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Bowen family web

Native American Bowens'

Note from Ben Bowen :

I received the first message from Ron Bowen on May 29th 2002, it explains his connection to Native American Cherokee Bowen's listed in the Dawes rolls. I had placed some limited information on the Bowen family web site over a year ago listing Choctaw Bowens' on the rolls, Just a few days prior to Ron Bowen contacting me, I had placed some more information with more names which included Cherokees, however the list did not contain Ron Bowen's relatives, Ron requested that I add his names to my list. I did a search at the NARA and at accessgenealogy.com to verify his claims. Rons relatives did appear on the Index.

Also see the link to my Bowen line and the Cherokee Nation > [ Bowen's with Cherokee Blood ]

Thanks, Ben Bowen

 

Subject:Native American Bowens

Date: Wed, 29 May 2002

From : Ronald R. Bowen

 

Hello! Osiyo!

I got this address from an internet page so I have no idea if it is still active or not. Therefore I won't go into a lot of detail, but I am a Bowen myself, born and raised in Fairland, OK, and I am Native American. There was a list of Bowens on the Dawes list and my family members were not among them.
My great-grandmother Abigail (Deems) Bowen (married to Elias Bowen) is an original enrollee as were their children born early enough to be included. This includes my grandfather Sanford Bowen. This is all very verifiable and I am in fact a direct descendent of Amatoya Moytoy, b. ~1650. Nancy Ward of the Cherokee is also descended from this Moytoy. As is Dragging Canoe and many others. I am a 'direct' descendent of the Ward that married Nancy after the death of her first husband, Kingfisher. So I'm kind of related to her twice. Anyway, I am a "card-carrying" Cherokee and also part Potawatomie on my mother's side.....

Thanks. Wado,

Ron Bowen

A second e-mail from Ron states...

..... I do have E.E. Bowen and Clara Abigail Bowen's names and birth dates on a scrap of paper kept in my Bible (they're written in her handwriting).

Okay, here goes ("?" means the handwriting was a little hard to make out):

Elias Bowen, age 56 years (?). Born Aug. 3 1860 (?)

Abby Bowen, age 40 years. Born Nov. 1 (?), 1876

Sanford Bowen, age 16 years. Born Nov. 9, 1900

Othel Bowen, age 12 years. Born July 6, 1904

Wm Bowen, age 10 years. Born Dec. 3, 1906

Jean Bowen, age 7 years. Born Sept. 6, 1909

Maudie Bowen, age 4 years. Born. Sept. 19, 1912

Sybil Bowen, age 2 years. Born Feb. 18, 1914

 

Elias is the same person as E. E. Bowen. Abby is a nickname for Clara Abigail (Deems) Bowen

She also listed: Truman Bowen, age 45 years. Born Sept. 21, 1870.

Truman was E. E. Bowen's brother.

NOTE: They went on to have at least two more children, Jo (daughter) and Emory Owen (son).

So, there ended up being quite a few Cherokee Bowens in NE Oklahoma as a result of these two marrying. She stated on the Dawes application that she was "1/4", or possibly "about a 1/4". Most of educated tribal members were trying to understate their CDIB to 1/4 as you then had complete control of your land allotment versus having to get permission to sell, etc. I have a picture of E. E. Bowen and Abby if anyone is interested.

As you will see, tracing Clara Abigail Deems to the Ward family is complicated the the fact that she, her sister and brother are at times listed as Deems, Deans and/or Dean. Also, Eliza Jane Ward was illegitimate (her mother's name was Betsy Pigeon), but was given the surname and raised by her father as a Ward alongside her many younger 1/2 siblings.

I sent some info. to James Hicks and he put it on his webpage. Here is a link from these Bowens all the way back to Amatoya Moytoy:

 

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/h/i/c/James-R-Hicks/BOOK-0001/0025-0448.html#CHILD1996


from http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/enroll/cherokee/index.htm


Dawes Commission of 1896 - Choctaws
From the Dawes Roll Index:

Information listed

* Last, First, and Middle Names.

* Type. The type of card. This is either a "By Blood (BB)", "Doubtful (D)", "Minor (M), "Newborn (NB)", or "Rejected (R)" card.

"MCR" refers to a Mississippi Choctaw Rejected card. "P" means the person is listed as a parent on the Dawes cards.

* Age and Sex.

* Card. This is the Dawes cards number, not the roll number.

* Roll. This is the Dawes roll number.

* Misc. Sometimes the Post Office or Residence. You need to see the actual card to determine which.

BOEN/BOWEN

* Julia Ann Boen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Mary Boen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Nancy Jane Boen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Rosa Boen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Sarah Boen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Eliza Jane Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Elizabeth Jane Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* George W. Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* George Washington Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* James Spencer Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Jessie Anderson Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Jessie Anderson Bowen Jr. - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Leona May Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Nancy Barthena Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Polly Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Polly Cooper Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Rosa Evelin Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* Rosa Isabel Bowen Higgins - Choctaw - Case #1418

* W. H. Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

* William Houston Bowen - Choctaw - Case #1418

 

 

 

Source Information:

United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Applications From the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Muskogee Area Office, Relating to Enrollment in the Five Civilized Tribes Under the Act of 1896, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington: 1992.

More about the Dawes act and the Dawes roll

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Cabin/5804/lessons.htm

http://www.dickshovel.com/cleansing.html

http://www.tulsalibrary.org/collections/genealogy/rolls-text.htm

 

The Bowen family web The Rootsweb edition 2000-2004


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