Jim's genie jottings

Website of the Fleming, Jolliffe, Kessey and Murphy families of New South Wales - and Website of the Fleming, Jolliffe, Kessey and Murphy families of New South Wales - and their forebears

Bowen family

Bowen

Origin of the surname
Bowen is a Welsh name. The "B" prefix in Welsh surnames is similar in function to the Scottish "Mc" and "Mac" and the Irish "O'" - it is short for "son of". So, Bowen literally means "son of Owen".

Nevertheless, before they came to Australia, our Bowen ancestors were living in Ireland.

Australia
The story of the Bowen family migration to Australia is a sad one. It seems that, in early 1836 Mary Lahy was a twice-widowed mother struggling to raise four children alone in Kilkenny, Ireland. (After the deaths of her husbands she reverted to her maiden name.) Her children were Patrick Tobin (aged 20), Mary Tobin (18), Martin Bohen (16) and Ellen Bohan (11). The three older children were arrested and convicted of "feloniously killing a sheep" and all sentenced to be transported to Australia. Mary Lahy was herself arrested and convicted of "receiving stolen property into her house"; no doubt the mutton. She was also sentenced to transportation. She was permitted to bring he innocent 11 year old daughter (Ellen) with her to Australia.

Patrick Tobin and Martin Bohen arrived in Sydney on 5 January 1837 aboard the convict ship St Vincent. They were both assigned to work for the Australian Agricultural Company on its land in the Hunter District of NSW. Mary Lahy, their mother, arrived in Sydney about 6 months (along with Ellen) later aboard Margaret. (Her brother, Patrick Lahy, was already in the colony, having been transported 15 years earleir.) Finally, Mary Bohan arrived in Sydney a further two months later aboard Sir Charles Forbes.

All five struggled to come to terms with their new circumstances in New South Wales. There were further clashes with authority; but that is a story for another time!

At one time Mary Tobin was granted permission to marry another of my ancestors, Isaac Kemp; but the marriage did not proceed. (See Isaac Kemp elsewhere on this website).

Martin Bohen eventually married Elizabeth Seage and they raised a family of twelve children in the Bathurst area of NSW.

Bowen ancestors
Our Bowen ancestors include:

Mary Lahy – (1795 - )
Martin Bohen – (c1820 - 1891
John Henry Bowen – (1853 - 1902)
Ellen Ruby Bowen – (1882 - 1912)

Bowen Stories

The following Bowen family stories are published on this website.

The Clan keeper – My most-admired ancestor is Ma Bowen.
An unfortunate family – Mary Lahy struggled to raise four children after being widowed twice. And then things got worse...

Bowen Clan

The Boweh clan descends from Mary Lahy and her first husband John Bohan.

Legend:
Subject
Daughter
Son
Unknown Gender
Spouse

(b. 1793)

(b. Abt 1791, d. Abt 1818)

(b. 1815, d. 1887)

(b. Abt 1831)

(b. Abt 1851, d. Aft 1887)

(b. 1854, d. 1916)

(b. 1817)

(b. Abt 1820)

(b. 1841, d. 1906)

(b. 1845, d. 1922)

(b. 1847)

Sarah J. Howard

(b. 1849, d. 1922)

(b. Abt 1795, d. Abt 1828)

(b. 1819, d. 1891)

Elizabeth Seage

(b. 1834, d. 1910)

(b. 1853, d. 1902)

Alice C. Poulton

(b. 1860, d. 1927)

Thomas M. Bowen

(b. 1879, d. Abt 1880)

Albert J. Bowen

(b. 1880, d. Bef 1927)

(b. 1882, d. 1912)

George C. Murphy

(b. 1880, d. 1949)

(b. Abt 1906, d. Aft 1912)

(b. Abt 1906)

Marie E. Murphy

(b. 1928)

(b. Abt 1934)

(b. Abt 1953)

?

(b. 1981)

(b. 1982)

(b. Abt 1956)

(b. Abt 1960)

(b. 1930, d. 2011)

?

(b. Abt 1950)

(b. Abt 1952)

(b. Abt 1954)

Clare E. Murphy

(b. 1931)

?

(b. Abt 1951)

(b. Abt 1953)

(b. Abt 1955)

Leila M. Murphy

(b. 1934)

?

(b. Abt 1954)

(b. Abt 1956)

(b. Abt 1958)

(b. Abt 1960)

Georgina E. Murphy

(b. 1935)

(b. Abt 1955)

(b. Abt 1957)

(b. Abt 1958)

(b. Abt 1960)

(b. Abt 1962)

(b. 1938)

(b. Abt 1959)

(b. Abt 1961)

(b. Abt 1963)

Veronica M. Murphy

(b. 1939)

?

(b. Abt 1961)

(b. Abt 1963)

(b. Abt 1965, d. Bef 1990)

James T. Murphy

(b. 1941)

?

(b. Abt 1961)

(b. Abt 1963)

(b. Abt 1965)

(b. Abt 1967)

Kathleen I. Murphy

(b. 1942, d. 1979)

(b. Abt 1940)

(b. Abt 1969)

(b. Abt 1971)

(b. Abt 1973)

(b. Abt 1975)

(b. Abt 1977)

Beverley A. Murphy

(b. 1943)

(b. Abt 1940)

Raymond Nicholls

Darren Nicholls

(b. Abt 1966)

Carmel Nicholls

(b. Abt 1968)

Peter A. Murphy

(b. 1945)

(b. Abt 1946)

(b. Abt 1969)

(b. Abt 1971)

(b. Abt 1973)

Pauline B. Murphy

(b. 1946)

?

(b. Abt 1966)

(b. Abt 1968)

(b. Abt 1970)

Michael C. Murphy

(b. 1948)

?

(b. Abt 1968)

Edward J. Murphy

(b. 1949)

?

Shane A. Murphy

(b. Abt 1969)

Nathan J. Murphy

(b. Abt 1971, d. 1973)

(b. 1908, d. 1995)

Halvar R. Kessey

(b. 1905, d. 1981)

James A. Kessey

(b. 1930)

(b. 1945, d. 2013)

(b. 1932, d. 1974)

(b. Abt 1960)

Halvene T. Kessey

(b. 1934, d. 2005)

Reginald B. Fleming

(b. 1929, d. 2016)

James M. Fleming

(b. 1955)

Shae T. Fleming

(b. 1957)

Peta P. Fleming

(b. 1960)

Patrick B. Fleming

(b. 1967)

Amber R. Fleming

(b. 1993)

Ruby L. Fleming

(b. 1995)

(b. 1998)

Carmel R. Kessey

(b. 1939, d. 2019)

(b. 1936)

(b. 1961)

Margaret Luffman

(b. 1964)

(b. 1987, d. 1989)

Matthew R. Hull

(b. 1991)

(b. 1994)

Brittany M. Hull

(b. 1996)

Kristy Holyoake

(b. 1982)

(b. 2012)

(b. 1962)

(b. ca. 1962)

(b. 1970)

?

(b. 1993)

(b. 1990)

(b. 2014)

(b. 1975)

(b. 2001)

(b. 2003)

?

Penny P. Kessey

(b. 1945)

(b. 1911, d. Aft 1912)

(b. 1908)

(b. 1933)

Judith A. Barton

(b. Abt 1935, d. 2014)

(b. Abt 1934, d. Abt 1995)

(b. Abt 1958)

(b. 1962)

(b. Abt 1960)

Christopher Kane

(b. Abt 1984)

Sharon L. Dixon

(b. Abt 1963)

(b. Abt 1952)

(b. Abt 1994)

Samantha Blease

(b. Abt 1994)

(b. Abt 1965)

Jacquiline M. Barton

(b. Abt 1941)

Maxwell Bannister

(b. Abt 1940)

Brent M. Bannister

(b. 1963)

(b. Abt 1964)

(b. Abt 1984)

Claire Bannister

(b. Abt 1986)

(b. Abt 1988)

Jay B. Bannister

(b. 1966)

Simon G. Bannister

(b. 1968)

Fleur L. Bannister

(b. 1973)

Chase J. Bannister

(b. 2004)

(b. Abt 1954)

(b. Abt 1952)

(b. 1976)

(b. 1978)

(b. 1985)

(b. 1884, d. Aft 1927)

(b. Abt 1911)

?

Douglas A. Bowen

(b. 1933, d. 2008)

(b. Abt 1955)

(b. Abt 1957)

(b. Abt 1960)

(b. Abt 1909)

Daniel S. Bowen

(b. 1939)

Dorothy Simmons

(b. Abt 1944)

(b. 1961)

(b. Abt 1961)

(b. 1982)

(b. 1985)

(b. 1962)

(b. Abt 1962)

(b. 1997)

(b. 1964)

(b. Abt 1964)

Damien Cruikshank

(b. 1996)

Emily Cruikshank

(b. 1998)

(b. 1967)

?

(b. 1985)

?

(b. 2004)

Chelsea Taylor-Bowen

(b. 2008)

(b. 1989)

Patricia M. Bowen

(b. Aft 1939)

Lionel Andrewartha

(b. Abt 1962)

Allan Andrewartha

(b. 1963)

?

Owen Andrewartha

(b. 1991)

Tanya Andrewartha

(b. 1968)

?

Ashley McMaster

(b. 1989)

Tenneil McMaster

(b. 1991)

(b. Abt 1940)

Elizabeth A. Bowen

(b. 1887, d. Abt 1967)

Roland A. Thorne

(b. Abt 1885)

Lola Willoughby

Margaret Thorne

Laurel Honeyman

Ronnie Honeyman

Patricia Thorne

Percy C. ("Josh") Thorne

(d. 1967)

Arthur R. ("Mick") Thorne

(b. 1910, d. 1970)

Vicky Johnstone

Karen Johnstone

(d. aged 8)

(b. 1955)

(b. Abt 1921)

(b. Bef 1929, d. 1929)

(b. 1889, d. 1940)

James H. Williams

(b. Abt 1888)

John B. Williams

(b. Abt 1916)

Anne-Marie Williams

(b. Abt 1952)

Robert Williams

(b. Abt 1956)

Ellen R. Williams

(b. Abt 1917, d. 1938)

Patrick B. Williams

(b. Abt 1918)

Claire Williams

Sandra Williams

Myn B. Williams

(b. Abt 1922)

George McCormick

(b. Abt 1928)

(b. Abt 1957)

(b. Abt 1955)

(b. Abt 1959)

Norman A. Gordon

(b. Abt 1957)

(b. 1980)

(b. 1983)

(b. Abt 1962)

Cornelius B. Williams

(b. Abt 1923)

Noel B. Williams

(b. Abt 1924)

Alice M. Williams

(b. Abt 1927)

Halvar L. Dugan

(b. Abt 1930)

(b. Abt 1951)

(b. Abt 1953)

Joseph M. Williams

(b. Abt 1934)

(b. Abt 1940)

(b. Abt 1961)

(b. Abt 1965)

(b. 1891, d. Aft 1927)

(b. Abt 1915)

(b. 1917, d. 1978)

(b. 1923)

Peggy Richardson

Violet F. Schweitzer

(b. 1927, d. 1927)

Patricia A. Bowen

(b. 1929)

(b. 1931)

Susan L. Darcey

Berndt T. Cherubini

Judith A. Darcey

Belinda J. Darcey

Frank M. Darcey

?

Bertha M. Bowen

(b. 1932)

?

(b. 1934)

(b. 1936, d. 1970)

Lillian M. Bowen

(b. 1893, d. Bef 1927)

Jack Sunderland

Arthur Sunderland

Alma Sunderland

Sylvia Sunderland

Thomas W. Bowen

(b. 1895, d. Bef 1897)

(b. 1897, d. Aft 1927)

Sidney Honeyman

Alan F. Honeyman

Simone Honeyman

Bernadette Honeyman

Matthew Honeyman

John Karandonis

Child1 Karandonis

Child2 Karandonis

Brian S. Honeyman

Patricia Mooring

Sandra Honeyman

Debbie Thwaites

Sharon Thwaites

Lilian A. Honeyman

Graham S. Honeyman

Christopher Honeyman

Child1 Honeyman

Child2 Honeyman

Cornelius P. Bowen

(b. 1899, d. Aft 1927)

(b. Abt 1900, d. Abt 1985)

Patricia A. Bowen

(b. Abt 1935, d. Abt 1988)

Cornelius G. Bowen

(b. Abt 1939)

Cornelius Bowen

(b. Abt 1957)

William B. Bowen

(b. 1900, d. Aft 1927)

(b. Abt 1855, d. Bef 1891)

(b. Abt 1857, d. Aft 1891)

(b. Abt 1859, d. Aft 1891)

(b. Abt 1861, d. Aft 1891)

Elizabeth Bowen

(b. Abt 1861, d. Aft 1891)

(b. Abt 1863, d. Aft 1891)

(b. Abt 1868)

(b. Abt 1865, d. Aft 1891)

(b. Abt 1867, d. Aft 1891)

Brigid J. Bohan

(b. 1869)

Cornelius Bowen

(b. Abt 1872, d. Aft 1891)

Catherine Bowen

(b. Abt 1875, d. 1875)

Second s. Bohan

(b. Abt 1822)

(b. 1823, d. 1881)

(b. Abt 1820)

(b. Abt 1845, d. Bef 1881)

Margaret Jackson

(b. Abt 1846, d. Aft 1881)

(b. Abt 1845)

(b. Abt 1847, d. 1906)

Rebecca Jackson

(b. Abt 1850, d. Aft 1881)

Elizabeth Jackson

(b. Abt 1852, d. Aft 1881)

Mary A. Jackson

(b. Abt 1854, d. Aft 1881)

(b. Abt 1857, d. Aft 1881)

(b. Abt 1860, d. 1928)

Rachael Jackson

(b. Abt 1862, d. Aft 1881)

George M. Jackson

(b. Abt 1865, d. 1906)

(b. Abt 1867, d. Aft 1881)

(b. 1827, d. Aft 1837)

William Boardley

(b. 1810)

Legend:
Subject
Daughter
Son
Unknown Gender
Spouse