and Charles were enumerated in the 1880 census living with the family of John and Martha Griffeith in Yancey Co., presumably while their new house was being built. Listed with them, but crossed out, was Elizabeth's brother John Abbot.81
     Not long afterward Elizabeth apparently suffered from some mental problems, and was treated for a time at the Western North Carolina Insane Asylum in Morgonton, Burke Co., North Carolina. Exactly when and how long she was there is uncertain, but it was probably around 1883-1885. The hospital first opened on 29 March 1883. A complaint filed in court after her death by her son Nathaniel's children, asking for their share of her estate, says that after her treatment she was released on probation to her daughter Georgiana, who unjustly influenced Elizabeth into executing various deeds of land to her children. These deeds were made in 1884/85, indicating that Elizabeth's confinement occurred before then.82,83
     She was apparently still being treated for a few years afterwards. A correspondence record kept by her daughter Georgiana covering parts of 1885-1887 shows that Georgiana wrote to "Dr. M" (Dr. Patrick Livingston Murphy, superintendent of the asylum) eight times from March-September 1886, and three times in 1887, and that she received eleven letters from him between April and July 1886. A 22 December 1887 letter to Elizabeth from her friend Elizabeth (Woodberry) Story says "I rejoice over your recovery." On 8 October 1888 Dr. Murphy wrote to Georgiana saying that he thought she was well enough to be discharged, and trusts that "that there will never again be any necessity for asylum treatment in her case." And finally, a letter from Georgiana to Hannah Rantoul dated 29 December 1891 says "Ma is very well now, but at times she becomes very nervous indeed."84,85,86,87
     About 1884, due to failing health, she and Joseph began dividing their property among their children. On 11 July 1885 John and Georgiana together received the home lot, containing 888 acres and the house, plus all their parents' personal belongings. In return they agreed "to maintain J. H. Bowditch and his wife E. B. Bowditch during their natural life, and to provide all things necessary for their comfort and happiness." The rest of the property was divided by appraisers, and lots were drawn for each share. Their son Joseph had received 690 acres in 1884, and was deeded an additional 46 acres in 1885. Charles and Fred were jointly deeded 1130 acres on 4 October 1885.
     Joseph and Elizabeth's son Nathaniel had left his family about 1877, and hadn't been heard from since. On 20 October 1885 Nathaniel's siblings Georgiana, John, Joseph, Frederick, and Charles agreed to pay him $200 each should he return, presumably covering his share of the estate.88,89
     In her later years Elizabeth lived at times at a boarding house run by Garrett Dewese Ray in Burnsville, about 10 miles from their farm near Micaville. She was there in at least the summers of 1888 (starting on 10 June), 1889 (by May), and 1893 (starting 17 June).90,91 In 1900 she was listed in the census with her husband Joseph in Crabtree Twp., along with their children John and Georgiana, and with her brother John Abbot.92
     On 11 June 1904, after both Joseph and Elizabeth had died, their grandchildren John H. Bowditch and Mary (Bowditch) Hall, children of their son Nathaniel, filed a complaint with the Superior Court of Yancey Co. asking for their share of the estate.93 An amendment to the complaint, filed on 3 August 1905, asked that the earlier deeds dividing the estate among their children be declared invalid on the grounds that (1) Elizabeth had "became so diseased, enfeebled and unsound" that she was sent to the State Hospital at Morganton; (2) after treatment she was released on probation to her daughter Georgiana; and (3) Georgiana used her undue power and control to unjustly influence Elizabeth into executing the various deeds of land to her children.82,94
     The court agreed and declared that the deeds were null and void. Nathaniel's children John and Mary were declared "tenants in common" of the land, along with Georgiana Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch, Frederick Bowditch, Charles Bowditch, and John E. Abbot (Elizabeth's brother, who had earlier purchased John Abbot Bowditch's share). Commissioners were appointed by the court to divide the land, and delivered their final report on 15 March 1907. Various amounts totaling 395 acres were taken from the tracts originally deeded to Georgiana, Joseph, Frederick, and Charles, and awarded to John and Mary. The commissioners report doesn't mention the land then owned by John E. Abbot.95,96

Children of Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot and Joseph Henry Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S2261] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 19.
  2. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Joseph H. Bowditch and Elisabeth B. Abbott, "Beverly / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 773.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 52 (p. 34).
  4. [S6155] James W. Boyden, "Diary of James W. Boyden, 1845-1846", entry for 2 April 1845, pp. 75-83 (seq. 85-93).
  5. [S3346] That date was also Elizabeth's parents' 25th anniversary.
  6. [S7544] Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot Cemetery Marker, Micaville Cemetery, Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  7. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 66 (p. 43).
  8. [S7544] Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot Cemetery Marker, Micaville Cemetery, Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina. Her epitaph reads "She hath done what she could."
  9. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth Abbot (Baltimore, Maryland) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 12 January 1839, BHS ID# 948.001.1230. She wrote "Mr. & Mrs. Gould do as much as is possible for my entertainment and enjoyment ... Do you wonder dear Hannah, that I love them so much? Coming as I did a perfect stranger among them?"
  10. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth Abbot (Baltimore, Maryland) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 10 December 1838, BHS ID# 948.001.1228.
  11. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letters from Elizabeth Abbot (Baltimore, Maryland) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 10 December 1838, BHS ID# 948.001.1228; 26 December 1838, BHS ID# 948.001.1229; 12 January 1839, BHS ID# 948.001.1230; February 1839, BHS ID# 948.001.1231; 9 March 1839, BHS ID# 948.001.1232.
  12. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letters from Elizabeth Abbot (Baltimore, Maryland) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 26 December 1838, BHS ID# 948.001.1229; February 1839, BHS ID# 948.001.1231; 9 March 1839, BHS ID# 948.001.1232.
  13. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letters from Elizabeth Abbot to Hannah Rantoul, November 1836, BHS ID# 948.001.1226; February 1839, BHS ID# 948.001.1231.
  14. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from James Gould (Baltimore, Maryland) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 22 July 1866.
  15. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth Abbot (Baltimore, Maryland) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 26 December 1838, BHS ID# 948.001.1229.
  16. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth Abbot (Baltimore, Maryland) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), February 1839, BHS ID# 948.001.1231.
  17. [S3346] Henry Clay's speech was probably the one he made on 7 February, in which he attempted to separate himself from radical abolitionists in order to improve his chances for winning the Whig party nomination for president in 1840.
  18. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth Abbot (Baltimore, Maryland) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 9 March 1839, BHS ID# 948.001.1232.
  19. [S3346] Elizabeth's father George, in a letter to her mother dated 26 January 1840, wrote "It is a long, long, time since I left you," that he hoped to arrive back in New York 4-6 weeks after she receives this letter, and that by then he would have been "absent near a year and half." This implies that he apparently went to sea very shortly after delivering Elizabeth to Baltimore in December 1838, and wouldn't be back home until late spring 1840.
  20. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from James Gould (Baltimore, Maryland) to George Abbot (on the ship Lamarang at Liverpool, England), 19 April 1839.
  21. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letters from Elizabeth Abbot (Baltimore, Maryland) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 22 December 1840, BHS ID# 948.001.1235; January 1841, BHS ID# 948.001.1236; 15 March 1841, BHS ID# 948.001.1237.
  22. [S3346] The distance would have been about 15-20 miles, depending on the exact starting point in Boston.
  23. [S3346] Sunset on 2 April in Beverly was around 6:11.
  24. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 30 April 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1275.
  25. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 30 April 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1275. The letter says "I board with a very fine lady ... A black servant of Miss Laurence's has just been into my room, and says 'Mistress Bowditch, good morning.' Miss E. Laurence sends her compliments." The most likely candidate for E. Laurence is Mary Eliza Toole, who married Dr. Josiah Lawrence on 20 February 1833.
  26. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letters from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 6 December 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1280; 27 December 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1281; 26 January 1846, BHS ID# 948.001.1282.
  27. [S6155] James W. Boyden, "Diary of James W. Boyden, 1845-1846", entries for 13 September 1845, p. 308 (seq. 322), 19 September 1845, p. 316 (seq. 330), and 21 September 1845, p. 318 (seq. 332). On 13 September he wrote that he might travel to Beverly as "Mr. & Mrs. J. H. Bowditch (E. B. Abbot) have written me, that they shall be in Beverly at that time." He saw Elizabeth on 19 September, and during a visit with her father on 21 September noted that "Mrs. Bowditch was in her chamber, sick." (This may have been morning sickness, as she was then about three months pregnant with her first child.) He does not mention seeing Joseph, however.
  28. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 27 October 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1278. She wrote "It seems a long while since I saw you, though it is really not much more than a month ... till I come again I shall enjoy the delightful thoughts of my first visit home."
  29. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Ellen Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Tarboro, North Carolina), 6 March 1846. "You have been away a week and four days."
  30. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 23 August 1846, BHS ID# 948.001.1284.
  31. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to George and Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts), 15 November 1846.
  32. [S6155] James W. Boyden, "Diary of James W. Boyden, 1845-1846", entry for 23 February 1846, p. 495 (seq. 512). He visited Elizabeth's father, and wrote "He and Mrs. Abbot are to start this afternoon for Elizabeth's home in North Carolina."
  33. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 26 October 1846, BHS ID# 948.001.1285.
  34. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Georgiana (Abbot) Lamson (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 8 October 1847.
  35. [S3346] As noted in her 15 November 1846 letter to her parents, during her visit Elizabeth hoped to "pass him [Nathaniel] over to Ma and go frolicking as in former days." But it didn't quite work out that way. In a 28 October 1847 letter to Hannah Rantoul, Elizabeth wrote "We have not seen much of each other this past summer, for my Thanny confines me very much, more than I anticipated ere I came on." I suspect any parent can relate to that experience.
  36. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 28 October 1847, BHS ID# 948.001.1286.
  37. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to George and Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts), 10 October 1847.
  38. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Georgiana (Abbot) Lamson (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 8 October 1847.
  39. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Georgiana (Abbot) Lamson (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 14 November 1847. Georgiana asks "Have you purchased the house that you were speaking of."
  40. [S4479] "Tarboro' and Vicinity", The Southerner, 23 May 1857, p. 2, cols. 1-3. Mentions their home, saying "On St. Andrew's street ... with the splendid residences of ... Mr. J. H. Bowditch ... render this quite an attractive street."
  41. [S4490] "For Sale", The Southerner, 16 April 1853, p. 2, col. 6.
  42. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 5 September 1849; from James Gould (Baltimore, Maryland) to Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts), 12 January 1850; and from Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 3 July 1850.
  43. [S673] 1850 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina. Sarah is also listed in the 1850 census with her mother Lucinda in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.
  44. [S4344] "Wanted", New York Daily Times, 19 September 1854, p. 5, col. 2.
  45. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Sarah Darlington (West Chester, Pennsylvania), 20 September 1854.
  46. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Sarah Darlington to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 1856. Refers to "Mr. & Mrs. Burton." They were married in October 1855, and he died in December 1856, indicating that Sallie knew them between those dates.
  47. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Sallie Darlington (Faribault, Minnesota) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 27 December 1870. Refers to the "two winters spent with you."
  48. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from Sarah Darlington to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 1854-1880.
  49. [S7262] Frederick Darlington Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  50. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Sarah Darlington (West Chester, Pennsylvania) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 30 June 1860. Says "You were very, very kind to think of me and to associate my name with one of your little ones."
  51. [S3346] Later, in 1863, Sallie moved to Faribault, Minnesota, for her health, and in 1866 became the first principal of Saint Mary's Hall, a school for girls opened by Bishop Henry Whipple. She held the position, except for one year, until her death in 1881 at age 55. She was "thoroughly identified with the interests of the school, pure of heart, gentle by impulse, refined by nature, superior in intellect, upright in example, and diligent in all things."
  52. [S674] 1860 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina. There are five children listed in the household - Nat (age 14), Georgiana (12), John (3), and Joseph Bowditch (2), and Fred Hoskins (4/12). The household is split between two sheets, with the first four children listed below J. H. and E. B. Bowditch at the bottom of one sheet, and Fred Hoskins listed at the top of the next sheet. The family of R. T. and A. E. Hoskins is listed just above Joseph and Elizabeth's family. It's very likely that Fred "Hoskins" is actually Joseph and Elizabeth's son Fred Bowditch, born 22 November 1859, and his listing with the surname Hoskins is probably the result of an error when making the state or federal copy.
  53. [S4456] Deed, Yancey Co., North Carolina; T. Geo. Walton, D. J. Copaning, J. W. Burton, and W. M. Walton to Joseph H. Bowditch, 12 December 1859.
  54. [S766] Barred and Disallowed Case Files of the Southern Claims Commission, 1871-1880, NARA Series M1407, Roll/Fiche 2011 (Report 6, Office 407, Case 13341).
  55. [S3346] Although the sales agreement was made in 1859, the deed was not registered until 8 January 1867. One tract contained 1327 acres, but the deed does not state the acreage of the other tract, and the metes and bounds description includes sections following ridge lines, etc., and is thus difficult to plot. In his 1870 claim filed with the Southern Claims Commission, Joseph said he owned about 3300 acres, 50 of which was cultivated and the rest woodland.
  56. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 55 (pp. 35,36).
  57. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from Sarah Darlington to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 29 August 1860 and 16 March 1861. The August 1860 letter says "I think you do wisely in not letting G'a leave you till you break up there in the Spring," and the March 1861 letter says "I presume by this time you are quite unsettled, if not entirely moved, and I hope you will be comfortably fixed for the summer ... I shall direct this to Tarboro, supposing that anything will be forwarded to you."
  58. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Sarah Darlington to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 30 June 1860. Sallie wrote "I am very glad that Mr. Bowditch intends putting his farming views into practice; I did not believe he ever would be satisfied till he did so."
  59. [S3346] He may have been able to hire help to work on the farm. Although he had two slaves in Tarboro, a male age 21 and a female age 14, it's unknown whether or not they moved to Yancey Co. with the family, or had farming experience.
  60. [S4497] Jerry L. Cross, Center of the Mountain Heartland: A Historical Profile of Yancey County, pp. 23,29,35-41.
  61. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 23 (p. 15).
  62. [S766] Barred and Disallowed Case Files of the Southern Claims Commission, 1871-1880, NARA Series M1407, Roll/Fiche 2011 (Report 6, Office 407, Case 13341). In response to a question about where he lived during the war, Joseph said "in Yancey County," and that "I never changed my residence during that time."
  63. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from James Gould (Baltimore, Maryland) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 6 May 1866. He wrote "May your future, tho' a little clouded now, soon brighten ... Mr. Bowditch (my love to him) must not be discouraged. Matters are settling down and peace now restored the horizon is brightening. I lost every cent of property twice, once when older than he is."
  64. [S674] 1860 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.
  65. [S675] 1870 U.S. Census, Nathan Lawrence household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.
  66. [S676] 1870 U.S. Census, Nathaniel Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  67. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from James Gould (Baltimore, Maryland) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 9 December 1866, 8 April 1867, and 12 December 1867. On 9 December 1866 he wrote "Am very glad that you look forward to making Tarboro again your home with so much pleasure," on 8 April 1867 he wrote "You say Mr. B. has not been with you since Dec.," and on 12 December 1867 he wrote "Was glad to learn Mr. B. was with you, as when here he thought it might be some months before he could go home."
  68. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from Sarah Darlington (Faribault, Minnesota) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 22 April 1868 and 27 December 1870. On 22 April 1868 Sallie wrote "I shall direct them to Mr. Bowditch at Tarboro, and if you are not yet there, he can forward them to you," and on 27 December 1870 she wrote "I am very sorry to learn that you have abandoned the idea of moving to Tarboro."
  69. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 61,62 (pp. 38-40).
  70. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from John Edwin Abbot (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) to Joseph Henry Bowditch, 20 October 1868.
  71. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 57 (pp. 36,37). The book only gives the year for this sale. However, the author's notes, and an envelope that apparently contained the deed, have the complete date, and make it clear that he had the actual deed. Unfortunately the deed itself is currently missing.
  72. [S4457] Record of Deeds, Yancey Co., North Carolina, Book 6, pp. 827-829, 20 March 1874.
  73. [S3346] The circumstances behind these transactions are unknown. Russell Chapman (1802-1874) was a bank officer in Tarboro, and a friend of Joseph H. Bowditch. Frederick Phillips (1838-1905) was a lawyer, judge, insurance agent, bank president, and post-Civil War mayor in Tarboro. Perhaps Chapman and Phillips helped finance the original 1859 purchase, and Joseph and Elizabeth were using the money from the 14 March sale to J. W. Gibbs to pay off the debt.
  74. [S4458] Record of Deeds, Yancey Co., North Carolina, Book 6, pp. 829,830, 17 October 1874.
  75. [S4459] Deed, Yancey Co., North Carolina; Elisabeth B. Bowditch to Nelson M. Harris and Nelly M. A. Harris, 17 October 1874.
  76. [S4460] Record of Deeds, Yancey Co., North Carolina, Book 6, pp. 831,832, 30 July 1875.
  77. [S3346] In his genealogy The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 61 (pp. 38,39), Frederick Bowditch speculates that perhaps John had previously helped Elizabeth and Joseph financially (perhaps then acquiring this parcel of land), and that since he may have then been living with them, this transaction may have been made as compensation.
  78. [S4462] Record of Deeds, Yancey Co., North Carolina, Book 8, pp. 485,486, 16 January 1879.
  79. [S7260] "Spirits Turpentine", The Wilmington Morning Star, 20 February 1880, p. 1, col. 2.
  80. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 56 (p. 36).
  81. [S832] 1880 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  82. [S4467] Complaint, and Amendment to Complaint, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 11 June 1904 and 3 August 1905; J. H. Bowditch, Wm. Hall and Mary Hall v. J. A. Bowditch, G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch and J. E. Abbott.
  83. [S3346] From letters Elizabeth and others wrote, we know she was probably at home in Yancey Co. in November 1881, March 1883, October, November, and December 1884, and February 1885.
  84. [S4470] Georgiana Bowditch, "Addresses."
  85. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Elizabeth (Woodberry) Story (Somerville, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 22 December 1887.
  86. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from P. L. Murphy (Western North Carolina Insane Asylum, Morgonton, North Carolina) to G. A. Bowditch, 8 October 1888.
  87. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from G. A. Bowditch (Micaville, North Carolina) to Hannah L. Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 29 December 1891, BHS ID# 948.001.1291.
  88. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 56,57 (pp. 36,37). The author doesn't give the exact dates of these transactions, but except for Joseph's share, his notes, with references to the actual deeds, do. The deeds themselves, though, are currently missing. For Joseph's share, the author cites information obtained by Joseph's granddaughter Helen Runion from Burnsville, North Carolina, records.
  89. [S4471] Frederick Tryon Bowditch, "Index to Deeds and Agreements."
  90. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch to her son Charles, 24 June 1888, and to her daughter Georgiana, between 1888-1891, 24 May 1889, and 24 June 1893.
  91. [S3346] The place she stayed still exists, as the Nu-Wray Inn, although it has been renovated and expanded over the years. See http://www.nuwrayinn.com
  92. [S1537] 1900 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  93. [S3346] After leaving his family in 1877 Nathaniel was never heard from again, and thus he, and by extension his children John and Mary, had never received a share of the estate.
  94. [S3346] A passage in a 22 November 1884 letter from Joseph and Elizabeth's son Fred in Urbana, Illinois, to his brother Charles at home in North Carolina, suggests that the allegation about Georgiana's influence may have been right. Fred asks if anything's been done about "sitting up affairs," says someday they'll "be well repaid for all our trouble," and that their parents "are getting old and feeble and are easily worried by any one who wishes to trouble them," but that they are doing what they think is right, "and if there is any injustice it is on account of undue influence on the part of some one."
  95. [S4468] Court Decision, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina; J. H. Bowditch and Mary Hall v. G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Frederick D. Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch Jr. and J. E. Abbott.
  96. [S4465] Report of Commissioners in Partition Proceeding, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 15 March 1907; Joseph Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Charles I. Bowditch, Georgie A. Bowditch, John H. Bowditch, Mary Hall and William Hall.
  97. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, pp. 9,10.
  98. [S1614] Georgiana Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  99. [S6683] "Died", The Southerner, 9 June 1855, p. 2, col. 5.
  100. [S7024] John A. Bowditch and Julia Hilliard, Marriage Record.
  101. [S1611] Joseph Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  102. [S1613] Charles I. Bowditch, Death Certificate.

George Abbot1,2,3

b. 25 March 1791, d. 18 January 1848
FatherWilliam Abbot1,2,4 b. 20 Apr 1761, d. 1794
MotherElizabeth Leach1,2,4 b. 1 Jun 1760, d. Sep 1817
Relationship3rd great-grandfather of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsFrederick Bowditch Ancestors
George Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     George Abbot was born on 25 March 1791 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1,2 He was married by Rev. A. Abbot to Nancy Stickney, daughter of Samuel Stickney Jr. and Edith Wallis, on 2 April 1820 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1,5,6 He died from "inflammation of the bowels" on 18 January 1848 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts, at age 56. (His grave marker erroneously has his death date as 19 January 1848.) He had fallen ill on 6 January while at the Merchants Exchange in Boston, where he was "seized with sudden sickness, Prostrating and rendering him entirely helpless." After being brought home he continually declined, "his disease baffling the continued and constant application of medical science."7,8,1,9 He was buried at Central Cemetery in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.9
     He and his wife Nancy lived at 75 Cabot St. in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts,10 and their household is listed there in the censuses from 1820 to 1840.11,12,13
     He was a prominent merchant and ship captain, described in his obituary as being "extensively engaged in commerce, and ... among the most respected and wealthy citizens of Beverly." He is listed in Richest Men of Massachusetts, published in 1852, as a retired shipmaster worth $80,000. No one else in Beverly is listed with a higher net worth.8,14 His voyages took him to places such as Africa and Cape Verde, Pernambuco (a state in northeast Brazil), New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro, Cuba and the Netherlands, Canton, China, and Batavia in the Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia).15,16,17
     On one trip home from Africa in 1825 his ship, the brig Robert Patten, was boarded about 16 May by about 30 men from a Spanish pirate ship. The incident occurred three days out, at 14° 51' north latitude, 27° west longitude. "After turning all hands below and guarding our hatches, [they] commenced an indiscriminate plunder, taking every article of any value whatever - unbent such of our sails as they wanted, and even unrove the running rigging, barely leaving us a sufficiency of rigging or stores to continue our voyage."18
     In February 1846 he and Nancy traveled to their daughter Elizabeth's home in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina, for the birth of their first grandchild Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch. They left Beverly on 23 February 1846, and Nathaniel was born on 18 March. How long they stayed in Tarboro isn't known, but it was apparently long enough to get to know people there. In a letter to her parents dated 15 November 1846 Elizabeth wrote "Your friends here often speak of you, and are very much interested to hear of your health."19,20,21,22
     His will was dated 25 October 1837. He left all of his estate (except for $1 to each of his children) to his wife Nancy for her support for as long as she remained his widow, and for the support of his children until age 21. At the time of her remarriage or death, whatever was left was to go to his remaining heirs. Nancy was also named executrix and guardian of his children, subject to termination at her remarriage, and was authorized to give his children any sum of money she thought proper at age 21 or at their marriage.23
     The inventory of his estate, done by Robert Rantoul, Seaward Lee, and William Endicott, was presented in court in Salem on 16 May 1848. It listed $6310 in real estate, and $26,382.50 in personal estate. The real estate consisted of his house and land in Beverly, another house and half of a third house in Beverly, four cemetery lots, and pew number 35 in the First Parish Meeting House. In addition to the usual household goods and furniture, his personal property included a piano (valued at $100), maps, a bust and paintings, a gold watch ($50), nine cords of wood, 800 pounds of white lead, stocks and bonds, many in railroad companies ($18,339), and a 1/4 share of the ship Epaminondas ($6000).
     The final account was filed on 8 February 1849 and accepted by the court on 20 February. It listed $5316.76 in receipts, including rent from Nelson Flagg, Charles W. Flanders, and residents of the Leech house, and almost $2000 in earnings from the ship Epaminondas. Debts paid totaled $3624.83, leaving an estate value, not including real estate, of $28,074.43.
     On 30 September 1851, after his wife Nancy's death, their son George was appointed executor to carry out any duties specified in the will but not previously administered.23

Children of George Abbot and Nancy Stickney

Citations

  1. [S3254] Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001. Family record for William and Eliza Abbot, from "Essex / Beverly / Births, marriages, deaths 1653-1890," FHL Film 760604, Image 7 (p. 1).
  2. [S2261] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 20.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 51 (p. 34).
  4. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 51 (pp. 33,34).
  5. [S2262] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. II - Marriages and Deaths, p. 16.
  6. [S720] "Married", Essex Register, 5 April 1820, p. 3, col. 2.
  7. [S2262] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. II - Marriages and Deaths, p. 363; from records of the First Parish Unitarian Church.
  8. [S6654] Obituary, George Abbot, Salem Register, Salem, Massachusetts, 20 January 1848, p. 3, col. 1.
  9. [S5155] George and Anna Abbot Cemetery Marker, Central Cemetery, Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.
  10. [S3346] The address was determined from Elizabeth (Woodberry) Story's letter of 28 Feb 1882, which says George Abbot's family lived in a house then occupied by Francis Norwood, along with an 1880 map of Beverly that shows the Francis Norwood house at about 75 Cabot St., between Bartlett St. and Union St. A drawing of the Francis Norwood house is online, and we also have an old (but undated) photograph of the house among the Abbot/Bowditch family albums. The address was confirmed by finding that the house still exists and is recognizable, although it has been enlarged and is now a condominium complex. It can be seen using Google Maps, or at various realty web sites.
  11. [S6650] 1820 U.S. Census, George Abbot, Essex Co., Massachusetts. His household had one male 26-44 (himself) and one female 16-25 (wife Nancy).
  12. [S6651] 1830 U.S. Census, Geo. Abbot, Essex Co., Massachusetts. His household had males age 30-39 (himself) and 5-9 (son George), one female 30-39 (wife Nancy), one female 20-29, two females 5-9 (daughters Elizabeth and Georgiana), and one female under 5 (daughter Martha Ellen). The identity of the female age 20-29 is unknown; it's possible she was Nancy's sister Eliza, who was born 8 June 1800 and died from consumption on 10 September 1830.
  13. [S6652] 1840 U.S. Census, George Abbott, Essex Co., Massachusetts. His household had one male age 40-49 (himself), one 15-19 (son George), and two 5-9 (sons John and Charles), and one female 40-49 (wife Nancy), two 15-19 (daughters Elizabeth and Georgiana), one 5-9 (daughter Martha Eliza), and one under 5 (daughter Ellen), and one "colored" female 10--23 (their servant Cora).
  14. [S6655] Abner Forbes, Names and Sketches of Nearly Two Thousand of the Richest Men of Massachusetts, p. 74.
  15. [S6646] "Ship News", Salem Gazette, 30 August 1825, p. 3, col. 3.
  16. [S6647] "Ship News", Salem Gazette, 10 April 1832, p. 3, col. 3.
  17. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letters from George Abbot to his wife Nancy, 8 February 1836, 29 June 1838, and 26 January 1840, and to his son George, 18 January 1843.
  18. [S721] "Ship News", Salem Gazette, 28 June 1825, p. 3, col. 3. The 28 June 1825 issue says he arrived "last evening" after a passage of 35 days, implying they sailed on 13 May.
  19. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Ellen Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Tarboro, North Carolina), 6 March 1846. "You have been away a week and four days."
  20. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 23 August 1846, BHS ID# 948.001.1284.
  21. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to George and Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts), 15 November 1846.
  22. [S6155] James W. Boyden, "Diary of James W. Boyden, 1845-1846", entry for 23 February 1846, p. 495 (seq. 512). He visited Elizabeth's father, and wrote "He and Mrs. Abbot are to start this afternoon for Elizabeth's home in North Carolina."
  23. [S4501] Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881, Essex Co., Massachusetts, Case No. 30843; records for George Abbot.
  24. [S2261] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 19.
  25. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Joseph H. Bowditch and Elisabeth B. Abbott, "Beverly / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 773.
  26. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 52 (p. 34).
  27. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Birth record for Ellen Louisa Abbott, "Beverly / Family Records," Image 14.
  28. [S7554] Ellen L. McClure, Death Registration.
  29. [S3234] Frederick Abbot, Death Certificate.

Nancy Stickney1,2,3

b. 9 November 1796, d. 19 June 1851
FatherSamuel Stickney Jr.4,5,6 b. 6 Nov 1771, d. 23 Aug 1859
MotherEdith Wallis4,5,6 b. 30 Jan 1774, d. 24 Sep 1855
Relationship3rd great-grandmother of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsFrederick Bowditch Ancestors
     Nancy Stickney was born on 9 November 1796 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.4 She was baptized on 30 August 1801 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.2 She was married by Rev. A. Abbot to George Abbot, son of William Abbot and Elizabeth Leach, on 2 April 1820 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1,7,8 She drowned, apparently by suicide, on 19 June 1851 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts, at age 54. An article in the (Saturday) 21 June 1851 Beverly Citizen says she had been depressed for some weeks, and left home around midnight Thursday. Her body was found Friday morning "washed ashore near the junction of the Gloucester Branch with the Eastern Rail Road."9,5 She was buried at Central Cemetery in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.10
     She was born as Nancy Stickney, but baptized as Anna.11 She and her husband George lived at 75 Cabot St. in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts,12 and their household is listed there in the censuses from 1820 to 1840.13,14,15
     In February 1846 she and George traveled to their daughter Elizabeth's home in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina, for the birth of their first grandchild Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch. They left Beverly on 23 February 1846, and Nathaniel was born on 18 March. How long they stayed in Tarboro isn't known, but it was apparently long enough to get to know people there. In a letter to her parents dated 15 November 1846 Elizabeth wrote "Your friends here often speak of you, and are very much interested to hear of your health."16,17,18,19
     In the 1850 census, after her husband's death, she is listed in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts, as Anna Abbott, with her children George, John, Martha, Ellen, and Frederic. Also listed in the household is Patrik Linann, age 26, born in Ireland.20
     She died intestate, and her son George was appointed administrator of her estate on 19 August 1851. The inventory, done by Robert Rantoul and William Endicott of Beverly, and Benjamin H. Silsbee of Salem, was presented in court in Salem on 2 September 1851. It listed $790 in real estate, and $31,372 in personal estate. The real estate consisted of her house and land in Beverly, two other houses in Beverly, four cemetery lots, and pew number 35 in the First Parish Meeting House. In addition to the usual household goods and furniture, her personal property included a piano (valued at $100), a bust and paintings, stocks and bonds, many in railroad companies ($20,313.50), a 1/4 share of the ship Epaminondas ($5,000), and notes from Essex Co. ($5,000) and from her son-in-law Joseph H. Bowditch ($1,000).21
     On 30 September 1851 at Probate Court in Newburyport, Essex Co., Massachusetts, John I. Baker of Beverly was appointed guardian of her minor children Martha (age 15), Ellen (14), and Frederic (10). The records include an affidavit dated the previous day stating that Martha and Ellen had chosen him as their guardian. He posted a bond of $30,000, with Nancy's son George W. Abbot, shipmaster, and William H. Lovett, merchant, both of Beverly, as sureties. The court document was witnessed and signed by Jos. H. Bowditch, Elisabeth B. Bowditch, John I. Baker, George Wm. Abbot, and Wm. H. Lovett. This guardianship was apparently only for the children's financial interests; there's no evidence that they ever lived with him.22,23 From comments in letters written by Martha and Ellen to their sister Elizabeth in North Carolina, it appears that the children remained in their family home in Beverly, and that Sarah Bowditch, sister of Elizabeth's husband Joseph Henry Bowditch, moved there to care for them. (The children had two older brothers, George W. Abbot (25, who Sarah would marry in 1855) and John E. Abbot (19), but both were unmarried, and as mariners were often away at sea.)24,25,26,27,28,29

Children of Nancy Stickney and George Abbot

Citations

  1. [S3254] Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001. Family record for William and Eliza Abbot, from "Essex / Beverly / Births, marriages, deaths 1653-1890," FHL Film 760604, Image 7 (p. 1).
  2. [S2261] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 311; from records of the First Parish Unitarian Church.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 52 (p. 34).
  4. [S2261] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 312.
  5. [S3187] Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915, 1921-1924. Record for Anna Abbot, FHL Film 959814, Image 126, Vol. 57, p. 103, Rec. No. 62.
  6. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 49 (p. 32).
  7. [S2262] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. II - Marriages and Deaths, p. 16.
  8. [S720] "Married", Essex Register, 5 April 1820, p. 3, col. 2.
  9. [S4469] "Melancholy Occurrence", Beverly Citizen, 21 June 1851.
  10. [S5155] George and Anna Abbot Cemetery Marker, Central Cemetery, Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.
  11. [S2261] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, pp. 311,312.
  12. [S3346] The address was determined from Elizabeth (Woodberry) Story's letter of 28 Feb 1882, which says George Abbot's family lived in a house then occupied by Francis Norwood, along with an 1880 map of Beverly that shows the Francis Norwood house at about 75 Cabot St., between Bartlett St. and Union St. A drawing of the Francis Norwood house is online, and we also have an old (but undated) photograph of the house among the Abbot/Bowditch family albums. The address was confirmed by finding that the house still exists and is recognizable, although it has been enlarged and is now a condominium complex. It can be seen using Google Maps, or at various realty web sites.
  13. [S6650] 1820 U.S. Census, George Abbot, Essex Co., Massachusetts. His household had one male 26-44 (himself) and one female 16-25 (wife Nancy).
  14. [S6651] 1830 U.S. Census, Geo. Abbot, Essex Co., Massachusetts. His household had males age 30-39 (himself) and 5-9 (son George), one female 30-39 (wife Nancy), one female 20-29, two females 5-9 (daughters Elizabeth and Georgiana), and one female under 5 (daughter Martha Ellen). The identity of the female age 20-29 is unknown; it's possible she was Nancy's sister Eliza, who was born 8 June 1800 and died from consumption on 10 September 1830.
  15. [S6652] 1840 U.S. Census, George Abbott, Essex Co., Massachusetts. His household had one male age 40-49 (himself), one 15-19 (son George), and two 5-9 (sons John and Charles), and one female 40-49 (wife Nancy), two 15-19 (daughters Elizabeth and Georgiana), one 5-9 (daughter Martha Eliza), and one under 5 (daughter Ellen), and one "colored" female 10--23 (their servant Cora).
  16. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Ellen Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Tarboro, North Carolina), 6 March 1846. "You have been away a week and four days."
  17. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 23 August 1846, BHS ID# 948.001.1284.
  18. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to George and Nancy (Stickney) Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts), 15 November 1846.
  19. [S6155] James W. Boyden, "Diary of James W. Boyden, 1845-1846", entry for 23 February 1846, p. 495 (seq. 512). He visited Elizabeth's father, and wrote "He and Mrs. Abbot are to start this afternoon for Elizabeth's home in North Carolina."
  20. [S5108] 1850 U.S. Census, Anna Abbott household, Essex Co., Massachusetts.
  21. [S4502] Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881, Essex Co., Massachusetts, Case No. 30813; records for Anna Abbot.
  22. [S5110] Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881, Essex Co., Massachusetts, Case No. 30869; records for Martha E. Abbot et. al.
  23. [S3346] This was John Israel Baker (1812-1897). He served in various city, county, and state offices, including town clerk, selectman, county commissioner, and state senator and representative, and was chosen as the first mayor of Beverly when a city government was formed in 1894.
  24. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Martha Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 4 July 1852. Says "Sarah, Ellen, & Fred have gone to meeting," and "Sarah has just received Joe's letter and says she will write very soon."
  25. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Martha Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 19 February 1853. Says "We all live on the same as ever, pleasantly, with the aid of a furnace which George has put in the house," and, among other mentions of Sarah, "I called with Sarah a short time ago to see her [Hannah Rantoul] & Jane."
  26. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Martha Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 17 April 1853. Says, among other mentions of Sarah, "Sarah for the last three weeks has been confined to the house with her foot."
  27. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Martha Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 13 September 1859. Says "We have had gas pipes put into the house and by the first of October we shall be lighted up."
  28. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Ellen Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 6 March 1853. Says "Sarah has been writing you today so you will have two letters from us in one day."
  29. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Ellen Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 3 April 1853. Says, among other mentions of Sarah, "Sarah received your letter yesterday & will write when she feels like it. She is having quite a bad time with her foot. She has not been out for over two weeks ..."
  30. [S2261] Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 19.
  31. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Joseph H. Bowditch and Elisabeth B. Abbott, "Beverly / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 773.
  32. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Birth record for Ellen Louisa Abbott, "Beverly / Family Records," Image 14.
  33. [S7554] Ellen L. McClure, Death Registration.
  34. [S3234] Frederick Abbot, Death Certificate.

Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch1,2,3

b. 18 March 1846, d. 13 July 1913
FatherJoseph Henry Bowditch4,2,5 b. 6 Dec 1817, d. 12 Aug 1900
MotherElizabeth Blanchard Abbot4,2,5 b. 28 Feb 1821, d. 26 Aug 1902
RelationshipGreat-granduncle of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
Possibly Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch (1846-1913)
     Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 18 March 1846 in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.6 He married first Margaret Cordelia Silver, daughter of Henry Gilbert A. Silver and Naomi Martha Edge Reid, on 2 November 1870 in Yancey Co., North Carolina.7 He married second Mary M. Delematre on 14 September 1875 in Kankakee Co., Illinois.8 He married third Mattie V. Hurley, daughter of William H. Hurley and Margaret C. Ryan, on 5 October 1899 in Marion Co., Indiana.9 They were divorced on 5 May 1902 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.10 He married fourth Laura Belle Kindle, daughter of James A. Kindle and Elizabeth Dwiggans, on 6 November 1912 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.11,12 He died suddenly from a heart lesion on 13 July 1913 at Emerald-Hodgson Hospital in Sewanee, Franklin Co., Tennessee, at age 67.13 He was buried at Eastern Star Cemetery in Sewanee, Franklin Co., Tennessee.14
     Although Nathaniel was born in North Carolina, his parents wanted him to be educated in their native New England. We know that he often visited his parents' families in Massachusetts, and his uncle Luther Upton may have arranged for him to attend school.15,16,17,18,19 In 1859 he was one of 27 boys attending the Cream Hill Academic School in West Cornwall, Litchfield Co., Connecticut. The school's mission was to provide "thorough attention to the various elemendary [sic], classical, and scientific branches taught at the best academic institutions," as well as "practical and scientific instructions in Agriculture and Horticulture." There were two 20-week terms costing a total of $250, including "tuition, board, fuel, and washing."20
     On 26 March 1864, at Fort Fisher in New Hanover Co., North Carolina, he enlisted (or was conscripted) as a private for a three-year term in the Confederate Army, in Company C, 2nd Artillery, 36th North Carolina Regiment.21,22 Before he joined, the companies of the regiment had been serving at various locations in the region of Cape Fear near Wilmington, North Carolina, the Confederacy's last open seaport along the coast, protecting southern ships attempting to run the Union blockade. In 1864 the regiment gathered at Fort Fisher as part of the defense of Wilmington.23
     On 22 November 1864 his company and four others left for Georgia to help oppose Union Gen. Sherman's march to the sea. They engaged the enemy at Harrison's Old Field, 14 miles from Savannah, where they narrowly escaped being captured.23
     By 12 January 1865 the companies had returned from Georgia to Fort Fisher. A Union assault against the fort in late December 1864 had failed, and a new Union expedition was sent in January. A fleet of 58 ships began shelling the fort on 13 January. In the late afternoon of 15 January, after a naval landing force had been repelled in a bloody battle, an infantry attack at the rear of the fort breached the walls, and the Confederate forces eventually surrendered around 10:00 that evening.23,24
     Nathaniel was slightly wounded during the battle and taken prisoner when the fort surrendered. On 17 January he was sent on the steamer Champion to Fortress Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, where he was admitted to the prison hospital with a "G.S.F.W." (gunshot flesh wound) to his left shoulder on 22 January. He was released to the general prison population two days later. On 1 February 1865 he was sent to Point Lookout Prison Camp in St. Mary's Co., Maryland, arriving on 2 February, and was issued a blanket and shoes.21,25
     One of the Union regiments guarding prisoners at Point Lookout was the Fifth Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry, commanded by Major Henry Pickering Bowditch of the Union Army, a third cousin from Massachusetts. Major Bowditch, no doubt surprised to find that a probable relative was a Confederate prisoner, talked with him and learned his story. Major Bowditch then wrote to his father Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch, who was a friend of Massachusetts Gov. John Andrew, and Gov. Andrew in turn wrote to President Lincoln asking for Nathaniel's release.26
     At the same time Nathaniel's relatives in the north were also working for his release. In particular James Gould, a close family friend whose wife Eliza was a cousin of Nathaniel's grandfather George Abbot, apparently knew Dorothea Dix, who was then serving as superintendent of Army nurses. He appealed to Ms. Dix for help, and she in turn appealed to President Lincoln. In a letter to Nathaniel's mother Elizabeth, James Gould quotes a letter he received from Ms. Dix.

March 22. Last week I left letters with the President concerning your friend. They were to have been acted upon on Saturday or Monday. Hearing nothing from them I went again. Waited till I could have the decision, and the President remarked "Miss Dix I do this because you have asked it, and say you are willing to be responsible for the loyalty of the young man." Your friend is free. I put the papers through five offices, and it has gone to Point Lookout. I pray you take such steps as that assure young Bowditch going direct to Mass. and not forfeiting my pledged word for him.

In haste your friend D. L. Dix.27,28,29

     President Lincoln did indeed sign an order for Nathaniel's release on 22 March 1865, just three weeks before his assassination at Ford's Theater on 14 April. After taking an oath of allegiance to the Union, Nathaniel was released on 26 April 1865.21
     He was sent to his mother's parents' home in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts, where his mother's siblings John, Martha, and Ellen were still living. He was described as "a poor miserable creature" when he arrived. He remained there for a few weeks, then spent about six weeks with his father's sister Helen (Bowditch) Upton and her family in Lynn, Essex Co., Massachusetts, where he had "a very good time."28 In August 1865 he returned home to Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina, where he is listed as a farmer with his mother and siblings in the 1870 census, and where he married Cordelia Silver in November 1870.30,31,32
     But he was apparently restless, and traveled to the west for the first time in early 187133, probably to Illinois with his wife Cordelia. An 1875 newspaper article about his second marriage, in Kankakee Co., Illinois, provides evidence supporting this. It reports that "it is said" that he had been married a few years ago to a southern woman, that they lived "in this country" for some time, and that they went back to South Carolina [sic] after a baby was born.34 Further, Nathaniel and Cordelia's son John was born in September 1871. His birth place is listed as North Carolina in the 1920 and 1930 censuses, but as Illinois in the 1940 census and on his death certificate. (He has not been found in the 1880, 1900, or 1910 census.)35,36,37,38 In an affidavit dated 30 May 1873 filed with the Southern Claims Commission, Nathaniel's father said that Nathaniel was living in Indiana, and Kankakee Co. is on the Illinois/Indiana border.39
     He and Cordelia must have indeed come back to Micaville for a time, since their daughter Mary was born there about 1873 or 1874.40 But before long he again went west, this time leaving behind his wife and young children. The same newspaper article mentioned above says that he returned to the area after a year, claiming that his wife had died. He ended up in Kankakee Co. where he married his second wife in 1875.
     This second marriage was very short. He and Mary Delematre were married on 14 September and left the next morning on a wedding trip to Chicago. They left their bags at the train station to be forwarded to the Nevada House where they were staying. After spending the night together Nathaniel went down to check for their bags, but they weren't at the hotel, so they decided to visit Lincoln Park to pass the time until their bags arrived. But while Mary went back to their room to get ready, Nathaniel disappeared. She eventually contacted a friend, who brought money to pay the hotel bill and took Mary home to her mother. When Nathaniel left he had about $600 with him, and she assumed that "something terrible must have befallen him." It was later found that her trunk was still at the Illinois Central station in Chicago, but Nathaniel's was missing.34
     He reappeared in Kankakee about a month later, on 13 October, saying he had been drugged and robbed, and tried to reconcile with his wife. She and her family apparently doubted his story, and he attempted suicide by taking 1 1/2 oz. of laudanum. He also confessed to having a wife and two children in Burnsville, North Carolina. He recovered, and according to the papers said he had disappeared because of remorse for his "unfaithfulness to Mrs. Bowditch No. 1," and that he came back because of his "love for No. 2."41,42 He was arrested for bigamy, and in December 1875 was sentenced to a year in prison.43
     After being released he may have briefly returned to his family in North Carolina, before disappearing again. His daughter Mary recalled that the last time she saw her father was at age two or three, when he left her in a horse-drawn wagon, went into a store, and never reappeared.44 The last he was heard from by his family was in 1877. Nathaniel's sister Georgiana later wrote "He was not as strong-minded as my other brothers; he did not have a happy home and finally left and went West. We haven't heard anything for many years so I suppose he has passed away."45
     There's some evidence, though, that his family knew or suspected that he had returned to Illinois or Indiana. In an 1880 letter to Nathaniel's brother Charles in Urbana, Illinois, his mother wrote "I have not heard from Nat yet. Do you hear from him? I shall write him before long. He must not forget us." In another letter, in the fall of 1881 she wrote "Nat has forsaken us. You must come home by him and see him, and bring us some news of him. I cannot give him up!!"46,47
     We know now that he had indeed returned to Indiana, where he had two more marriages, and eventually changed his name and joined the U. S. Army, serving nearly continuously from 1880 to 1908. Other than his father's claim filed with the Southern Claims Commission in 1873, the first record of him in Indiana is the 1880 census, where he is listed as Nathaniel Bowdy, a laborer living with the family of John H. Hurd in Blue River Twp., Johnson Co., Indiana.48 Around this same time he also boarded for a while with the family of Mary Fields in Edinburg, Johnson Co., Indiana, and may have become close enough to her daughter Laura to consider marriage.49,50 He later referred to Laura as his foster sister, and was friends with her husband Harry D. Williams, who she married in 1884. Laura described Nathaniel as "very reticent ... altho he was a very pleasant man ... not a mixer, but was very quiet and a good man, splendid reputation."49
     In June 1900, while serving as a private in Co. F of the 2nd Infantry, he was listed in the census at Fort Thomas, Campbell Co., Kentucky, giving his birth date as March 1850, birth place as Tennessee, and marital status as single.51 In 1910, after his retirement from the Army, he was listed in Indianapolis as a boarder in the household of Minnie Beasley, giving his age as 58, birth place as Massachusetts, marital status as widower, and occupation as retired soldier.52
     His second military career began on 11 December 1880, when he enlisted in Indianapolis in Co. B of the 14th U. S. Infantry for a period of five years. He continued serving in the Army, re-enlisting within a few months each time he was discharged, until his retirement on 20 August 1908. At each of his eight enlistments he used the name Nathan I. Bowman, gave his birth place as Knoxville, Tennessee, and understated his age by 2-4 years. Each time he enlisted as a private, but was a sergeant at the time of his retirement. His service is summarized in the following table. Each of his enlistments was in Indianapolis, except the second (in Chicago, Illinois) and the last (at Columbus Barracks, Ohio). The records generally describe him as being just under 5' 9" tall, with blue eyes and brown hair, turning gray as he aged. Each time he was discharged, his character was noted as excellent.53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60

Enlisted Organization Discharged
11 Dec 1880 Co. B, 14th Inf. 20 Dec 1885, Vancouver, Washington
28 Aug 1886 Co. A, 18th Inf. 27 Aug 1891, Fort Clarke, Texas
15 Sep 1891 Co. A, 5th Art. 14 Dec 1894, San Francisco, California
9 Apr 1895 Co. H, 19th Inf. 8 Apr 1898, Fort Brady, Michigan
16 Jun 1898 Co. L, 3rd Art. 14 Aug 1899, Malalos, Philippines
23 Jan 1900 Co. F, 2nd Inf. 13 Nov 1902, Santa Mesa, Philippines
28 May 1903 Co. D, 7th Inf. 27 May 1906, Fort Assinniboine, Montana
31 Oct 1906 19th Coastal Art. 20 Aug 1908, Fort Morgan, Alabama

During his service he was stationed at a variety of places throughout the country. In addition to the discharge locations shown in the above table, he spent time in Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina.61
     During his first term of service his regiment participated in the suppression of the anti-Chinese riots in Seattle, King Co., Washington, in November 1885.62 During his fifth term, his 3rd Artillery Battalion was sent to the Philippines to serve as infantry, and participated in the capture of Manila and the suppression of the Philippine Insurrection. Captain Bernard Sharp of the 3rd Infantry later described the 3rd Artillery as "the backbone of the Malolos expedition. In one short campaign the batteries lost in action from 15 to 30 per cent but the morale remained intact."63 His regiment was also deployed to deal with the Philippine Insurrection during his sixth term, in August and September 1900, and fought in over 25 engagements on several of the islands.64
     As noted earlier, he married twice more while living in Indiana. Both of these marriages were also very short. The first, to Mattie (Hurley) Campbell, was in October 1899, between stints in the Army. He gave his age as 46 (he was actually 53), and birth place as Massachusetts. They had been introduced by Laura (Fields) Williams, who also attended their wedding.9,65,49 He left Mattie on 23 December 1899, just 2 1/2 months after their marriage, and she filed for divorce on 20 February 1902, saying she had heard nothing from him since he left.66 She later stated that "He would get peeved at nothing and pout," and her mother Maggie Hurley said that "He was very reticent and the most peculiar man I ever met and on that account my daughter was unable to live with him."65,67
     His next marriage was to Laura B. (Kindle) Vice in November 1912, four years after retiring from the Army. He gave his age as 58 (he was actually 66), and birth place as Salem, Massachusetts. They had met a year earlier, in October 1911 when he was living at the Millikan Apts. on East Michigan in Indianapolis. She lived nearby and had boarders, and he asked to take his meals there.68,50 He left her on 28 February 1913, less than four months after their marriage. He took nothing with him except a basket, saying he was going to market and wouldn't be gone long.69
     When later asked the reason for their separation Laura stated "I never knew - he was inclined to roam, and seemed dissatisfied and restless, and went away, and said nothing about leaving, and his life afterwards was a mystery to me." She said that they had been happy together, that "he provided well for me, and remained at home, and was a man of good habits, and had no bad associates, and didn't leave with another woman," but that "he seemed restless and could not be contented - he had been about over the country considerable and I suppose that he could not content himself with a quiet domestic life, and just could not resist the 'wanderlust.' ... he was good to me and the children, and was as nice as any man could possibly be to us." When he left he was in fairly good health, except for some slight stomach trouble. He rarely talked about his past, and she didn't know about his previous marriages. He did tell her that he was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and that he had a brother Abraham and a foster sister married to a man named Williams, none of which was true. She also only knew him as Nathan Bowman, he never used the surname Bowditch.70,50
     The reason for all the deception can't be known with certainty, of course. His third wife Mattie Hurley knew his real name, but he apparently told her that he served in the Army under the name Bowman because his real name was hard to spell and pronounce. He likely didn't want people to learn about his prison term for bigamy. We can also speculate that he may have been trying to avoid questions about his service during the Civil War, and/or avoid being found by the family he left behind in North Carolina. Understating his age implied that he would have been too young to serve in the war, and using a different name and birth place meant that anyone searching for records on him would find nothing.67
     After leaving his fourth wife Laura he traveled to Sewanee, Franklin Co., Tennessee, perhaps via Nashville, arriving about 1 April 1913. He boarded there with the widow Sara Hoge for about three months71, where he became ill with "bowel trouble." He was treated for a time by Dr. W. C. Looney, his landlady's nephew, before being admitted to the hospital on 3 July suffering from kidney problems and a heart lesion. Hospital records list him as age 67 (which is correct), born in Salem, Massachusetts, and with a brother Abr. Bowman as his nearest relative (both incorrect). He died from the heart lesion ten days later.71,13 When he was ill the doctors asked Mrs. Hoge to try to get more information from him about his family, but he told her that "he did not have any folks or have any home." The most tragic part about this is that his two children, all of his grandchildren (except one who hadn't yet been born), and all of his siblings (except two who died in childhood) were then still living, but had had no contact with him for 35 years. The only people at his burial were Mrs. Hoge's two daughters, a friend of theirs, the preacher, and the undertaker.71,72

More Information / Background

Children of Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch and Margaret Cordelia Silver

     In the 1880 census Delia Bowditch is listed as divorced/widowed in the household of Greenberry Silver in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, with a daughter Mary, age 7, and a son Augustus, age 5, but no son named John.77

Citations

  1. [S3346] The picture of Nathaniel is from a tintype in a paper sleeve. Written on the paper is "Nat Bowditch Oldest brother of Fred B." in what appears to be the handwriting of Blanche (Bowditch) Hamilton, daughter of Nathaniel's brother Charles I. Bowditch. This was among the family history material Blanche received from Nathaniel's sister Georgiana Bowditch, and later passed along to Frederick Tryon Bowditch. Unfortunately, some other pictures in the collection are known to have been mis-identified by Blanche, casting a little doubt on all the identifications.
  2. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, pp. 9,10.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (pp. 43,44).
  4. [S674] 1860 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.
  5. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 66 (p. 43).
  6. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, p. 24.
  7. [S4367] North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011. Record for Nathaniel I. Bowditch and Margret C. Silver, from Yancey Co. Marriage Register (1851-1978), p. 17, line 10 (Image 43).
  8. [S6699] Marriage Register, Kankakee Co., Illinois, Book B (1858-1877), record for Nathaniel I. Bowditch and Mary M. Delamatre, p. 120, Lic. No. 3895; FHL Film 1839993, Item 5, Image 599.
  9. [S1617] Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992. Record for Nathan I. Bowditch and Mattie Campbell, FHL Film 413541, p. 238, Rec. No. 90. The groom gave his father's name as Joseph H. Bowditch, and his mother's name as Abbott.
  10. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; Certified Copy of Divorce Decree, Marion Superior Court, File No. 63310.
  11. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; Authenticated Copy of Marriage Record for Nathan I. Bowman and Laura B. Vice.
  12. [S1617] Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992. Record for Nathan Ingersoll Bowman and Laura B. Vice, FHL Film 499399, Ref. No. 453. The groom's parents are listed as Joseph Henry Bowman and Elizabeth Abbott.
  13. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; deposition of Dr. Allen Lear, 9 May 1929, Sewanee, Tennessee.
  14. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for SGT Nathaniel Ingersoll "Nathan" Bowman (Mem. No. 193242361), Eastern Star Cemetery, Sewanee, Franklin Co., Tennessee. Created by J. Stilwell Hall, 19 September 2018, now maintained by Roy Nordin.
  15. [S3393] Abbot Letters to Hannah Rantoul; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina) to Hannah Rantoul (Beverly, Massachusetts), 6 December 1845, BHS ID# 948.001.1285. "It is our intention that he shall be educated in N. England ..."
  16. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Martha Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 9 November 1858. "He [Nathaniel] was so good and thoughtful and even useful, that the fault would be on our part if we did not love him. We wanted him to stay longer and were quite provoked with Mrs. Upton for taking him away as we thought she cared little for him and he would be happier here. We would all of us have been delighted to have him spend the winter and hope he will next year if all is well."
  17. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Martha Abbot (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 25 September 1859. "Nat arrived here safe and well last evening. John and I met him in Boston on his way from Springfield where he staid from Wednesday."
  18. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Sarah Darlington (West Chester, Pennsylvania) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Tarboro, North Carolina), 30 June 1860. "I am glad to hear Nat is at the North, now that his constitution is forming, for he always seemed like a child that required bracing up with clear, cool breezes."
  19. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; deposition of Laura B. Bowman, 15 July 1929, Indianapolis, Indiana. He "spoke of an Uncle living in Lynn, Mass., who sent him to school."
  20. [S4343] Catalogue of the Cream Hill Academic School.
  21. [S7547] N. I. Bowditch, Compiled Military Service File.
  22. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Peterborough, New Hampshire) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Fairview Park, Ohio), 29 December 1963. Although official records say he enlisted, this letter from Harold Bowditch says he was conscripted. Harold likely relied on information supplied either by his father Major Henry Pickering Bowditch, who talked with Nathaniel when he was being held at Point Lookout prison camp, or by Nathaniel's sister Georgiana when she and Harold corresponded in the 1920s.
  23. [S3078] Col. William Lamb, "Thirty-Sixth Regiment (Second Artillery)", from Walter Clark, Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina in the Great War 1861-65, Vol. 2.
  24. [S850] Second Battle of Fort Fisher, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Fort_Fisher
  25. [S848] Selected Records of the War Department Relating to Confederate Prisoners of War, 1861-1865, NARA Series M598; entries for N. I. Bowditch (at ancestry.com his name is usually mis-indexed as N. J. Bowditch), Rolls 8,114,118,119,124,129.
  26. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letters from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Long Island, New York, and Strongsville, Ohio), 10 February 1922 and 26 June 1942. Harold Bowditch, the writer of these letters, was the son of Major Henry Bowditch.
  27. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from James Gould (Baltimore, Maryland) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Yancey Co., North Carolina), 22 July 1866.
  28. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Martha (Abbot) Thorndike (Beverly, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Yancey Co., North Carolina), 1 August 1865.
  29. [S4339] Letter(s), Martha (Abbot) Thorndike to Nathaniel Abbot and Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 13 March 1865.
  30. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Fairview Park, Ohio), 26 June 1942, p. 24.
  31. [S676] 1870 U.S. Census, Nathaniel Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  32. [S1609] North Carolina Marriages, 1759-1979. Record for Nathaniel L. Bowditch and Margret C. Silver, FHL Film 571544, p. 17, line 10.
  33. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from James Gould (Forest Hills, Massachusetts) to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 27 March 1871. He wrote "I learn that Nat has gone West."
  34. [S6700] "Cruel Desertion", Chicago Tribune, 24 September 1875, p. 5, col. 5.
  35. [S841] 1920 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Unicoi Co., Tennessee.
  36. [S838] 1930 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  37. [S4361] 1940 U.S. Census, John H. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  38. [S4363] John H. Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  39. [S766] Barred and Disallowed Case Files of the Southern Claims Commission, 1871-1880, NARA Series M1407, Roll/Fiche 2011 (Report 6, Office 407, Case 13341).
  40. [S3346] We don't have a birth record for her, and other records are inconsistent on the date. The only records we have with an exact birth date are her death certificate and cemetery marker, which say she was born 9 October 1875. However, her death certificate also says she died 5 February 1963 (her cemetery marker says 6 February 1963) at age 88, which gives a birth year of 1874 (assuming "9 October" is correct). Social Security records say September 1875, and the 1900 census says December 1873. Assuming she was born late in the year, as these three records suggest, the 1880 census implies a birth year of 1872; the 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1940 censuses imply 1873; the 1930 census implies 1876, and her age of 19 at marriage implies 1875.
  41. [S6701] Bloomington Pantagraph, 11 October 1875, p. 4, col. 6.
  42. [S6702] "Two Loves and a Remorse", Chicago Tribune, 18 October 1875, p. 5, col. 5.
  43. [S6703] "Illinois Items", Centralia Sentinel, 30 December 1875, p. 8, col. 4.
  44. [S4430] E-mail from Roy Nordin to Charles Towne; Re: Nathaniel Bowditch, 23 November 2015. Mary's story was told to her granddaughter Shirley (Gouge) Briggs, who lived most of her childhood with Mary, primarily due to the death of her own father when she was just a year old.
  45. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Peterborough, New Hampshire) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Fairview Park, Ohio), 29 December 1963. The quotation by Georgiana is from a letter she wrote to Harold Bowditch when they corresponded in the 1920s.
  46. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Yancey Co., North Carolina) to Charles Bowditch (Urbana, Illinois), 30 December 1880.
  47. [S1616] Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters; letter from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch (Yancey Co., North Carolina), probably to Charles Bowditch (Urbana, Illinois), fall 1881. The letter is incomplete, missing the first four (of eight) pages, but from the content it was probably written from Elizabeth to her son Charles while he was living in Urbana, Illinois.
  48. [S4330] 1880 U.S. Census, John H. Hurd household, Johnson Co., Indiana. Johnson Co. is immediately south of Marion Co., where Indianapolis is located.
  49. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; deposition of Laura Williams, 6 July 1929, Indianapolis, Indiana.
  50. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; deposition of Laura B. Bowman, 15 July 1929, Indianapolis, Indiana.
  51. [S4331] 1900 U.S. Census, Co. F, Second Infantry, Fort Thomas, Kentucky.
  52. [S4332] 1910 U.S. Census, Minnie Beasley household, Marion Co., Indiana.
  53. [S4329] United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. Record for Nathan J. Bowman, FHL Film 350347, Image 107; NARA Series M233, Roll 41, Vol. 78, p. 108.
  54. [S4329] United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. Record for Nathan Bowman, FHL Film 1319377, Image 74; NARA Series M233, Roll 44, Vol. 84, p. 69.
  55. [S4329] United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. Record for Nathan I. Bowman, FHL Film 1319379, Image 40; NARA Series M233, Roll 46, Vol. 88, p. 35.
  56. [S4329] United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. Record for Nathan I. Bowman, FHL Film 1319380, Image 85; NARA Series M233, Roll 47, Vol. 90, p. 90.
  57. [S4329] United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. Record for Nathan I. Bowman, FHL Film 1465935, Image 81; NARA Series M233, Roll 49, Vol. 94, p. 81.
  58. [S4329] United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. Record for Nathan I. Bowman, FHL Film 1465939, Image 28; NARA Series M233, Roll 53, Vol. 102, p. 36.
  59. [S4329] United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. Record for Nathan I. Bowman, FHL Film 1465943, Image 95; NARA Series M233, Roll 57, Vol. 110, p. 89.
  60. [S4329] United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. Record for Nathan I. Bowman, FHL Film 1465947, Image 87; NARA Series M233, Roll 61, Vol. 118, p. 87.
  61. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; Report to the Commissioner of Pensions from A. R. Ward, Field Representative, Washington, D. C., 13 June 1929.
  62. [S4340] Thomas M. Anderson, "Fourteenth Regiment Of Infantry", from Theo. F. Rodenbaugh and William L. Haskin, The Army of the United States, p. 608.
  63. [S4341] Col. S. C. Vestal, "Field Service of the Coast Artillery in War," Journal of the United States Artillery, March 1922, p. 215.
  64. [S4342] 2nd Infantry Regiment (United States), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php
  65. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; deposition of Martha Highwood, 30 July 1929, San Bernardino, California.
  66. [S4328] "Left Her to Join Army", The Indianapolis Journal, 21 February 1902, p. 8, col. 4. This article, which notes that Nathaniel had enlisted in the army under the name Nathaniel Bowman, was the key to solving the mystery of his whereabouts after leaving his family in North Carolina.
  67. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; deposition of Maggie G. Hurley, 8 July 1929, Indianapolis, Indiana.
  68. [S1617] Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992. Record for Nathan I. Bowman and Laura B. Vici, FHL Film 413545, p. 318. The groom gave his parents names as Joseph Bowman and Elizabeth Abbott.
  69. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; depositions of Laura B. Bowman, 13 January 1928 and 15 October 1928, Indianapolis, Indiana.
  70. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; deposition of Laura B. Bowman, 8 September 1928, Indianapolis, Indiana.
  71. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; deposition of Sara Hoge, 10 May 1929, Nashville, Tennessee.
  72. [S5159] Nathan I. Bowman pension file, Cert. No. XC 3000017; Report to the Commissioner of Pensions from E. P. Curley, Field Representative, Indianapolis, Indiana, 11 May 1929.
  73. [S4362] J. H. Bowditch and Belva I. Silvers, Marriage Record.
  74. [S4370] William Hall and Mary Bowditch, Marriage Record.
  75. [S3208] Mary Ella Hall, Death Certificate.
  76. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Mary Bowditch Hall, No. 244-68-2145.
  77. [S1535] 1880 U.S. Census, Greenberry Silver household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.

Georgiana Abbot Bowditch1,2,3,4,5

b. 21 May 1848, d. 15 April 1927
FatherJoseph Henry Bowditch6,2,7 b. 6 Dec 1817, d. 12 Aug 1900
MotherElizabeth Blanchard Abbot6,2,7 b. 28 Feb 1821, d. 26 Aug 1902
RelationshipGreat-grandaunt of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
Possibly Georgiana Abbot Bowditch (1848-1927). Photo courtesy of Murray Garner.
     Georgiana Abbot Bowditch was born on 21 May 1848 in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.8,3 She died from arterio-sclerotic dementia on 15 April 1927 at Broadoaks Sanitorium in Morganton, Burke Co., North Carolina, at age 78.2 She was buried at Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery in Morganton, Burke Co., North Carolina.3
     At about age 13, in the spring of 1861, she moved with her parents to Yancey Co. in the mountainous region of western North Carolina.9 While young she was sent on several occasions to Beverly and Salem in Essex Co., Massachusetts, where her parents grew up, and attended school there at times.5
     Around 1884 her parents, due to their failing health, began dividing their property in Yancey Co. among their children. On 11 July 1885 she and her brother John jointly received the home lot containing 888 acres and the house, plus all their parents' personal belongings, in return for agreeing to care for their parents the rest of their lives.10 On 20 October 1885 she and her brothers also entered into an agreement to pay their brother Nathaniel, who hadn't been heard from since 1877, $200 each should he ever return.11
     She and John continued living with their parents on the family farm, under the terms of their agreement, probably until 1902.12 They are all listed there in Crabtree Twp. in the 1900 census, along with their mother Elizabeth's brother John E. Abbot.13 On 5 May 1902 she and her brother John divided their share of the property, with Georgiana receiving the house and 343 acres, and John receiving the remaining, less-improved, 545 acres.14
     On 11 June 1904, after her mother's death, John H. Bowditch and Mary (Bowditch) Hall, children of her brother Nathaniel, filed a complaint with the Superior Court of Yancey Co. asking for their share of the estate.15 An amendment to the complaint, filed on 3 August 1905, asked that the earlier deeds dividing the estate among their children be declared invalid, on the grounds that (1) Elizabeth had "became so diseased, enfeebled and unsound" that she was sent to the State Hospital at Morganton; (2) after treatment she was released on probation to her daughter Georgiana; and (3) Georgiana used her undue power and control to unjustly influence Elizabeth into executing the various deeds of land to her children.16,17
     The court agreed, and declared that the deeds were null and void. Commissioners were appointed by the court to repartition the land, and delivered their final report on 15 March 1907. Various amounts were taken from the tracts originally deeded to Georgiana and her brothers, totaling 395 acres, and awarded to John and Mary, with 85 acres coming from Georgiana's original share.18,19
     Shortly afterward, on 30 April 1907, she and her uncle John Edwin Abbot moved to Burnsville, Yancey Co., North Carolina, where they boarded for a few months before moving to Morganton, Burke Co., North Carolina, in September 1907.20 They are listed together in Morganton in the 1910 census.21
     On 28 October 1908 she sold her share of the family land in Yancey Co., then totaling 258 acres, to her brothers Charles and Frederick for $5000.22
     She visited her brother Frederick and his family in Urbana, Champaign Co., Illinois, in the early 1900s. She is remembered by her nephew Frederick Tryon Bowditch as "a tall, angular, thin-faced lady with a tightly-drawn knob-in-the-back hair-do and in elaborate old-fashioned dress." She was apparently quite stern. Much of the material in her nephew Frederick's book on the early years of the Bowditch family in North Carolina came from letters and papers she had compiled.5
     She never married, but her niece Blanche remembered her bringing one potential suitor home for her parents' approval. Her parents, however, considered him not good enough for her.5
     Her will was dated 8 May 1923 in Burke Co., North Carolina. She left her silverware consisting of spoons and forks marked A&M B and JEA to "Mrs. H. Dupuy McCormick." The remainder was left to her niece Blanche and sister-in-law Mrs. Charles I. Bowditch "who have always been very kind to me." She also noted in her will that "I have in the past given my brothers Nathaniel I. Bowditch, John A. Bowditch, and Joseph Bowditch all that I had to give or can give them." Blanche's husband Sherman J. Hamilton was named executor.23
     The final account for her estate was filed in Burke Co. on 29 July 1927. After payment of debts the estate consisted of eight trunks and their contents valued at $100, and $31.03 in cash. The trunks and contents were distributed equally between Mrs. S. J. Hamilton (Georgiana's niece Blanche Bowditch) and Mrs. Julia Bowditch Lyon (Blanche's mother). The account also indicates that Georgiana's cousins Paul, Abbot, and William Thorndike, and Edith (Abbot) McCormick, apparently helped pay for her care at Broadoaks Sanitorium.24

Citations

  1. [S3346] The picture of Georgiana is from a daguerreotype. A note on the back says "1983. Georgiana Abbot Bowditch. Nan Jetter of Morganton knew her and gave this picture to Miriam Bowditch." Work by Murray Garner has shown that Nan Jetter was actually Nan Fleming Jeter, daughter of I. P. Jeter and Nannie McKay Fleming, that Georgiana knew the Jeter family, and that Nan Jeter (1905-1991) and Miriam Bowditch (1923-2007) both attended the First Presbyterian Church in Morganton, North Carolina. Further, Georgiana and the Jeter family are listed one entry apart in the 1910 census. And from an 1858 letter from Martha Abbot to her sister Elizabeth (Georgiana's mother), we know that Georgiana did have a daguerreotype taken by the time she was 10 years old. Photo courtesy of Murray Garner.
  2. [S1614] Georgiana Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  3. [S7545] Georgiana Abbot Bowditch Cemetery Marker, Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery, Morganton, Burke Co., North Carolina.
  4. [S674] 1860 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.
  5. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 68 (pp. 43,44).
  6. [S832] 1880 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  7. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 66 (p. 43).
  8. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, p. 25.
  9. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 55 (pp. 35,36).
  10. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 56,57 (pp. 36,37). The author only gives the year for this transaction, but his notes, referencing the actual deed, has the exact date. The deed itself, though, is currently missing.
  11. [S4471] Frederick Tryon Bowditch, "Index to Deeds and Agreements."
  12. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 56,57 (pp. 36,37).
  13. [S1537] 1900 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  14. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 57 (p. 37). The author only gives the month and year for this transaction, but his notes, referencing the actual deed, has the exact date. The deed itself, though, is currently missing.
  15. [S3346] After leaving his family in 1877 her brother Nathaniel was never heard from again, and thus he, and by extension his children John and Mary, had never received a share of the estate.
  16. [S4467] Complaint, and Amendment to Complaint, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 11 June 1904 and 3 August 1905; J. H. Bowditch, Wm. Hall and Mary Hall v. J. A. Bowditch, G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch and J. E. Abbott.
  17. [S3346] A passage in a 22 November 1884 letter from Georgiana's brother Fred in Urbana, Illinois, to their brother Charles at home in North Carolina, suggests that the allegation about Georgiana's influence may have been right. Fred asks if anything's been done about "sitting up affairs," says someday they'll "be well repaid for all our trouble," and that their parents "are getting old and feeble and are easily worried by any one who wishes to trouble them," but that they are doing what they think is right, "and if there is any injustice it is on account of undue influence on the part of some one."
  18. [S4468] Court Decision, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina; J. H. Bowditch and Mary Hall v. G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Frederick D. Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch Jr. and J. E. Abbott.
  19. [S4465] Report of Commissioners in Partition Proceeding, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 15 March 1907; Joseph Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Charles I. Bowditch, Georgie A. Bowditch, John H. Bowditch, Mary Hall and William Hall.
  20. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 62 (p. 40).
  21. [S6705] 1910 U.S. Census, John E. Abbot household, Burke Co., North Carolina.
  22. [S4463] Deed, Yancey Co., North Carolina; Georgie A. Bowditch to Charles I. Bowditch and Frederick D. Bowditch, 28 October 1908.
  23. [S4498] Record of Wills, Burke Co., North Carolina, Vol. 4 (1913-1927), pp. 565,566; records for Georgiana Bowditch. "Mrs. H. Dupuy McCormick" was Georgiana's cousin Edith Lynde (Abbot) McCormick, daughter of her mother's brother Frederick Abbot. Edith's husband was actually Navy surgeon Albert Montgomery Dupuy McCormick, not H. Dupuy McCormick. Blanche Hamilton was Georgiana's niece, daughter of her brother Charles, and "Mrs. Charles I. Bowditch" was Blanche's mother Julia (Gibbs) (Bowditch) Lyon.
  24. [S4499] Estate Records, Burke Co., North Carolina, 1927; records for Georgiana Bowditch.

George Abbot Bowditch1

b. 6 September 1850, d. 5 June 1855
FatherJoseph Henry Bowditch1 b. 6 Dec 1817, d. 12 Aug 1900
MotherElizabeth Blanchard Abbot1 b. 28 Feb 1821, d. 26 Aug 1902
RelationshipGreat-granduncle of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     George Abbot Bowditch was born on 6 September 1850 in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.2 He died on 5 June 1855 in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina, at age 4.1,2 He was buried at Calvary Church Cemetery (Quadrant 4) in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.3

Citations

  1. [S6683] "Died", The Southerner, 9 June 1855, p. 2, col. 5.
  2. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, pp. 9,10.
  3. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for George Abbott Bowditch (Mem. No. 95635648), Calvary Church Cemetery, Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina. Created by Carolyn McVicker, 19 August 2012.

John Abbot Bowditch1,2,3

b. 2 April 1856, d. 17 May 1933
FatherJoseph Henry Bowditch1,4,5 b. 6 Dec 1817, d. 12 Aug 1900
MotherElizabeth Blanchard Abbot1,4,5 b. 28 Feb 1821, d. 26 Aug 1902
RelationshipGreat-granduncle of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     John Abbot Bowditch was born on 2 April 1856 in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.6,7,3,8 He married first Julia Emma Hilliard, daughter of Ezekial Hilliard and Martha M. Giles, on 3 May 1905 in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.4 He married second Mildred Lee Ballew, daughter of Stephen Ballew and Lucinda Shufford, on 21 September 1908 at the bride's parents' house in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.9 He died on 17 May 1933 (cemetery records say 18 May 1933) in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, at age 77.6,8 He was buried at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co., North Carolina.8
     At age 5, in the spring of 1861, he moved with his parents to Yancey Co. in the mountainous region of western North Carolina.10
     Around 1884 his parents, due to their failing health, began dividing their property in Yancey Co. among their children. On 11 July 1885 he and his sister Georgiana jointly received the home lot containing 888 acres and the house, plus all their personal belongings, in return for agreeing to care for their parents the rest of their lives.11 On 20 October 1885 he and his siblings also entered into an agreement to pay their brother Nathaniel, who hadn't been heard from since 1877, $200 each should he ever return.12
     He and Georgiana continued living with their parents on the family farm, under the terms of their agreement, probably until 1902.13 They are all listed there in Crabtree Twp. in the 1900 census, along with their mother Elizabeth's brother John E. Abbot.14 On 5 May 1902 he and Georgiana divided their share of the property, with Georgiana receiving the house and 343 acres, and John receiving the remaining, less-improved, 545 acres.15 Sometime between then and 11 June 1904 he apparently sold his share of the property to John Abbot.16
     His first wife Julia was ill with tuberculosis for several years. They, along with their daughter Ruth and Julia's sister Lucy, went to Arizona for a short time, traveling by train from Boonford, Mitchell Co., North Carolina, hoping for a cure. Her condition became worse, however, and they returned home a few weeks before her death.17
     He and his second wife Mildred lived in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, and are listed there with their children in the 1910-1930 censuses.18,19,20 His daughter Ruth from his first marriage was listed with them in 1920 and 1930. (In 1910 she was living with her uncle John Hilliard's family in Crabtree Twp.)21
     His will was dated 27 April 1929 in Yancey Co., with a codicil dated 20 September 1932, and proved on 4 September 1933. In the original will he left his Three Forks place and his land along Still Fork Creek, and 1/3 of his personal property, to his wife Mildred for her use while living. At her death the land and whatever remained of the personal property was to be divided equally among his four children. The rest of his estate was to be divided equally among his children when his youngest son Robert became 21 years old. His son Frank was named executor. In the codicil he changed the disposition of his land. His wife Mildred was to receive his land in South Toe Twp., and at her death this land was to be divided between his son Frank and daughter Ruth. His sons John and Robert were left his land in Crabtree Twp., known as the Bowditch old homestead.22

Child of John Abbot Bowditch and Julia Emma Hilliard

Children of John Abbot Bowditch and Mildred Lee Ballew

     In addition to the children listed below, John and Mildred may have had a daughter who died as an infant. There's a Find A Grave entry for "Baby Girl Bowditch" in Yancey Co., with the explanation "According to the 1939-40 WPA Cemetery Survey this is at the old Bowditch home place and shows an infant grave. According to Roscoe Briggs this is the grave of the Baby Sister of John and Frank Bowditch. John and Frank were sons of John and Mildred Ballew Bowditch."27

Citations

  1. [S832] 1880 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  2. [S7019] Obituary, Ruth Bowditch Gibbs, Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina, 10 December 2004, p. B3, col. 3.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 69 (p. 45).
  4. [S7024] John A. Bowditch and Julia Hilliard, Marriage Record.
  5. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 66 (p. 43).
  6. [S3206] John A. Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  7. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, p. 25.
  8. [S847] Louise Thomas-Miller and Pam Thomas-Cantrell, Micaville Cemetery Records, http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/yancey/cemeteries/…
  9. [S7025] John A. Bowditch and Mildred Ballew, Marriage Record.
  10. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 55 (pp. 35,36).
  11. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 56,57 (pp. 36,37). The author only gives the year for this transaction, but his notes, referencing the actual deed, has the exact date. The deed itself, though, is currently missing.
  12. [S4471] Frederick Tryon Bowditch, "Index to Deeds and Agreements."
  13. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 56,57 (pp. 36,37).
  14. [S1537] 1900 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  15. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 57 (p. 37). The author only gives the month and year for this transaction, but his notes, referencing the actual deed, has the exact date. The deed itself, though, is currently missing.
  16. [S4467] Complaint, and Amendment to Complaint, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 11 June 1904 and 3 August 1905; J. H. Bowditch, Wm. Hall and Mary Hall v. J. A. Bowditch, G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch and J. E. Abbott.
  17. [S835] Lloyd Richard Bailey, The Heritage of the Toe River Valley, Vol. III, Art. 135.
  18. [S7026] 1910 U.S. Census, John A. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  19. [S7027] 1920 U.S. Census, John A. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  20. [S7028] 1930 U.S. Census, John A. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  21. [S7016] 1910 U.S. Census, John B. Hilliard household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  22. [S5162] Record of Wills, Yancey Co., North Carolina, Vol. 2 (1869-1935), pp. 500-507; records for John A. Bowditch.
  23. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Ruth Coline Bowditch Gibbs, No. 239-06-0424.
  24. [S3207] John Wesley Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  25. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Frank W. Bowditch, Roll NCVR_B_C107_68001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 32, p. 11).
  26. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Robert S. Bowditch, Roll NCVR_B_C107_66001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 1-4, p. 1758).
  27. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Baby Girl Bowditch (Mem. No. 100131687), Yancet Co., North Carolina. Created by Gwen Bodford, 4 November 2012.

Joseph Bowditch1,2,3

b. 10 January 1858, d. 3 September 1923
FatherJoseph Henry Bowditch1,2,4 b. 6 Dec 1817, d. 12 Aug 1900
MotherElizabeth Blanchard Abbot1,2,4 b. 28 Feb 1821, d. 26 Aug 1902
RelationshipGreat-granduncle of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Joseph Bowditch was born on 10 January 1858 in Tarboro, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.5,6,2,7 He married Martha Elizabeth Anderson, daughter of Lorenzo Dow Anderson and Dorothy Bailey, on 23 May 1880 in Toecane, Mitchell Co., North Carolina.8,6 He died on 3 September 1923 (his cemetery marker erroneously says 1 September) at the Charlotte Sanatorium in Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., North Carolina, at age 65 from kidney disease, two weeks after an operation.2,9,5 He was buried at Vians Valley Presbyterian Cemetery in Mitchell Co., North Carolina.5
     At age 3, in the spring of 1861, he moved with his parents to Yancey Co., in the mountainous region of western North Carolina.10 He attended the W. C. Bowman Peabody Funded School in Bakersville, Mitchell Co., North Carolina, where he met his future wife Martha Anderson.11
     In June 1880 he and his wife Martha were living in Caney River Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, as boarders in the household of James N. and Julia M. Gibbs.12 Not long afterward they moved to the area of Mine Creek near Martha's parents in Mitchell Co., North Carolina,11 where they lived the rest of their lives. They are listed there in the censuses from 1900 to 1920.13,14,15 Martha's widowed mother was living with them in 1900, their daughter Maude and her husband were with them in 1910, and their son Edwin and his wife and daughter were with them in 1920.
     He became a "prominent farmer" in Mitchell Co., and served 6-8 years as a county commissioner.9 He was one of the largest landowners in the area, building a five-bedroom English colonial house with a screened-in summer kitchen that included a concrete "spring box" with running water for general use and refrigeration. The house also had a tin-covered clothes dryer adjoining a wood stove, and an indoor water-tank commode. In back were a vegetable garden, flowers, and an orchard with apples, cherries, peaches, grapes, gooseberries, and currants.11
     Around 1884 his parents, due to their failing health, began dividing their property in Yancey Co. among their children. He received 690 acres in 1884, and was deeded an additional 46 acres in 1885.16 He later bought about 80 acres in Loafers Glory, and 103 acres at Snow Hill and Sink Hole.11 On 20 October 1885 he and his siblings also entered into an agreement to pay their brother Nathaniel, who hadn't been heard from since 1877, $200 each should he ever return.17
     In 1903 he and his wife Martha donated 2.5 acres in Loafers Glory, Mitchell Co., North Carolina, for the Vians Valley Presbyterian Church, which he helped design and build. He was also one of the first elders of the new church.11
     On 11 June 1904, after his mother Elizabeth's death, John H. Bowditch and Mary (Bowditch) Hall, children of his brother Nathaniel, filed a complaint with the Superior Court of Yancey Co. asking for their share of his parents' estate.18 An amendment to the complaint, filed on 3 August 1905, asked that the earlier deeds dividing the estate among between him and his siblings be declared invalid, on the grounds that (1) Elizabeth had "became so diseased, enfeebled and unsound" that she was sent to the State Hospital at Morganton; (2) after treatment she was released on probation to her daughter Georgiana; and (3) Georgiana used her undue power and control to unjustly influence Elizabeth into executing the various deeds of land to her children.19
     The court agreed, and declared that the deeds were null and void. Commissioners were appointed by the court to repartition the land, and delivered their final report on 15 March 1907. Various amounts were taken from the tracts originally deeded to Joseph and his siblings, totaling 395 acres, and awarded to John and Mary, with 108 acres coming from Joseph's original share.20,21 (The genealogy by Frederick Bowditch says that he sold the land deeded to him by his parents in 1884 and 1885 soon after acquiring it, to add to his property at Mine Creek. This is apparently wrong, since he was explicitly named as the owner of the two tracts in the 1907 commissioners report partioning the land.)3
     He had a small goatee, and a black hat, and was "often seen riding his horse to and from farm fields, to mill in Toecane, to his relatives' homes near Micaville, to the McCormick Institute Library in Burnsville."11

Children of Joseph Bowditch and Martha Elizabeth Anderson

Citations

  1. [S674] 1860 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Edgecombe Co., North Carolina.
  2. [S1611] Joseph Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 71 (p. 46).
  4. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 66 (p. 43).
  5. [S7063] Joseph and Martha E. Bowditch Cemetery Marker, Vians Valley Presbyterian Cemetery, Mitchell Co., North Carolina.
  6. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, p. 25.
  7. [S3346] His birth date of 10 January 1858 is from his cemetery marker, is the same as in the records of the genealogist Harold Bowditch, and is consistent with his age listed in all the censuses. The 1900 census lists the date as November 1858 (which is inconsistent with his listed age of 42), and his death certificate says 12 September 1859.
  8. [S1609] North Carolina Marriages, 1759-1979. Record for Joseph Bowdeth and Martha Anderson, FHL Film 847701, Vol. 2, p. 13.
  9. [S7057] Obituary, Joseph Bowditch, Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, 4 September 1923, p. 8, col. 6.
  10. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 55 (pp. 35,36).
  11. [S835] Lloyd Richard Bailey, The Heritage of the Toe River Valley, Vol. I, Art. 191.
  12. [S1534] 1880 U.S. Census, James Gibbs household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  13. [S7054] 1900 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Mitchell Co., North Carolina.
  14. [S7055] 1910 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Mitchell Co., North Carolina.
  15. [S7056] 1920 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Mitchell Co., North Carolina.
  16. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 56,57 (pp. 36,37). For this transaction, the author cites information obtained by Joseph's granddaughter Helen Runion from Burnsville, North Carolina, records.
  17. [S4471] Frederick Tryon Bowditch, "Index to Deeds and Agreements."
  18. [S3346] After leaving his family in 1877 his brother Nathaniel was never heard from again, and thus he, and by extension his children John and Mary, had never received a share of the estate.
  19. [S4467] Complaint, and Amendment to Complaint, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 11 June 1904 and 3 August 1905; J. H. Bowditch, Wm. Hall and Mary Hall v. J. A. Bowditch, G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch and J. E. Abbott.
  20. [S4468] Court Decision, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina; J. H. Bowditch and Mary Hall v. G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Frederick D. Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch Jr. and J. E. Abbott.
  21. [S4465] Report of Commissioners in Partition Proceeding, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 15 March 1907; Joseph Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Charles I. Bowditch, Georgie A. Bowditch, John H. Bowditch, Mary Hall and William Hall.
  22. [S3204] Bertha Bowditch Davis, Death Certificate.
  23. [S7138] Roy Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  24. [S3205] Edwin Dennis Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  25. [S3209] Maude Bowditch Johnson, Death Certificate.
  26. [S7252] Thanes Bowditch, Death Certificate.

Charles Ingersoll Bowditch1,2,3

b. 27 September 1862, d. 3 August 1919
FatherJoseph Henry Bowditch4,2,5 b. 6 Dec 1817, d. 12 Aug 1900
MotherElizabeth Blanchard Abbot4,2,5 b. 28 Feb 1821, d. 26 Aug 1902
RelationshipGreat-granduncle of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
Charles Ingersoll Bowditch (1862-1919)
     Charles Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 27 September 1862 (his death certificate says 27 September 1861, and the 1900 census says September 1863) in Burnsville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.6,7,2,8 He married Julia A. Gibbs (license dated 12 November 1890), daughter of Charles F. Gibbs and Caroline Ballew, in Yancey Co., North Carolina.9 He died from diabetes on 3 August 1919 in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, "a prominent and much respected member of his community, and 'a good Christian gentleman.2,10'" He was buried on 4 August 1919 at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co., North Carolina.7,2
     He moved to Urbana, Champaign Co., Illinois, "at about age 18, and worked on a farm near there - probably the farm of S. G. Williams since mail was addressed to him in care of this person."3 He was joined there in late 1881 by his brother Fred, who had decided to leave North Carolina and was on his way west. Fred continued west, then returned, and when Charles came down with typhoid fever Fred nursed him back to health. Charles soon returned to North Carolina.11
     Around 1884 his parents, due to their failing health, began dividing their property in Yancey Co. among their children, and on 4 October 1885 he and his brother Fred jointly received 1130 acres. His siblings Georgiana, John, and Joseph also received shares.12 On 20 October 1885 he and his siblings also entered into an agreement to pay their brother Nathaniel, who hadn't been heard from since 1877, $200 each should he ever return.13 On 17 August 1889 he and Fred divided their land, with Fred taking 900 acres of mountain land, and Charles taking 230 acres that included a house and all the cleared land.14
     Charles eventually returned to Micaville.3 Charles and his new wife Julia settled on his inherited land3, and they are listed in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., in the 1900 and 1910 censuses with their daughter Blanche. Living with them in 1900 were boarders Taylor and Doria Cox.8,15
     On 11 June 1904, after his mother Elizabeth's death, John H. Bowditch and Mary (Bowditch) Hall, children of his brother Nathaniel, filed a complaint with the Superior Court of Yancey Co. asking for their share of his parents' estate.16 An amendment to the complaint, filed on 3 August 1905, asked that the earlier deeds dividing the estate among between him and his siblings be declared invalid, on the grounds that (1) Elizabeth had "became so diseased, enfeebled and unsound" that she was sent to the State Hospital at Morganton; (2) after treatment she was released on probation to her daughter Georgiana; and (3) Georgiana used her undue power and control to unjustly influence Elizabeth into executing the various deeds of land to her children.17
     The court agreed, and declared that the deeds were null and void. Commissioners were appointed by the court to repartition the land, and delivered their final report on 15 March 1907. Various amounts were taken from the tracts originally deeded to Charles and his siblings, totaling 395 acres, and awarded to John and Mary, with 30 acres coming from Charles's share.18,19
     On 28 October 1908 he bought his sister Georgiana's share of the family land in Yancey Co. for $5000. His brother Fred mortgaged his Michigan farm to assist in the purchase, and become joint owner.20,21 On 30 March 1917 he acquired sole ownership of the land by purchasing Fred's interest for $3500, using proceeds from a timber sale.22,21

Child of Charles Ingersoll Bowditch and Julia A. Gibbs

Citations

  1. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, pp. 9,10.
  2. [S1613] Charles I. Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 83 (p. 56).
  4. [S832] 1880 U.S. Census, Joseph Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  5. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 66 (p. 43).
  6. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, p. 26.
  7. [S7433] Chas. I. and Julia A. Bowditch Cemetery Marker, Micaville Cemetery, Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  8. [S1538] 1900 U.S. Census, Chas. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  9. [S7406] Charles I. Bowditch and July A. Gibbs, Marriage Record.
  10. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 66,83 (pp. 43,56).
  11. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 62 (p. 41).
  12. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 56,57 (pp. 36,37). The author doesn't give the exact date of this transaction, but his notes, with references to the actual deed, does. The deed itself, though, is currently missing.
  13. [S4471] Frederick Tryon Bowditch, "Index to Deeds and Agreements."
  14. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 56,57 (p. 36). The author doesn't give the exact date of this transaction, but his notes, with references to the actual deeds, does. The deeds themselves, though, are currently missing.
  15. [S7400] 1910 U.S. Census, Chas. I. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  16. [S3346] After leaving his family in 1877 his brother Nathaniel was never heard from again, and thus he, and by extension his children John and Mary, had never received a share of the estate.
  17. [S4467] Complaint, and Amendment to Complaint, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 11 June 1904 and 3 August 1905; J. H. Bowditch, Wm. Hall and Mary Hall v. J. A. Bowditch, G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch and J. E. Abbott.
  18. [S4468] Court Decision, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina; J. H. Bowditch and Mary Hall v. G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Frederick D. Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch Jr. and J. E. Abbott.
  19. [S4465] Report of Commissioners in Partition Proceeding, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 15 March 1907; Joseph Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Charles I. Bowditch, Georgie A. Bowditch, John H. Bowditch, Mary Hall and William Hall.
  20. [S4463] Deed, Yancey Co., North Carolina; Georgie A. Bowditch to Charles I. Bowditch and Frederick D. Bowditch, 28 October 1908.
  21. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 57,58 (p. 37).
  22. [S4464] Deed, Yancey Co., North Carolina; Frederick D. Bowditch and Helen L. Bowditch to Charles I. Bowditch, 30 March 1917.
  23. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Blanch Louise Hamilton, No. 245-18-6363.

Mary Ingersoll Bowditch1

b. 27 September 1862, d. 26 November 1862
FatherJoseph Henry Bowditch1,2 b. 6 Dec 1817, d. 12 Aug 1900
MotherElizabeth Blanchard Abbot1,2 b. 28 Feb 1821, d. 26 Aug 1902
RelationshipGreat-grandaunt of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Mary Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 27 September 1862 in Burnsville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.1 She died on 26 November 1862 in Burnsville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.1

Citations

  1. [S4338] Letter(s) from Harold Bowditch; letter from Harold Bowditch (Brookline, Massachusetts) to Frederick T. Bowditch (Strongsville, Ohio), 26 June 1942, pp. 9,10.
  2. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 66 (p. 43).

John Henry Bowditch1,2,3

b. 7 September 1871, d. 6 May 1949
FatherNathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch4,5 b. 18 Mar 1846, d. 13 Jul 1913
MotherMargaret Cordelia Silver1,4,5 b. 22 Mar 1852, d. 28 Dec 1921
Relationship1st cousin 2 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     John Henry Bowditch was probably born on 7 September 1871 in Illinois (see below). He married Belva Ida Silver, daughter of George W. Silver and Louisa Young, on 30 July 1903 at the home of the bride's father in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.4 He died on 6 May 1949 at the Veterans Administration Center in Mountain Home, Washington Co., Tennessee, at age 77 from a stroke, a little more than two weeks after surgery for prostate cancer.1 He was buried at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co., North Carolina.6
     His birth date is given as 7 September 1871 on his cemetery marker6 and in the Bowditch genealogy by Fred Bowditch.3 This date is also consistent with his age reported on his marriage record,4 and in the 1940 census.7 However, his death certificate (reporting information from hospital records) says 7 September 1872.2 His age reported in the 1920 and 1930 censuses (46 and 56) implies a birth year of 1873, if he was born in September.8,9 He was also likely born in Illinois. His birth place is listed as North Carolina in the 1920 and 1930 censuses, but as Illinois in the 1940 census and on his death certificate. And an 1875 newspaper article about his father Nathaniel's second marriage, in Kankakee Co., Illinois, reports that "it is said" that Nathaniel had been married a few years ago to a southern woman, that they lived "in this country" for some time, and went back to South Carolina [sic] after a baby was born.10
     During the Spanish-American War he served as a corporal in Co. L of the First Arkansas Infantry, enlisting at Luna, Arkansas, on 15 May 1898 for a two-year term. His unit was mustered into service at Little Rock, Arkansas, on 20 May, and sent to Camp George H. Thomas at Chickamauga Park, Georgia, for training. While there, however, the war ended in August 1898, and by late September the First Arkansas had been sent home. They were mustered out on 25 October 1898 at Fort Logan H. Roots in Pulaski Co., without being deployed into combat.11,12
     On 11 June 1904, after the death of their grandmother Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, he and his sister Mary filed a complaint with the Superior Court of Yancey Co. asking for their share of the estate.13 An amendment to the complaint, filed on 3 August 1905, asks that the earlier deeds dividing the estate among Elizabeth's children be declared invalid, on the grounds that (1) Elizabeth had "became so diseased, enfeebled and unsound" that she was sent to the State Hospital at Morganton; (2) after treatment she was released on probation to her daughter Georgiana; and (3) Georgiana used her undue power and control to unjustly influence Elizabeth into executing the various deeds of land to her children.14,15
     The court agreed, and declared that the deeds were null and void. They were declared "tenants in common" of the land, along with Elizabeth's children Georgiana, Joseph, Frederick, and Charles, and with John E. Abbot (Elizabeth's brother, who had earlier purchased her son John's share). Commissioners were appointed by the court to divide the land, and delivered their final report on 15 March 1907. Various amounts were taken from the tracts originally deeded to Georgiana, Joseph, Frederick, and Charles, totaling 395 acres, and awarded to John and Mary. The Commissioners report doesn't mention the land then owned by John E. Abbot.16,17
     He and his wife Belva have not been found in the 1900 or 1910 census, but in 1920 they were living in Erwin, Unicoi Co., Tennessee.8 From at least 1926 to 1927 they lived in Sarasota, Sarasota Co., Florida.18 They are listed in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, in the 1930 and 1940 censuses.9,7
     He was working as a carpenter in 1920, and later became a building contractor.8,19,1

More Information / Background

Child of John Henry Bowditch and Belva Ida Silver

Citations

  1. [S4363] John H. Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  2. [S4368] John Howard Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  4. [S4362] J. H. Bowditch and Belva I. Silvers, Marriage Record.
  5. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (pp. 43,44).
  6. [S4405] John H. Bowditch Cemetery Marker, Micaville Cemetery, Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  7. [S4361] 1940 U.S. Census, John H. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  8. [S841] 1920 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Unicoi Co., Tennessee.
  9. [S838] 1930 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  10. [S6700] "Cruel Desertion", Chicago Tribune, 24 September 1875, p. 5, col. 5.
  11. [S4365] Arthur Neill, Report of the Adjutant General of the Arkansas State Guard, 1897-1900, Including the Period of the Spanish-American War, p. 54.
  12. [S4406] Mike Polston, Spanish-American War, http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/…
  13. [S3346] John and Mary's father Nathaniel left his family about 1877. When Nathaniel's parents divided their property among their children in the mid 1880s, provision was made for his five siblings to pay him $200 each if he ever returned. But he never did, and thus he, and by extension his children John and Mary, had never received a share of the estate.
  14. [S4467] Complaint, and Amendment to Complaint, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 11 June 1904 and 3 August 1905; J. H. Bowditch, Wm. Hall and Mary Hall v. J. A. Bowditch, G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch and J. E. Abbott.
  15. [S3346] A passage in a 22 November 1884 letter from Elizabeth's son Fred in Urbana, Illinois, to his brother Charles at home in North Carolina, suggests that the allegation about Georgiana's influence may have been right. Fred asks if anything's been done about "sitting up affairs," says someday they'll "be well repaid for all our trouble," and that their parents "are getting old and feeble and are easily worried by any one who wishes to trouble them," but that they are doing what they think is right, "and if there is any injustice it is on account of undue influence on the part of some one."
  16. [S4468] Court Decision, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina; J. H. Bowditch and Mary Hall v. G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Frederick D. Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch Jr. and J. E. Abbott.
  17. [S4465] Report of Commissioners in Partition Proceeding, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 15 March 1907; Joseph Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Charles I. Bowditch, Georgie A. Bowditch, John H. Bowditch, Mary Hall and William Hall.
  18. [S4364] City Directory(s) for Sarasota, Florida; 1926, p. 119; 1927, p. 119.
  19. [S4364] City Directory(s) for Sarasota, Florida; 1927, p. 119.

Belva Ida Silver1,2,3,4

b. 22 January 1885, d. 5 March 1951
FatherGeorge W. Silver1,5
MotherLouisa Young1,5
     Belva Ida Silver was born on 22 January 1885 in Yancey Co., North Carolina.5 She married John Henry Bowditch, son of Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch and Margaret Cordelia Silver, on 30 July 1903 at the home of the bride's father G. W. Silver in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.1 She died from a heart attack on 5 March 1951 at age 66 at the Williams Clinic in Spruce Pine, Mitchell Co., North Carolina.5 She was buried at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co., North Carolina.5
     She and her husband John have not been found in the 1900 or 1910 census, but in 1920 they were living in Erwin, Unicoi Co., Tennessee.6
     She was apparently in poor health in late 1924. A newspaper article says she was taken to Rutherfordton, North Carolina, on 24 September, where she was administered 3,000 "milograms" of radium over 28 hours. Her husband returned home to Erwin on 27 September, saying that "her condition is now considered very satisfactory."7
     From at least 1926 to 1927 she and John lived in Sarasota, Sarasota Co., Florida.8 They are listed in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, in the 1930 and 1940 censuses.9,10

Child of Belva Ida Silver and John Henry Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S4362] J. H. Bowditch and Belva I. Silvers, Marriage Record.
  2. [S4364] City Directory(s) for Sarasota, Florida; 1926, p. 119.
  3. [S4368] John Howard Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  4. [S3346] Her middle name of Ida is based on the fact that she is listed as "Belva I." in her marriage record, and in the 1920-1940 censuses, and as Ida in the 1926 Sarasota, Florida, City Directory and on her son John's death certificate.
  5. [S3217] Belvie Silver Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  6. [S841] 1920 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Unicoi Co., Tennessee.
  7. [S8497] Mrs. Paul Green, "Erwin Items", Johnson City Chronicle, 2 October 1924, p. 9, col. 7.
  8. [S4364] City Directory(s) for Sarasota, Florida; 1926, p. 119; 1927, p. 119.
  9. [S838] 1930 U.S. Census, John Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  10. [S4361] 1940 U.S. Census, John H. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.

Mary Ella Bowditch1,2,3

b. about 1873, d. 5 February 1963
FatherNathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch2,1,4,5 b. 18 Mar 1846, d. 13 Jul 1913
MotherMargaret Cordelia Silver2,1,4,5 b. 22 Mar 1852, d. 28 Dec 1921
Relationship1st cousin 2 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Mary Ella Bowditch was born in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina, probably about 1873 or 1874 (see below). She married William Andrew Hall, son of Marcus Hall and Rachel Gouge, on 19 September 1895 at Blue Rock Church in Yancey Co.2 She died on 5 February 1963 at Yancey Hospital in Burnsville, Yancey Co., from kidney failure, after suffering a stroke two weeks earlier.1 She was buried on 8 February 1963 at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co.1
     We don't have a birth record for her, and other records are inconsistent on the date. The only records we have with an exact birth date are one of her two sets of Social Security records,6,7 her death certificate1, and her cemetery marker,8 which say she was born 9 October 1875. However, her death certificate also says she died 5 February 1963 (her cemetery marker says 6 February 1963) at age 88, which gives a birth year of 1874 (assuming "9 October" is correct). A second Social Security record says September 1875,4 and the 1900 census says December 1873.9 Assuming she was born late in the year, as these three records suggest, the 1880 census implies a birth year of 1872,10 the 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1940 censuses imply 1873,9,11,12,13 the 1930 census implies 1876,14 and her age of 19 at marriage implies 1875.2
     She and her husband William lived in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, where he was a farmer, from at least 1900 to 1940. William's younger sister Victoria was living with them in 1900.9,11,12,14,13
     On 11 June 1904, after the death of their grandmother Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, she and her brother John filed a complaint with the Superior Court of Yancey Co. asking for their share of the estate.15 An amendment to the complaint, filed on 3 August 1905, asks that the earlier deeds dividing the estate among Elizabeth's children be declared invalid, on the grounds that (1) Elizabeth had "became so diseased, enfeebled and unsound" that she was sent to the State Hospital at Morganton; (2) after treatment she was released on probation to her daughter Georgiana; and (3) Georgiana used her undue power and control to unjustly influence Elizabeth into executing the various deeds of land to her children.16,17
     The court agreed, and declared that the deeds were null and void. They were declared "tenants in common" of the land, along with Elizabeth's children Georgiana, Joseph, Frederick, and Charles, and with John E. Abbot (Elizabeth's brother, who had earlier purchased her son John's share). Commissioners were appointed by the court to divide the land, and delivered their final report on 15 March 1907. Various amounts were taken from the tracts originally deeded to Georgiana, Joseph, Frederick, and Charles, totaling 395 acres, and awarded to John and Mary. The Commissioners report doesn't mention the land then owned by John E. Abbot.18,19
     She and William apparently took in and cared for their granddaughter Paula Jean Young after their daughter Florence's divorce from Robert Young. Florence and Paula are both listed with them in the 1930 census in Yancey Co., Florence as single with the surname Hall, and Paula as Jean Young, age 2. Paula was still with them in 1940, as Pauline, while Florence was at the State Hospital for the Insane in Morganton.14,13,20 Also living with them in 1940 was their widowed daughter Winnie and her three children.13

Children of Mary Ella Bowditch and William Andrew Hall

Citations

  1. [S3208] Mary Ella Hall, Death Certificate.
  2. [S4370] William Hall and Mary Bowditch, Marriage Record.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44). Gives her middle name as Ellen.
  4. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Mary Bowditch Hall, No. 244-68-2145.
  5. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (pp. 43,44).
  6. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Mary Belle Hall, No. 244-63-3357.
  7. [S3346] There are two separate Social Security accounts for her in the Ancestry database U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. One is for Mary Belle Hall, daughter of Nat Bowditch and Cordellia Sievers, born 9 October 1875 in Micaville, with SSN 244-63-3357, and the other is for Mary Bowditch Hall, daughter of Nat Bowditch and Deal B. Hall, born September 1875 in Micaville, with SSN 244-68-2145.
  8. [S6936] Mary B. Hall Cemetery Marker, Micaville Cemetery, Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  9. [S1536] 1900 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  10. [S1535] 1880 U.S. Census, Greenberry Silver household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  11. [S836] 1910 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  12. [S837] 1920 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  13. [S4369] 1940 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  14. [S1542] 1930 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  15. [S3346] John and Mary's father Nathaniel left his family about 1877. When Nathaniel's parents divided their property among their children in the mid 1880s, provision was made for his five siblings to pay him $200 each if he ever returned. But he never did, and thus he, and by extension his children John and Mary, had never received a share of the estate.
  16. [S4467] Complaint, and Amendment to Complaint, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 11 June 1904 and 3 August 1905; J. H. Bowditch, Wm. Hall and Mary Hall v. J. A. Bowditch, G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch and J. E. Abbott.
  17. [S3346] A passage in a 22 November 1884 letter from Elizabeth's son Fred in Urbana, Illinois, to his brother Charles at home in North Carolina, suggests that the allegation about Georgiana's influence may have been right. Fred asks if anything's been done about "sitting up affairs," says someday they'll "be well repaid for all our trouble," and that their parents "are getting old and feeble and are easily worried by any one who wishes to trouble them," but that they are doing what they think is right, "and if there is any injustice it is on account of undue influence on the part of some one."
  18. [S4468] Court Decision, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina; J. H. Bowditch and Mary Hall v. G. A. Bowditch, C. I. Bowditch, Frederick D. Bowditch, Joseph Bowditch Jr. and J. E. Abbott.
  19. [S4465] Report of Commissioners in Partition Proceeding, Superior Court, Yancey Co., North Carolina, 15 March 1907; Joseph Bowditch, Fred Bowditch, Charles I. Bowditch, Georgie A. Bowditch, John H. Bowditch, Mary Hall and William Hall.
  20. [S4408] 1940 U.S. Census, State Hospital for the Insane, Burke Co., North Carolina.
  21. [S3212] Mark N. Hall, Death Certificate.
  22. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  23. [S4385] Earl Hall and Flossy Hughes, Marriage Record.
  24. [S3213] Reba Victoria Hall, Death Certificate.
  25. [S6961] Florence Edna Young, Death Certificate.
  26. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Cora D. Byrd, No. 245-05-0060.
  27. [S4397] George Hall and Georgia Gouge, Marriage Record.
  28. [S4399] Obituary, George Hall, The News, Frederick, Maryland, 3 January 1990, p. 7A, col. 2.
  29. [S6993] Obituary, Winnie L. Barker, The News-Messenger, Fremont, Ohio, 23 February 1985, p. 3, col. 4.
  30. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Ethel Hall, Roll NCVR_B_C107_66001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 5-7, p. 862).
  31. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Addie Ethel Burleson, No. 241-03-8935.

William Andrew Hall1,2

b. 26 November 1873, d. 21 February 1946
FatherMarcus Hall3,2,1
MotherRachel Gouge1,2,3
     William Andrew Hall was born on 26 November 1873 in Newdale, Yancey Co., North Carolina.2,1 He married Mary Ella Bowditch, daughter of Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch and Margaret Cordelia Silver, on 19 September 1895 at Blue Rock Church in Yancey Co.4 He died from a stroke on 21 February 1946 in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., at age 72.1 He was buried on 23 February 1946 at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co.1
     He and his wife Mary lived in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, where he was a farmer, from at least 1900 to 1940. William's younger sister Victoria was living with them in 1900.5,6,7,8,9 He was active in the affairs of the community, and once served as Yancey Co. sheriff.10
     He and Mary apparently took in and cared for their granddaughter Paula Jean Young after their daughter Florence's divorce from Robert Young. Florence and Paula are both listed with them in the 1930 census in Yancey Co., Florence as single with the surname Hall, and Paula as Jean Young, age 2. Paula was still with them in 1940, as Pauline, while Florence was at the State Hospital for the Insane in Morganton.8,9,11 Also living with them in 1940 was their widowed daughter Winnie and her three children.9

Children of William Andrew Hall and Mary Ella Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S3214] William Andrew Hall, Death Certificate.
  2. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for William Andrew Hall, No. 238-12-5179.
  3. [S1609] North Carolina Marriages, 1759-1979. Record for William Hall and Mary Bowditch, FHL Film 571541.
  4. [S4370] William Hall and Mary Bowditch, Marriage Record.
  5. [S1536] 1900 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  6. [S836] 1910 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  7. [S837] 1920 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  8. [S1542] 1930 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  9. [S4369] 1940 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  10. [S6937] Obituary, W. A. Hall, The Yancey Record, Burnsville, North Carolina, 28 February 1946, p. 1, col. 5.
  11. [S4408] 1940 U.S. Census, State Hospital for the Insane, Burke Co., North Carolina.
  12. [S3212] Mark N. Hall, Death Certificate.
  13. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  14. [S4385] Earl Hall and Flossy Hughes, Marriage Record.
  15. [S3213] Reba Victoria Hall, Death Certificate.
  16. [S6961] Florence Edna Young, Death Certificate.
  17. [S4393] Segle Davis and Cora Lee Hall, Marriage Record.
  18. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Cora D. Byrd, No. 245-05-0060.
  19. [S4397] George Hall and Georgia Gouge, Marriage Record.
  20. [S4399] Obituary, George Hall, The News, Frederick, Maryland, 3 January 1990, p. 7A, col. 2.
  21. [S6993] Obituary, Winnie L. Barker, The News-Messenger, Fremont, Ohio, 23 February 1985, p. 3, col. 4.
  22. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Ethel Hall, Roll NCVR_B_C107_66001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 5-7, p. 862).
  23. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Addie Ethel Burleson, No. 241-03-8935.

Reba Victoria Hall1,2

b. 29 June 1901, d. 27 January 1946
FatherWilliam Andrew Hall3,1,2 b. 26 Nov 1873, d. 21 Feb 1946
MotherMary Ella Bowditch3,1,2 b. a 1873, d. 5 Feb 1963
Relationship2nd cousin 1 time removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Reba Victoria Hall was born on 29 June 1901 in Yancey Co., North Carolina.1 She died on 27 January 1946 at the W. N. C. (Western North Carolina) Sanatorium in Black Mountain, Buncombe Co., North Carolina, at age 44 from tuberculosis, which she had been suffering from for 15 years.1 She was buried at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co.4
     She never married, and lived with her parents in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, all her life.3,5,6,7,1 She worked in a hosiery mill.1

Citations

  1. [S3213] Reba Victoria Hall, Death Certificate.
  2. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  3. [S836] 1910 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  4. [S847] Louise Thomas-Miller and Pam Thomas-Cantrell, Micaville Cemetery Records, http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/yancey/cemeteries/…
  5. [S837] 1920 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  6. [S1542] 1930 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  7. [S4369] 1940 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.

Marcus N. Hall1,2

b. 7 July 1896, d. 2 October 1970
FatherWilliam Andrew Hall3,1,4 b. 26 Nov 1873, d. 21 Feb 1946
MotherMary Ella Bowditch3,1,4 b. a 1873, d. 5 Feb 1963
Relationship2nd cousin 1 time removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Marcus N. Hall was born on 7 July 1896 (his World War II draft registration says 7 July 1897) in Newdale, Yancey Co., North Carolina.3,1,5 He married first Florence Silver, daughter of Nathaniel N. Silver and Lillie Edge, on 18 February 1915 at the home of G. W. Silver in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co.6 They were divorced in 1920 (they are both listed as married in the 1920 census, although living apart, and Florence remarried in December 1920).7,8,9 He married second Estlee McMahan, daughter of Margaret McMahan, on 28 March 1925 in Bowditch, Yancey Co.10 He died on 2 October 1970 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Oteen, Buncombe Co., North Carolina, at age 74 from pneumonia, after suffering from heart disease and diabetes for seven years.3,11 He was buried on 5 October 1970 at Carroway Cemetery in Celo, Yancey Co., North Carolina.3
     He went by the name Mark.12,13,5
     He served as a private in the U.S. Army Medical Dept. during World War I. At the time he was living in Bridgeville, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania, and enlisted in Pittsburgh on 19 February 1918. He began active duty the next day, and was initially stationed in Columbus, Ohio, from 20 to 27 February 1918. He was sent to Ft. Oglethorpe in Georgia, then to Newport News, Virginia, on 10 March 1918, where he remained until his honorable discharge at Camp Lee, Virginia, on 19 July 1919. On 1 March 1934 he applied for compensation from the state of Pennsylvania for his service, and received $170.14
     In January 1920, apparently after separating from his first wife Florence, he was living with his brother Earl's family in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.7 He is listed in Crabtree Twp. with his second wife Estlee in the 1930 and 1940 censuses.12,13
     He was a laborer in the mica mines of Yancey Co., and worked doing odd jobs and as a truck driver.7,12,13,3 He and his wife Estlee also owned and worked tobacco fields, with the money they earned used to buy Christmas gifts for their children.15

Citations

  1. [S1536] 1900 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  2. [S836] 1910 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  3. [S3212] Mark N. Hall, Death Certificate.
  4. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  5. [S4380] World War II Draft Card, Mark N. Hall.
  6. [S4373] Marcus Hall and Florence Silver, Marriage Record.
  7. [S4382] 1920 U.S. Census, Earl R. Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  8. [S4411] 1920 U.S. Census, Nathaniel N. Silvers household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  9. [S4413] Horrice McNeal and Florence Silver, Marriage Record.
  10. [S4374] Mark Hall and Estelle McMahan, Marriage Record.
  11. [S6939] Obituary, Mark N. Hall, Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina, 4 October 1970, p. 9B, col. 2.
  12. [S4371] 1930 U.S. Census, Mark Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  13. [S4372] 1940 U.S. Census, Mark N. Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  14. [S6941] Pennsylvania, U.S., World War I Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917-1919, 1934-1948. Record for Mark N. Hall, Appl. No. 195059, 1 March 1934.
  15. [S7689] E-mail from Rhonda Barone to Charles Towne, 10 June 2020.

Earl John Hall1,2

b. 15 May 1898, d. 15 February 1966
FatherWilliam Andrew Hall1,3,4 b. 26 Nov 1873, d. 21 Feb 1946
MotherMary Ella Bowditch1,3,4 b. a 1873, d. 5 Feb 1963
Relationship2nd cousin 1 time removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Earl John Hall was born on 15 May 1898 (his grave marker and Social Security records say 10 May 1898) in Yancey Co., North Carolina.5,2,6,7 He married Flossie Foletta Hughes, daughter of Jason D. Hughes and Jeanette S. Edge, on 20 November 1918 in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co.3 He died on 15 February 1966 at Unicoi County Memorial Hospital in Erwin, Unicoi Co., Tennessee, at age 67.8 He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Erwin.6
     When he registered for the World War I draft on 12 September 1918 he was living in Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan, and working as a mill wright helper for the Studebaker Car Co. in Detroit.9
     He and his wife Flossie are listed in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, in the 1920 and 1930 censuses. In 1920 Earl's brother Mark, who was separated from his first wife Florence, was living with them.10,11 Not long after their daughter Darlene's birth in Yancey Co. in 1934, Earl and Flossie moved to Banner Hill, Unicoi Co., Tennessee, and they are listed there in the 1940 census. Their recently-married son Max and his wife Trula were then living with them.12
     He was a farmer while living in North Carolina, but was working as a foreman in a spar mill in 1940, and later owned a grocery store in Erwin, Unicoi Co., for several years, until forced to retire in July 1964 due to declining health.10,11,12,8

Citations

  1. [S1536] 1900 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  2. [S6959] World War I Draft Registration, Earl John Hall.
  3. [S4385] Earl Hall and Flossy Hughes, Marriage Record.
  4. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  5. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Earl J. R. Hall, Roll NCVR_B_C107_68001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. D6, p. 78). Lists his mother's name as Mary E. Gray, apparently in error.
  6. [S4420] Earl J. Hall Cemetery Marker, Evergreen Cemetery, Erwin, Unicoi Co., Tennessee.
  7. [S876] U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. Entry for Earl Hall, No. 410-01-7421.
  8. [S7455] Obituary, Earl John Hall, Johnson City Press, Johnson City, Tennessee, 16 February 1966, p. 2, col. 1.
  9. [S6959] World War I Draft Registration, Earl John Hall. Lists his birth date as 15 May 1918, and names "W. A. Hall, father, Micaville, North Carolina" as his nearest relative.
  10. [S4382] 1920 U.S. Census, Earl R. Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  11. [S4383] 1930 U.S. Census, Earl Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  12. [S4384] 1940 U.S. Census, Earl Hall household, Unicoi Co., Tennessee.

Florence Edna Hall1,2,3

b. 3 July 1903, d. 16 December 1989
FatherWilliam Andrew Hall1,2,3 b. 26 Nov 1873, d. 21 Feb 1946
MotherMary Ella Bowditch1,2,3 b. a 1873, d. 5 Feb 1963
Relationship2nd cousin 1 time removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Florence Edna Hall was born on 3 July 1903 in Burnsville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.2 She married Robert Lee Young, son of James Dottery Young and Rachel Elizabeth Rust, on 26 January 1926 in Bakersville, Mitchell Co., North Carolina. She was 22 at the time; he gave his age as 52, but was actually 54.4 They were later separated, probably by 1930. Florence and their daughter Paula Jean were then living with Florence's parents and Florence was listed in the census as Florence Hall, and single.5 Robert is listed by himself in 1930, but as married.6 They were divorced before 1933 when Robert remarried.7 She died on 16 December 1989 in Burnsville at age 86 from a stroke, with schizophrenia and dementia listed as contributing factors.2 She was buried at Micaville Cemetery in Yancey Co.2
     Family stories say she behaved strangely, doing things like riding late at night through the farm fields. She was sent by her parents to the State Hospital for the Insane in Morganton, Burke Co., North Carolina,8 where she is listed in the 1940 census as an inmate.9 She was eventually released, but did not return to living with her family. She later moved back to the State Hospital as an employee, and worked there for several years.8

Citations

  1. [S836] 1910 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  2. [S6961] Florence Edna Young, Death Certificate.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  4. [S4367] North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011. Record for Robert L. Young and Florence Hall, from Mitchell Co. Marriage Register (1862-1992).
  5. [S1542] 1930 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  6. [S6989] 1930 U.S. Census, Bob Young household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  7. [S6987] Robert Young and Anna Riddle, Marriage Record.
  8. [S6972] Roy Nordin, "Descendants of Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch", p. 5.
  9. [S4408] 1940 U.S. Census, State Hospital for the Insane, Burke Co., North Carolina.

Cora Lee Hall1,2,3

b. 5 August 1906, d. 28 June 1996
FatherWilliam Andrew Hall1,2,4,3 b. 26 Nov 1873, d. 21 Feb 1946
MotherMary Ella Bowditch1,4,3 b. a 1873, d. 5 Feb 1963
Relationship2nd cousin 1 time removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Cora Lee Hall was born on 5 August 1906 in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.4 She married first Siegle Russell Davis on 5 June 1932 in Celo, Yancey Co.2 She married second George Robert Byrd, son of William Byrd.5,6 She died on 28 June 1996 in Asheville, Buncombe Co., North Carolina, at age 89.7 She was buried at Carroway Cemetery in Celo.8
     She is listed as Ebey C. in the 1910 census, but as Cora in 1920 and 1930.9,1,10 She and her husband Siegle are listed in the 1940 census in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.11 She was a member of the Brown Creek Baptist Church in Burnsville, Yancey Co., and taught Sunday School there for 37 years.6

Citations

  1. [S837] 1920 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  2. [S4393] Segle Davis and Cora Lee Hall, Marriage Record.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  4. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Cora D. Byrd, No. 245-05-0060.
  5. [S4428] Obituary, Robert George Byrd, Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home, Burnsville, North Carolina, 29 November 2015.
  6. [S6962] Obituary, Cora Byrd, Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina, 29 June 1996, p. 7, col. 5.
  7. [S2063] North Carolina, U.S., Death Indexes, 1908-2004. Record for Cora Lee Byrd, SSN 245-05-0060.
  8. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Cora Lee (Hall) Davis (Mem. No. 121071054), Carroway Cemetery, Burnsville, Yancey Co., North Carolina. Created by Mark Lawson, 1 December 2013.
  9. [S836] 1910 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  10. [S1542] 1930 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  11. [S4392] 1940 U.S. Census, Siegle Davis household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.

George Dwine Hall1,2,3

b. 18 November 1909, d. 1 January 1990
FatherWilliam Andrew Hall4,5,2,3 b. 26 Nov 1873, d. 21 Feb 1946
MotherMary Ella Bowditch4,5,2,3 b. a 1873, d. 5 Feb 1963
Relationship2nd cousin 1 time removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     George Dwine Hall was born on 18 November 1909 in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.1,2 He married Georgia Gouge, daughter of James M. Gouge and Martha Blalock, on 4 February 1933 in Micaville.5 He died on 1 January 1990 at Frederick Memorial Hospital in Frederick, Frederick Co., Maryland, at age 80.2 He was buried on 4 January 1990 at Resthaven Memorial Garden in Frederick, Frederick Co.2
     The spelling of his middle name is a bit uncertain. It's spelled "Dwine" in his 1940 World War II draft registration, including in his signature,1 "Dwaine" in his obituary2, and "Dwain" in his daughter Sharon's transcribed birth record.6
     For the first 25 years of their marriage he and his wife Georgia lived in Yancey Co., North Carolina, and they are listed there in Crabtree Twp. in the 1940 census.7 They moved to Frederick, Frederick Co., Maryland, in 1958.8 He was working for the Bureau of Public Roads of the U.S. government as a scenic landscaper in 19401,7, and later worked for the R. F. Kline Construction Co. before retiring in the early 1970s.2

Citations

  1. [S4398] World War II Draft Card, George Dwine Hall.
  2. [S4399] Obituary, George Hall, The News, Frederick, Maryland, 3 January 1990, p. 7A, col. 2.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  4. [S836] 1910 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  5. [S4397] George Hall and Georgia Gouge, Marriage Record.
  6. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Mae Sharon Hall, Roll NCVR_B_C107_66002 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 34, p. 84).
  7. [S4396] 1940 U.S. Census, George Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  8. [S4634] Obituary, Georgia Hall, The Frederick News-Post, Frederick, Maryland, 20 February 2016, p. B7, col. 1.

Winnie Lou Hall1,2,3

b. 21 May 1913, d. 22 February 1985
FatherWilliam Andrew Hall1,4,3 b. 26 Nov 1873, d. 21 Feb 1946
MotherMary Ella Bowditch1,4,3 b. a 1873, d. 5 Feb 1963
Relationship2nd cousin 1 time removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Winnie Lou Hall was born on 21 May 1913 in Yancey Co., North Carolina.4 She married first Newton Gouge, son of James M. Gouge and Martha Blalock, on 27 April 1930 in Celo, Yancey Co.5 She married second Henry Thornton Barker, son of Valeria Moore Oakley, sometime between February 1946, when Winnie was called Winnie Gouge in her father's obituary, and November 1950, when their son Charles was born.6,7,8,9 She died on 22 February 1985 at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, Lucas Co., Ohio, at age 71.4 She was buried at Carroway Cemetery in Celo, Yancey Co., North Carolina.4
     In 1940, after the death of her first husband Newton, she and her children Billie, Betty, and Shirley were living with her parents in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.10 She and her second husband Henry moved to Perrin, Gloucester Co., Virginia, sometime between 1950, when their son Charles was born in Yancey Co., and 1954, when Henry died at their home in Perrin.9,7 She lived the last six months of her life with her daughter Betty's family in Oak Harbor, Ottawa Co., Ohio.6
     At the time of her death she was employed as a house cleaner.11

Citations

  1. [S837] 1920 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  2. [S4402] Frances Jewell Geouge, Death Certificate.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  4. [S6993] Obituary, Winnie L. Barker, The News-Messenger, Fremont, Ohio, 23 February 1985, p. 3, col. 4.
  5. [S4400] Newton Gouge and Winnie Hall, Marriage Record.
  6. [S6992] Obituary, Winnie H. Barker, Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina, 24 February 1985, p. 12D, col. 3.
  7. [S6994] Obituary, H. T. Barker, Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 12 November 1954, p. 27, col. 6.
  8. [S6937] Obituary, W. A. Hall, The Yancey Record, Burnsville, North Carolina, 28 February 1946, p. 1, col. 5.
  9. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Charles R. Barker, Roll NCVR_B_C107_66002 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 35, p. 179).
  10. [S4369] 1940 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  11. [S2061] Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2022. Record for Winnie L. Barker, Cert. No. 022087.

Addie Ethel Hall1,2

b. 27 May 1917, d. 13 March 1998
FatherWilliam Andrew Hall3,1,4 b. 26 Nov 1873, d. 21 Feb 1946
MotherMary Ella Bowditch3,1,4 b. a 1873, d. 5 Feb 1963
Relationship2nd cousin 1 time removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Addie Ethel Hall was born on 27 May 1917 (her transcribed birth record says 29 May 1917) in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.1,5,3 She married Edward Marion Burleson, son of James Martin Burleson and Callie Ogle, on 23 January 1937 in Buncombe Co., North Carolina.6 She died on 13 March 1998 at her home near Burnsville, Yancey Co., at age 80 from cardiac arrest.5,7 She was buried at Thomas Cemetery in Yancey Co.8
     She went by the nickname "Bill."7,9 She and her husband Edward were living in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, in 1940.10 She was a lifelong member of the Bowditch Union Church in Burnsville, Yancey Co., and served for many years as the church pianist.7

Citations

  1. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Addie Ethel Burleson, No. 241-03-8935.
  2. [S1542] 1930 U.S. Census, William Hall household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  3. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Ethel Hall, Roll NCVR_B_C107_66001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 5-7, p. 862).
  4. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 67 (p. 44).
  5. [S2063] North Carolina, U.S., Death Indexes, 1908-2004. Record for Addie Ethel Burleson, SSN 241-03-8935.
  6. [S4367] North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011. Record for Edward Burleson and Addie Hall, from "Buncombe Co. Marriage Register - Female (1851-1961)."
  7. [S6997] Obituary, Addie "Bill" Burleson, Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina, 14 March 1998, p. B4, col. 6.
  8. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Addie Burleson (Mem. No. 70988523), Thomas Cemetery, Yancey Co., North Carolina. Created by Gwen Bodford, 7 June 2011.
  9. [S6998] Obituary, Edward Burleson, Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina, 21 February 1999, p. B5, col. 1.
  10. [S4403] 1940 U.S. Census, Ed Burleson household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.

Julia Emma Hilliard1,2

b. 30 October 1867, d. 16 May 1908
FatherEzekial Hilliard1
MotherMartha M. Giles1
     Julia Emma Hilliard was born on 30 October 1867 in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.3,2 She married John Abbot Bowditch, son of Joseph Henry Bowditch and Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot, on 3 May 1905 in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.1 She died of tuberculosis on 16 May 1908 (the Bowditch genealogy says 25 May 1908) in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina, at age 40.3,2 She was buried at John Hilliard Cemetery in Yancey Co., North Carolina.4
     She was ill with tuberculosis for several years. She and her husband John, along with their daughter Ruth and Julia's sister Lucy, went to Arizona for a short time, traveling by train from Boonford, Mitchell Co., North Carolina, hoping for a cure. Her condition became worse, however, and they returned home a few weeks before her death.5

Child of Julia Emma Hilliard and John Abbot Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S7024] John A. Bowditch and Julia Hilliard, Marriage Record.
  2. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 69 (p. 45).
  3. [S3201] Julia H. Bowditch Cemetery Marker, John Hilliard Family Cemetery, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  4. [S3200] Katherine Roeders, Roeders Family Tree, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/9806382/family, entry for Julia Emma Hilliard. Includes a picture of her cemetery marker, with the caption "1 Dec 2009 John L. Hilliard Cemetery." This is presumably the same as John Hilliard Family Cemetery listed at Find A Grave in Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  5. [S835] Lloyd Richard Bailey, The Heritage of the Toe River Valley, Vol. III, Art. 135.
  6. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Ruth Coline Bowditch Gibbs, No. 239-06-0424.

Mildred Lee Ballew1,2,3

b. 29 September 1879, d. 19 January 1937
FatherStephen Ballew1,4
MotherLucinda Shufford4
     Mildred Lee Ballew was born on 29 September 1879 in Busick (the Bowditch genealogy says Celo), Yancey Co., North Carolina.4,3 She married John Abbot Bowditch, son of Joseph Henry Bowditch and Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot, on 21 September 1908 in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.1 She died on 19 January 1937 in Celo, Yancey Co., North Carolina, at age 57 from a gall bladder malignancy, "probably cancer."4 She was buried at Ballew Cemetery on Hickory Hill Rd. in Yancey Co., North Carolina.2
     She and her husband John lived in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, and are listed there with their children in the 1910-1930 censuses.5,6,7 John's daughter Ruth from his first marriage was listed with them in 1920 and 1930. (In 1910 she was living with her uncle John Hilliard's family in Crabtree Twp.)8

Children of Mildred Lee Ballew and John Abbot Bowditch

     In addition to the children listed below, Mildred and John may have had a daughter who died as an infant. There's a Find A Grave entry for "Baby Girl Bowditch" in Yancey Co., with the explanation "According to the 1939-40 WPA Cemetery Survey this is at the old Bowditch home place and shows an infant grave. According to Roscoe Briggs this is the grave of the Baby Sister of John and Frank Bowditch. John and Frank were sons of John and Mildred Ballew Bowditch."12

Citations

  1. [S7025] John A. Bowditch and Mildred Ballew, Marriage Record.
  2. [S846] Gwen Bodford, Ballew Cemetery Records, http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/yancey/cemeteries/…
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 69 (p. 45).
  4. [S3203] Millie Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  5. [S7026] 1910 U.S. Census, John A. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  6. [S7027] 1920 U.S. Census, John A. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  7. [S7028] 1930 U.S. Census, John A. Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  8. [S7016] 1910 U.S. Census, John B. Hilliard household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  9. [S3207] John Wesley Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  10. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Frank W. Bowditch, Roll NCVR_B_C107_68001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 32, p. 11).
  11. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Robert S. Bowditch, Roll NCVR_B_C107_66001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 1-4, p. 1758).
  12. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Baby Girl Bowditch (Mem. No. 100131687), Yancet Co., North Carolina. Created by Gwen Bodford, 4 November 2012.

Ruth Coline Bowditch1,2

b. 10 February 1906, d. 8 December 2004
FatherJohn Abbot Bowditch1,2 b. 2 Apr 1856, d. 17 May 1933
MotherJulia Emma Hilliard1,2 b. 30 Oct 1867, d. 16 May 1908
Relationship1st cousin 2 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Ruth Coline Bowditch was born on 10 February 1906 in Busick, Yancey Co., North Carolina.1 She married John Lawrence Gibbs, son of Charles David Gibbs and Lucy Annie Nichols, on 16 October 1937 in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.3 She died on 8 December 2004 at the Yancey Nursing Center in Burnsville, Yancey Co., North Carolina, at age 98.4 She was buried on 11 December 2004 at Carroway Cemetery in Celo, Yancey Co., North Carolina.4
     After her mother's death in 1908 she lived with her uncle John Hilliard and his family for several years5, and is listed with them in Crabtree Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, in the 1910 census.6 She and her husband John are listed in the 1940 census living with John's father in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.7

Citations

  1. [S4174] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Record for Ruth Coline Bowditch Gibbs, No. 239-06-0424.
  2. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 69 (p. 45).
  3. [S7018] Lawrence Gibbs and Ruth Bowditch, Marriage Record.
  4. [S7019] Obituary, Ruth Bowditch Gibbs, Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina, 10 December 2004, p. B3, col. 3.
  5. [S835] Lloyd Richard Bailey, The Heritage of the Toe River Valley, Vol. III, Art. 135.
  6. [S7016] 1910 U.S. Census, John B. Hilliard household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  7. [S7017] 1940 U.S. Census, C. D. Gibbs household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.

John Lawrence Gibbs1,2

b. 24 November 1904, d. 27 November 1972
FatherCharles David Gibbs2
MotherLucy Annie Nichols2
     John Lawrence Gibbs was born on 24 November 1904 in Yancey Co., North Carolina.1,2 He married Ruth Coline Bowditch, daughter of John Abbot Bowditch and Julia Emma Hilliard, on 16 October 1937 in Micaville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.3 He died on 27 November 1972 at Community Hospital in Spruce Pine, Mitchell Co., North Carolina, at age 68 from heart disease.2 He was buried at Carroway Cemetery in Celo, Yancey Co., North Carolina.2
     He and his wife Ruth are listed in the 1940 census living with his father in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina.4

Citations

  1. [S7029] World War II Draft Card, John Lawrence Gibbs.
  2. [S3210] John Lawrence Gibbs, Death Certificate.
  3. [S7018] Lawrence Gibbs and Ruth Bowditch, Marriage Record.
  4. [S7017] 1940 U.S. Census, C. D. Gibbs household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.

John Wesley Bowditch1,2,3

b. 4 July 1909, d. 14 June 1958
FatherJohn Abbot Bowditch2,3 b. 2 Apr 1856, d. 17 May 1933
MotherMildred Lee Ballew2,3 b. 29 Sep 1879, d. 19 Jan 1937
Relationship1st cousin 2 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
John Wesley Bowditch (1909-1958). Photo courtesy of Murray Garner.
     John Wesley Bowditch was born on 4 July 1909 in Busick, Yancey Co., North Carolina.1,2 He died on 14 June 1958 at age 48 when his mattress caught fire at his home in Hamrick, Yancey Co., North Carolina. He apparently tried to beat out the fire with his hands, but was overcome by the smoke. His body was found by his brother Frank the morning of the 14th.2,4 He was buried at Ballew Cemetery on Hickory Hill Rd. in Yancey Co., North Carolina.4
     In 1940 he and his brother Frank were living together in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, with both listing their occupation as farmer in the census.5
     He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, enlisting on 29 July 1942, and was discharged on 8 December 1945. He was an electrician's mate first class aboard the USS Atherton, a destroyer escort.6 The Atherton was commissioned at the Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia, on 29 August 1943, and underwent shakedown exercises for about two months in the Chesapeake Bay and during two trips to Bermuda. She was assigned to anti-submarine patrol duty in the Caribbean in November, then returned to the Chesapeake to train prospective destroyer escort crews. From January 1944 to May 1945 she escorted trans-Atlantic convoys between the U.S. and various Mediterranean ports. On 5 May 1945, along with the USS Moberly, she sank the German submarine U-583 eight miles off Block Island, Rhode Island, the last German submarine to be sunk in U.S. waters during the war. In early June 1945 she participated in exercises at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, then sailed to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, arriving on 29 June. From there she was assigned to anti-submarine patrols, picket duty, convoy escorts, and rescue station duty in the South Pacific until the end of the war. She sailed for home on 1 November 1945, arriving in Jacksonville, Florida, in early December.7
     He was never married.2

Citations

  1. [S7033] World War II Draft Card, John Wesley Bowditch.
  2. [S3207] John Wesley Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 69 (p. 45).
  4. [S5142] Obituary, John W. Bowditch, Asheville Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina, 15 June 1958, p. 3, col. 7.
  5. [S7036] 1940 U.S. Census, Frank Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  6. [S3321] U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970. Entry for John Wesley Bowditch, 20 March 1959.
  7. [S7034] USS Atherton, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Atherton

Frank Watson Bowditch1,2,3

b. 3 March 1912, d. 29 March 1986
FatherJohn Abbot Bowditch1,4 b. 2 Apr 1856, d. 17 May 1933
MotherMildred Lee Ballew1,4 b. 29 Sep 1879, d. 19 Jan 1937
Relationship1st cousin 2 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Frank Watson Bowditch was born on 3 March 1912 in Busick, Yancey Co., North Carolina.1 He married Edna Irene Burgin, daughter of Cecil C. Burgin and Ethel C. Putnam, on 6 March 1945 in Marion, McDowell Co., North Carolina.5 He died on 29 March 1986 at home in Yancey Co., North Carolina, at age 74 from cancer.2 He was buried at Ballew Cemetery on South Toe School Rd. in Yancey Co., North Carolina.2
     In 1940 he and his brother John were living together in South Toe Twp., Yancey Co., North Carolina, with both listing their occupation as farmer in the census.6
     He served as a staff sergeant with the Marines in the Pacific during World War II7,8, enlisting on 17 October 1942, and being discharged on 5 November 1945.9
     In 1963 he was working for the National Park Service at Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina3, and later worked as a carpenter in the building construction business.2

Citations

  1. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Frank W. Bowditch, Roll NCVR_B_C107_68001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 32, p. 11).
  2. [S7038] Frank Watson Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 70 (p. 45).
  4. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 69 (p. 45).
  5. [S7037] Frank W. Bowditch and Edna Irene Burgin, Marriage Record.
  6. [S7036] 1940 U.S. Census, Frank Bowditch household, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  7. [S7039] Frank Watson Bowditch Cemetery Marker, Ballew Cemetery, Burnsville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  8. [S7035] "Men In Service", The Yancey Record, 20 April 1944, p. 1, col. 1.
  9. [S3028] U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010. Record for Frank Bowditch.

Robert Stevenson Bowditch1,2

b. 7 November 1914, d. 31 August 1976
FatherJohn Abbot Bowditch1,3 b. 2 Apr 1856, d. 17 May 1933
MotherMildred Lee Ballew1,3 b. 29 Sep 1879, d. 19 Jan 1937
Relationship1st cousin 2 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsGeorge Abbot and Nancy Stickney Descendants
     Robert Stevenson Bowditch was born on 7 November 1914 (his transcribed birth record says 8 November) in Hamrick, Yancey Co., North Carolina.4,2,1 He married Katherine Ross, daughter of Beverly F. Ross and Dorothy Norwood, on 24 August 1949 in Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., North Carolina.5 He died on 31 August 1976 at his brother Frank's home in Yancey Co., North Carolina, at age 61 from heart disease.2,6 He was buried at Ballew Cemetery on Hickory Hill Rd. in Yancey Co., North Carolina.2
     He was a grocer, living in Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., North Carolina.6 He had moved there by 1940, when he was listed in the census as a grocery store manager, and living as a lodger in a boarding house run by Clara Dasher.7
     He served in Africa as a master sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II8,9, enlisting on 13 April 1942 and being discharged on 18 November 1945.10
     He and Katherine had no children.11

Citations

  1. [S4381] North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000. Record for Robert S. Bowditch, Roll NCVR_B_C107_66001 (from Yancey Co. Births, Vol. 1-4, p. 1758).
  2. [S7050] Robert Stevenson Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  3. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 69 (p. 45).
  4. [S7053] World War II Draft Card, Robert Stevenson Bowditch.
  5. [S7049] R. S. Bowditch and Katherine Ross, Marriage Record.
  6. [S7051] Obituary, Robert S. Bowditch, The Yancey Journal, Burnsville, North Carolina, 9 September 1976, p. 6, col. 1.
  7. [S7048] 1940 U.S. Census, Robert S. Bowditch household, Mecklenburg Co., North Carolina.
  8. [S7052] Robert S. Bowditch Cemetery Marker, Ballew Cemetery, Burnsville, Yancey Co., North Carolina.
  9. [S7035] "Men In Service", The Yancey Record, 20 April 1944, p. 1, col. 1.
  10. [S3028] U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010. Record for Robert Bowditch.
  11. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 70 (p. 45).