Mary Bowditch1

b. 27 March 1766, d. 2 December 1808
FatherHabakkuk Bowditch1 b. 5 Jan 1737/38, d. 28 Jul 1798
MotherMary Ingersoll1 d. 16 Dec 1783
Relationship1st cousin 5 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
     Mary Bowditch was born on 27 March 1766.2 She was baptized on 30 March 1766 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.3 She probably married David Martin on 20 April 1791.3 She died of consumption on 2 December 1808 at age 42.2
     She and David had two children, according to the Bowditch genealogy by Fred Bowditch. However, the memoir of Nathaniel Bowditch says at her death she left an only child, a daughter, who was cared for by her brother Nathaniel.2,1

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 42 (pp. 27,28).
  2. [S772] Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Mécanique Céleste, Vol. IV, pp. 14-16.
  3. [S759] [Anonymous], "Bowditch Genealogy," The Essex Antiquarian, April 1906.

David Martin1

     David Martin probably married Mary Bowditch, daughter of Habakkuk Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll, on 20 April 1791.2 He died a few years after his marriage.3
     He was a ship master.3 He and Mary had two children, according to the Bowditch genealogy by Fred Bowditch.3,1

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 42 (pp. 27,28).
  2. [S759] [Anonymous], "Bowditch Genealogy," The Essex Antiquarian, April 1906.
  3. [S772] Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Mécanique Céleste, Vol. IV, pp. 14-16.

Habakkuk Bowditch1

b. 2 May 1768, d. about 1800
FatherHabakkuk Bowditch1 b. 5 Jan 1737/38, d. 28 Jul 1798
MotherMary Ingersoll1 d. 16 Dec 1783
Relationship1st cousin 5 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
     Habakkuk Bowditch was born on 2 May 1768.2 He was baptized on 15 May 1768 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.3 He drowned about 1800 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts. He was unmarried.1,2

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 42 (pp. 27,28).
  2. [S772] Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Mécanique Céleste, Vol. IV, pp. 14-16.
  3. [S759] [Anonymous], "Bowditch Genealogy," The Essex Antiquarian, April 1906.

Elizabeth Bowditch1

b. 16 May 1771, d. 9 December 1791
FatherHabakkuk Bowditch1 b. 5 Jan 1737/38, d. 28 Jul 1798
MotherMary Ingersoll1 d. 16 Dec 1783
Relationship1st cousin 5 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
     Elizabeth Bowditch was born on 16 May 1771.2 She was baptized on 19 May 1771 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.3 She died unmarried on 9 December 1791 at age 20, after falling down a fight of stairs.2,1

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 42 (pp. 27,28).
  2. [S772] Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Mécanique Céleste, Vol. IV, pp. 14-16.
  3. [S759] [Anonymous], "Bowditch Genealogy," The Essex Antiquarian, April 1906.

Nathaniel Bowditch1

b. 26 March 1773, d. 16 March 1838
FatherHabakkuk Bowditch2 b. 5 Jan 1737/38, d. 28 Jul 1798
MotherMary Ingersoll2 d. 16 Dec 1783
Relationship1st cousin 5 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838). Detail of a painting by Charles Osgood, after an unfinished portrait by Gilbert Stuart. Via Wikimedia Commons.
     Nathaniel Bowditch was born on 26 March 1773 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1,3 He married first Elizabeth B. Boardman, daughter of Francis Boardman and Mary Hodges, on 25 March 1798 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1,3 He married second his first cousin Mary Ingersoll, daughter of Jonathan Ingersoll and Mary Hodges, on 28 October 1800 in Danvers, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1,3 He died on 16 March 1838 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 64.1,3
     He was president of the Essex Fire and Marine Insurance Co. in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, from 1804 to 1823.1 His house in Salem was on Essex Street.1
     He moved to Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, in 1823 to work as an actuary, and in 1824 become director of the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Co., where he worked the rest of his life. In Boston he lived at No. 8 Otis Place, near Church Green.1
     He is probably best known as the author of the New American Practical Navigator, published in 1802. While living in Boston he also became well known as a mathematician, primarily due to his translation, with numerous commentaries, of LaPlace's Mécanique Céleste.1 He had several connections to Harvard College in Boston. He received two honorary degrees - an A. M. in 1802 and an LL. D. in 1816. From 1810 to 1826 he was on the Board of Overseers, and was a Fellow from 1826 until his death. He was also once offered a position as mathematics professor, but turned it down.1

More Information / Background

Children of Nathaniel Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 43 (p. 28).
  2. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 42 (pp. 27,28).
  3. [S759] [Anonymous], "Bowditch Genealogy," The Essex Antiquarian, April 1906.
  4. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Death record for Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Vol. 148, p. 223, Rec. No. 11.
  5. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7.
  6. [S3549] Vital Records of Salem, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 104.
  7. [S7955] Obituary, Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, Boston Evening Transcript, Boston, Massachusetts, 15 January 1892, p. 5, col. 2.
  8. [S7964] William Ingersoll Bowditch, Death Certificate.

William Bowditch1

b. 5 May 1776, d. 1799
FatherHabakkuk Bowditch1 b. 5 Jan 1737/38, d. 28 Jul 1798
MotherMary Ingersoll1 d. 16 Dec 1783
Relationship1st cousin 5 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
     William Bowditch was born on 5 May 1776 in Danvers, Essex Co., Massachusetts.2,1 He was baptized on 12 September 1779.3 He died in Trinidad during a sea voyage in the fall of 1799. He was unmarried.2,1
     He was as mathematically gifted as his brother Nathaniel, and authored one of the notes in the Practical Navigator.2

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 42 (pp. 27,28).
  2. [S772] Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Mécanique Céleste, Vol. IV, pp. 14-16.
  3. [S759] [Anonymous], "Bowditch Genealogy," The Essex Antiquarian, April 1906.

Samuel Ingersoll Bowditch1

b. 13 September 1778, d. 5 April 1794
FatherHabakkuk Bowditch1 b. 5 Jan 1737/38, d. 28 Jul 1798
MotherMary Ingersoll1 d. 16 Dec 1783
Relationship1st cousin 5 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
     Samuel Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 13 September 1778 in Danvers, Essex Co., Massachusetts.2,1 He was baptized on 12 September 1779.3 He died on 5 April 1794 at age 15.2
     Like his brothers Nathaniel and William, he was mathematically gifted, but "pursued his studies with ... waywardness and eccentricity."2

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 42 (pp. 27,28).
  2. [S772] Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Mécanique Céleste, Vol. IV, pp. 14-16.
  3. [S759] [Anonymous], "Bowditch Genealogy," The Essex Antiquarian, April 1906.

Elizabeth B. Boardman1,2

b. about 1780, d. 18 October 1798
FatherFrancis Boardman1
MotherMary Hodges1
     Elizabeth B. Boardman was born about 1780.1 She married Nathaniel Bowditch, son of Habakkuk Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll, on 25 March 1798 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1,2 She died at about age 18 on 18 October 1798 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, from scrofula, a form of tuberculosis.3 She was buried at Burying Point Cemetery in Essex Co., Massachusetts.4

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 43 (p. 28).
  2. [S759] [Anonymous], "Bowditch Genealogy," The Essex Antiquarian, April 1906.
  3. [S3551] Vital Records of Salem, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. V - Deaths, p. 97.
  4. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Elizabeth Bowditch (Mem. No. 19433726), Burying Point Cemetery, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Created by The Guardian, 18 May 2007.

Mary Ingersoll1

b. 4 December 1781, d. 17 April 1834
FatherJonathan Ingersoll1
MotherMary Hodges1
     Mary Ingersoll was born on 4 December 1781.1 She married her first cousin Nathaniel Bowditch, son of Habakkuk Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll, on 28 October 1800 in Danvers, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1,2 She died of consumption on 17 April 1834 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 52.1,2

Children of Mary Ingersoll and Nathaniel Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, p. 43 (p. 28).
  2. [S759] [Anonymous], "Bowditch Genealogy," The Essex Antiquarian, April 1906.
  3. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Death record for Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Vol. 148, p. 223, Rec. No. 11.
  4. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7.
  5. [S3549] Vital Records of Salem, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 104.
  6. [S7955] Obituary, Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, Boston Evening Transcript, Boston, Massachusetts, 15 January 1892, p. 5, col. 2.
  7. [S7964] William Ingersoll Bowditch, Death Certificate.

Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch1

b. 17 January 1805, d. 16 April 1861
FatherNathaniel Bowditch2,1 b. 26 Mar 1773, d. 16 Mar 1838
MotherMary Ingersoll2,1 b. 4 Dec 1781, d. 17 Apr 1834
Relationship2nd cousin 4 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch (1805-1861). From S. K. Lothrop, Memoir of Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch (Boston, Massachusetts: John Wilson & Son, 1862).
     Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 17 January 1805 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.3 He married Elizabeth Brown Francis, daughter of Ebenezer Francis and Elizabeth Thorndike, on 23 April 1835 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.4 He died on 16 April 1861 at home in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 56.2,5 He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Cedar Ave. Lot 1461) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.6
     He entered Harvard University in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, in August 1818 at age 13, which was apparently too young. At the suggestion of the faculty, near the end of his first year his father removed him from school for several months.7 He soon returned, however, and graduated with high honors in 1822, the youngest in his class.5
     He began studying law with B. R. Nichols in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, then in 1823 moved to Boston to accept a position as an actuary at the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company. He continued his law studies in Boston with William Prescott and his son-in-law Franklin Dexter. He was admitted to the bar in 1825, and entered into a partnership with Dexter. He was interested in Bowditch family history, and while doing genealogical research in land records he became very interested in the field of conveyance, the legal process of transferring property from one owner to another. He began specializing in that in his law practice, and soon became well-known as an authority on the subject.7
     He and his wife Elizabeth and their family are listed in Roxbury, a neighborhood of Boston, in the 1850 census.8 Elizabeth's father died in 1858, and according to Nathaniel's obituary he then "took up his residence in Brookline."9,5 They may have maintained two homes, however, at least for a time. They are listed twice in the 1860 census, in both Boston and Brookline.10,11
     The family was very wealthy. In the 1860 census the value of Nathaniel's personal property was listed as $800,000 when he was enumerated in Brookline, and $1,200,000 when he was enumerated in Boston.
     He was associated with the Massachusetts General Hospital for 34 years, starting in 1827, serving as secretary for 9 years, trustee and Board chairman for 14 years, and vice-president for 11 years. He wrote a book on the hospital's history, published in 1851.7 He was the author of a series of articles on genealogy and land titles that he signed as "Gleaner," many of them published in the Boston Transcript.12 He also wrote a memoir of his famous father Nathaniel Bowditch13, and was the author of Suffolk Surnames, first published in 1857. A larger second edition was published in 1858, and a much larger third edition in 1861.7
     In 1859 he developed cancer of thigh bone, which he suffered with for eighteen months before his death.5
     In his will, dated March 1859, he left various individual items from his personal library, including some very old and valuable items that he described in detail, to his children and various institutions. He also left various cash amounts to siblings, nieces/nephews, other relatives, friends, employees at Massachusetts General Hospital, and to his own employees in his home. He left specific instructions for the maintenance and secure storage of 55 volumes (nearly 30,000 pages) of land titles that he'd written during his career, saying that their "careful preservation may be of the utmost importance to my reputation for accuracy," and that "the information contained in these volumes may be very important if they are judiciously used and referred to, and may be highly detrimental to the community if free & indiscriminate access were had to them, since defects of title are there stated which if generally known, might be used to the injury of the present holders of estates." He noted that since his marriage in 1835 he had earned and spent more than $150,000, often for public purposes, realizing that since his wife would inherit a large estate from her father, he could spend his entire income without harming his family.14
     In a codicil to his will he made several additional bequests, including establishment of annuities for various people; $5000 to the state Normal School; $5000 to Massachusetts General Hospital to set up a "Wooden Leg Fund," with income used to help pay for wooden legs for amputees, with female and young patients having preference; and $4000/year for the establishment of 16 scholarships at Harvard.15

Children of Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch and Elizabeth Brown Francis

Citations

  1. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7.
  2. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Death record for Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Vol. 148, p. 223, Rec. No. 11.
  3. [S7764] Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts, To the Year 1850, Vol. I - Births, p. 75; from Mt. Auburn Cemetery grave records.
  4. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Nathaniel I. Bowditch and Elizabeth B. Francis, "Boston / Boston Marriages, 1800-1849," Vol. 1, pp. 88,89.
  5. [S7765] Obituary, Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Boston Daily Advertiser, Boston, Massachusetts, 18 April 1861, p. 2, col. 2.
  6. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch (Mem. No. 95843084), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by Saratoga, 23 August 2012.
  7. [S7763] S. K. Lothrop, Memoir of Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch.
  8. [S7768] 1850 U.S. Census, William Jemerson household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  9. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Death record for Ebenezer Francis, Vol. 122, p. 65, Rec. No. 2816.
  10. [S7769] 1860 U.S. Census, Nathl. Bowditch household, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.
  11. [S7770] 1860 U.S. Census, Nathl. I. Bowditch household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  12. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 8.
  13. [S772] Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Mécanique Céleste, Vol. IV.
  14. [S3346] Elizabeth's father was said to be the richest man in Boston. At his death he left an estate of almost $5,000,000, with the bulk of it left in trust for his nine grandchildren. His only two children, Elizabeth and her sister, were each left $200,000 directly, plus the interest from the trust, estimated to be about $117,000 annually. ["The Francis Will," New England Farmer, Boston, Massachusetts, 2 October 1858, p. 3, col. 1. Image from Newspapers.com (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.), at http://newspapers.com.]
  15. [S7766] Probate Records, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, Vol. 105, pp. 226-232; records for Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch.
  16. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Birth record for Mary Ingersoll Bowditch, "Boston / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 1637.

Elizabeth Brown Francis1

b. 25 November 1807, d. 16 January 1892
FatherEbenezer Francis1
MotherElizabeth Thorndike1
Elizabeth Brown Francis (1807-1892). Portrait by A. C. Lalli, 187?, watercolor on ivory, Massachusetts Historical Society.
     Elizabeth Brown Francis was born on 25 November 1807 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.2 She married Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, son of Nathaniel Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll, on 23 April 1835 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.3 She died on 16 January 1892 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 84 from a stroke.4 She was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Cedar Ave. Lot 1461) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.5
     She and her husband Nathaniel and their family are listed in Roxbury, a neighborhood of Boston, in the 1850 census.6 Elizabeth's father died in 1858, and according to Nathaniel's obituary he then "took up his residence in Brookline."7,8 They may have maintained two homes, however, at least for a time. They are listed twice in the 1860 census, in both Boston and Brookline.9,10 Elizabeth continued to live in Brookline after her husband Nathaniel's death in 1861; she's listed there with her daughters Mary and Alice in the 1870 census.11 In 1880 she was back in Boston, living with Mary Hurlbut, listed in the census as a companion.12
     The family was very wealthy. In the 1860 census the value of Nathaniel's personal property was listed as $800,000 when he was enumerated in Brookline, and $1,200,000 when he was enumerated in Boston. In 1870 Elizabeth listed the value of her real estate as $275,000 and personal property as $800,000.11 At her death in 1892 her estate was estimated to be worth about $1,000,000.13

Children of Elizabeth Brown Francis and Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 8.
  2. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Birth record for Elizabeth Brown Francis.
  3. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Nathaniel I. Bowditch and Elizabeth B. Francis, "Boston / Boston Marriages, 1800-1849," Vol. 1, pp. 88,89.
  4. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Death record for Elizabeth B. Bowditch, Vol. 429, p. 30, Rec. No. 689.
  5. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Elizabeth Brown (Francis) Bowditch (Mem. No. 95840787), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by Saratoga, 23 August 2012.
  6. [S7768] 1850 U.S. Census, William Jemerson household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  7. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Death record for Ebenezer Francis, Vol. 122, p. 65, Rec. No. 2816.
  8. [S7765] Obituary, Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, Boston Daily Advertiser, Boston, Massachusetts, 18 April 1861, p. 2, col. 2.
  9. [S7769] 1860 U.S. Census, Nathl. Bowditch household, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.
  10. [S7770] 1860 U.S. Census, Nathl. I. Bowditch household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  11. [S7771] 1870 U.S. Census, Elizabeth B. Bowditch household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  12. [S7772] 1880 U.S. Census, Elizabeth Bowditch household, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.
  13. [S7767] "Will of Mrs. E. B. Bowditch", The Boston Globe, 26 January 1892, p. 8, col. 2.
  14. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Birth record for Mary Ingersoll Bowditch, "Boston / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 1637.

Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch1

b. 15 October 1806, d. 19 February 1889
FatherNathaniel Bowditch1 b. 26 Mar 1773, d. 16 Mar 1838
MotherMary Ingersoll1 b. 4 Dec 1781, d. 17 Apr 1834
Relationship2nd cousin 4 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch (1806-1889). From the Jamaica Plain Historical Society, courtesy of George Wardle, Historian, First Church Jamaica Plain.
     Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 15 October 1806 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.2,3 He was baptized on 16 October 1806 at the First Church in Salem.1 He married Lucy Orne Nichols, daughter of Mary Pickering, on 25 May 1836 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.4 He died on 19 February 1889 at his home in Jamaica Plain, Boston, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 82.5,6,7 He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.5,8
     He and his wife Lucy are listed in the census in Canton, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, in 18509, in West Roxbury, Norfolk Co. (now in Suffolk Co.), in 1860 and 187010,11, and in Boston, Suffolk Co., in 1880.12 In 1850 they had two men living with them listed as farmers, probably boarders, and four women, probably servants. They had six servants in 1860, one in 1870, and eight in 1880, all female.
     He was a merchant, beginning his career as a clerk with Ropes and Ward in Salem. They were East India importers, and he made several voyages on their behalf as supercargo. He later joined the American Insurance Company in Boston, serving as its president from 1836 to 1864, and on the board of directors from 1836 to 1884. He also took over as editor of new editions of The New American Practical Navigator after his father Nathaniel's death in 1838. Later in his life he managed several large trusts and estates.3
     He was very interested in astronomy, and built a private observatory at his summer home in Canton. He was active in management and fund raising for the Harvard College observatory, and a generous benefactor for several other departments at the school. In recognition, Harvard awarded him an honorary master of arts degree in 1849, and an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1887. He was also associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, serving on its board and financial committee.3

Children of Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch and Lucy Orne Nichols

Citations

  1. [S3549] Vital Records of Salem, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 104.
  2. [S1960] U.S. Passport Application, J. Ingersoll Bowditch, 25 April 1870.
  3. [S7939] Andrew P. Peabody, "Sketch of the Life of J. Ingersoll Bowditch", from Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. 16 (New Series), Vol. 24 (Whole Series).
  4. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Jona. Ingersoll Bowditch and Lucy Orne Nichols, "Boston / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 5483, Vol. 1, p. 91.
  5. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Death record for J. Ingersoll Bowditch, Vol. 402, p. 57, No. 1304.
  6. [S7944] Obituary, J. Ingersoll Bowditch, Boston Evening Transcript, Boston, Massachusetts, 20 February 1889, p. 1, col. 4.
  7. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 8.
  8. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for J. Ingersoll Bowditch (Mem. No. 95617099), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by Saratoga, 19 August 2012.
  9. [S7940] 1850 U.S. Census, J. Ingersol Bowditch household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  10. [S7941] 1860 U.S. Census, J. Ingersoll Bowditch household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  11. [S7942] 1870 U.S. Census, Johnathan Bowditch household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  12. [S7943] 1880 U.S. Census, J. Ingersol Bowditch household, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.
  13. [S7850] "Deaths", Columbian Centinel, 12 September 1838, p. 1, col. 5.
  14. [S7856] Report of the Secretary of The Class of 1863 of Harvard College, June 1863 to June 1888, pp. 29-30.

Lucy Orne Nichols1

b. 23 June 1816, d. 24 April 1883
MotherMary Pickering2
Lucy Orne Nichols (1816-1883). From the Jamaica Plain Historical Society, courtesy of George Wardle, Historian, First Church Jamaica Plain.
     Lucy Orne Nichols was born on 23 June 1816 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.2,3 She was baptized on 18 August 1816 at the North Church in Salem.4 She married Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch, son of Nathaniel Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll, on 25 May 1836 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.1 She died on 24 April 1883 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 66 from pneumonia.3 She was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Tulip Path Lot 1207) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.3,5
     She and her husband Jonathan are listed in the census in Canton, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, in 18506, in West Roxbury, Norfolk Co. (now in Suffolk Co.), in 1860 and 18707,8, and in Boston, Suffolk Co., in 1880.9 In 1850 they had two men living with them listed as farmers, probably boarders, and four women, probably servants. They had six servants in 1860, one in 1870, and eight in 1880, all female.

Children of Lucy Orne Nichols and Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Jona. Ingersoll Bowditch and Lucy Orne Nichols, "Boston / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 5483, Vol. 1, p. 91.
  2. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 8.
  3. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Death record for Lucy O. (Nichols) Bowditch, Vol. 348, p. 113, No. 48.
  4. [S3273] Vital Records of Salem, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. II - Births, p. 107.
  5. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Lucy Orne (Nichols) Bowditch (Mem. No. 95616849), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by Saratoga, 19 August 2012.
  6. [S7940] 1850 U.S. Census, J. Ingersol Bowditch household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  7. [S7941] 1860 U.S. Census, J. Ingersoll Bowditch household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  8. [S7942] 1870 U.S. Census, Johnathan Bowditch household, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
  9. [S7943] 1880 U.S. Census, J. Ingersol Bowditch household, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.
  10. [S7850] "Deaths", Columbian Centinel, 12 September 1838, p. 1, col. 5.
  11. [S7856] Report of the Secretary of The Class of 1863 of Harvard College, June 1863 to June 1888, pp. 29-30.

Henry Ingersoll Bowditch1,2

b. 9 August 1808, d. 14 January 1892
FatherNathaniel Bowditch1,2 b. 26 Mar 1773, d. 16 Mar 1838
MotherMary Ingersoll1,2 b. 4 Dec 1781, d. 17 Apr 1834
Relationship2nd cousin 4 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
Henry Ingersoll Bowditch (1808-1892). Photo by Southworth & Hawes, 1850-1860. From the Massachusetts Historical Society, Daguerreotype collection, Photo 1.361L.
     Henry Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 9 August 1808 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1,3 He was baptized on 30 October 1808 at the First Church in Salem.4 He married Olivia Yardley, daughter of John Yardley and Elizabeth Ann Flight, on 17 July 1838 at St. John's Church in New York, New York.5,1 He died on 14 January 1892 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 83.6 He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Tulip Path, Lot 1206) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.3,7
     He graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees from Harvard University in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, in 1828, and with his medical degree in 1832.8 He studied in Paris for a year, then set up his practice in Boston. He was at Massachusetts General Hospital from 1838 to 1864, first as an admitting physician, then as visiting physician. He was also the first visiting physician at Carney Hospital, which he had helped establish, and visiting physician at Boston City Hospital from 1868 to 1871. He taught at Boylston Medical School from 1852 to 1855, and was professor of clinical medicine at Harvard Medical School from 1859 to 1867.9 When the Civil War began he was appointed by the governor as medical examiner for newly-enlisted soldiers in Massachusetts.10
     In 1852 an accident during obstetric surgery resulted in one finger on his right hand becoming permanently disabled. As a result, he gave up general family medicine and began concentrating on thoracic disease, soon becoming the leading specialist in New England.9 He was a pioneer in the use of thoracentesis (drawing off fluid in the chest). He also emphasized preventive medicine and hygiene, and wrote the book Public Hygiene in America, published in 1877.1
     He was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1848, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Massachusetts State Board of Health, the first statewide board of health in the country, serving as its president from 1869 to 1879. He was also president of the American Medical Association in 1876.9
     In addition to his medical expertise, he became known as a staunch abolitionist, starting in 1835 when he witnessed the attempted lynching of the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison in Boston.9 He was often criticized and ostracized by former friends and colleagues for his views and activities, and at least one Boston newspaper advocated a boycott of his medical practice.10
     In 1842 George Latimer, a runaway slave, was arrested by local authorities, causing an uproar by abolitionists in Boston. Henry Bowditch and two others created a "Latimer Committee," and published a newsletter every other day. One issue reported that due to Latimer's capture "fire and bloodshed threatened in every direction." Eventually funds were raised by various groups to purchase Latimer's freedom. The Latimer Committee also wrote the "Great Massachusetts Petition," which prompted passage of the 1843 Liberty Act in Massachusetts (aka the "Latimer Law"), which banned the use of state jails for holding runaway slaves, and state officials from helping to return them to slaveholders.11
     In 1844, and again in 1846, he ran for Congress as the nominee of the Liberty Party, which supported working within the government in support of abolition.10 In 1854 he and several others established Boston's Anti-Man-Hunting League. This was a secret club with 24 lodges and 469 members, whose purpose was to capture and hold any slave owner who came to Massachusetts to reclaim a runaway slave. They developed plans and held drills, but never had an opportunity to put them into practice.9
     He was also a friend of escaped slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglas, who once said that Dr. Bowditch "was the first man in Boston to treat me as a man." When informed about his ill health just before his death, Douglas wrote that when he came to Boston more than 50 years ago, just three years out of slavery, "There was much in my appearance ... to induce myself unacceptable and unpresentable to the circle in which Dr. Bowditch moved, and yet this educated and refined gentleman took my hard and horny hands in his with a loving expression which I have carried in my mind for 50 years, invited me to his house, introduced me to his young and beautiful wife, seated me at his table and made me at home under his roof." He also wrote " ... this loving kindness on his part was not altogether due to my personal qualities, but to a broad and intense devotion to the cause of justice and humanity."12
     His son Nathaniel served in the Civil War, and was killed on 18 March 1863 at age 23, while leading a cavalry charge at the Battle of Kelly's Ford in Virginia. That event, along with what he observed while on a hospital inspection trip in Washington, D.C., made Henry a strong advocate for an army-wide ambulance service. He was greatly affected by his son's death, and in 1865 wrote and self-published "Memorial [of Nathaniel Bowditch, Lieutenant, First Massachusetts Cavalry]."10
     In 1879 he tore a tendon in his knee while exiting a carriage, causing him to walk with a slight limp the rest of his life. He also suffered from epileptic attacks later in his life.9

More Information / Background

Children of Henry Ingersoll Bowditch and Olivia Yardley

Citations

  1. [S7955] Obituary, Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, Boston Evening Transcript, Boston, Massachusetts, 15 January 1892, p. 5, col. 2.
  2. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7.
  3. [S7957] Henry Ingersoll Bowditch and Olivia Yardley Cemetery Marker, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.
  4. [S3549] Vital Records of Salem, Massachusetts, To the End of the Year 1849, Vol. I - Births, p. 104.
  5. [S7958] Vincent Yardley Bowditch, Life and Correspondence of Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, Vol. 1, p. 97.
  6. [S3187] Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915, 1921-1924. Record for Henry I. Bowditch, Film 961508, Image 34, Vol. 429, p. 263, Rec. No. 598.
  7. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Dr. Henry Ingersoll Bowditch (Mem. No. 95627690), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by Saratoga, 19 August 2012.
  8. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 9.
  9. [S7952] Charles Folsom, "Henry Ingersoll Bowditch," Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, May 1892 - May 1893.
  10. [S7953] John T. Cumbler, "A Family Goes to War - Sacrifice and Honor for an Abolitionist Family," Massachusetts Historical Review, 2008.
  11. [S7956] George Latimer (escaped slave), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php
  12. [S7954] "Dr. Bowditch Loved Justice", The Boston Globe, 20 January 1892, p. 3, col. 2.
  13. [S7960] Obituary, Vincent Yardley Bowditch, The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, 21 Decemver 1929, p. 7, col. 6.

Olivia Yardley1

b. 1 February 1816, d. 17 December 1890
FatherJohn Yardley2,1
MotherElizabeth Ann Flight2,1
Olivia Yardley (1816-1890). From Vincent Yardley Bowditch, "Life and Correspondence of Henry Ingersoll Bowditch" (Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1902), Vol. II, p. 364.
     Olivia Yardley was born on 1 February 1816 in London, England.2,3 She was baptized on 26 February 1816 in the parish of St. George Bloomsbury, Middlesex Co., England.2 She married Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, son of Nathaniel Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll, on 17 July 1838 at St. John's Church in New York, New York.4,5 She died on 17 December 1890 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 74 from pneumonia.6 She was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Tulip Path, Lot 1206) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.3,7

Children of Olivia Yardley and Henry Ingersoll Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 9.
  2. [S6402] London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1920. Record for Olivia Yardley, p. 128, No. 1017.
  3. [S7957] Henry Ingersoll Bowditch and Olivia Yardley Cemetery Marker, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.
  4. [S7958] Vincent Yardley Bowditch, Life and Correspondence of Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, Vol. 1, p. 97.
  5. [S7955] Obituary, Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, Boston Evening Transcript, Boston, Massachusetts, 15 January 1892, p. 5, col. 2.
  6. [S3187] Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915, 1921-1924. Record for Olivia Bowditch, Film 961502, Image 418, Vol. 411, p. 401, Rec. No. 9595.
  7. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Olivia Jane (Yardley) Bowditch (Mem. No. 95617703), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by Saratoga, 19 August 2012.
  8. [S7960] Obituary, Vincent Yardley Bowditch, The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, 21 Decemver 1929, p. 7, col. 6.

Charles Ingersoll Bowditch1

b. 1 December 1809, d. 21 February 1820
FatherNathaniel Bowditch1 b. 26 Mar 1773, d. 16 Mar 1838
MotherMary Ingersoll1 b. 4 Dec 1781, d. 17 Apr 1834
Relationship2nd cousin 4 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
     Charles Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 1 December 1809 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1 He died on 21 February 1820 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, at age 10.1 He was buried at Burying Point Cemetery in Essex Co., Massachusetts.2

Citations

  1. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7.
  2. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Charles Ingersoll Bowditch (Mem. No. 19433577), Burying Point Cemetery, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Created by The Guardian, 18 May 2007.

(?) Bowditch1

b. 7 July 1813, d. 8 July 1813
FatherNathaniel Bowditch1 b. 26 Mar 1773, d. 16 Mar 1838
MotherMary Ingersoll1 b. 4 Dec 1781, d. 17 Apr 1834
Relationship2nd cousin 4 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
     (?) Bowditch was born on 7 July 1813 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1 He died on 8 July 1813 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.1

Citations

  1. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7.

Mary Ingersoll Bowditch1

b. 3 April 1816, d. 4 June 1893
FatherNathaniel Bowditch1 b. 26 Mar 1773, d. 16 Mar 1838
MotherMary Ingersoll1 b. 4 Dec 1781, d. 17 Apr 1834
Relationship2nd cousin 4 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
     Mary Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 3 April 1816 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.2 She married Epes Sargent Dixwell, son of John Dixwell and Esther Sargent, on 4 June 1839 in the library of the bride's father's home in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.3,4,2 She died on 4 June 1893 at her home in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, at age 77.5,2 She was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Ailanthus Path, Lot 1180) in Cambridge.6
     After their marriage in 1839, she and her husband Epes lived with his mother in Boston until 1842, then moved to a house on Mason St. in Cambridge. In 1847 her husband received a gift of money from his two brothers, that they used to buy land on Garden St. in Cambridge, and build a house. They moved in September 1848, and remained there the rest of their lives.7

Children of Mary Ingersoll Bowditch and Epes Sargent Dixwell

Citations

  1. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7.
  2. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 9.
  3. [S7946] Mary C. D. Wigglesworth, Epes Sargent Dixwell: An Autobiographical Sketch, p. 47.
  4. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Epes Sargent Dixwell mar Mary Ingersoll Bowditch, "Boston / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 5879, Vol. 1, p. 247.
  5. [S7948] Obituary, Mrs. Epes S. Dixwell, The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, 5 June 1893, p. 3, col. 4.
  6. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Mary Ingersoll (Bowditch) Dixwell (Mem. No. 102308208), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by American History Teacher, 17 December 2012, now maintained by Mayflower Pilgrim 332.
  7. [S7946] Mary C. D. Wigglesworth, Epes Sargent Dixwell: An Autobiographical Sketch, pp. 47-50.

Epes Sargent Dixwell1,2

b. 27 December 1807, d. 1 December 1899
FatherJohn Dixwell1,2
MotherEsther Sargent1,2
Epes Sargent Dixwell (1807-1899). Wax bas relief, artist unknown. From the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Object No. 1999.27.81, usage licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en).
     Epes Sargent Dixwell was born on 27 December 1807 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.3,2 He married Mary Ingersoll Bowditch, daughter of Nathaniel Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll, on 4 June 1839 in the library of the bride's father's home in Boston.4,5,2 He died on 1 December 1899 at his home in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, at age 91.6,2 He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Ailanthus Path, Lot 1180) in Cambridge.6,7
     He entered Harvard University in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, at age 15, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1827.1 He joined the Boston Latin School the following year, serving as sub-master for two years, then as an instructor at the English High School. At the same time he began studying law with Charles G. Loring, and was admitted to the bar at the Suffolk Co. Court of Common Pleas in 1833.6 He gave up practicing law just three years later, in 1836, when he had the opportunity to return to teaching as headmaster at the Boston Latin School.1
     After their marriage in 1839, he and his wife Mary lived with his mother in Boston until 1842, then moved to a house on Mason St. in Cambridge. In 1847 he received a gift of money from his two brothers, that they used to buy land on Garden St. in Cambridge, and build a house. They moved in September 1848, and remained there the rest of their lives.8
     In 1851 Boston's city council passed a law requiring all city employees to live inside the city limits. He was unwilling to move, so he resigned his position at the Boston Latin School9 and opened his own private school on Boylston Place in Boston. He remained there for 20 years, retiring in 1871.6
     He was a highly successful educator, with 400-500 eventual Harvard graduates getting their early education at his school. He held his students to a high standard. In a memoir by his wife's nephew Charles Pickering Bowditch, he was described as "a strict disciplinarian, possessed of a dignified bearing, something of a martinet, and inspiring awe in those who were not able to see beneath the somewhat cold exterior the real kindliness of his nature."1

Children of Epes Sargent Dixwell and Mary Ingersoll Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S7945] Charles P. Bowditch, "Epes Sargent Dixwell," Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, June 1900.
  2. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 9.
  3. [S7946] Mary C. D. Wigglesworth, Epes Sargent Dixwell: An Autobiographical Sketch, p. 3.
  4. [S7946] Mary C. D. Wigglesworth, Epes Sargent Dixwell: An Autobiographical Sketch, p. 47.
  5. [S3080] Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. Marriage record for Epes Sargent Dixwell mar Mary Ingersoll Bowditch, "Boston / Births, Marriages and Death," Image 5879, Vol. 1, p. 247.
  6. [S7947] Obituary, Epes Sargent Dixwell, Boston Evening Transcript, Boston, Massachusetts, 2 December 1899, p. 5, col. 2.
  7. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Epes Sargent Dixwell (Mem. No. 102308230), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by American History Teacher, 17 December 2012, now maintained by Mayflower Pilgrim 332.
  8. [S7946] Mary C. D. Wigglesworth, Epes Sargent Dixwell: An Autobiographical Sketch, pp. 47-50.
  9. [S7946] Mary C. D. Wigglesworth, Epes Sargent Dixwell: An Autobiographical Sketch, p. 45.

William Ingersoll Bowditch1,2

b. 5 August 1819, d. 24 January 1909
FatherNathaniel Bowditch1,2 b. 26 Mar 1773, d. 16 Mar 1838
MotherMary Ingersoll1,2 b. 4 Dec 1781, d. 17 Apr 1834
Relationship2nd cousin 4 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
William Ingersoll Bowditch (1819-1909), about 1850. From the J. Paul Getty Museum Open Content Program, Object No. 84.XT.441.8.
     William Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 5 August 1819 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.3,4 He married Sarah Rhea Higginson, daughter of James Perkins Higginson and Martha Hubbard Babcock, on 23 September 1844 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.5,6 He died on 24 January 1909 at home at 225 Tappan St. in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 89 from arteriosclerosis.1,3 He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Tulip Path, Lot 1208) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.1,7
     He graduated in 1838 from Harvard University in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, with a bachelor's degree3, and continued on to earn a law degree in 1841.4,3 He was a conveyancer (a lawyer who specializes in the legal aspects of buying and selling real estate) and trustee.4,1
     He and his wife Sarah lived in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts,8 where he served as selectman and moderator of town meetings several times.3,8 He and Sarah became active in the antislavery movement when the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison began speaking out, and according to his obituary, he and Garrison became "firm friends." He was a member, along with his brother Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, of the Boston Vigilance Committee, an abolitionist organization formed in 1841. His home in Brookline was used to shelter escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.8,3,9
     Perhaps the most well-known of those he helped were William and Ellen Craft, who escaped from their masters in Macon, Georgia, and later wrote the book Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom describing their escape. Another well-known fugitive hidden by him was a son of the abolitionist John Brown, after Brown's execution in 1859 for leading the raid at Harper's Ferry.8

More Information / Background

Children of William Ingersoll Bowditch and Sarah Rhea Higginson

Citations

  1. [S7964] William Ingersoll Bowditch, Death Certificate.
  2. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7.
  3. [S7965] Obituary, William Ingersoll Bowditch, The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, 25 January 1909, p. 16, col. 7.
  4. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 10.
  5. [S7962] "Married", Boston Courier, 3 October 1844, p. 2, col. 5.
  6. [S7963] "Marriages", Boston Recorder, 3 October 1844, p. 159, col. 3.
  7. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for William Ingersoll Bowditch (Mem. No. 95617845), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by created by Saratoga 19 August 2012.
  8. [S7961] William Ingersoll Bowditch House, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/ma3.htm
  9. [S7966] Obituary, Sarah Rhea Higginson Bowditch, The Boston Herald, Boston, Massachusetts, 7 October 1919, p. 3, col. 4.
  10. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Birth record for William Ernestus Bowditch (amended), Vol. 36, p. 369, No. 81.
  11. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Birth record for Susan H. Bowditch, Vol. 106, p. 264, No. 83.

Sarah Rhea Higginson1

b. 22 December 1819, d. 4 October 1919
FatherJames Perkins Higginson1
MotherMartha Hubbard Babcock1
     Sarah Rhea Higginson was born on 22 December 1819.1 She married William Ingersoll Bowditch, son of Nathaniel Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll, on 23 September 1844 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.2,3 She died on 4 October 1919 at home at 225 Tappan St. in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 99.4 She was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Tulip Path, Lot 1208) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.4,5
     She and her husband William lived in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.6 Together they were active in the antislavery movement, and their home in Brookline was used to shelter escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad.6,4 She was also interested in women's suffrage, and was an honorary vice president of the Massachusetts Women's Suffrage Association.4

Children of Sarah Rhea Higginson and William Ingersoll Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 10.
  2. [S7962] "Married", Boston Courier, 3 October 1844, p. 2, col. 5.
  3. [S7963] "Marriages", Boston Recorder, 3 October 1844, p. 159, col. 3.
  4. [S7966] Obituary, Sarah Rhea Higginson Bowditch, The Boston Herald, Boston, Massachusetts, 7 October 1919, p. 3, col. 4.
  5. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Sarah Rhea (Higginson) Bowditch (Mem. No. 151954448), Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Created by created by pstott 6 September 2015.
  6. [S7961] William Ingersoll Bowditch House, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/ma3.htm
  7. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Birth record for William Ernestus Bowditch (amended), Vol. 36, p. 369, No. 81.
  8. [S624] Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. Birth record for Susan H. Bowditch, Vol. 106, p. 264, No. 83.

Elizabeth Boardman Ingersoll Bowditch1

b. 22 June 1823, d. 15 May 1888
FatherNathaniel Bowditch1 b. 26 Mar 1773, d. 16 Mar 1838
MotherMary Ingersoll1 b. 4 Dec 1781, d. 17 Apr 1834
Relationship2nd cousin 4 times removed of Jane Ellen Bowditch
     Elizabeth Boardman Ingersoll Bowditch was born on 22 June 1823 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.2 She married John James Dixwell, son of John Dixwell and Esther Sargent, on 6 May 1846.2 She died on 15 May 1888 in Jamaica Plain, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 64.2

Children of Elizabeth Boardman Ingersoll Bowditch and John James Dixwell

Citations

  1. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7.
  2. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 10.
  3. [S7951] Obituary, Arthur Dixwell, The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, 17 September 1924, p. 14, col. 7.

John James Dixwell1

b. 27 June 1806, d. 15 November 1876
FatherJohn Dixwell1
MotherEsther Sargent1
     John James Dixwell was born on 27 June 1806.1 He married Elizabeth Boardman Ingersoll Bowditch, daughter of Nathaniel Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll, on 6 May 1846.1 He died on 15 November 1876 at age 70.1
     He was president of the Massachusetts bank in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.1

Children of John James Dixwell and Elizabeth Boardman Ingersoll Bowditch

Citations

  1. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 10.
  2. [S7951] Obituary, Arthur Dixwell, The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, 17 September 1924, p. 14, col. 7.

William Bowditch1

b. about 1665, d. 28 May 1728
FatherWilliam Bowditch2 b. 26 Dec 1639, d. b 12 Oct 1681
MotherSarah Bear2
Relationship6th great-grandfather of Jane Ellen Bowditch
ChartsFrederick Bowditch Ancestors
     William Bowditch was born about 1665 (from his age as given in a deposition dated 14 July 1699; his tombstone, however, gives his age as 64 years, 9 months, which would put his birth in August or September 1663) in Lyme Regis, co. Dorset, England.3 He married Mary Gardner, daughter of Thomas Gardner and Mary Porter, on 30 August 1688 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.3 He died on 28 May 1728 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts.3 He was buried at Burying Point Cemetery in Essex Co., Massachusetts.4,3
     He came to Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, with his mother Sarah about 1679, when he was about 14.3
     He was a mariner and a merchant.1
     In 1696, as master of the Mayflower Sloope, he was captured by a French privateer while on his way to Newfoundland, and taken to Placentia, Newfoundland, which was under French control. After being held as a prisoner for six weeks, he made his way to St. John's, Newfoundland, which was controlled by the British. While there, Capt. Samuel Molds, commander of a sloop commissioned by the governor of Piscataqua in New England, captured three French ships and brought two of them to the harbor at St. John's. One of the ships, the Amabel, was about 150 tons, and carried a cargo of cod fish and some French salt, along with 4-6 guns. William helped unload the ship, and, at Capt. Molds's request, navigated it back to New England.5
     About 1700 his ship Essex Galley was wrecked in Salem Harbor on the uncharted Tenapoo Reef, afterward known as Bowditch Ledge.1,6 In 1706 he was captain of the ship America.1
     He served as selectman, as representative to the General Court, and as treasurer of the Union Wharf proprietors in Salem.1 He owned land in Dunstable, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, later sold by his heirs in 1742.1
     On 17 November 1701 his mother Sarah relinquished to him her dower rights to the land in Salem that had previously been mortgaged by her husband.3
     On 6 November 1705 in Exeter, co. Devon, England, he proved his father's will that had been made in England 34 years earlier, on 31 Mar 1671.3
     Joseph and Ebenezer Bowditch (his sons, presumably) were executors of his will, and presented an inventory of his estate totaling £4452 2s 9d.1

More Information / Background

Children of William Bowditch and Mary Gardner

Citations

  1. [S393] Frederick T. Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts - North Carolina Branch, pp. 40,41 (pp. 26,27).
  2. [S499] Harold Bowditch, The Bowditch Family of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 3.
  3. [S500] G. Andrews Moriarty, "Genealogical Research in England - Bowditch," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, July 1918.
  4. [S1871] Find A Grave. Memorial for Capt. William Bowditch (Mem. No. 8135795), Burying Point Cemetery, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Created by Cynthia Kaley, 28 November 2003.
  5. [S500] G. Andrews Moriarty, "Genealogical Research in England - Bowditch," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, July 1918, from a deposition given on 14 July 1699 to the High Court of Admiralty, Vol. 82, Fo. 177, now in the Public Record Office in London.
  6. [S3346] A 30-foot-tall day beacon was built from large granite blocks at the spot in the 1800s as a navigation aid. The tower collapsed in November 2018, and the spot is now (2020) marked by buoys.