John Bowne the Quaker

Sketch of John Bowne Quaker Meeting House and Burial Ground (Quaker Cemetery)

One of the great historical Quaker families of Long Island is the Bowne family. Immigrant John Bowne arrived to New York around 1647 with his father Thomas seeking religious freedom. The family was from Lime Tree Farm, Matlock, Derby, England.  At the age of 29, John married Hannah Feake in Flushing, New York. They remained in Flushing where they raised 8 children.  John died in December of 1695 and is buried in the Quaker Cemetery in Flushing.

John Bowne’s house that was illegally used for Quaker Meetings was built circa 1661 and exists today on Bowne Street in Flushing as a Museum. In 1662, Bowne was arrested for conducting the meetings and was banished to the Netherlands. During his exile he met with Dutch leaders in Amsterdam and worked with them to reprimand New York Governor Peter Stuyvesant for now allowing religious freedom. Bowne was his argument as returned to his home in Flushing in 1664. Meetings were held in home for another 30 years until the Friends Meeting House was built.  The John Bowne house is one of the oldest surviving structure in Queens.