Trust Nobody: The Conclusion
Could Sarah Bowdy and Sarah Devotaire be the same woman?
A quick recap of my saga so far: Henry Davis’ Quaker wife was thought to be Sarah Bowdy because of a book compiled in the 1990s. But Sarah’s later membership to the Moravian Brethren showed her maiden name was actually Sarah Devotaire. But wait, there’s more! Devotaire just wasn’t a surname in colonial America at this time. And more strangely, Sarah Devotaire’s birthplace was listed as “Havern,” Massachusetts… a nonexistent town that sounds close to Haverhill, Massachusetts… the town where Sarah Bowdy was possibly born.
At this realization, I closed my laptop and vented to my husband as he brushed his teeth for bed. What was going on? Was the book author correct about Sarah Bowdy? If so, where the heck did “Devotaire” come from?! (My husband gave no advice, but to be fair, he had a mouthful of toothpaste and was more confused than I was.)
Who was Sarah Bowdy?
Let’s unpack all of this. Devotaire was getting me nowhere, so I decided to do a deep dive on Sarah Bowdy (who, yes, was an actual, documented woman). Here is what we know about her:
She was born in 1731, to Moses Bowdy and Phebe Weed in either Haverhill or Amesbury, Essex, MA. (We’ll discuss the actual date of her birth later).
Moses and Phebe married June 2, 1730 in Amesbury. They had at least eight children, Sarah likely being their first.
Sarah moved to Pawling, NY with her parents and siblings as late as 1748. There, they joined the Oblong Friends Meeting House (suggesting they were already Quakers).
Sarah’s father (Moses Bowdy, b. about 1700) was taxed in Pawling through 1770. He may have died after 1779 (as his son Moses Jr. was still referred to as “Jr.” in records through that year).
There is no mention in Quaker records of Sarah Bowdy marrying, moving to another Meeting, or dying.
These few details suggest Sarah Bowdy lived to adulthood and either stayed a Quaker (and maybe didn’t marry) or left the Society of Friends later in life. This is all we can gather about her existence directly.
The Bowdy and Davis Families
Evidence suggests Henry Davis (b. 1729) knew the Bowdy family. Henry bought a 116.75-acre parcel of land in Pawling on June 9, 1770. Just six months later, Moses Bowdy bought a parcel measuring 142 acres, part of which bordered Henry’s farm. The families were also listed consecutively in the Oblong Monthly Meeting members’ book, suggesting the families were neighbors or had some relationship. But just how close was their connection? That of in-laws, perhaps?
Birthdates
It’s time to compare and contrast Sarah Bowdy and Sarah Devotaire. Enter my favorite genealogical tool- the table!
The most significant difference is, of course, Sarah’s maiden name. The second most significant difference is their birthdates. I chose to revisit those, especially because they were just over a year apart.
The Quaker Calendar
Sarah Bowdy’s birthdate was listed as April 22, 1731 in a compilation of Haverhill, MA vital records published in 1910. (She is also listed in a similar compilation for the nearby town of Amesbury, hence the discrepancy in her birth location.) The work was compiled from town vital records, church records, cemetery inscriptions, and even family bibles. Sources were not specified within the work- it is unknown from which source Sarah Bowdy’s birth date was gleaned.
Notably, Sarah Bowdy’s birthdate differs in the Oblong Monthly Meeting record. Here, she was listed as being born on the 22nd of the 2nd month, 1731. Until 1752, Quakers used a dating system that differed from our typical calendar. I still don’t understand it fully (read here for more information), but from what I can tell, Quaker dates before 1752 were a little funky. January, what we would consider the first month, was the eleventh month to Quakers. February was the twelfth month, March, the first month, and so on.
By that understanding, Sarah Bowdy’s recorded birthdate of the 22nd of the 2nd month, 1731 would be calculated to the typical calendar as April 22, 1731 (the date listed in the Haverhill vital record compilation).
But I think it’s more complicated than that. Swarthmore College has an Excel Quaker calendar converter just for this problem, and it doesn’t align with the simple “our January was the Quaker’s 11th month” system.
I entered Sarah Bowdy’s Quaker birthdate into this converter tool… and the modern-day date it gave me?
May 3, 1731.
Oh, you know, just the exact month and day Sarah Devotaire listed as her birthdate in the Moravian Church book (one year off, no biggie).
My (Hesitant) Conclusions
So, Sarah Bowdy was born in Haverhill or Amesbury, MA, probably on May 3, 1731. Sarah Devotaire was born May 3, 1732, probably in Haverhill, MA. They were both members of the Oblong Monthly Meeting in Pawling, NY.
For now, I’m cautiously thinking Sarah Bowdy and Sarah Devotaire were the same woman. If this is accurate, Devotaire might have been Sarah’s attempt to rename herself upon her conversion. This practice wasn’t unheard of in the Moravian church (though it occurred more frequently when formerly enslaved people were baptized and wanted to rename themselves). Devotaire, when translated from French, means “Devoted.” Perhaps Sarah Bowdy wanted to distance herself from her Quaker roots. Perhaps she wanted her former maiden name to remain a secret for a deeper reason. Perhaps she wanted to leave a fun puzzle for her eventual descendant, Sadie Nelson (yes, it’s fun, but come on, Sarah. Throw me a bone.)
My Next Steps
Reader, I wish that I could give you a confident answer on this conundrum (wouldn’t that be nice?). But genealogy is rife with uncertainties (especially 18th-century genealogy), and we must always seek more information and original sources in cases like these. I’ll be continuing to dig up records for my Sarah mystery, and I hope to update you with a clearer conclusion in the future!
My plans include:
Reaching out to a Quaker calendar expert to unpack the differences between typical date conversions and the Swarthmore College Excel Tool.
Researching Moravian church naming/baptism practices, probably through the Moravian Archives.
Viewing the Oblong MM records (only available in-person at a repository), page-by-page to note any previously unearthed mentions of Bowdy/Davis/Devotaires.
Viewing the Amesbury MM records to see Sarah Bowdy’s birth date (the Amesbury vital record compilation book claims she was included in this record).
Reaching out to the author of Settlers of the Beekman Patent to inquire about why he believes Henry Davis married Sarah Bowdy (and probably apologize for my initial ~frustration~ at his educated guess. It’s looking like he may be right…)
You’ll be one of the first to know if I solve this puzzle with more certainty! Until then, happy hunting (and thanks for letting me vent about this with you.)
This is such a wonderful post about the challenges of corroborating research findings! I hadn't known about the Quaker calendar either or the online conversion tool. Compelling, even if you can't come to a final conclusion.
Wow, this is so interesting. I didn’t know about the Quaker calendar, or that there were online tools for it!