Randolph County IN Archives Biographies.....Bousman, George W. February 22, 1817 - July 6, 1895
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Janet King JPerdue192@aol.com March 19, 2009, 6:58 pm

Author: History Randolph Co., IN by E. Tucker pg.346

     George W. Bousman, one of the old and substantial farmers of White River 
township, Randolph County, Indiana was born in Preble county, Ohio, February 
22, 1817, and is a son of Adam and Susan (Crowell) Bousman, natives of 
Virginia, and of german descent. Adam Bousman moved to Ohio and located in 
Preble county in 1812, with his wife and three children and died at the age of 
seventy-six, leaving a greatly increased family of children behind, viz: David, 
James, Julia, Polly, Sarah, George W., Hester (Esther) and Noah the last four 
named still in the land of the living.
     George W. Bousman came to Randolph county, Indiana, February 24, 1839, 
settled in the wilderness on eighty acres of land, erected a sixteen foot 
square cabin, with a clapboard door, and still owns this property as an 
attachment to his present farm. Shortly before the late war he purchased 
another tract of eighty acres, but even at this comparatively recent date, he 
had great trouble with the wolves, and was compelled to pen the sheep at three 
o'clock in the afternoon, and keep them penned until ten o'clock the next 
morning. Deer, and other game, however, were quite plentiful. Mr. Bousman was 
married in Preble County, Ohio, August 13, 1837, to Sarah (Almonrod) Holmes, a 
native of Rockbridge County, Va., she being, at the time, the mother of two 
children by her first husband, Simon Holmes. She has borne to Mr. Bousman eight 
children -- Susannah, Mary, Martha, Lucian, Cyrus, Martin, John, and Sarah 
Jane, of whom Martha, Lucian, and Martin are now deceased, and the rest 
married. Mr. Bousman, by good management and industry, has acquired 
considerable property, now owning 240 acres at his homestead, eighty acres in 
section 12, fifteen acres in Jay county and ten acres in Jackson township, 
Randolph county, and has erected a fine dwelling on his home place. Mrs. 
Bousman now aged eighty-four years, is quite active, and does all her own work; 
Mr. Bousman at the age of seventy-six is also very active and takes great 
interest in managing his farm.
     To refer again to the early days of Mr. Bousman, when he came to the spot 
on which he settled, it may be well to add that he was compelled to cut his way 
through the woods. When he did work for other persons his compensation was 
thirty-seven and one-half cents a day, and the price he paid for wheat was 
$2.00 a bushel. His wife spun and wove all the clothing worn by the family, and 
all the hardships of frontier life was encountered, but cheerfully borne. Later 
on he hewed timber for the bridges of Old Bee Line Railrod now called the Big 
Four, a work of which no other man in this section was capable, and hewed the 
timber for the entire distance from Farmland to Union City, $1.00 per day. One 
little episode occurred about this, worth mentioning. The contractor on the 
road promised Mr. Bousman that, he would be paid wages due him $70.00. Mr. 
Bousman completed the task, but the contractor endeavored to swindle him by 
flight. The would be swindler, however, was overtaken at Pendleton and was 
there made to settle through the aid of Mr. Bousman's elder brother, who was a 
Justice of the Peace of that place. In December, 1850, Mr. Bousman was taken 
ill with typhoid fever and was confined to his home until the following March, 
attended by Dr. Hiatt, and this was the only sickness, worth the name, which 
Mr. Bousman has ever been afflicted.

Additional Comments:
George W. Bousman was son of Adam Bousman & Suannah Crowel they had married 30 
Jan 1805 in Franklin Co., VA. Adam Bousman was the son of Lorentz Bousman. 
Lorentz Bousman was born ca 1730 in Germany and came to America before his 
marriage 29 Jan 1754 to Sophia Schmitt in Lancaster Co., PA. Sophia died ca 
1770 and Lorentz married Mary Simon. They moved to Shenandoah Valley of 
Virginia ca 1790 and finally settled in Franklin Co., VA prior to 1808 when 
Lorentz Bousman died. 

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