While I was in England, Anita Wills wrote (normally I wouldn't quote
the whole message, but it has been quite a while since she wrote):

> This is information that was collected from one of my ancestors, Mary
> Bowden, who was a mulatto Indentured Servant to George Washingtons' ' family,
 i
> n Westmoreland County Virginia. The Plantation where Mary served was called P
op
> es' Creek, and is now called, George Washington Birthplace. Mary was one of m
y
> later discoveries, who surfaced in 1998, and finding her was a wonderful surp
ri
> se. Several people who were on this list in 1998, helped me fill in the blank
s.
>  It is difficult to find females, especially females of color, and I was fort
un
> ate to uncover so much about her. Although my book has been out over a year,
I
> am still putting together the pieces of her life.
>
> If what I suspect is true, my ancestor Mary Bowden, was born in February of 1
73
> 0. According to Virginia's laws of the time, her mother should have been a wh
it
> e woman. The law was aimed at the mixed raced children of white women. Howeve
r,
>  it appears that my ancestors mother was a Mulatto woman (see court transcrip
t)
> , who did not fall under the laws.
>
> Mary was not indentured until the age of seven, and lived with a family named
 C
> hilton. I learned quite a bit about Mary after 1737, but not too much before.
 H
> owever, I still had the question of who, what, and where, and now I am findin
g
> some answers. I found my ancestor, Mary Bowdens' mother, and it appears that
he
> r name was also
> Mary. This is a copy of the information I found the person I believe to be my
 a
> ncestors mother. The source is, WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA COURT ORDERS, 1
70
> 5-1787, Library of Virginia microfilm reel nos.55-61
>
> 1. 27 May 1730
> p.328a
> Grand Jury vs Mary Munroe (Mulatto Woman)Ordered that the Sheriff of this Cou
nt
> y do summon Mary a Mulato serv. woman belonging to Wm Munroe of the parish of
 W
> ashington to be ? ... bastard child
> born of her body ... (very dark film)
>
> 2. 27 August 1730
> p.338
> Mary a Mulatto servant to William Monroe of Washington parish being presented
 b
> y the grand jury at May Court last for having a bastard child on or about the
 2
> 0th of February last past which being now Called and the Court taking the Sam
e
> under Consideration they are of opinion that Mulatto women are Not within the
 p
> enalty
> of the Law Against Bastardy,  they being by the Law of the Country prohibited
 m
> arriage with white men, And therefore It ordered that the presentment be Dism
is
> s.
>
> I was looking for evidence of Mulatto women who had children in Westmoreland
Co
> unty, in 1730. This was the only Mulatto woman, who fit the time date, and pr
ox
> imity. Yet, I needed more evidence to soldify my claim. I was able to connect
 t
> he following information to my ancestor, by the last names of Monroe,and Chil
to
> n. My ancestor, Mary Bowden, was living in the household of Thomas Chilton wh
en
>  she was Indentured to the Washingtons.
>
> The following is an abstract of Mary Watts' will:
>
> Will: Made 3 April 1737, proved 26 April 1737. Granddaughter Elizabeth Sanfor
d;
>  Capt. Andrew Munroe and his wife Jane to have care of her estate until she i
s
> 18 years of age; son John Watts; son James Bowcock and his children Thomas, J
am
> es,and Jane; son Richard Watts; daughters Jane Munroe, Margaret Strother, and
 M
> ary Blackburn and the latter's husband Mr. Richard Blackburn; Capt. Thomas Ch
il
> ton and his wife Jemima 1 mourning ring each; Rev. Roderick McCullough a mour
ni
> ng
> ring.
>
> This indicates that Bowcock was not her maiden name but was her first husband
's
>  name. Also by the reference to Capt. Thomas Chilton and his wife Jemima (thi
s
> would be Jemima Cooke), I believe that her maiden name was Chilton, the daugh
te
> r of John Chilton Jr. and sister to Thomas. As you see from the will, she lis
ts
>  not only her children from both marriages, but also her Bowcock grandchildre
n.
>  This Will is connected to my ancestor, Mary Bowden, who was living in the ho
us
> ehold of Thomas Chilton, when she was Indentured. It is interesting that my a
nc
> estor was indentured in 1737, when Mary Watts died. She may have been her gra
nd
> mother, as there was a daughter named, Mary (Bowcock?). As is mentioned in th
e
> court document, this Mary was accused of having a bastard child, in 1730, but
 n
> ot convicted.
>
> BTW, the Monroes mentioned above are the family of President James Monroe (bo
rn
> , April 28, 1758 at Westmoreland County). William Monroe was his grandfather,
 a
> nd Spence Monroe was his father. I still have a question as to why my ancesto
r
> was taken out of the house, and indentured. Also, why her last name was chang
ed
>  from Bowcock to Bowden.
>
> If anyone has input feel free to jump in.
>
> Anita

First, Mary -- Bowcock Watts Chilton appears to have married three
times (at least she had sons named Bowcock and Watts, and she made
her will as Mary Chilton). So I don't think she was Thomas Chilton's
sister.

Mary Chilton's daughter Jane Watts married twice, to Thomas Sanford d
1725 and to Col. Andrew Monroe III (1697-1770).

William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, 2nd. Ser.,
Vol. 13, No. 4. (Oct., 1933), p. 235: "Colonel Andrew^3
[Monroe]. According to the Westmoreland records he became of age in
1718. He married first Jane, daughter of Richard Watts, and second
Margaret Washington on 21 Dec. 1761 (St. Paul's Register). Colonel
Monroe was a Justice and Member of the House of Burgesses. He died in
Westmoreland county in 1770."

WMCQ, Series 1, vol. 15, p. 193: "Andrew Monroe married Jane Watts,
daughter of Richard Watts and sister of Margaret Strother and Mary
Blackburn, two other daughters." Source of the deduction that the
three women were sisters is not given--perhaps they were
half-sisters.

Interestingly, Andrew Monroe III's uncle William Monroe (1666-1737)
was married to Margaret Bowcock, and his father's first wife was
Margaret Bowcock's sister. Lots of intermarriage in that
family. Spence Monroe was the brother of Andrew III. Their mother was
Eleanor Spence, the second of Andrew II's three wives.

Mary Chilton's first husband was probably -- Bowcock, as she had three
Bowcock grandchildren in 1737. By Richard Watts she had at least Jane,
Richard, and John Watts. Daughters Margaret (m. -- Strother) and Mary
(m. Richard Blackburn) probably were by Watts, but their father could
have been Bowcock (as they were married when Mary wrote her will, they
almost certainly were not by Chilton). I don't know how Mary's first
husband was related to the Bowcock sisters who married the Monroe
brothers. They all appear to have been of the same generation and
could have been siblings. I have seen no documents that identify
Mary's maiden name.

I can't shed much light on Mary Bowden, and I think it's unlikely that
she was born a Bowcock.

Kathleen Much
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