08/27/2026
Mary Henley Russell (1760–1827) was the eldest daughter of General William and Tabitha Russell. As a young teenager, Mary lost her mother. So, she acted as a mother to her younger siblings, especially her six-month old sister. Mary grew up in Virginia just as colonial revolts began. The American War for Independence raged along that eastern coastline. Her dad was a Brigadier General, leading militiamen to battle.
One such soldier, William Bowen, became attached to General Russell’s daughter Mary. Though the exact date is unknown, William and Mary got married around 1777, when she was seventeen years old. The newly wedded couple began their married life in Virginia in the late 1770s. And their family grew quickly during that heavy wartime.
The Bowens had their first child in 1778 and their last child in 1792. Her eldest and youngest were fourteen years apart. The War for Independence resolved in 1783. As a reward for his military service, Captain William Bowen received almost 1,300 acres of land in western North Carolina.
At the end of the War, William and Mary moved their family to the woods of what is now Middle Tennessee. The Bowens began their journey in the summer of 1784. Mary was pregnant at the time AND had to watch over and care for their other three children under the age of six! The Bowens lived at their family home, The Bowen House, for decades. At Mary’s death, she divided the estate between her children. Mary passed away at sixty-seven years.
