Quaker Minister

Parents: John Bowne (1627–1696) and Hannah Feake (1637–1677). Spouse: (1) Mary Becket (1673–1707), married October 4, 1691; (2) Hannah Smith (1682–1733), married December 8, 1709’(3) Grace Burling (Copperthwaite) (1676-1760), married November 14, 1744. Children: With Mary Becket: Samuel Bowne II (1692–1762), Thomas Bowne (1694–1761), Hannah Bowne (1697–1748), Mary Bowne (1699–1773), Robert Bowne (1700–1743), William Bowne (1702–1702), Elizabeth Bowne (1704–1748), and Benjamin Bowne (1707–1707); with Hannah Smith: Sarah Bowne (1710–1787), Joseph Bowne (1711–1753), Amy Bowne (1715–1780), Benjamin Bowne (1717– ), and Elizabeth Bowne (1720–1748). Kinship: Seventh great-grandfather of the post–World War II Smith generation through his son Joseph Bowne (1711–1753), who married Sarah Lawrence (1712–1740).

Early Life and Marriages Samuel Bowne was born in 1667 at Flushing, Long Island, the son of John Bowne and Hannah Feake, pioneers of religious liberty in colonial New York. Raised in the Quaker faith, Samuel inherited both the family’s commitment to freedom of conscience and its prosperity. His father had received a grant of one thousand acres in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, from William Penn, part of a settlement intended to encourage Quaker colonization. During a visit to that region, Samuel met Mary Becket, whom he married soon afterward. The couple returned to Flushing to live in the family homestead.

After Mary’s death in 1707, Samuel married Hannah Smith of Long Island, with whom he had five additional children. His numerous descendants became central figures in the Quaker community of Flushing and intermarried with the Lawrences, Hickses, and other leading families of Long Island and Westchester. following Hannah's death in 1733, Samuel married for a third time late in life. In November 1744, he wed Grace Burling (Cowperthwaite), though the union was short-lived as Samuel died the following year.

Religious Life and Ministry Like his father, Samuel Bowne was a minister in the Society of Friends. He was known for his hospitality to traveling ministers and his steadfast adherence to the testimonies of simplicity and peace. The records of the Flushing Meeting frequently mention his leadership and the use of his home for worship and fellowship. His ministry extended beyond Long Island to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where he visited other Quaker meetings and assisted in the organization of schools and relief committees.

An entry in the death register of the Flushing Meeting preserves the community’s view of him: “Samuell Bowne of fflushing Deceased at his hous in ye 3 mo: ye 30 dy: 1745 in ye 78 year of his age a man Serviseable in his Day bore a publick testemony in meetings & his hous always open for ye Entertaining of ffriends.”

This epitaph—simple, dignified, and affectionate—encapsulates the character of the early Quaker ministry: a life of quiet constancy and service.

Death and Legacy Samuel Bowne died at his home in Flushing on May 30. 1745 1745 and was buried in the Quaker Meeting burial ground there. His descendants continued his tradition of religious leadership and public service for more than two centuries. The line through his son Joseph Bowne linked the family with the Lawrences of Flushing, uniting two of the most enduring Quaker families in colonial New York.