Note: The following is from a section of an as-yet-unpublished genealogy of the Bowley family by Donovan Bowley and is included here with his permission.

SYLVANUS C. BOWLEY (77.George4, 32.Ephraim3, 5.Oliver2, 1.John1) was born 11 May
1823 at Hope, Maine, and died on 25 November 1895 at Hope, being buried at Hope Grove Cemetery. He married SARAH N. YOUNG 24 March 1844 at Hope, Knox Co., Maine.[[1]] She was born 10 April 1825 at Warren, Knox Co., Maine, the daughter of ALLEN YOUNG and SARAH KNOWLTON. Sarah and her sister Susan were 9th generation descendants of John Young of Cape Cod. (Allen8, Captain Gideon7, Ezekiel6, Joseph5, Thomas4, George3, John2, John1.) Sarah died 10 October 1898 at Hope and was buried there in Hope Grove Cemetery with Sylvanus.

Sylvanus enlisted on 14 October 1862 in Company G, 21st Maine Regiment Volunteers[[2]] with his cousin Francis K. Bowley and others from Hope. The unit served under Captain Marcus Hewett, Lieutenant Micah Hobbs, and other Hope officers, according to Hardy[[3]] Ironically, Sylvanus' brother Christopher was a Second Lieutenant in the 3rd Mississippi Cavalry, in the Confederate Army. Sylvanus received a disability discharge on 17 November 1862, for which he subsequently applied for an invalid's pension; application 974 295..[[4], [5]] Of the eight Bowley brothers and cousins from Hope who were in the Union Army, only four returned home - Francis, Sylvanus, Harrison, and Warren. Ephraim, Jr., Kingsbury, Virgil, and Reuben died in action.

Sylvanus and Sarah lived in several places in South Hope, moved to nearby Washington, then to Appleton and finally back to Hope (in the Barrett neighborhood) and died there, according to his son Westbra. Sylvanus and Sarah appeared in the US Census for Hope in 1850, 1860, and 1870. Resident in their household (house 92, family 99) at Hope in 1850 were three children, Sanford J[ohn]; Frederick C.; and Eliza --? in addition to those children otherwise known --? as well as Sylvanus' sister Matilda (Bowley) Harrington, age 30, her husband Isaac, age 40, and Harrison Sproule, age 16. In 1850, Sylvanus held $300 in real estate and $100 in personal estate.

(A picture of Sylvanus and Sarah can be found in the families section)

In 1860 they were resident in house 28, household 35 in Hope, with Ann Jeanette, Sanford, Frederick, Eliza, and [Harriet] McQueen. The real estate held in 1860 was $600, with $222 in personal estate.

CHILDREN OF SYLVANUS C. BOWLEY AND SARAH N. YOUNG[[6], [7], [8]]

402. i. ANN JEANETTE BOWLEY b. 24 Sep 1844 d. 12 Nov 1917
403. ii. HARRIET MCQUEEN BOWLEY
404. iii. SANFORD J. BOWLEY b. 1846
405. iv. LELIA BOWLEY
406. v. FREDERICK C. BOWLEY b. 1848
407. vi. GEORGE A. BOWLEY b. 10 Sep 1849 d. 13 Jan 1850
408. vii. ELIZA BOWLEY b. 1854
409. viii. WESTBRA BARTLETT BOWLEY b. 3 Aug 1864 or1865 d. 2 Jan 1945

[1] It is interesting to note that Sylvanus and Sarah originally filed intent to marry on 30 April 1842 - which was "forbidden by Alan Young" on 6 May 1842. (Groves, Warren VR.) Sarah was only 17 at the time. They married two years later, and remained married for some 51 years until his death in Nov. 1895.
[2] Historical Data Systems, Civil War Records.,and Profiles;Original Source: theReport of the Adjutant General of the State of Maine.
[3] Hardy, Hope, p. 124.
[4] Historical Data Systems, comp., American Civil War Soldiers [database on-line], Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Original Data: Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Hingham, MA.
[5] National Archives and Records Administration. Civil War Pension Index. 1861-1934. [database on-line] Provo, UY: The Generations Network, Inc.2000. Original data: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. Washington, D.C.National Arvhives and Records Administration. T288, 544 rolls.
[6] Appendix A.
[7] Maine State Archives, Hope VR Microfilm, 1808?1885, page 40.
[8] Merrifield, Letter.