Charles Bowman 1844-1916

Charles Bowman and Jane Grant Family Parish of Tealing, Forfarshire, Scotland Research & Family biography by Liz Smith Dundee, Scotland Standing (left to right): Ellen, Jean, Maggie and Mary. Sitting: Bella, Bette, Jane Grant Grant, Lottie and Charles Bowman. ca. early 1900s

Jane Grant 1846-1928

BALKELLO FARM, Parish of Tealing, Forfar, Scotland 1841-1847
	Balkello farm, according to the census for 1841, consisted of the farmhouse, three cottages and the farm bothie. In one of the cottages (probably a two roomed one) lived Helen and John, with their five children, two daughters, Ann, (16) and Isabella (14), two sons, James (6) and John (4) and a new born baby girl named, Catherine. For reasons unknown, baby Catherine, born shortly before the June 6, 1841 census, was not enumerated.  In the nearby cottages, at Balkello farm,  lived three other young families, including the family of   Thomas Bowman, age 36, his wife Margaret Dothey (Duthie), age 32, and four children: James, b. 1830, Jannet Christie, b. 1833, Isabella, b. 1837, and George, b. 1839. Thomas and Margaret were married 26th December 1829 in Tealing. The children were born in the Parish of Mains & Strathmartine and Liff Benvie & Inergowrie. Missing from the census is daughter Isabella, age 4, who is probably deceased. A research of Parish Records in Carmylie indicates that John Bowman and Thomas Bowman are brothers and children of David Bowman and Jean Mudie (Meadow).

Family of Charles Bowman and Jane Grant

Charles Bowman and Jane Grant had nine children: seven girls and two boys. The first five children: Helen, Margaret, Isabella, David, and Jane were born in the Mill of Murroes between 1874 and 1881. The remaining four children: Mary, Lizzie, John, and Charlotte were born in Dundee between 1884 and 1892.

• Helen (Ellen) Guthrie Bowman, was born 27th December 1874, Mill of Murroes, Parish of Murroes.
  Helen was named after her paternal grandmother Helen Guthrie.

• Margaret (Maggie) Grant Bowman (my grandmother) was born 8th February 1876, Mill of Murroes,
  Parish of Murroes. Margaret was probably called after her maternal aunt Margaret Grant, who was a
  witness at her sister Jane Grant's wedding.

• Isabella (Bella) Kennely Bowman was born in 1877, Mill of Murroes, Parish of Murroes. Isabella was
  possibly called after one of the farmer's daughters. (Charles also had a a sister called Isabella).
  Isabella later immigrated to Canada.

• David Grant Bowman was born 6 April 1879, Mill of Murroes, Parish of Murroes. David was named after
  Jane's father or brother David Grant. . He died, aged 8, in 1888, from acute rheumatism, a disorder causing
  painful swelling of the joints and muscle. Buried in Balgay Cemetery, Dundee, Scotland

• Jane (Jean) Ann Bowman was born August 31st 1881, Mill of Murroes, parish of Murroes. Jane may have
  been named for her mother and for Charles' eldest sister.

• Mary Taylor Bowman was born 3rd February 1884, Dundee. Charles had a sister called Mary and it
  may be that the baby was called after her. There is a family story that Mary was her mother's favourite and
  that the name Taylor came from a young man of whom Jane had been very found. Mary T. Bowman
  married Peter Crichton.

• Lizzie (Bette) Kennely Bowman arrived in 1885. She was a Hogmanay baby being born on the 31st of
  December. I'm not quite sure where the name Lizzie came from. (She was my godmother. She was very
  good to my mother and when I was born I was called after her. However, my parents didn't like the name
  Lizzie so I was baptized Elizabeth.

• John Guthrie Bowman was born prematurely in 9th October 1887 and died 20 days later. His uncle,
  David Grant, had bought 3 lairs in Balgay Cemetery, Dundee, after the death of his, and Jane's, father and John was
  buried in one of them. (When his brother David died a year later he was also buried there).

• Charlotte (Lottie) Grant Bowman, their last child, was born in 1892. I wonder if she was named for her
  father? She was 3 years old when her eldest sister, Ellen, married Norman Law. Lottie obtained employment
  in Laurencekirk as a housekeeper to Edward Cooper. His wife had left him and he had a young son to look
  after. Lottie later married Edward and her mother went to live with them. It was here Jane died in 1928 aged 82.

Dundee, Scotland - 1884 By 1884 Charles and Jane had moved to Dundee, living on Blackness Road area, where Charles worked as a dairyman, possibly with his own business. Over the next few years two daughters, Mary Taylor, and Lizzie Kennely, and a son named John Guthrie, were born between 1884 and 1887. Five years late in 1892 they moved to Baxter Street and Charles was for a brief period a master butcher. He then tried gardening and the family moved to Rosebery Street. This was still in the same area. Eldest daughter Helen Guthrie (Ellen) Grant married Norman Law in 1895. Maggie married William Meffan Anderson in 1899 and Bella married John Arklie in 1901 and emigrated to Canada. Charles by then was a grain merchant's lorry man or carter. Charles and Jane next moved to Lochee to 7 Yeaman's Lane where Charles had a dairy. Daughter Mary Taylor Bowman married Peter Crichton in 1907. The two youngest daughters Lizzie and and Charlotte married in 1915 and 1922.

7 Yeaman Lane, Dundee, Scotland. Charles Bowman, wife Jane Grant, and infant girl Crichton.
Photo ca. 1908-1912.

 

 

		Balgay Cemetery, Dundee The following are buried here: 1877 David Grant 58 1880 Mary Payne 28 1880 John Grant 33 1887 John Guthrie Bowman 20 days 1888 David Grant Bowman 9 1896 Alexander Allan 7 days 1912 Barbara Chalmers 92 1917 Margaret Ritchie 58 1935 David Grant 70 (79?)
In memory of David Grant d. 8th June 1877 also his wife Barbara Chalmers, d. 22nd Feb 1912 their daughter Betsy, d. 21st May 1884 and their son John, d. 21st Sept 1880 their son David Grant, d. 12th Apr 1935 also his wife Margaret W. Ritchie, d. 22nd Jan 1917 also his eldest daughter Jessie Grant, d. 22 June 1971, aged 84 yrs parents of Jane Grant				IN REMEMBRANCE OF PETER CRICHTON Died 28th JULY 1953 Age 73 YEARS ALSO MARY BOWMAN WIFE OF THE ABOVE Died 8th MARCH 1977 Aged 93 YEARS

 

Death of Charles Bowman, 1916, and Jane Grant Bowman, 1928

	By 1916 only Lottie remained at home. Charles, now aged 72, appeared to be in good health but, one evening he went out to the byre to see to the cows. When he didn't return Lottie went out to see if anything was wrong. Her father had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was dead.
Jane Grant was living with her daughter Charlotte, and son-in-law Edward Cooper in Laurencekirk, when she died at age 82, in 1928.

 

East Blackiemuir Laurencekirk 12th March 1923 Dear Peter & Mary, Sorry to convey the sad news of poor old Granny, poor old Soul, passed away very quickly with little pain. I am forwarding to you this Certificate of Death. And also the Burial Ground Rights. We leave to you to see that the grave is opened and every thing right concerning the Burial Grounds. When the Funeral is passed & she is laid to rest, it was Granny's wish that you keep this paper. Rights of Burial. We expect the funeral to be on Thursday but can't say for certain until we see some of the rest. Yours very faithfully Ed. M. Cooper

 

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