Anthony Bowen (abt. 1809 - 1871)

Born about 8 Oct 1809 in Prince George's, Maryland, United States [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 21 Jul 1871 at about age 61 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

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Biography

Anthony Bowen is Notable.

Reverend Anthony Bowen was a former slave who became a leader of the African-American community in Washington, D.C., supporting education for children and assisting the Underground Railroad. He became the first African-American employee of the United States Patent Office. Both the Anthony Bowen YMCA and Anthony Bowen Elementary School in Washington, D.C., are named in his honor.^[1]

Anthony was born about 1809. He was the son of Henry Bowen. Anthony was born into slavery and bought his freedom in 1830.

Anthony married Mary Collins in 1839. Anthony and Mary had several children and raised them in SW Washington, D.C.

Anthony was a U.S. Government clerk at the Patent Office. He was a civic leader and active community organizer.

Anthony was a property owner and bequeathed his various holdings to his family members in his will.

He passed away in 1871. Rev. Bowen was buried in Columbian Harmony Cemetery, Washington, D.C. The occupants of that cemetery were moved to National Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery, Hyattsville, Maryland.[1]

Research Notes

• Wikipedia entry for Anthony states that he purchased his freedom for $450 in 1830.

• Wikipedia suggests that Anthony's family's enslaver was William Bradley.
• The 1850 and 1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedules from Prince George's County, Maryland include a slave owner named James Bradley.

• Possible first wife was Catherine Miles. She was possibly the mother of daughters Mary, Josephine, and Henrietta.

• Anthony's 1840 U.S. Census record shows only two adults and one child. The oldest child, Mary, has not yet been located in 1850 or 1860.

• The Wikipedia entry provides two references; one reference is his Funeral Notice from The Evening Star newspaper and the other is an article from the Negro History Bulletin. The Bulletin link does not work, but people with an academic library access code should be able to access the article through jstor.org.

• There are currently two Find A Grave profiles for Anthony. A merge has been requested (10 Sep 2023).

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia entry for Anthony Bowen

• "District of Columbia Marriages, 1811-1950", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XL8M-5JC : Fri Aug 18 16:51:40 UTC 2023), Entry for Anthony Bowen and Mary Collins, 19 Sep 1839.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/225590392/anthony-bowen: accessed 10 September 2023), memorial page for Rev Anthony Bowen (unknown–Jul 1871), Find a Grave Memorial ID 225590392, citing National Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery, Hyattsville, Prince George's County, Maryland, USA; Maintained by juanster (contributor 46829046).Find A Grave: Memorial #225590392Find A Grave: Memorial #232888651

• "United States Census, 1840", Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: 35; Page: 36; Family History Library Film: 0006700, Ancestry.com, Anthony Bowens

Home in 1840 (City, County, State) Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, Free Colored Persons - Males - 24 thru 35 1, Free Colored Persons - Females - Under 10 1, Free Colored Persons - Females - 10 thru 23 1, Total Free Colored Persons 3, Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves 3; (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C., Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, Provo, UT, USA

• "United States Census, 1850", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX69-7Q1 : Mon Jul 17 20:29:21 UTC 2023), Entry for Anthony Bowen and Mary Bowen, 1850.

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCVS-M97 : Mon Jul 17 21:39:01 UTC 2023), Entry for Anthony Bowen and Mary Bowen, 1860.

• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN49-BG3 : Tue Aug 22 00:54:09 UTC 2023), Entry for Anthony Bowen and Mary Bowen, 1870.