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Bowen Jack , estate agent

C

calico

proper brummie kid
There was an Auctioneer and Estate agent named 'Jack Bowen' at 281 Hagley Road West from the 30's to the 50's. I believe he may have died around 1950.
I can't find him or his family so perhaps his real name wasn't Jack but his family name was Bowen. He may not have been born in Birmingham, I think his family was originally from Wales.
If anyone has any clues as to who 'Jack' was and more importantly who his parents were, I'd be very grateful for the information.
Since this is my first use of this site I apologise if I've broken any rules - I'll try to do better next time.
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

calico,
Welcome to the forum, in Kelly's 1949, Jack Bowen & Co. auctioneers, valuers, surveyors, house and estate agents were certainly trading at 281, Hagley Road west, they are still there in 1968 although the company could have still been trading after his death.

Colin
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Thank you Colin,
I think the auctioneers started as Fletcher & Bowen in Bearwood in the early Thirties, they are in the 1933 directory. My wife who lived near the shop at 281 Hagley road says that she believes that Jack Bowen died suddenly although as you say the firm carried on trading. As I have recently discovered family knowledge and memories are not to be entirely relied upon so I'm sticking with what I can confirm which is that Jack Bowen had an auctioneers and estate agents business before WW2 and afterwards it became '& Co'. If I take family knowledge into account then it's probable that both Jack and his father (John?) were alive around 1947/8 and both died soon afterwards. I did find a matching death but it turned out to be the wrong person.
I had a lot of help from Worcestershire record office who found a John and Mabel Bowen living (with a family named Holdsworth) at 'Trebarwith' Highland Ridge, Halesowen from 1945/48. Unfortunately their records do not go beyond that date and Dudley who hold later records say that they have not survived. Other than that it would be a convenient place to live if you had a business in Hagley road I have no reason to assume that this is 'my' Bowen. I've come to the conclusion that it is easier to trace people in the 1850s than the 1950s!
Regards.
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

In 1939 Jack & Mabel Bowen are listed on the electoral roll at 281 Hagley road west, with another address given as Trebarwith, Highland ridge, Quinton.. this seems to be outside the birmingham area.and is therefore not otherwise noted.
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Thanks very much for that. Could you please confirm that it is Jack and not John at Trebarwith. I have Worcestershire records office information that a John and Mabel Bowen were living at Trebarwith in 1945/8, but I couldn't relate them to 'my' Jack. I presume that the electoral roll is accurate and that if Jack is given as the name then that's what it will be. I can find a John Bowen marrying a Mabel in 1934 but not Jack.
Again, many thanks.
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

I can confirm that the name at 281 Hagley road west was Jack Bowen. The address in quinton was added as an addition (presumably to emphasise that the Hagley Road address was a business address). However Jack is often used as another form of John (see https://www.associatedcontent.com/article/513387/nicknames_how_john_became_jack_and.html ), and what was in the electoral roll would depend on what was filled in on the relevent form. I think that there is no doubt that the person who ran the auctioneers on the Hagly Road was the same as the one who lived at Quinton. He (or his wife) may well have put a different version on the form for his home address in quinton, which would have been in Worcestershire
Mike
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Continuing my search for 'Jack' Bowen: I now have a marriage certificate for John Bowen and Mabel Suter dated Sep 12 1936, at Halesowen parish Church. John Bowen gives his occupation as 'Surveyor' which I suppose might be useful for an estate agent/auctioneer. John's age is 24 and Mabel's 22 and their fathers are Samuel Bowen and John C(harles?) Suter. Witnesses J Dennis Bloore and Pamela E Jenkins. Mabel Suter may have been a hairdresser.
Can anyone please help in identifying any of these people or confirm that the John and Mabel are connected with 'Jack Bowen, Auctioneer & estate Agent of 281 Hagley Road'.
Thanks for the help so far, I really hope that I'm getting somewhere after 5 years of brick walls.
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Thank you Pollypops. I had been to the site but hadn't seen that article. What's more it had an advert for Harold Goodwin on the same page, which is where I met my wife some 55 years ago!
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Yes it did including the fact that since it was our 55th anniversary on Saturday it must be nearly sixty years ago!
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

HI THERE
YES the bowen family have been around for centuryies as long as i can remember
and i am an old crock now beleive me and you can get all there addresses from the archives at the libary
through the old adverts in the birmingham post and mail and the evenening mails and the mercury
they was gig bussiness way back then with the big companies that i can tell you
they was in the city centre many years ago ,then moved out to hagley rd west ; then after all the
years they finaly moved to harborne just along from the duke of wellington
on the top end of the high street they was on the corner right up till about three or four years ago
and they moved or finished bussiness i do not know owing to the redevelopment of that part of harborne
by those fancy private flatsthey havbe built there
i knew there names from years ago and also i went ito that office four years ago myself
looking for another named finance and property company whom was at one time facing there corner
estate office but the people was never there when i went to seek these people out
but yes the bowens was a well known and rep; estate and valuares as the fisher family of harborne whom are still there today ; but the bowens estate office as either gone some where else or the family as ceased trading ;
but that was there last known address was the top end of harborne high street
facing the road where the number 11 bus turns down to the qe hospital
have a nice day best wishes astonion ;;
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Thank you very much, Astonian, for all that. There do seem to be several Bowen families in Birmingham and most connected with the construction industry in one way or another and all of them have a 'John'. I know that they went from Hagley Road West so a move to Harborne isn't very far. I thought I had come across the company in Smethwick as well, I suppose they might have had several offices. I used to pass throgh Harborne fairly regularly but mostly in the dark and I was usually asleep on the top deck!
Regards
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

HI CALICO
There office was the last one on the block of shops as you came around the corner from the eleven bus stop by the duke but he eleven bus did not pass the actual shop but you could have caught a climpse of it
i must admitt it was abit run down inside and out it needed painting
but the two old guys must have been the owners they looked like family members they was getting on abit
and they would have known about there inner city clearance so they would not have bothered to redeco ;
and if i remember correctly in time gone bye i think it was around the snow hill end by the station
and colmre row way back they had a big office along or on it colmore row and that was around the late fifties early sixties to my recollection and later they did have a couple of offices
glad to be of help astonion ;;;;;
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Sorry for the late response but I have stumbled across this while searching for other matters.
I would have a great deal of information concerning the four people mentioned as Joseph Dennis Herman Bloore known as Dennis and Pamela Elizabeth Jenkins known as Bessie were my parents. Jack Bowen and Mabel Suter were life long friends of my parents.
I can confirm that Jack Bowen estate agent and John Bowen known as Johnny were the same person.
You may like to read a book called "One night in June" regarding operation Tonga 5/6/1944 published by Airlife.
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

HI ADRIADB
Many thanks for your feed back on the bowens family whom had respect with in the estate bussiness and i will try and track down there book ;
i already knew that jack was johnny from years ago also he would have been a great friend of mr dixons on harborne high st
whom like jack started out like himself and the same period jack went into bussines with dixon dobson and carver many years ago
my old time friend was trained by them whom now owns hunters estate agents along with lex allen whom both brought up and learnt there skills by dixon best wishes astonian
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

adrianb said:
Sorry for the late response but I have stumbled across this while searching for other matters.
I would have a great deal of information concerning the four people mentioned as Joseph Dennis Herman Bloore known as Dennis and Pamela Elizabeth Jenkins known as Bessie were my parents. Jack Bowen and Mabel Suter were life long friends of my parents.
I can confirm that Jack Bowen estate agent and John Bowen known as Johnny were the same person.
You may like to read a book called "One night in June" regarding operation Tonga 5/6/1944 published by Airlife.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for your interesting response. My interest in Jack Bowen is to do with research into my wife's family. May I ask two questions please? First, do you know anything of Jack's father who is shown on the marriage certificate as Samuel, is it possible that he was also known as 'John'?. Secondly, di you ever hear reference to a half-sister of Jacks, unacknowledged by his family? As you will realise my research may be taking me into family-skeleton territory and you may not wish to answer on a public forum or indeed, at all. If that is the case I would appreciate acknowledgement of this message and if you would prefer private contact I will issue an email address where you can contact me. Again thank you your help. Regards.
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Hello Calico,

Would probably be better to make personal contact on these matters.
Telephone 01454 413815 after 6pm (not Wednesdays)

regards Adrianb
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

I am distantly related to Jack Bowen.His grandfather Samuel married my grandfathers sister Clara Jones.I am trying to find out more about Samuel.I would like to correspond.
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

hi calico
just came into my mind thinking of the finding of jack bowen you may want and he would be one of the orinionals
a lont time old friend of mine whom i have known personaly and have worked for him as well some years ago
and is a very inportant bloke within the estate bussiness and the building societys
he was taught the bussiness by jack dixon estates agents in harborne from an early age but then jack sold into dixon ,dobson and carver ;
this guy i haveknown from adam ; if you like from boy to man;
he is known through out from the country and heknows every agents that ever set up in bussiness he is the M D of hunters estate agents
from the year dot ; if you wanted to do if you phoned hunters estate agents at there knowle office and ask to speak to gregg he also goes out survering on property ; he his a down to earth person and asked him what you would like to know ofhearing about the people you want i am sureyou will get your answer to some questions or if you want try jack dixon on the high street whom i beleive is still there but gregg knows every single person through out the country in the bussiness because of what he his and whom he is just a thought on my part ; should you choose to that to contact him by phone at any of there offices or write to him ; and if you decide on it you culd em me and i will give you my surname and then he will know where you got his name from
best wishes astonian
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

l remember a Bowen family who lived in Parliment st Aston, they had a daughter and son Danny who we played with who was about my age??? i know Danny has gone on to greener pastures ....wonder if they were anyway related to these Bowens,,,Brenda
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Greenstead said:
I am distantly related to Jack Bowen.His grandfather Samuel married my grandfathers sister Clara Jones.I am trying to find out more about Samuel.I would like to correspond.
Click to expand...

Thank you Greenstead for your interest. Can I confirm that we are looking at the same Bowens? I have a John Bowen (aka 'Jack', 'Johnny') born 17 May 1912, died 1994, wife Mabel married 1936. His father was Samuel Bowen, mother Emily, grandfather John Bowen. My John/Jack had a daughter Jill. The 1911 census, confusingly, has two Samuel Bowens in Stourbridge, Worcs. Mine is unmarried, a grocer and living with his parents, the other is already married. I have birth and marriage certificates for John/Jack but the information about Samuel is from FreeBMD, Ancestry and the like. I may have chosen the wrong spouse. Since you say that your Jack's grandfather was Samuel whereas Samuel was the father of my John/Jack is it possible that your Jack is the son of my John? I look forward to your comments. Regards.
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Calico.Thank you for your reply.It does not look like we are onto the same Samuel Bowen.
Mine is on the 1911 census age 37 living Bagnall St West Bromwich,married Clara (my g.aunt).daug.Jane Dawes ?.He gives his occupation as House Agent.My mother always said that we were related to "Bowens" when ever we saw their sign outside a house.
If it is of interest I will relate the story why I should like to find who "Uncle Sam" was.
Regards Greenstead
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Calico.
Hope you recevied my reply.I am not familiar with the Forum procedure.Kindly acknowledge.
Greenstead
 
Re: Jack Bowen, estate agent

Greenstead said:
Calico.Thank you for your reply.It does not look like we are onto the same Samuel Bowen.
Mine is on the 1911 census age 37 living Bagnall St West Bromwich,married Clara (my g.aunt).daug.Jane Dawes ?.He gives his occupation as House Agent.My mother always said that we were related to "Bowens" when ever we saw their sign outside a house.
If it is of interest I will relate the story why I should like to find who "Uncle Sam" was.
Regards Greenstead
Click to expand...

I agree that we seem to be pursuing different families, although both have 'estate' or 'house' agents as occupations so perhaps there is some relationship.
My interest in the Bowens is in connection with my wife's family where there is a birth certificate from 1906 without a father's name. Family hearsay gives John Bowen as the missing father and we have established that the John in question is related to the John/Jack Bowen who was 'Jack Bowen, estate agent and Auctioneer' and who lived in Halesowen. His father was Samuel but he did have an uncle John.
It's unlikely that we can ever establish who the missing father actually is unless it triggers a memory somewhere.
I'd be interested to see your 'Uncle Sam' story. I did note that at sometime after WW2 there was a Bowen estate agency in Smethwick for a time but i don't have any details. I assumed then that it was part of 'my' John/Jack Bowen, perhaps it was 'your' house agent John?
Regards (and Merry Christmas)
 
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