This page focuses on the families who immigrated on my mothers line including The Bradt brothers of Frederikstad, Norway in the 1600's and Marinus Van Aken of Cadzand Holland in the same time period.We are in recent generations following the lines of our Backensto, Tucker,Edmonds,Williamson,McMillen, Forse,Glassbrook and Caudebec relations. Many of our ancestors came to America and settled in the area of current New York in Ulster and Esopus and at Fort Orange and Schenectady, and Walpack and Minisink,New Jersey,as well as Bucks,Berks,Pike & Washington Cos,Pennsylvania. Some of our Bradts/Brotts came back and forth along the Canadian Border.Alot of our relatives arrived in Ohio as recipients of the Firelands Land Grants and some received land patents as payment for being soldiers. Our early ancestors were farmers of tobacco and crops,fur traders, mill owners, soldiers, indian fighters and of course pioneers.We are fortunate to be following in the footsteps of some excellent researchers who have established family associations to further the research and unification of family ties. Many of the aforementioned names have associations.
On my fathers side we are researching the line of my gggrandfather Richard Bowles born in 1818, England. Due to his many travels, it has been hard to pin down a point of origin for him. This is our brick wall. However,researching my paternal grandmothers Strickling line has been an exciting experience. On this side we are researching my 11xggrandfather Captain John Hontas Baker, a settler of the Ohio River Valley and famed Indian Fighter. Also our line of Abel Triplett Revolutionary War patriot;& my ggggrandfather Isaac C. Burr, cousin of Aaron;& the families which they married into ,the Whitacre,Winland,Palmer,Dickson,Gilham,Bigley,Timmons,Hayhurst lines. This side of the family has a most of its origins in Germany and in Lancashire,England.
I have been researching for 7 years and have met many long lost relatives and found a sister who had been given up for adoption. I hope my journey helps you with yours. I strive for accuracy and am glad to hear from you if you can add to or correct my information. Please feel free to email me meetzen@sbcglobal.net
I will post links to my tree and links to our relatives cemeteries and tombstones as well. I will also add a few items of my husbands family, the Meentzens of Bremen. I am not adding too much on them as they have been well researched by professional genealogists in Germany.
We have also contributed our Bowles Dna to the National Genograhic project and you can see more about that by going to the FamilyTreeDNA website. We are kit # 15 in the Bowles project. Our haplogroup,("I") or origins, are of "pure viking" allocatted almost solely to the northern regions of Europe. Contact me if you are interested in adding Bowles DNA to this project.
On the maternal side we are haplogroup "H" ,the most commonly occuring European group among females. We have added our results to the international Genographic project which can be found on National Geographics website.

• Camp Chase,Civil War (34 KB)
  My great uncle William Bowles was mustered out here June 10,1865. He served in the 12th OVI Co."H" He came to america in 1855-1860. He signed up on the Union side and served his country. When he came back he opened a tavern along the "Bloody Run" in New London ,Huron County Ohio. He died at the Old Soldiers and Sailors home, Sandusky Ohio in 1913.
• Mom ,Dad and Robin 1953 (219 KB)
  A picture of mom Nellie Luella Tucker ,dad Robert Heston Bowles and baby Robin in July of 1953.Dad was proud of this car.
• Historic Bradt house (24 KB)
  one of several early Bradt houses which have survived for this picture to be taken in the late 1890s the late 1600's in the NEW York area. Lived in by our 12th guncle.
• Grandpa Harley Edward "Jack" Bowles 1902-1973 (151 KB)
  Son of George Bowles and Ida May Rogers who both died before Harley was 7, Harley and his siblings, Lena and Otto were raised by Charles Rogers and Leona Mary Dickson Rogers, their maternal grandparents.Family members said Harleys favorite things where motorcycles, whiskey and women,in that order.
• MY FAT LITTLE MAN (210 KB)
  Rusty my German Spitz
• The sawmill of Albert Bradt,ca 1670 (269 KB)
  Painting by Len Tantillo of the sawmill run by Albert and Arent Bradt for their Patroon Kilean Van Rensaelear on the Normanskil river.
• Robin, Randi and Rebecca Bowles in 1959 (50 KB)
  sisters.This picture was taken on Easter morning when we lived at 502 Ohio Street, Ashland Ohio
• House of Arent Bradt ,my 12xg uncle (52 KB)
  Arent Bradt1 died shortly before the Schenectady Massacre which took the lives of two of his children.
• DAD, Robert Heston Bowles 1922-2003 (772 KB)
  Born 1922 he was a decorated soldier having received the purple heart, the American Theatre ribbon and the medal of good conduct. He was proud to have served his country
• g uncle George Brott (11 KB)
  George was a vaudeville and silent screen actor. I understand that he did not transition well after "talkies"
• Randi ,Rebecca and Robin Bowles with mom Nellie (680 KB)
  Nellie Luella Tucker Bowles lived to the age of 46. Born in Ransomville New York and Interred in Nankin Ohio
• Plat map of Tuckerland (522 KB)
  The TUCKER family arrived from Washington Co PA in 1814 to Richland Co Ohio. 5xgrandfather Johnathon purchased 160 acres with wife Catherine(nee unknown)in Butler Twp and sons continued to purchase land in the same area.Clear Creek ran through the properties of son Thomas W. and Sarah neeVan Aken Tucker and grandsons Thomas A Tucker and wife Elizabeth nee Mcmillens properties. Backenstos, Dicksons,Bowles and Stricklings lived nearby .
• Right photo: Nellie and her mom Eva Brott (1293 KB)
  ON left Carl Wilhelm Meentzen, right photo of Nellie and Eva Brott Tucker taken about 1940 at Niagra Falls. The bottom photo is GGgrandma Grote and Christa Grote Meentzen, Carls (my hubbys) family.
• Goose Creek Cemetery,Loudon Co VA (262 KB)
  Some of our Triplett and Strickling Ancestors are at rest here
• Marie , Ruth,Ted and Grandpa Frend Donald Tucker (592 KB)
  Marie Tucker White of Savannah Ohio,: Ruth Tucker Yarborough was former "MISS Ashland", she came to Los Angles and worked as personal assistant to The Ritz Brothers. She was murdered in 1963 by their chauffer.: Ted Tucker married the talented Marguerite Tucker.:Grandpa Tucker loved horses and wide open spaces.
• Paul Emil Meentzen (917 KB)
  Grandfather of my husband, Bremen Germany
• Charles M.Tucker and Luella nee Backensto Tucker (633 KB)
  My ggrandparents & small photo of Luella and sister
• The Carl Meentzen (915 KB)
  One of a fleet of ships owned by my father in law ,Carl Meentzen,Europa Africa Lines. The EAL.
• Raingill Farm, generation 14, Lancashire,England (67 KB)
  This farm ,once owned by our Strickling ancestors in 1600, still stands today. Our 14 great grandmother Isabella Raingill lived here.
• Bowles Family Reunion in Jeromsville Ohio 1999 (231 KB)
  Bowles Family Reunion

• Read a little about me in my earlier days, if u dare!
• view all 3500 of our ancestors here
• Tucker/ Van Aken line, Caudebec Ancestors
• TUCKER/VAN AKEN,/BRADT/QUAKENBUSH line
• New Netherlands Pioneers, Bradts line
• Scandanavian Immigrants- Bradts, Brotts, Swartwouts
• EARLY Tucker Van Aken Line, Deckers, Westbrook,Cuykendal
• Descendents Of Capt. John Baker -Strickling line
• Monroe Co Ohio,Bowles ,Strickling, Baker ,Whitacre,Watson
• The Backensto Family by John H.Backenstoe
• Our Triplett Revolutionary War Ancestors
• Good Ohio Site By County
• STRICKLING & TRIPLETTS ,Library of VA online,Awesome!
• Good site for Triplett, Burr and Gilham
• Huron Co., where the Bowles family first settled
• Cool ,old Mail Pouch Barns in Ohio
• Bowles DNA at Family Tree DNA
• The Van Aken Family site for our Tucker/Van Aken lines
• Richland County Ohio Gen Web Site
• A site with more of our Meentzen Photos
• Oldenburg Germany,Meentzen family home,great site

RANDI Bowles-Meentzen
meetzen@sbcglobal.net

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