William H. Bowman Papers

The William H. Bowman Papers, 1856-1897, consist of 334 items arranged in three series: Financial Papers, 1850s-1890s, Judgments and Warrants, 1870-1872, and Personal Papers, undated.

Series 1: Financial Papers, 1850-1890, is arranged in five folders. The first four folders detail the years from 1850-1890 and are primarily made up of receipts, purchase and debt payment notices, and tax forms. Earlier documents from the 1850s and 1860s include information on slaves owned by Bowman and his land holdings. Also included are subscriptions to the Old Commonwealth, Rockingham Register, and Harrisonburg Free Press newspapers, along with orders to the Atlantic and Virginia Fertilizing Company for “EUREKA” Ammoniated Super-Phosphate Fertilizer. A March 8, 1890 receipt details a payment of three dollars for tuition paid to the Shenandoah Normal College and fire insurance purchased for one thousand one hundred twenty-five dollars from the Rockingham Home Mutual Fire Insurance Company on May 1, 1890. Of particular note is a July 17, 1897 purchase for a headstone for William Bowman by Annie Bowman. The final folder in this series consists of medical bills for such items as pain management and a prescription for Bowman’s wife.

Series 2: Judgments and Warrants, 1870-1872, is divided into two folders of documents from Bowman’s tenure as Justice of the Peace. The first folder contains items from 1870, the large majority of which are addressed to Rockingham County constables with orders to summon various individuals for hearings. The second folder spans the years of 1871-1872. Summons to court once more are the greater part of the folder but judgments commanding individuals to pay debts within an allotted time period are also included.

Series 3: Personal Papers, undated, is comprised of four items. Of interest is a letter from the Shenandoah Normal School principal, G.W. Hoenshel, dated February 15, 1891, with information concerning tuition and room and board expenses along with a brief description of the school and the date of the beginning of the spring term. A July 12, 1861, letter from Port Republic, Virginia, exempting William Bowman from military duty after a Regimental Court of Inquiry for the 58th Regiment is present.