Joseph S. Bowles of New Orleans and Union, California

Joseph S. Bowles was born in Ireland Feb. 12, 1811 (per his obituary) and emigrated to Canada (with his mother and step-father) by 1825.  See The Bowles of Quebec City and The Bowles of Ballickmoyler, co. Laois for more on the origins of this family.

He married Sarah Winson in Montreal in 1834 and in 1835 Joseph and Sarah, with his brother Robert and their two step-sisters, Mary and Anna Taylor, moved to New Orleans.  See The Family Tree of the Bowles from Quebec in New Orleans.   Joseph applied for naturalization in 1838 and became a U.S. citizen in 1840 (Robert only applied and received citizenship 10 years later).

Soon after arriving he became active with the Independant Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) and is mentioned in newspaper notices by June 1839 as the Secretary of the New Orleans Battalion.  ref.

In New Orleans, both Joseph and his brother Robert followed the same family occupation as his relatives in Quebec.   Joseph is listed as having a Boot and Shoe Store at 31 Royal in the 1842 city directory. ref. In January 1843 he filed for bankruptcy ref. but was back in business by that October with a Boot and Shoe Manufactory at #59 Royal Street. ref.  In October 1845 he moved his business to 56 Canal Street. ref.  A newspaper notice from 1847 gives his residence as 51 Canal Street.  Sarah died there in 1846 ref. and Joseph married another Sarah (Harding) around 1848. Sarah Harding seems to have been the maiden name of a widow, Mrs. Sarah Lock, 22, a dressmaker from England who arrived in New Orleans on the Palmyra on Oct. 12, 1846 with her son Francis Lock aged 7 months. ref.  Joseph Bowles applied for a permit to marry Mrs. Sarah Lock on March 11, 1848.  Witnesses on the resulting license were Robert H. Bowles and George Black.  There was a George Black in Quebec City (b. about 1800) who was an associate of the Bowles family there.  That might just be a coincidence or it may be the same George Black visiting from Quebec City or he may even have recently moved from there with his family.

In September 1848 he rented out his two rooms at 51 Canal Street ref. and in June 1849, probably attracted by the money to be made during the gold rush of that year, he sailed for California with his wife and one child.  Ref.  The child would have been Sarah's son Francis from her previous marriage.  There is a death record for a Francis L. Bowles from New Orleans in San Francisco on October 10, 1850, cause of death: dropsy, which would be the boy (aged 4) although the transcription states his age as 40. A burial record for the Yerba Buena cemetery in San Francisco confirms his age as 4 years 6 months. 

In California Joseph operated a mule train business. 

He settled in Union, Humboldt county, California. Four children were born between 1852 and 1858.  In 1856, their eldest child, Albert, aged 4, was accidentally burned in their home when he woke up early and attempted to light the kitchen stove. ref.  In 1858 Joseph was elected as a Trustee for the town of Union.  

Joseph died in Union, California in 1859.  His death was reported in the New Orleans papers as a member of the Anniversary Lodge in Union. 

moved to New Orleans in 1835, naturalized as U.S. citizen July 6, 1840 New Orleans

lived Bienville Street in 1840

lived or had business at 31 Royal St. in 1842

declared bankruptcy in Dec. 1842

opened shop at #56 Canal Street in Nov. 1845, there in 1847

rented out his rooms at #51 Canal Street in Sept. 1848

(sailed from New Orleans June 30, 1849 with one child, that would be Sarah Harding's son)

As on all these Bowles in Louisiana pages, I would like to express my appreciation to Kay Emery, a descendant of 5.3 Henry Belmont Bowles. Kay has done much of the research on this branch and has kindly allowed me to publish it here.