The Bowe Family legacy traces back over nine generations, rooted in the fertile soil and resilient spirit of Pasquotank County, North Carolina. Our great-great-grandparents, Alfred Bowe and Nancy (possibly Henrietta Overton, according to some records), were humble farmers whose lives reflected the quiet strength of postbellum rural America. Alfred, born around July 1849 in Elizabeth City, was of mixed heritage—some accounts suggest Blackfoot Indigenous ancestry and African American lineage.

He and Nancy raised a large family, including children named Flora, Rose, Henry, Alfred Jr., Ezekiel, and Adeline, whose lives spanned from North Carolina to New York and Pennsylvania. From this union came William Bartlett “Bart” Bowe, born in February 1865 during the final months of the Civil War. Bart inherited his parents’ work ethic and commitment to family, and on December 29, 1887, he married Sarah Elizabeth Sylvester in a civil ceremony officiated by a Justice of the Peace. Their marriage marked a new chapter in the Bowe lineage—one that would carry forward values of perseverance, dignity, and community.

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Bart and Sarah settled in the area, raising a family and adding to the thriving African American community in the eastern part of North Carolina during the Reconstruction and Jim Crow era of the country. Later generations of Bowes would migrate northward, with census records showing family members residing in Mount Vernon, New York, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by the early 20th century. 

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These moves reflected broader patterns of Black migration and resilience, as the family sought opportunity and safety beyond the South. Today, the Bowe name carries with it a legacy of survival, adaptation, and quiet leadership—rooted in the soil of Pasquotank and branching across this country from the east to west coast.

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​Although our paternal grandparent has other siblings, we are celebrating the union of William R. Bowe and Emma J. Sutton Bowe and the ten children they conceived: Gladys, Rufus “Buddy,” Clara Mae “Duke,” Elizabeth “Lizzie,” William “Dee,” Andrew “Tran,” Lenora “Huck,” Riddick “Corn,” Emma “Teeny,” and Julius “Juke or Judas.” These are the direct descendants that we are honoring during this Bowe Family 2026, 55th Reunion get-together. 

While some descendants remained in Pasquotank County, others moved northward, settling in cities/towns like Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Mount Vernon, New York; and Lincoln, Delaware. Yet the memory of our first family reunions began at that simple but love-filled home of William R. and Emma J. Sutton Bowe in Pasquotank County, North Carolina—and the values, stories, and traditions they passed to us will always remain the cornerstone of current and future families' shared identities.

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As members of this extremely large extended family unit, it’s evident and astonishing that we still have a set of Bowes and Suttons (our grandparents' brothers and sisters) that we may never get to know or meet unless we reach out to our other cousins and make that happen. What’s even more amazing is the fact that this fortunate family began with our ancestors, Alfred and Nancy Bowe—two simple farmers from Pasquotank County, North Carolina—and grew into this blessed family unit that’s been celebrating our reunions for the last 55 years and counting.

As we gather to celebrate this 55th annual reunion, we do more than share meals and memories—we honor a legacy built on courage, sacrifice, and unwavering faith. Let us take a moment to reflect on the journey of African American families during the postbellum era, a time marked by both hardship and hope. In the face of systemic injustice, our ancestors forged lives of dignity, built communities from the ground up, and laid the foundation for generations to come.

Their humble beginnings were not a mark of limitation but a testament to their strength, ingenuity, and grace. We are the living proof of that blessed union—descendants of those who endured, who dreamed, and who loved fiercely. Their resilience flows through our veins. Their prayers echo in our laughter. Their legacy lives on in every hug, every story, and every name we carry forward.

So as we celebrate our reunion, let us be proud—not only of who we are, but of where we come from. Let this reunion be a tribute to our shared past, a joy in the present, and a promise to the future. With love, remembrance, and unity,

The Bowe-Hinton Family Reunion Committee