USA > New Jersey > Historical and genealogical miscellany : early settlers of New Jersey and their descendants, Vol. III > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66
BURIALS.
Alice, daughter of James Ashton, d. July 27, 1613; Elizabeth, daughter of James Ashton, d. September 3, 1616; p. 222, Daniel Ashton d. December, 1640; p. 224 -, the wife of James Ashton, 1643, May 22; P. 227, Sarah Ashton, vidue July 19, 1647; p. 228, James Ashton, Sr., d. May 27, 1650-1.
MARRIAGES AND BAPTISMS.
P. 148, Thomas Olney and Mary Ashton. m. September 16, 1629; p. 66, Thomas, sonne of Thomas Olney by his wyf (sic); p. 68, Epinetus, ye sonne of Ths. Olney et J. Marie vt.
By referring to these dates it is hoped that it may be seen that the wife of Thomas Angell was Alice Ashton, daughter of James and Alice Ashton, of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, and sisters of James Ashton, carly settler of Rhode Island, and of Mary Ashton, wife of Thomas Olney, and that this suggestion may be duly recognized or disproved. James and Alice Ashton, of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, recorded the baptisms of ten children. The eldest son, James (2), born 1603, married and had a son, James (3), who married judith --- , and they recorded the baptisms of nine children from December 26, 1652-1671. The name William does not occur in the records of the Ashtons of St. Albans. James (2) Ashton, born 1603, did not come to New England until after the marriage of his son, James (3), 1550.
The eldest daughter. Marie, born 1664, married Thomas Olney, 1620, and in 1635 came, in the ship Planter, to New England, with her husband and sons, Thomas (2) and Epinetus (2), and probably accom- panying them was the young sister, Alice Ashton, then about eighteen years old, bringing with her " the trunk and desk which my mother gave to me," and which she afterwards willed to her daughter, Alice, who married Eleazer Whipple.
2S
HISTORICAL MISCELLANY
Thomas Angell was a lad when he came with Roger Williams in the ship Lyon, 1630, and he is not recorded as signing his name until 1037. The date of his marriage is not given, but the baptism of his son, John, is 1646. (Page 4, Gen. Dict. R. T. Austin.)
The suggestions for consideration are: First, if, Thomas (2) Olney, named as one of the overseers of the will of Thomas Angell, 1685, and. second, if, James and John Angell, probably named for the father and brother (and this John named a son, Daniel) of Alice (Ashton) Angell, and, third, if, the daughter, Alice, inherits the desks and trunk which were given to her mother, Alice, by her grandmother, Alice, and, fourth, if, Thomas Angell and James Ashton were both appointed commissioners 1652, and both made freemen 1655, and, fifth, if, also, on page 4, Gen. Diet. R. T. Austin, we read "1710, December 14, John (2) Angell, calling himself about seventy years, testified that in 1667 he was desired by his uncle, James .Aston, to take care of his sixty- acre lot," then the proofs seem clear, to me, at least, that Alice Ashton was the wife of Thomas Angell.
In the "Herts Genealogist and Antiquary," Vol. II., p. 377, is the following:
"Communicated by Eben Putnam, Esq., of Danvers, Mass., U. S. A. * The Ashton connection also suggests an interesting query: Was James Ashton the early settler and commissioner in Rhode Island in 1652-63, and therefore an associate of Olney, the same James Ashton who had several children baptized at St. Albans between 1600-1620, of whom Marie was baptized August 25, 1605? Unfortunately, we have no record of the children of the New England settler, though he is presumed to have been the ancestor of the Ashtons of New Jersey and perhaps a collateral branch with the Ashtons of Maine."
The proof seems indisputable that James (2) Ashton, born 1603, early settler, was one of the children (not the father, James (I)) baptized between 1600-1620; also as James (1) Ashton, the father, died May 27, 1650; his wife, Alice, died 1643.
James (2) is not recorded in Providence until 1650-52. The dates make all the above possible and probable.
It is hoped that this discovery may be recognized or disproved .- New York Mail and Express.
BOWNE
OF
MONMOUTH COUNTY
The Bownes of Monmouth County, are an ancient family. Some years since, they were the object of a genealogical investigation by Mr. J. T. Bowne, of Long Island, N. Y., who proceeded, in the belief that all of the name in America descended from a common ancestor, and it was only after much research that it became apparent to him that there were two distinct families, the heads of which were contemporaries in this country and not close of kin. Of these, one was Thomas Bowne, * an early settler of Flushing, L. I., who died there, leaving a numerous progeny, which it has been the pleasure of Mr. Bowne to trace. The other was William Bowne, the ancestor of the New Jersey family. Mr. J. T. Bowne worked with much enthusiasm and assiduity and before reaching his conclusions amassed much matter relative to the New Jersey Bownes. With commendable generosity and thoughtfulness, he published, in an accessible place, his loose memoranda, bearing upon the descendants of William Bownc and thereafter confined his investigations to his own immediate family. Mr. Bowne's belief, in the distinctiveness of the families, has been sustained by subsequent research and with him, we join in the belief that it is more than likely that William and Thomas Bowne were related, and that it is not improbable the representations of William Bowne were the means of inducing Thomas Bowne to immigrate to Boston, with his son, John, in 1648 or 1649, and afterward, to Flushing, L. I., in 1653. That they were well acquainted is of necessity a fact from the nearness of their residence upon Long Island, their association in securing the Monmouth Patent, and the kindness shown by Lydia, wife of Capt. John Bowne, of Monmouth County, in visiting John Bowne, of Flushing, when incarcerated, by Stuyvesant, for maintaining his Quaker principles. ¡
While conceding the probable existence of a kinship, it is noteworthy that the given names of one family are rarely used by the other, and that while one family was prominent as Friends, the other was equally eminent as Baptists.
The English origin of the Bowne family has rather becn suggested than proven, yet the means to establish the connection between the New Jersey Bownes, and the English family are
*Thomas Bowne, of Flushing, came from Matlock, Derbyshire, England. He had children Dorothy and John. His son. John Bowne, died at Flushing, L. I., 1098, leaving a large family. In October. 1650, John returned alone to England, but again came to Boston in May. 1651. In June, 1651, he visited Flushing with his brother-in-law Edward Farrington, husband of Dorothy. and subsequently took up his abode there. May 7. 1656, he married Hannah Feke, of Flatbush, and in 1661, erected the oil Bowne house.
t.Also the Long Island Bownes wrote that they sailed in Capt. Andrew Bowne's ship.
29
30
HISTORICAL MISCELLANY
at hand in the shape of a sealing wax impression of arms used by Obadiah Bowne, in 1724. and affixed to a deed in my possession. These arms are blazoned, gules, three crescents, arg. Crest. An esquire's helmet, surmounted by a bird, and are assigned by heraldie works to the Bowne family. * In point of rarity and of value as a connecting means, coats of arms are peculiarly interesting and of rare occurrence ---- there being but few similar instances in New Jersey history. If it is desired to trace the English lineage of the Bownes, the histories of Derbyshire, Leices- tershire and Nottinghamshire, as well as the records of the Prerogative Court, of Canterbury. running back as far as 1450, may be consulted and doubtless will throw light upon the subject.
Mr. J. W. S. Campbell, of Freehold, has an old bible which contains the following:
"James Bowne, son of James Bowne, which was the son of James Bowne, which was the son of William Bowne, of Yorkshire, in Old England, was born, in Middletown, the 30th day of November, 1701, and was married, to Margaret Newbold, the 30th day of May, 1720." Then their children and other notes as set forth under James Bowne 40. I am under the im- pression that, while the record is as aged as 1726, the allusion, therein, to William Bowne, as of Yorkshire, is of late date and probably a tradition. It must not be allowed to interfere with deductions based upon the origin of the family arms.
Should we wish to carry the research into the domain of speculation, we could accept the suggestion of Mr. Planche, who in "The Conqueror and His Companions," says, Humphrey de Bohun came from Bohon, in Normandy, with the Conqueror, in 1066, from which place the name of Bowne probably originated.
Jacob T. Bowne wrote, Nov. 30, 1894, from Springfield, Mass .: "I have gathered a great mass of information about the Long Island Bownes, the Bownes of Derbyshire, England, (from which County the Long Island Bownes came), and of the early English families of Bohon, Bohun, Bowyn, Boun and Bown, from the Norman Conquest to the close of the 16th century. I have abstracts of all Bowne wills recorded in Derbyshire, between 1634 and 1667, and several recorded in London during the 17th century. I have made two visits to the records of various parishes in Derbyshire, and have spent some time in the British Museum, but as yet cannot fully satisfy myself of the immediate English ancestry of the Flushing family."
WILLIAM BOWNE, the progenitor of the New Jersey family, immigrated to these shores at an early date and settled at Salem, Mass., where he was first granted land, and afterward was admitted a Freeman, May 17, 1637.f# Subsequently he removed to Gravesend, Long Island, N. Y., where he bore a conspicuous part in the affairs of the town. Though appar- ently not among the first settlers of 1645, he must have soon followed, for, on Nov. 12, (MIch. 12 ?), 1646, he was granted a planter's lot in that town. The 13th of Mch., 1650, John Ruck- man, of Gravesend, by his will, made him one of the trustees of his minor son, who came of age, in 1655, when his guardians were dismissed.
In 1651. He was chosen Assistant Justice.
In 1655, as a Magistrate, he, with the others, petitioned the Director to postpone the election of new magistrates, and July 5, declared that he disapproved of what the former magistrates had done contrary to patent.
1655, Oct. 12. He, and Wilkins, representing Gravesend, attended upon the Council. at New Amsterdam, to discuss the prospects of war and the means of preventing the same.
*By the name of BOWNE. Crest. On top of a tower issuing from the wreath, an eagle with wings addorsed ppr. holding in the beak an acorn, slipped and leaved vert. Shield. Gules, three crescents argent. No motto given. These arms were used by Obadiah Bowne. on a conveyance to William Lawrence, in 1724.
+Mrs. Alethea Hunt Weatherby says "he was later a founder of Reheboth, Mass."
#At a General Court hollen at Boston. May 14. 1034, it was agreed that the Freemen must take a new onth. etc the following is one of those registered among " The names of each as desire to be free-men": Willi Bodonde, under date of May 17, 1931.
31
BOWNE OF MONMOUTH COUNTY
He was a Magistrate in 1655, 1656, 1657, 1658, 1659, 1660, 1661 and 1662.
A farm was granted him Nov. 18, 1656, and, in 1657, he had twelve acres of it under cultivation.
1658, July 3. He, with Thomas Spicer, William Wilkins and Charles Morgan, appeared before the council and agreed to pay 160 schepels, half wheat, half peas at the seaside, near Gravesend, as the tenths for the whole village for the year.
1658, Nov. 16. He, Lady Moody and Mark Luther, of Rhode Island, were naned by Edward Browse, in his will, as contingent legatees.
In 1665, he was one of the party who applied for and received the large tract of land in New Jersey, known as the Monmouth Patent.
In a list of "the purchasers of Nervasink, Narumsum, and Pootapeck," William Bowne and his sons, John and James, each, held one share and also John Bowne, of Fl., [Flushing], a. share.
In 1667, he had removed to Portland Point, a spot for future settlement on this new tract, where his son, James, had likewise taken up lands and fixed his residence.
1670, Jan. 5. The inhabitants of Gravesend concluded to lay out some lands in severalty and the consent or agreement was signed by "William Bowne by John Dassett," confirming the statement of his removal from Gravesend.
In 1675, there was likewise assigned him, in Gravesend, a fifteen acre lot in the Neck.
In the Monmouth Patent most of his interests apparently lay in the lands about Port- land Point, for I find only one home lot in Middletown belonging to him, and that not in the original division, but simply mentioned, in October, 1675, as in, or having been in his posses- sion. After his settlement there, being ripe in years, he withdrew from public life and the burdens he so long had honorably and competently borne were transferred to his sons. Loved and respected amid children and grandchildren, he came to a peaceful end in the year 1677. His son John was appointed administrator upon his estate, as appears by the following:
"Whereas William Bowne, heretofore of Gravesend, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, upon Long Island, and late of Middletown, in New Jersey, died intestate, and John Bowne, of Middletown, aforesaid, his eldest son, having made his application that he may have letters of administration on the estate of his father, deceased, within this province, it being likewise with the consent and good liking of the rest of his brother -. These presents may certify," etc. Dated, in New York, this 21 day of January, in the 29 year of His Majesty's reign, A.D. 1677.
William Bowne married Ann ., by whom he had
Issue
2 John Bowne; probably born in England.
3 James Bowne, baptized, at Salem, Mass., Aug. 25, 1636.
4 Andrew Bowne, baptized, at Salem, Mass., Aug. 12, 1638.
5 Philip Bowne, baptized, at Salem, Mass., Dec. 7, 1640.
6 Gershom Bowne
7 A daughter
It has been stated that the William Bound who married, July 12, 1669, at Lynn, Mass .. Mary Haverland, was the Gravesend and Middletown William Bowne, but no proof has been produced.
The name Willia Bound appears in a "Petition against Imposts," in 1668. Massachu- setts Archives.
The surname of his wife, Ann, and the date of her demise are unknown, but from the demand of John Bowne, who, as the eldest son of his parents, laid claim to their rights from
32
IHISTORICAL, MISCELLANY
the Proprietors, in which he distinctly sets forth a claim for one hundred and twenty acres, each, in right of his father and mother, it leaves no room for doubt that William Bowne's wife was living when he took up a residence in Monmouth County. In this same demand upon the Proprietors, John Bowne, makes a claim of two hundred and forty acres, in right of William Compton and his wife, which suggests that Compton's wife may have been a daughter of William Bowne, but it is equally probable that John Bowne may have secured Compton's rights by purchase or that he was one of the so called "servants."
2 CAPT. JOHN BOWNE, son of William Bowne, I, was brought, by his father, from Salem to Gravesend, where, "Sept. 20, 1647, John Bowne, desiring a planter's lot, itt was granted him by the towne, lying next unto John Morris's; ye sd lott is fully pd for."
To receive a grant of this kind, it was necessary to be able to bear arms, which was fixed by the Dutch at sixteen years and upwards. Making this a basis for computation, John Bowne was born not later than 1630.
In 1654, he sold land, in Gravesend, to William Goulding, which he had bought of Richard Gibbons.
1657, Dec. 27. He bought twelve acres, in the same town, from Nicholas Stillwell, and in the same year, was rated a Freeholder and had six acres of land under cultivation.
1660, Apr. 12. He was one of a number who sent a letter to the Director, complaining of the licentious mode of living in Gravesend and asking for a minister.
Sept. 6, of the same year, he bought a farm of Sir Henry Moody.
1662, Feb. 20. He sold land, in Gravesend. to Samuel Spicer.
1663, Dec. 6. He was one of a party who went in an open sloop, up the Raritan. to select a site for a new settlement beyond the control, if possible, of the Dutch. They were inter- cepted, however, upon their return journey, by a party of soldiers and employees of the Dutch, and, after a wordy controversy, retired to their homes on Long Island, without further molesta- tion.
1665, Feb. 28. He was one of the delegates, from Gravesend, to the Hempstead conven- tion. In the same year, he joined with others and secured the Monmouth Patent, to which tract he removed in the year 1667.
On the 18th Mch., 1675, "Capt. John Bowne, of Middletown, demanded for his rights, 500 acres given by the Lords Proprietors, as being one of the first purchasers. Item-for the rights of himself and his wife, his father and mother, and for William Compton and his wife, from the first year, each, 120 acres, is 720 acres. For 3 servants, each, 60 acres-180 acres;" a total of 1400 acres.
1667, Dec. 30 and 31. He received in the division of Middletown, lots numbers 28 and 29.
In 1668, he recorded his cattle-mark, and, likewise, in May, of this year, took the oath of allegiance to the King, and fidelity to the Proprietors, at Middletown. In October of this year, he was elected a member of the General Assembly, but the propriety of his election was questioned by the towns people, owing as they claimed to insufficient notification.
1670, April. He was desired by the town to exchange lot Number 14. April 20, of this year, he sold seven acres of his land, in Seller's Neck, Gravesend, to Samuel Holmes, (his brother-in-law).
The Monmouth Patent conferred the right of local government and the settlers created a court, composed of the Constable, Overseers and several of the Patentees. In the court so constituted, in 1670, John Bowne was one of the "patentees assisting," and in 1671, one of the Overseers.
In 1671, 1672, 1673, 1679, 1680, 1681, he was Justice of the Peace and Quorum.
33
BOWNE OF MONMOUTH COUNTY
In 1672, 1675 and 1677, he was assigned land in the "west meadow," thirty acres in "the neck, and a lot on Guisbert's Island, all within the territory of Gravesend."
1673, Aug. I. He was deputed to treat with the Admirals and Commanders belonging to the States General and Prince of Orange.
In September, 1673, his name was among those presented for the position of Lieutenant. In 1674, John Bowne and Richard Hartshorne protested against a grant of land to the Applegates, as infringing their patent.
He was elected a Deputy, to represent Middletown, in the Assembly for the years 1675, 1677, 16So, 16SI, 1682 and 1683, and during the last four years was Speaker of the House. In 1675. He was a member of the court created to try small causes.
1677, Mch. 12. A commission was issued to him, as President of a court, to be held at Middletown and Shrewsbury; and in 1682 and 1683, as a Judge of the Court of Common Right.
1679, Apr. 28. He was appointed an executor and trustee of the will of his brother-in- law, Samuel Holmes, of Gravesend.
Writing to Gov. Andross, in August, 1680, he stated that the failure to hold a Court of Sessions, at Shrewsbury, was owing to severe illness on his part, as well as to illness on the part of his associate, Mr. Peter Parker, who "was more like to die than to live."
In 1683, under title of Capt. John Bowne, he was commissioned Major, of Middletown troops.
Capt. Bowne was one of the largest land holders in the county, and died seized with an immense estate. This he acquired, in great part, by grants from the Proprietors, who allotted him, Mch. I8, 1675-6, five hundred acres of upland and meadow; Oct. 7, 1676, nine hundred acres of upland and meadow, as well as other tracts at various dates.
The rigor of the climate and the hardships endured shortened the life of many a settler. John Bowne, if we accept the year 1630, as that of his birth, was at the date of his decease, in the very height of his manhood and usefulness and probably yielded to such influences. Upon his death, which occurred in the year 1684, having died intestate, his widow, Lydia Bowne, obtained letters of administration, dated May 27. The proceedings set forth that he left a son, John, under twenty-one years, in 1684, but of age, Dec. 23, 1685; a son, Obadiah Bowne; daughters, Deborah, Sarah and Catharine Bowne and a nephew in the person of Gershom Mott, all interested in his estate.
The inventory of his personal estate, taken Jan. 4, 1683-4, amounted to £427-3-6.
The wife Lydia, to whom allusion is made, was the daughter of the Rev. Obadiah Holmes, of Rhode Island. She was granted, Apr. 13, 1688, by the Proprietors, five hundred acres of land, in Monmouth County, at a place called by the Indians "Mowhingsmuge," being a neck of land which was surveyed and returned as being situated at Mowhingmuge brooke and creek to Mattawane creek and bounded on the south side by Gershom Bowne's land." Later she was a claimant to land by right of her deceased husband, as well as again a purchaser from the Indian Sachems, in 1690, which was probably, however, only an additional step to make good the title of her former purchase. This latter instrument was witnessed by her son, Capt. John Bowne, and was acknowledged before Capt. Andrew Bowne, Justice.
Associated with her son, the second Capt. John Bowne, she appears in land transactions as late as 1693. During the decade which follows she probably died. Considering the race from which she sprung, we can readily believe her to have been a noble helpmate to her worthy husband and a much revered parent.
Capt. John Bowne is, perhaps, the most conspicuous figure in the carly history of Mon- mouth County. Edwards tells us that he officiated as the first minister in Middletown, though
34
HISTORICAL MISCELLANY
not ordained, and that he gave the lot upon which the first meeting house was built, and we have already seen that he commanded the military force of the county, and was eminent as a legislator. To find combined in any one individual the qualities of priest, soldier and states- man, is strong proof of more than ordinary endowment, and when added to these there is found modesty of deportment, temperate speech and purity of morals, there exists a com- bination which raises their possessor to the level of greatness. Little wonder is it that John Bowne was so highly esteemed by his fellowmen, and that they delighted to honor him. Neither is his fame the less that he played his role during the infantine state of this country, for he would have been great in any day and under all circumstances.
Perhaps no better testimony to his worth can be adduced than the following letter, ad- dressed to his children when he felt his end approaching.
"Some Words of Advice and Council spoken by Capt. John Bowne to his Children, as he lay on his death-bed, January ye 3d, 1683-84."
"There is no way in the world for a man to obtain felicity in this world, or in the world to come, but to take heed to the ways of the Lord and to put his trust in Him who deals faith- fully and truly with all men, for He knocks at the doors of your hearts, and calls you to come and buy, without money and without price.
"My desire is that in all actions of meum and tuum, you deal not deceitfully, but plain- hearted with all men, and remember that your dying father left it with you for your instruc- tion that when trust is with your honor, to preserve it. And in all contracts and bargains that you make, violate not your promise, and you will have praise. Let your mother be your counselor in all matters of difference, and go not to lawyers, but ask her counsel first. If at any time you have an advantage of a poor man at law, O, pursue it not, but rather forgive him if he hath done you wrong; and if you do so you will have help of the law of God and of his people. Give not away to youthful jollities and sports, but improve your leisure time in the service of God. Let no good man be dealt churlishly by you, but entertain when they come to your house. But if a vicious, wicked man come, give him meat and drink to refresh him, and let him pass by your doors. It has been many times in my thoughts that for a man to marry a wife and have children. and never take care to instruct them, but leave them worse than the beasts of the field, so that if a man ask concerning the things of God, they know not what it means, O, this is a very sad thing. But if we can season our hearts so as to desire the Lord to assist us, he will help us, and not fly from us."
The children of Capt. John and Lydia (Holmes) Bowne, were:
8 John Bowne, born, at Gravesend, Apr. 1, 1664.
9 Obadiah Bowne, born, at Gravesend, July IS, 1666.
IO Deborah Bowne, born, at Gravesend, Jan. 26, 1668.
.. II Sarah Bowne, born, at Gravesend, Nov. 27, 1669. [Elsewhere born Nov. 23, 1670.] 12 Catharine Bowne
Articles of Agreement made between Lidea Bowne, widow, relict and administratrix of John Bowne, late of Middletown. Monmouth Co., dec'd, and John Bowne, son and heir-at-law of said John Bowne. They bear date, May 27, 1684. and divide real and personal property between administratrix, and John Bowne, Obadiah Bowne, Gershom Mott, etc.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.