I have traced our Canadian Bowness family back to this man and even stayed in his house that he bought or built abt. 1795. It was his 2 oldest sons and a daughter that came out to our smallest Province, Prince Edward Island in 1827. And no one left the Island until my Dad's generation. So have a slew of relatives there. William was born in Whitehaven, Cumberland in 1768 and I have also found his older brother who stayed in Whitehaven as an Agent for Lord Lowther. But I cannot find hide nor hair of his sisters and brothers after the proving of their Mother's Will (Mary Bowness) in 1802. They were definitely alive then. And seemingly unmarried. Nor can I find their marriages or deaths. Major brickwall......oh yes, and William's father was "John Bowness" who died in Whitehaven in 1787 when his children were rather young. Can't find his birth either. He married in Flimby. But doesn't appear to be from there. I am wondering if some or all of the missing siblings came up to Kirkton as William was doing very well for himself. I also have HIS will. Just a thought that perhaps someone might be tracking Bownesses and could help out. I can post the husbands of some of William's girls, but it is their aunts that I am looking for. And have been for about 10 years.......sigh.
Bear with me, Annie. My old FTM doesn't like this Windows7 so will see if I have their names and data from Mary's Will in PAF or Legacy.......Wow, it has been 6 yrs or so since I absorbed the data. William's father was John Bowness and mother was Mary Allanby of Flimby. They married in Whitehaven in 1764 and in the next 18 years had 9 children, 3 of them female....all in Whitehaven. John Senior died in 1787. The females names and DOB's were Fanny (15 July 1767), Mary (30 Nov 1776) and Elizabeth (3 Mar 1778). Mary's Will of 1801 named them and also a daughter..."Margaret or Margrat Bowness" but the only Margaret was William's daughter born in 1788 (Mary's granddaughter)......and I wonder if she stayed behind due to illness. She died fairly young up in Kirkton (age 31). This is all from memory as I will have to find the Will, but I doubt I am wrong on any of it. They had money cuz the Allanbys were wealthy and oddly enough one of them had come out to Prince Edward Island in Canada in 1770 but didn't last long. It appears his wife was related to the Duke of Portland judging by the rather demanding letters she wrote to him. But I digress......the 3 girls are born....named in their mother's Will....but from then on they disappear. No marriages or deaths. I am sure the Margaret was the granddaughter and she is on the tombstone in Kirkton, DFS. If you could find even a hint of where they went, I would be ecstatic!!! And some of the brothers seemed to eventually disappear as well, but will get that Will out and refresh my memory. Thanks, Annie!!
