Jane Bowles was born on Dec. 12, 1812 in Ballickmoyler, Queens county, Ireland and emigrated to Canada (with her mother and step-father) by 1825.  See The Bowles of Quebec City and The Bowles of Ballickmoyler, co. Laois for more on the origins of this family.

See The Family Tree of the Bowles from Quebec City in New Orleans for more information on this family.

In Quebec City, Canada in May 1829 Jane Bowles married John McGaughy, a private in the 79^th Highlanders Regiment.   The 79th was a Scottish Regiment sent to Ireland in 1820 and then to Quebec in September 1825.  They were in Ft. Henry, Kingston, Ontario from 1830 to 1831 where their first child, Elizabeth, was born.  When the Regiment returned to Portsmouth, England in 1836 John appears to have transferred to the 15^th Regiment (at the rank of Sergeant) to stay in Canada.   Three more children were born in Quebec City between 1833 and 1838.  The 1838 baptism refers to him as ‘late of the 15^th Band’ so he had probably left the army by then.  Their son William was born in New York state in about 1842 and another son George was born in Massachusetts in about 1844.  Jane’s husband died between 1845 and 1849 and shortly after that she moved her family on to join her brothers in New Orleans.  We next find her in the 1849 New Orleans city directory as a dressmaker at 40 Bourbon Street and in the 1850 directory as a dressmaker at 79 Bienville.  The 1850 Census lists her as widowed and living in New Orleans with five children the youngest being only 5 years old.  The 1855 city directory lists her as living on Canal Street at the corner of Burgundy and the 1860 directory has the family at 223 Erato Street.  The family moved for safety to Pensacola, Fl during the Civil War and some of her children settled there afterwards.  They returned to New Orleans in May 1862 but returned to Pensacola again in July 1869 shortly after her daughter Lizzie's death.  After that Jane seems to have moved back and forth, staying with her various children.  Jane died at her son Jack’s (John) home in Pensacola in 1881 and is buried in her daughter, Elizabeth Harriet Merritt's, lot at St. Michael Cemetery in Pensacola.  ref. 

As on all these Bowles in Louisiana pages, I would like to express my appreciation to Kay Emery, a descendant of 5.3 Henry Belmont Bowles. Kay has done most of the research on this branch and has kindly allowed me to publish it here.