GENEALOGY OF A BOWMAN FAMILY, Byron Whitener Bowman,
1956
Lucy Ann was the oldest of the children of Benjamin and Sophia
Bowman. She was born May 29, 1827, just 22 years younger than her mother, and
her oldest child, Elizabeth Chapman, was born just 22 years after her mother's
birth. Elizabeth's oldest son, John Robbins, was born exactly 22 years later,
and his first born another 22 years later, making five generation of 22 years
each.
Lucy Ann married John Chapman September 28, 1848, and to them
were born Elizabeth, Gideon, Benjamin, Annie, Tommie, Mollie, John Sam and
Freddie. Possibly there were others who died in infancy. Freddie and Tommie died
while small boys. Benjamin died of tuberculosis several years after his
marriage, but left no children. Annie married a Mr. Robbins, who abandoned her
after a short time, and she later married a Mr. McGuire, by whom she left
several boys. Mollie, who was one of the jolliest girls you ever saw, married a
man named Boman, not spelled as ours and not related. He died, leaving three
children, and Mollie remarried a German named Metz, a farmer living near
Advance, Missouri. Gideon, the oldest boy, and John Sam, the youngest, both
married twice and had families.
John Chapman was a cooper by trade. Both he and his wife died at
a good old age somewhere in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, and are buried near
Allenville, Missouri.
She was 69 years, 9 months and 2 days old. I have no record of
his age, except that he was about 20 years her senior. Lucy was one of those
good, motherly women that everybody loved. She was known as a very fine cook.
She almost always cooked on an open grate fire, and her oven bread was the
finest ever.
Lucy was very much like her mother, Sophia, in many respects.
She spent much of her time visiting the sick and had quite a reputation as a
nurse. She lived a great part of her life in the country where she was known by
everyone as Aunt Lucy.
June 12, 1956
