Mrs. James Wright V

John Bowater Jr. according to Baldwin was the half-brother of Mary Bowater, who was allegedly married to James Wright. He was born 8 Aug 1652 in Broomsgrove and married Frances Corbett at Chadwick, Worcestershire 12 Apr 1683. The Bowaters arrived in Philadelphia the following year where the MM accepted the certificate for removal from the Dudley MM. John died between 2o July and 17 Sep 1705 [dates of will and probate]. Named in the will were daughters Mary [under 21], Elizabeth, Anne, Alice and Phebe [all under 20], wife Frances, overseers John Kennet and Joseph Baker. [Two children, Anne and William died young.]

Frances made her will on 29 Jan 1720/1 and it was proved 28 Feb 1720/1. She named her daughters Mary Ailes, Elizabeth Pusey, Ann Chandler, Eales [Alice] Mendenhall, Phebe Scarlett, grandson Samuel Pyle [Alice], executors William Pusey and Moses Mendenhall.

Clearly, the contention here is that John Sr. and Jr. were two separate people. Senior was the father of Mary Bowater Wright and Junior was the father of Mary Bowater Ailes.

Putnam's Bowater family does not mention the children of John Sr. and assigns Mary Bowater Ailes to Junior. Although it appears that his Junior was Baldwin Senior.

The anti-Bowater faction suggests that Baldwin ignores John Jr. That is not the case; he donates pages 117-118 of his article [April 2000] to John Jr. There was apparent reason to deal to focus on John Jr.'s relationship to Mary, since she was his primary focus. At the marriage of Thomas Bowater's daughter, Sarah, to John Beals in 1711, Frances Bowater and most or all of her daughters were in attendance, as were members of the Beals family. Mary was not an attendee, however.
James and Mary Wright were at the wedding. Baldwin's claim - proof that Mary was a Bowater. Opponents claim that it simply proves that James was performing his duty as minister. Where was Mary Bowater? If she was the Mary Bowater who married Stephen Ailes in 1714, then one would think she should have been at the wedding with her mother and sisters. Points for Baldwin?