Jane Bowen

Jane Bowen
Bornc. 1737
Died18 October 1781(1781-10-18) (aged 43–44)
Known forAiding officers during the siege of Savannah
SpouseSamuel Bowen (m. 1765–1777; his death)

Jane Bowen (née Spencer; c. 1737 – 18 October 1781) was an English woman who became known for assisting overseas officers working in support of the American cause during the Revolutionary War. She also supervised the burial of Polish general Casimir Pulaski, who was killed in the 1779 siege of Savannah.

Early life

Jane "Jeanie" Spencer was born c. 1737, probably in London,[1] to William Spencer (died 1776),[2] a customs collector in Savannah, Province of Georgia,[3][4] and Elizabeth Spencer.[5] Her parents divorced; his father remarried, around January 1745, to a daughter of Joseph Avery.[5]

Siege of Savannah

Two years after the death of her husband, Bowen hosted two officers from the fleet of Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing, at Greenwich Plantation in Thunderbolt, Province of Georgia, during the 1779 siege of Savannah. She also supervised the burial of Polish general Casimir Pulaski,[6] who was killed during the battle, "between her mansion and the river",[7][8] although Pulaski's resting place is disputed (some claim he was buried at sea or in Charleston, South Carolina).[9]

Personal life

On 30 March 1765, Spencer married English farmer and entrepreneur Samuel Bowen,[4] who established Greenwich Plantation in 1765.[10][3] After Bowen's death in 1777, she assumed control of the plantation. The couple had four children. Daughter Elizabeth Ann (1766–1816)[11] married British army surgeon Samuel Beecroft, to whom Jane sold the plantation in 1797.[10] Elizabeth placed flowers at Pulaski's grave until her death in 1816.[10]

Upon her death in 1782, Bowen bequeathed her four children 26 slaves, 15 cows, and two oxen, along with a variety of machines for the processing of sago.[7]

Death

Bowen died in 1781, aged 43 or 44.[5]

References

  1. ^ The American Genealogist, p. 199
  2. ^ The American Genealogist, p. 196
  3. ^ a b Hymowitz & Harlan 1983.
  4. ^ a b Aoyagi, William Shurtleff; Akiko (14 June 2015). History of Soybeans and Soyfoods in the United Kingdom and Ireland (1613-2015): Extensive Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook. Soyinfo Center. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-928914-76-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b c The American Genealogist, p. 197
  6. ^ Kajencki, Francis C. (2001). Casimir Pulaski, Cavalry Commander of the American Revolution. Southwest Polonia Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-9627190-5-9.
  7. ^ a b Pinkowski, Edward (1997). "General Pulaski's body". Poles in America Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  8. ^ Polish American Journal, 1996
  9. ^ Szczygielski 1986, p. 393.
  10. ^ a b c Greenwich Cemetery - Forest City of the South
  11. ^ Bulletin. The Society. 1997. p. 15.

Bibliography