The Jerathmel and Mary Sherburne Bowers children

Since yesterday one of the biographies of Joseph Sherburne, Esq. mentioned his grandson, John Bowers, I thought I'd check out what the 5 children of Mary Sherborne Bowers did, as much as I could from Ancestry's perspective.

The oldest daughter, Hannah Bowers (1758-1825) married Frances Lindall Bowland (Borland) who has Dr. as his title on one family tree.  Hannah Borland and husband Borland moved from either Swansea or Boston  MA to Savannah GA before their only son was born, Frances Vassall Borland. (Vassall had been his father's mother's maiden name.) However, in the way of all good things recorded, their marriage was listed in Dighton, MA in 1784, while their son had been born in Savanah GA in 1779. 

 Part of the historic district of Dighton MA.

Since I think it very unlikely that Hannah would have gone to Savannah before her marriage in 1784 (taking place in MA near Swansea) I tend to think that records of their son's birthdate were changed instead.  Perhaps because he was younger than his wife? Or some other reason that is unknown.

 View of Savannah GA harbor in 19th century

Detail of above engraving.
Hannah died in Savannah, Chatham County, GA in 1825

The next of the Bowers children wasn't born for another 6 years, Mary Sherburne Bowers, (1764-1816) I know, a confusion because that's her mother's married name as well.   I can't find any other information about her at this time.  That doesn't mean that another member of the Ancestry crew won't give something about her in the future!

How about that, in the time it took to look for further information, 4 'hints' came up, including her marriage! So Mary Sherburne married Joseph Jencks on 15 Mar 1788 in her hometown of Swansea, MA.  They had 8 children, all born in Providence, RI, some of whom died in childhood.  Her husband and one of her children died in Terra Haute IN which surprised me.  Her husband died in 1818, and Mary had died in 1816, in a nearby town of North Kingston, Washington County, RI.

The next to be born was John Bowers, Esq., born in 1765, in Swansea MA, and married Mary Robinson in Newport RI in 1791. I don't know of any children from their marriage. When looking at the brief bio of his grandfather (yesterday's post) Joseph Sherburne, it mentions:

Mary [Sherburne], his sole surviving child and heir, married, July 7, 1763, Jerathmiel Bowers, the rich Quaker of Somerset, Bristol Co., Mass., whose son John laid out Somerset Street, on Beacon Hill, Boston, partly from the estate of Joseph Sherburne. (See Boston Rec. Com. Report, No. 5, p. 74.)

John Bowers not only did some surveying, and having that "Esq." attached to his name usually means he practiced law, but he also was involved in shipping across the Atlantic.  I am pretty sure many of his family members were also engaged in that trade.  But John lost his life "off the coast of Africa" on March 21, 1820. 

He embarked from Providence (RI) last autumn, supercargo of the brig Richard, on a trading voyage.

Published death notice from The New Bedford Mercury, June 23, 1820.  Another notice was published in the New York Evening Post on June 16, 1820, just saying he died on the Coast of Africa.

Unfortunately someone else named John Bowers died in 1820 in England, and was buried in January of that year, and Ancestry was trying to link it to this John Bowers.  I have to check those dates carefully.  He couldn't have been buried in Jan. before dying in March!

His wife, Mary Robinson Bowers died in 1826 in Cincinnati, OH. I wonder how she moved there from Rhode Island.

I'll be back tomorrow with the other children of Jerathmel and Mary Sherburne Bowers.