Rowney Family Tree

Ann seems to have been born around 1788. She was baptised early that year in the parish of Saint Paul, in the city of Bedford, in Bedfordshire, England. Her father was an overseer on a farm near Bedford.

Ann was married in 1808, to John GREEN of Wellingborough, in nearby Northamptonshire. Ann would have been around 20 years old at that time and John was around 29 years of age. Judging from the birth locations of their children, it would seem that Ann and John were very mobile, and moved around often. Perhaps John's career was a factor in this. He was a former British Army Sergeant Major. It is understood that he had served with the Kings Own Regiment in the Napoleonic War, fighting in the Peninsula Campaign under WELLINGTON. He was reportedly slashed by a sabre during a charge by French cavalry and was discharged from service as a result of his wounds around 1806. It has also been suggested that he was a paymaster and involved with recruiting for the Army during his service. It is understood that he had resumed his trade as a shoemaker in Wellingborough by the time of his marriage to Ann, and that they lived together there for some time after they were married. They later moved to the seaside town of Deal, in Kent, which was a major military port and depot at that time, so it is possible that John may have maintained some connections with the services in some manner, perhaps in a civilian role. He apparently worked for a Mr. MONTUES at Dover during their time in Deal. Mr. MONTUES was later to lead their party of migrants on their journey to South Africa, so it is also possible that their move to Deal was part of the preparation for their migration. John had been granted a tract of land to farm in South Africa as a reward for his military service and compensation for his wounds.

Ann and John's first child, Hannah, is believed to have been born at Deal in 1810. Their next three children, Mary Ann, John, and James, were all born in John's hometown of Wellingborough, in 1812, 1813, and 1815, respectively. Thomas and William were born at Deal, around 1817 and 1818. Soon afterwards the GREEN family embarked on their journey to South Africa.

They sailed from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Weymouth" under the command of Captain Duncan CAMPBELL on 27 Dec 1819. The list of ship's passengers includes; John GREEN (aged 39), Ann GREEN (aged 30), and their children Hannah (aged 9), Mary (aged 7), John (aged 6), James (aged 5), Thomas (aged 3), and William (aged 2). Ann gave birth to another daughter, Caroline Weymouth, during the passage. They arrived at Algoa Bay (Port Elizabeth) in South Africa on the 26 Apr 1820, after a voyage of 120 days.

Their new farm appears to have been situated in an exposed location known as the Kriega, where they were harassed by hostile natives in the lead-up to the Kaffir War. Another daughter Jane was born at Kriega, while their son Joseph was also born around that time at Grahamstown in the Cape Colony. It is not known exactly how far their farm was from Grahamstown, however it seems that most of their children were born there.

Life at the Kriega must have been very difficult. John is believed to have received money on a couple of occasions from a gentleman named McDONALD, who lived in Grahamstown, and had served with him during the war. Their young son Thomas died after being bitten by a snake around 1822, and baby Jane died from whooping cough around the same time. Another son was born at Grahamstown in 1823, who was also named Thomas. He later claimed that his mother had insisted that there must be a Thomas in their family.

Subsequent children were born at Balfour, in Cape Colony. The first of those was Benjamin, who arrived in 1825. He was followed by Matilda around 1827, and George in 1829. It is not known whether this change reflected a change in the family's living arragements.

Their son Thomas later recalled that they were forced to leave their farm at Kreiga in 1829 after all their livestock was stolen by natives during the night.

Thomas stated that his father had left Grahamstown on 1 Sep 1834 for the Kat River region, and died there at Balfour a few weeks later on 21 Sep 1834, at the age of 55. He was buried at Hertzog. Thomas also claimed that his family lost all their documents and papers during the outbreak of the Kaffir War, just months later, in December 1834. Ann would have been widowed at around 46 years of age and faced a grim situation. She had a large family to raise on her own under the circumstances, but fortunately there were plent of older children to help out. The family at that time would have included; Hannah (aged 24), Mary Ann (aged 22), John (aged 21), James (aged 19), William (aged 16), Caroline (aged 14), Joseph (aged 13), Thomas (aged 11), Benjamin (aged 9), Matilda (aged 7), and George (aged 5). They appear to have remained initially around Balfour and Grahamstown, and later the children settled in various localities throughout the colony.

After John's death Ann remarried to a man named BOWKER.

Ann also outlived her second husband, and was married for a third time after his death, to a man named BOWLES.

Ann BOWLES is believed to have died in Grahamstown in 1855 when she would have been around 67 years of age. There is a dated statement (below) which suggests that she may have still been alive in 1865, however it seems more likely that there has been a transcription error on the statement.

The fate of Ann's third husband is not known.

GRAHAMSTOWN . AUGUST, 19TH. 1865 [?].

STATEMENT. Made by Mrs. Ann BOWLES wife of John GREEN born c.1779 who married Ann ROWNEY 17 October 1808 at the request of her sons respecting her own family, and of the family of her late husband, John GREEN, who died in September 1831 at Belfour, in the Rat River country, after John's death, Ann married #2 a Mr. BOWKER he died, married #3 a Mr. BOWLES.

"My father's name was George ROWNEY a Freeman, of Bedfordshire, England, My mother's name was Hannah (I don't know what her maiden name was). My father was foreman of a farm belonging to a Mr. SHARP of Bedford, He worked for him for thirty years or upwards. My husband's father's name was John GREEN, his father's name was, to the best of my recolƯlection, Richard GREEN, of Wellingborough, He was a plasterer by trade, He kept a Public House, the sign of which was a Cow. He had only two sons, Thomas and John, Both were Shoemakers by trade, Thomas was married before John, I don't know his wife's maiden name, He lived in Wellingborough after his marriage.

"John GREEN married me in Oct 1808, in St. Paul's Church Bedford, He had been a soldier in the King's Own IV, He had been paysargent and got his discharge through a hurt [saberƯwound], When he was about 27 years old. After our marriage we lived in Wellingborough. He still worked at his trade after we were married. We afterwards went to Deal near Dover, where we lived for some time, until we embarked for South-Africa December 27,1819 took 120 days, arriving there April 26, 1820. He worked in Dover for a Mr. MONTUES, Who also came out as head of the party.

"Thomas GREEN has four children, when I left Wellingborough. The oldest child was a son named Richard, about 5 years old, in or about 1816, as I had 4 children.

"There was a William GREEN living in Wellingborough, He was a Butcher and a cousin to my husband, He was well-to-do, and I should, think between 30 and 40 years old, I can't say exactly. The other three children Thomas GREEN had were girls, but I don't know their names. He may have had more children, but I am speaking of the time when I left Wellingborough.

"I had five brothers when I left England; Thomas who was in the 2th Light Dragoons, haviƯng run away from his apprenticeship, William, a cabinet maker in London. He went to America when his time was out, James a blacksmith at Gravesend, George a tailor in Bedford. These were all younger than I, excepting Thomas, who was the oldest, William was married a long time before I came out here. The others were still learning their trade, when I came out to the Cape.

"My father died shortly after I was married, and my mother died, I think, in 1831 or 1832 How I know is, that one night when in bed, when George, my youngest son now living, was a baby, as I lay in bed, I saw my mother as plainly as could be, come and open the curtains of the bed. I said to my husband: "Oh here is my mother". and she vanished immediately. I concluded she died then.

"My husband's family was the only one of that name in WellingƯborough. My husbands father and grandfather were born there, I have heard them speak of it, The old people. My husband's father was dead before I was married, his wife was alive when I was there, and died after our marriage, when we were at Deal, she died at Thomas GREEN's, where she went to live, after we left Wellingborough, While we lived there she lived at Welby, near Wellingborough, I have never heard of Thomas GREEN's death, We never received any letters from any of them, and my husband never wrote. He began several times, but never finished,..This is all I can say now, at present, but what I have said, I believe are the principal things I can remember." (--- Ann BOWLES nee ROWNEY ---)

Copied by G. JOHN February 1982.