Sam Bowman Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collection Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Sam Bowman Papers, 1848-1967, SC 0147, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.51 cubic feet 2 boxes
Creator:
Bowman family and Bowman, Sam
Abstract:
The Sam Bowman Papers, 1848-1967, consist of miscellaneous materials and seven business ledgers that document operations of the Bowman family dairy farm in Rockingham County, Virginia.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Sam Bowman Papers, 1848-1967, SC 0147, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The Sam Bowman Papers, 1848-1967, consists of one folder of miscellaneous papers and seven business ledgers that document operations of the Bowman family dairy farm in Rockingham County, Virginia. The miscellaneous folder contains tax receipts from 1859 and 1865, an 1862 receipt for military supplies of twenty bushels of corn, an 1882 Constitution of the West Rockingham Mutual Fire Insurance Company, an 1891 receipt for a claim for property taken by U.S. soldiers in the Civil War, a 1929 timber contract, 1942 Certificates of War necessity for Vehicle, and a summary of the S.R. Bowman Estate, 1936-1960. Ledger 7 is the partnership book of R.L. and S.R. Bowman, 1963-1967.

Biographical / historical:

The Bowman family is a very prominent one that has been established in the Rockingham County area since the eighteenth century. The first of the Bowmans to settle in the area was George Bowman and his wife Mary Hite, who traveled from Philadelphia with her family to start a colony in the Shenandoah Valley around 1731. George and Mary had thirteen children in total: John George, John Jacob, Emma Maria, Elizabeth, Johannes, Sarah, Regina, Rebecca, George, Abraham, Joseph, Catherine, and Isaac. They made their home on Cedar Creek and built a large stone house which was passed to their son Isaac. John, Joseph, Abraham, and Isaac went on to become prominent members of society and in the military during the Revolutionary War, in which they were high ranking officers that contributed greatly to the fight for independence.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated to Special Collections in April 1999 by Sam Bowman.
Processing information:

In order to streamline the process of applying collection numbers, Special Collections staff completed a large-scale renumbering campaign in the spring of 2017. This collection was previously cataloged as SC 3092.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard