NFORMATION:

• From the Book "Descendants of Josiah Bull Jr." page 203.
• From the files of Carolyn Louise (Creager) Alexander, of Fort Wayne, Indianna. Birth year, & marriage shown 10 Mar 1645 & death as 4 June 1663, may have mixed up info on Hannah.
• From the retyped manuscript of A. C. Bowerman pg 5 & 6 states that Savage’s History states that Thomas died 25th May 1679. Marriage date given as 1st Mar., 1645-46.- and surname as BURMAN.
• From the book "Pioneer Life On The Bay Quinte" pgs, 128. - named & marriage year, 1644. Issue listed.
• From the files of Peter Katzur. Death year shown 1661 & marriage year 1642.

FILE STORY:

A carpenter from England, founded the Bowerman family in North America. He was in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1632 and on March 13 1634. According to Plymouth Colony records he contracted: "to doe ye forte" by ye last of May - 1635, all ye posts to be ten inches square and not to stand above ten foote assuner to be done with three rails between every post of fit scantling. The post and rails are all to be sawn. He is to enclose ye whole work with sawn boards. It is to be nine foot high and they are to be cut sharp at ye tope and either listed or shot with a plane, all of which he is to buy and bring home at his expense. The contract price for building this early fort in Plymouth was 30 pounds ($67.50 in 1981) to be paid in beaver. He had moved to Barnstable by 1639 where he settled a farm just west of town which he sold to Robert Parker on Oct.21, 1662 for 78 pounds. Thomas was a surveyor of highways for Barnstable in 1648 and 1655 and a grand juror in 1650. He also owned land in Suskanesset, now called Falmouth, which was granted to him in 1661, the same year he died in Barnstable.

Settled: West Barnstable, and West Falmouth, Massachusetts.
Occupation: Carpenter and farmer.
Miscellaneous: Brochure on the Saconesset Homestead reports that after 30 years in America, Thomas received a grant of land in Saconesset. He sold his farm in West Barnstable and moved to the virgin land and constructed in 1678 a house from field stone, motar, oak timbers, and hand sawn wide boards. The house is still standing today (1987) and is sturdy. The land is marginal farmland, mainly sandly in texture and with lots of rocks. The Homestead is on Route 28A in the Cape Cod area. BUT if he died between May 9 and June 4, 1663, then it was obviously Thomas II that built the house.
Gordon Bowerman lists the death dates above. [Bowerman homepage]

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