"Jonathan Bowman must have written his history about 1902. This statement is based on the fact that he said Samuel, son of Jacob Bowman, Jr. , was 75 years old at that time. The history was written with pencil, using a coarse-type of tablet paper, now yellowing with age." -Mary Ellen Bowman, history of the Klinger Church, 1975
"LIFE OF JONATHAN BOWMAN"
My father's name was Samuel Bowman, but he spelled his name Bauman. He was born in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania and resided there till he moved to Ohio In the spring of 1817. I am not able to tell just when he was born, but I presume In about 1780. The records were all burned when Isaac's house was burned, but he got married when he was about 27 years old. Mother was about five years younger, that I mind from hearsay. They had four children in Pennsylvania, Daniel, Jacob, Joseph and Samuel, Samuel was only a few months old when they moved to Ohio, Jacob died in Pennsylvania when about two years old.
When they moved to Ohio in the spring of 1817, there were quite a lot of them. It took about four weeks to make the trip. They all slept In their covered wagons and done their own cooking. Each family had a cow and a big dog, I will give you their names, as far as I can remember, Samuel Bowman and family, Jacob Bowman and family, John Bowman and family, Jacob Clark and family, (John) Daniel Clark and family, and there was a Geise and family (Samuel Geise), John Bowman and the Geise families lived one year where we live, and then moved back to Pennsylvania, Samuel Bowman lived one year southwest of Canton (Ohio), about one mile from the public square on the west side of Nimeshillin Creek, in a log cabin, then moved in the woods where my brother Isaac lives now. Jacob Bowman moved to Pike Township, where my cousin, Samuel Bowman lives. Jacob Clark was married to a sister of Samuel Bowman, and lived east of them till his death.
. Of Daniel Clark, I know but very little , I mind of seeing him, and that is all . At one time , he lived where Mr. Tinkler now lives, but what became of him, I do not know.
My mother's name was Mary Hagdalena Klinger, and was born and raised in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania , but i n what part of the county, I do not know, but they used to direct their letters to Gratztown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, There viere some other towns not far off, I mind of hearing them telling of Klingerstown and Pottsville . There was a stream of water that ran through Grandfather Klinger's farm, which they called Klinger's Gap, but the name of the stream, I do-i not know. I recollect of hearing mother telling that on Sundays, they would go to oat huckleberries on Brand Mountain and Blue Mountain, and that they used to fish in the Susquehanna River to catch the shad.
My Grandfather Klinger and Grandmother, I know but very little . I do not know what her name was before she was married, but of their children, I know. I saw all except two, John Philip was the oldest of the boys, and when I was about eight or ten years old, he and his family came west and stopped with our folks about one week to rest. And then, they went to Michigan where Peter lived. They stayed there some years, and then moved to Sadallia, Missouri, and when the Mormons came there, they all united with them, and that was the last we heard of them, but Alexander Klinger told me that some of the children are living in Salt Lake City, Peter was next, and he and Daniel, his youngest brother, went to Era, Pennsylvania shortly after the War of 1812 and stayed there some years, and Daniel died there . Then, Peter went to Little Sandusky, Ohio and got married there. From there, he moved to Mottville, Michigan and entered 640 acres of land, and cleared some, and built a gristmill and sawmill. Then his wife died. He and the children went to Washington in 1841 to the Inauguration of President W. H, Harrison,
There were three girls of the Klingers, Hannah married Jacob Bowman, who lived in Pike Township. He was older than ray father. They had four boys and five girls, John was the oldest, Henry next, Jacob, and Samuel. The oldest girl married Bonebrake, two of them married Millers, and two of them married Florys. They are all dead except Samuel, who lives on the old homestead. He is 75 years old, but looks about five or ten years older. He has got his third wife.
Next is my mother. She had twelve children, all boys. Eight were born one mile south of this place, namely, David, Jonathan, twins who died in their (first year). Next was Abraham, who died when about three years old with croup, John died when about the same age with croup, Benjamin, who lives in Iowa, he was first married to a Rodabaugh, They separated. He is married again, but I do not know her name. Isaac, the youngest, lives on the old homestead and has his second wife and one child, not the one that was born in Pennsylvania, Daniel, the oldest, was married to Susanna Lovell, Both lived to be very old, about 83 years old, and some of the children lives between Robertsville and Hapleton. Joseph was married twice, first to Eve Bortz. They moved to Indiana, where his wife died. He got married again and lived a few miles west of Auburn, Indiana, where he died when he was about 63 years old. Samuel was married to Hannah Epley in I838, and lived in Iowa for many years in Eldora, and died the first of March, 1902. His wife is living yet at that place. I am getting this mixed a little. David was the first they got in Ohio. He was born in the log cabin in 1819, married Catharine Tommes and died when about 57 years old. His wife died when about 77 years old. Both are buried at Canton. The children are all dead, except two of the boys. Jonathan was born in 1821, In the log cabin on the old homestead, married Eliza Jane Kelley, daughter of Col. Richard Kelley. Had six children, three girls and three boys, the oldest boy died when a little over one year old of diptheria.
Now, about my grandfather Bowman, I know but very little. Don't know his first name or who he was married to, but I know some of the names of their children and who they married. I will commence with the boys first. There was a John, who I mentioned before, but I know not who he married, but I mind of seeing one of his boys about 65 years ago. He had come to my father's on a visit, and Jacob Bownan of Fike, who was married to Hannah Klinger, an older sister of my mother, mentioned before. Samuel, my father comes next. I did mention that before,he died when about 74 years old and my mother was about 77 years old when she died. Both are buried at Hapleton, on the hill. There was a Henry, the youngest of the boys, who lived on the old homestead, but that is all I know about him.
One of the girls was married to a Harter. This Andrew Harter of Osnaburg, she was his great grandmother, and one was married to Jacob Clark, and the youngest was married to Peter Redinger (Hettinger), Both are buried at Osnaburg, and the Clarks are burled at Paris, The Clarks' family are all dead, and so are the Redingers, except one Mrs. Manda --- of Osnaburg.
I forgot to mention that Jacob and Hannah Bowman are buried on their own land. There is a log church and a small cemetery on the farm.
My Grandfather Bowman must have lived close to the Susquehanna River, for my father used to talk so much about fishing in that river in the daytime, and after night, they would set their nets in the evening, and in the morning, get buckets full of fish, mostly shad, in the spring of the year, I cannot recollect anything of their names or of towns or post office. They used to write Henry, but of their post office address, I know nothing, except the County was Northumberland,
When my folks moved to where Uncle Isaac lived, that was in the spring of 1818, him and Uncle Clark entered It in partnership. The Land Office was then in Steubenville (Ohio), and then, they divided it north and south. Father got the west end, Clark got the east. They then came from Canton and put up two cabins, one on the west and the other on the east side of the Bill, so each one had a good spring of water. After After they had their cabins up, they moved their families in. They had clapboard roof on, butt no floor, after they moved in. They drove small posts In the ground. They laid poles across to put their beds on. Then the next, they put up a stick and a chimney and out of oak logs, they split puncheons and (dryed ?) one side smooth and laid the floor, and took shaved clapboards and made a door, and next, they chunked and daubed it. Ours had two windows in on the north, had three lights onthe south, had six lights, eight by ten inches. The house was about seven feet high.
We lived there till 1828, when they built a big hewed log house, two stories high. When they first commenced there, there was no body living close. There were a few houses along the State Road and a few along Black Stream, but in one year, John Wolf and Adam Shull moved in, and in two years, John Dice, Kelley, Kooper, Crowl, Lutz and Deid Stoodabeker moved in. He lived where Dewalt now lives, and in a few years, there were plenty of neighbors, I recollect my father, Wolf, and Shull were asked to join together to go for salt to Yellow Creek, towards the Ohio River. They would go in a covered wagon and sleep in it. They would take provisions and feed along. It would take them about three days to make the trip. When they came back, each one had about a bushel of salt in a sack, of a yellowish color. I don't know how much they had to pay, but they were always growling that it was so high.
After the Ohio Canal was finished, in about 1332, they got their salt at Hassillon. It was called "The Lake Salt", and I think they had to pay about three dollars a barrel, at first. When we used to haul wheat to Hassillon, it took us one day to get ready. We had to clean the wheat first and measure it upj grease the wagon, put the cover on, and load up. .next day, we would go to Hassillon or close to it, and stay all night, sleep in the wagon, and the next day, come home, Ne:rt day was a general rest. So that took four days to go to Hassillon.
I recollect our first barn was east of the house, built of round logs, covered with clapboard, and had a threshing floor where my father was used to flail off the grain or tramp It off with the horses and then, take a pewter plate on a windy day and throw it across the floor to clean it. We had no fanning mill. Our next barn was a hewed log barn, covered with lapped shingles, made by Baeob Sanor and John Kelley in 1832 or I833, Fish and game of all kinds were plenty, at first, but there were no Indians any more, but plenty of wolves and some bear, tut I never saw any, but mind of father and mother talking about the wolves howling so late (in the) night, but I never heard them. I went along one morning to see where they had killed a yearling calf for us last night. I would go fifty or more miles to hear the birds singing, as they were singing in that falling timber seventy years ago. It seemed like there were thousands of the, and each one of them wanted to be the best singer.
(signed) Jonathan Bowman
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The following is written by Mary Ellen Bowman, in The History of the Klinger Church, 1975
In order to clarify some of the facts stated, an attempt is made here to point out that Jonathan Bowman did live in Stark County, Ohio. The Osnaburg,
village he refers to is now East Canton, Ohio.
He mentions several members of the family, and these are outlined on the Family Group Sheets following.
Mr. Bowmans refers to the Klingers joining the
Mormon faith. Contact was made at that time (1973) when this document
was first received, with the proper persons in Salt Lake City, Utah, in
an attempt to locate the genealogy which might have been compiled on the
Klinger family. They did HOT have any research on either John Philip or
Peter Klinger, Only recently, have learned through a Klinger researcher,
tha t there actually was a Daniel Klinger, brother of Hannah and Hary Hagdalena
Klinger Bowman, The graves of Peter Klinger and his wife, Rebecca
(naiden name not known) have been located near Hottvllle, Michigan.
No attempt has been made to change this history, other than to make minor
punctuations and spelling corrections. My sincere thanks to Mrs, Blaine
(Blanche) Mowman of AllianMy Ohio for allowing mo to copy this information.
