Benjamin Bowsher
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Benjamin Bowsher (1803 - 1873)

Benjamin Bowsher
Born in Windsor Twp., Berks Co., Pennsylvania, USAmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 25 Jan 1825 in Ross, Ohio, USAmap
Descendants descendants
Died at age 70 in Shawnee Twp., Allen Co., Ohio, USAmap
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Profile last modified | Created 9 Jul 2011
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Contents

Biography

Benjamin Bowsher was born 8 October, 1803[1] in Windsor Twp., Berks Co., Pennsylvania. His family migrated to Ohio in 1804, when he was just an infant, and settled in Ross County[1]. He lived in Ross County for many years[2][3], and there married Elizabeth DeLong 25 January, 1827. Together they had fourteen children:

  • Oliver Bowsher, b. 18 Jun 1827
  • Israel Bowsher, 2nd., b. 27 Apr 1830
  • Lucinda Bowsher, b. 15 Mar 1832
  • Rachel Bowsher, b. 10 May 1833
  • William Bowsher, b. 17 Oct 1834
  • Harriet Bowsher, b. 15 Sep 1836
  • Leannah Bowsher, b. 22 Feb 1838
  • George Washington Bowsher, b. 16 Apr 1840
  • Lafayette S. Bowsher, b. 16 Apr 1840
  • Infant Son Bowsher, b. 1842
  • Mary Bowsher, b. 16 Apr 1843
  • Elizabeth Bowsher, b. 16 Apr 1845
  • Matilda Bowsher, b. 17 Apr 1847
  • Benjamin Bowsher, b. 1 Apr 1851

In 1835, Benjamin and his brother, Daniel, prospected for a new home in Allen County, and in 1836 they led a group of 27 to settle in Shawnee Township. Benjamin had purchased land in the NE quarter of Section 28, and upon arrival the family lived in a dwelling that had once belonged to the Shawnee Indians which had been forced to Kansas in 1832. Benjamin would later build a home of his own on this land, and live the rest of his life there.[1]

Benjamin was one of the organizers of the Saint Matthew Lutheran church, first erected in 1837.[1]

Benjamin died 30 December, 1873, and was buried in the church cemetery. Next to his grave is a flat slab of sandstone that reads:[4]

GRAND FATHER BENJAMIN BOWSHER IN THE YEAR 1831 AT THE AGE OF 28 Y. CARRIED THIS STONE ON HIS SHOULDER UP A LADDER AND PLACED IT OVER THE CHURCH DOOR IN PICKAWAY COUNTY. WEIGHT 323 LBS.

Name

His name as it appears in all known primary source documents is "Benjamin Bowsher." Burkhardt spelled his name as "Benjamine," but it is unclear where he obtained this spelling. This may have been his understanding of what the typical spelling of the name was, as every individual with the name in The Boucher Family has their name spelled in this way. The younger Benjamin may have used "Benjamine" unofficially, as shown in limited circumstances in newspapers.


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Burkhardt, F.A., pp. 327-330
  2. 1820 United States Census
  3. 1830 United States Census
  4. Burial Marker

Sources

Primary Source Documents

1820 United States Census
Colerain Twp., Ross Co., Ohio, USA;
Page No. 279, Ln. 27, "William Boucher";
Image available at Archive.org (links to be added later).
1830 United States Census
Colerain Twp., Ross Co., Ohio, USA;
Page No. 292, Ln. 7, "Benjamin Boucher";
Images available at Archive.org (links to be added later).
1840 United States Census
Shawnee Twp., Allen Co., Ohio, USA
Page No. 113, Ln. 24, "Benjamin Bowsher";
Images available at Archive.org (links to be added later).
1850 United States Census
Shawnee Twp., Allen Co., Ohio, USA;
Page No. 341 A, House No. 1510, entries 4 - 17;
Image available at Archive.org and Familysearch.org (links to be added later).
1860 United States Census
Shawnee Twp., Allen Co., Ohio, USA;
Page No. 117, entries 25 - 32;
Image available at Archive.org and Familysearch.org (links to be added later).
1870 United States Census
Shawnee Twp., Allen Co., OH, USA;
Page No. 13, entries 18 - 22;
Image available at Archive.org and Familysearch.org (links to be added later).
Burial Marker
Located in Saint Matthew Cemetery, Lima, Allen Co., Ohio, USA;
Section D, Row 9.
Transcribed:
BENJAMIN BOWSHER
DIED
DEC. 30, 1873
AGED
70 Y. 2 M. 22 D.
Image and more details can be viewed at Find A Grave Memorial# 13636136.

Secondary Source Documents

The Boucher Family: Descendants of Daniel Boucher
Burkhardt, Franklin Alphus, 1872-1945. The Boucher Family: Descendants of Daniel Boucher. [New York, New York: Press of Francis Elden Burkhardt], 1917. Public domain in the US.
Available free in the US at the Hathi Trust Digital Library and from Ancestry.com.
History of Allen County, Ohio
Warner, Beers & Co. History of Allen County, Ohio. [Chicago, Illinois: John Morris Company Printers], 1885.
Available at Archive.org and Google Books.

Acknowledgements

A great debt is owed to Frank Burkhardt for interviewing early Bowsher ancestors and compiling The Boucher Family, and to Kay Bowsher for discovering the inevitable mistakes in his work and contributing greatly with her own research nearly a century later.





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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Benjamin by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Benjamin:

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Bowsher-31 and Bowsher-17 appear to represent the same person because: Represent the same individual from separate GEDCOM imports. Bowsher-17 has parent and sibling links while Bowsher-31 has spouse and child links.
posted by J. Smith

B  >  Bowsher  >  Benjamin Bowsher