Hi Tom, I'm having the same trouble with my BOWDON family too, lack of evidence compunded by the fact that in early census records the family name was spelled BOWDON but that later some family members spelled in BOWDEN and in even one article in the newspaper it was spelled BOWDON and BOWDEN. There seemed to be a "whatever" approach to the name. To this day part of the BOWDON family spells the name with an O and the other part with an E. I am from Thomas Bowdon B 1793 in Chester CO SC who married Parmelia C. Jenkins. Their children were William Jordon, John O.,Francis Marion, Jasper D.L., Thomas Virgil William, Louise Travis, Benjamin Franklin, Victoria Ruth Caroline, Nancy Sarah Ann, and Columbia Caroline. The first child's birth place is unknown, the next 4 were born in Bedford Co, TN, the next 3 born in Lauderdale CO, AL, the next 2 in De Soto CO, MS, and the last child in Phillips CO, AR. If you have any BOWDON s in this list please let me know. Thanks, Karen On Tue, 10 Oct 2000 11:35:24 EDT Rootsnva@aol.com writes: >We often encounter family legends that have been passed down through >the generations which are difficult to confirm with objective >evidence. I >have such a problem with John BOWDON of Granville Co, NC, son of >William and Elizabeth BOWDOWN of Granville. > >A distant relative (J Walter Allen) who was an ardent genealogist >proclaimed this family to be descended from the BOWDOIN family >of Virginia (previously of Massachusetts and La Rochelle, France). >Accordingly he spelled the name BOWDOIN, and I find many >descendants of William and Elizabeth who have followed that spelling >and implicitly, if not explicitly, that line of descent. > >As a descendant of John BOWDON I would be delighted to incorporate >the BOWDOIN name and history in our family lineage. My problem is >the lack of supporting evidence. > >(1) Allen never in any of his published articles or other writing >that I >have seen revealed the basis for his conclusion. > >(2) None of the original documents mentioning William BOWDOWN >and his family used the BOWDOIN spelling. > >(3) Neither Allen nor anyone else has defined how William BOWDOWN >fit into the known descendants of Jean BOWDOIN of Virginia as >clained. >(One descendant has conjectured that William BOWDOWN's name >might have been John William BOWDOIN and thus the John BOWDOIN >who was a son of Jean BOWDOIN. I know of no evidence to support >this theory.) > >(4) In my opinion my cousin J Walter Allen was an unreliable writer >on >genealogical matters. In quoting from a Bowden will he spelled the >name BOWDOIN although that spelling does not appear in the will. >He also claimed that John BOWDON's wife, Judith, was a FARRAR, >daughter of William FARRAR. Here again he never to my knowledge >revealed any source for this allegation. There is a marriage bond in > >Granville Co for Judith FARRAR and Jesse HAYS, and I have found >no other Judith FARRAR in the time period who could have been the >wife of John BOWDON. In short, I believe Allen invented family con- >nections that cannot be supported by documentary evidence. > >I'd be happy to be proved wrong, but I'll need more than Allen's >unsubstantiated claims. > >Tom (rootsnva@aol.com) > ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.