| Notes |
- Chalkley's land abstracts of Augusta County, Virginia, Vol. 1, p. 339 notes in the litigation of "Bowman vs Bird:" "Cornelius Bowman father of George and Peter Bowman." -- Hite Family Newsletter, 1/1/94
"During the fall of 1731, when Jost Hite led his 16-family colony from Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, their wagons lumbered south to York, eventually crossing the Potomac River at Pack House [Horse?] Ford -- about 2 miles upstream from Harper's Ferry.
"While Jost built his fort and log cabin on the Opequon Creek, his daughter Mary and her husband George Bowman chose an area about 7 miles southwest -- where George built a cabin which became a welcome haven to travelers in need of supplies. About 1753, the Bowmans built a stone house just across the Waggon Road -- which was not far from the intersection of the Waggon and Indian roads with Cedar Creek.
"George Bowman was a successful businessman -- owning grist and lumber mills as well as operating an 'ordinary' or tavern at his home on the 'Great Waggon Road.'
"When Mary and George Bowman built their stone house, they weren't concerned about an Indian attack since they used large windows. Because the house is also known as 'Bowman's Fort,' we understand when the Indian-climate changed, Mary, George and their 13 children were joined by some neighboring families in barricading themselves in the house sometime during the period between 1755 and 1764, It is said four families lived in the attic. John W. Wayland, author of 'The Bowmans, a Pioneering Family,' had 'heard it said that the Bowman boys were such habitual "scrappers" that neighbors called their residence "Harmony Hall."
"Upstream and on the other side of the Indian Road/Valley Turnpike (Rte. 11) George Bowman built a small stone mill. The ruins stand today nest to the ruins of a later and larger mill.
"One interesting account has been written by both Kercheval and Wayland which tells of neighbor George Miller's small daughter who ran two miles from the Miller's farm to the Bowman Fort seeking help when Indians massacred her parents and two other members of the family in the flax field. Escaping detection as she lay sick in bed, she was able to flee while the Indians' attention was focused on the other family members whom they were massacring in the field. Arriving at the Bowman's, she found Abraham Bowman, 17, who grabbed his gun, mounted his horse, and rushed to George Miller's house.
"'Harmony Hall' remained in the Bowman family until 1854. During the Civil War Confederate troops passed it as they retreated south.
"In 1991, with I-81 going through the property, it is amazing to find the house almost as it was when Mary and George lived there. The wood paneling, from their saw mill, is intact -- maybe because the resident ghost, Polly Mollsocker, has helped preserve the historical home. On a knoll overlooking the property, 400 yards northwest of 'Harmony Hall' sits the Bowman cemetery where George Bowman, the pioneer; his wife Mary (Hite); Lieut. Isaac Bowman, a gallant soldier in the Revolution; historian Samuel Kercheval (1767-1845), his wife Susan (Chinn) and three daughters are buried. The grave covered by concrete which lies outside the graveyard wall seems to be of a favorite Negro slave of the Bowman family.
"Fortunately for 'Harmony Hall' and those of us interested in the rich history of 'The Valley,' the owner, Beatrice Heath O'Connell has donated 'Harmony Hall' and 100 acres to Belle Grove, Inc. Michael Gore, executive director, says 'It's like a time warp...like walking back into the 18th century.'" -- Hite Family Newsletter, Spring 1991.
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Taylor Family Genealogy
- Bef 1745
(Age 65 years) [natural]