Blount County TNGenWeb

6 comments

• Donf

  August 15, 2011 at 3:13 am

  Pleze Bowerman’s name was Pleasant Shade Bowerman, but he was called Pleas/Pleze. He’s buried with his stepfamily, the Brights. Sarah Bright was his mother. Her maiden name was Callaway, and her first husband was George W Bowerman. After George died, Sarah married Peter James Bright. Pleas moved with his wife & children to California; he is buried in TN reportedly because he died there while on a visit “back home”.
  • Warren Skinner

    December 13, 2011 at 3:17 am

    Pleas Bowerman was my married to my great aunt, Elva Skinner. Thanks for the tidbit about the circumstances of his death. Does anyone know if Elva returned to California or if she stayed in TN?
    • Dorothy Fleischhauer

      June 25, 2012 at 9:00 pm

      Elva did return to CA, & lived there the rest of her life. Pleas died in 1922. In 1929 Elva married Vernon Prather Battle; she married William Ludwig sometime between 1940-ca 1955. Elva and Pleas had 12 children. Their oldest, James Henry, was already an adult when the family left for CA & he stayed in TN. The rest of the family sometimes returned to TN for visits, but never moved back permanently. I recently got pictures from Pleas & Elva’s CA descendants (who knew “Grandma & Grandpa Ludwig”) of Elva & Wm Ludwig in their old age, as well as 2 tintypes–1 of a young woman who closely resembles the pictures of the older Elva with an older woman I assume is her mother, & the other of a young man with typical Bowerman facial features who I assume is Pleas.
• Taneya Koonce

  August 15, 2011 at 5:38 am

  Hi Don,

  Thanks for sharing the additional information about Pleasant. I checked the Deaths Database we have here on the site but did not find a listing for him. I’ll have to double check the coverage and/or the original paper. I did find his death certificate online at FamilySearch in their Tennessee Death Certificates database at http://goo.gl/YHvdu. His death certificate does not have his mother’s whole name listed, just her maiden name so it’s great that you’re able to provide that additional detail. Have you seen the death certificate?
• Donf

  August 15, 2011 at 7:27 pm

  I hadn’t seen the death certificate. Thanks for reminding me about family search! I don’t remember where I found Sarah’s maiden name, but it took me a long time to verify it. The Bowerman family came to TN before 1794, and my line was there until Pleas left about 1916. His son,(my grandfather), Stephen Bowerman, was born in Friendsville. The Bowermans and the Meisers were neighbors in Northumberland Co, PA, and probably moved to Blount at about the same time. Peter Bowerman, one of the family who originally moved from PA to TN, was in the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment in the Revolutionary War, & I’m writing a narrative of his service based on the description of it in his pension application. I have copies of original muster rolls showing that he served in Gen’l Washington’s Guard. Peter also served in the militia in PA & in TN. When he left the Army, Peter married Catherine Meiser, and owned land in Northumberland Co for several years before moving to Blount Co. I have wills, census records, etc tracing my father all the way back to Peter. After Peter came Michael, George W.(of Southern Commission Claims fame, the rascal), Pleasant Shade, Stephen Allen, and my Dad. I have headstone pictures for all of them except Peter and Dad (Dad’s still living). Peter’s son Michael is buried at Middlesettlements, George at Zion Chapel, Pleas at Holston College, and Stephen at Citizens in Modesto, CA, but I have no idea where Peter is. If anyone knows, I’d love to find out. Thanks for your work in keeping a place to share info!
  • Taneya Koonce

    August 18, 2011 at 4:16 am

    I wish you the best of luck in finding his burial location. Perhaps someone will stumble upon this comment thread one day who knows something. :-).
• Susan Igel

  January 4, 2014 at 4:55 pm

  Jane S. Bright (12 Aug 1812 – 16 Feb 1896) is also buried in this cemetery, but is not listed in the burials on this site. When I visited the cemetery in May 2013, her tombstone was still in good condition.