07/29/2018 This Old House

Over the past several years, learning about my family genealogy has become of greater interest to me. Earlier this month, I was able to trace one branch of my family tree back several more generations than I had previously. I had already known about my great grandmother Mary “Molly” Eleanor Bowman Orebaugh, but it wasn’t until doing some further research two weeks ago that I learned not only the identity of her parents but also of her paternal grandparents and two more generations of Bowmans before them.

After learning the names of my fifth great grandfather and of his wife, I soon learned that they had been born in Germany and that they were immigrants to the colony of Pennsylvania shortly before 1750 aboard a ship known as Patience. His name was Johannes Georg Bauman, and her maiden name was Maria Barbara Keller. In the early 1770’s, they moved into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and the spelling of their last name had been anglicized to Bowman. He was known as George Bowman.

Furthermore, I learned that he had built a small log farmhouse in Timberville in 1773. His grandson, John, built an addition on to that house in 1820. To my amazement, I learned that the house was still in existence! It had been donated to the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton more than a decade ago. It had been dismantled, moved and reconstructed as a permanent display.

Yesterday, Rebecca and I were able to go to see this reconstructed house that was originally built seven generations ago by my 5th great grandfather Bowman. It was quite an experience to walk around inside the original 3 rooms of this house dating back 245 years and then inside the 198 year-old addition built by my 3rd great grandfather Bowman.

We also traveled to Timberville to visit the grave sites of three generations of my Bowman ancestors, including that of John who added the room to the house in 1820.

Thank You, Lord, for what I have learned so far about my family’s heritage.

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Today’s music video features Andrew Peterson.
Matthew’s Begats

Grace Upon Grace,
George