What a nice story. I do hope you can connect all of your dots. One of the things that has worked well for me is just to cold call other Bowdens in the area where your family was from. Usually someone by that name knows other family members working on the family tree and will share with you. Karen Stone On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 01:17:51 -0700 hwedhlor <hwedhlor@cox.net> writes: > Hi All, > > I am new to this list, but not to RootsWeb, having subscribed to > various > lists for many years. However, this list holds a difference for me, > as > I have subscribed to it in pursuit of my biological ancestors, where > > previous subscriptions have been in search of my adoptive lines. > > My biological Great Great Grandfather was Robert Edward Lee BOWDEN, > b 12 > Jan 1864 in West Virginia, m Florence HUNTER 12 Mar 1887 in > Cincinnati, > Ohio, d 9 Oct 1906. > > I am seeking confirmation that Robert E.L. BOWDEN's father was Elias > > BOWDEN, b about 1820 in Virginia. I have reason to believe that he > may > have been born after 1823 in Isle of Wight, Virginia, but have been > > unable to make a firm connection. > > If any of you can help confirm/deny this connection, or better > still, > can confirm with documented sources, I would very much like to hear > from > you and know of those sources. > > This search has only just begun for me. I was adopted at six months > of > age, am now 63, and researched my adoptive lines very successfully > for > nearly 40 years. My search for my birth mother began about 25 years > > ago, with the encouragement of my adoptive Mom, but with little to > go on > but my biological Mother's name and age on the date of my birth, > along > with a few details, limited due to sealed adoption records. > Postings > with various adoption registries, etc. proved fruitless, and for a > time > I even searched for the wrong person, who happened to have the same > > names and place of residence, but who was a few years too old to fit > the > information I had. When the 1930 census was released I found a > family > whose daughter perfectly matched what I knew of my Mother, and I > felt > that I was finally on the right track, but after more than sixty > years I > had no idea where she might be then, what her married name might be, > or > whether she was still alive. > > Last August, while searching RootsWeb on my lunch break, as I had > many, > many times before, I discovered a listing about a baby that could > only > be myself, along with information that only a member of my birth > family > could know. My heart stood still as I read that information over, > and > over. > > An e-mail to the lady who posted that information resulted her > phoning > me the next evening, and, after a few minutes of polite exchanges > she > told me, "John, I'm your sister." That literally took my breath > away, > but when I recovered, Diane told me that our Mother was alive!, and > that > I had a brother, Norm, that I never knew about! This all brings > tears > to my eyes every time I retell the story, and it doesn't help that > I'm > writing this while listening to some of the most beautiful violin > music > ever recorded (/Song to the Moon/, by Antonin Dvorák, played by > Joshua > Bell). <G> I'm happy to say that I only live a day's drive from > Mom, > Diane and Norm, and that joyful reunions with all of them took place > > soon after that phone call. > > Since then there have been an exchange of additional visits, phone > calls, e-mails, packages, etc. Now my sister, Diane, and I are > actively > pursuing our family together. Happily Diane is an accomplished > researcher, and we have divided up the various lines of interest > between > the two of us, with the BOWDEN line falling to me. > > So if I can enlist your help with our search that would make us very > > happy. Believe me, I can recognize happiness when I experience it. > > After all, I have two Moms! > > All the best, > > John Zimmerman > Mesa, Arizona > ------------------------------ > Topic: A mailing list for the discussion and sharing of information > regarding the Bowden surname (and variations) in any place and at > any time. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > BOWDEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

Thanks, Karen. If you think it's nice to read, you should see it from my point of view. <BG> Calling Bowdens in the area where my family was from is an excellent suggestion, and a valid, and often successful technique. It's on my list to try, and I'll report the results to the list once I've done that. All the best, John Zimmerman Mesa, Arizona andover-mg@juno.com wrote: > What a nice story. I do hope you can connect all of your dots. One of the > things that has worked well for me is just to cold call other Bowdens in > the area where your family was from. Usually someone by that name knows > other family members working on the family tree and will share with you. > Karen Stone > > On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 01:17:51 -0700 hwedhlor <hwedhlor@cox.net> writes: > >