John Safety Bowne, Esq.

Source: Find-a-Grave

Abraham Lincoln's ancestors include members of the Bowne family, who were among the earliest settlers of Middletown, NJ. Among the Bownes buried here is "John Bowne, Esq.", who died at age "74 years, 5 months, 7 days". The son of Obadiah and Elizabeth Bowne, he was the husband of the former Ann Lippit, who had been born in Monmouth County on November 29, 1702. She survived him by nearly 20 years, and was buried at his side after her death in Middletown at age 91. Unlike the simple sandstone stele which marks his widow's grave, "Esquire" John Bowne's gravestone is distinctively carved, and said to be unique among New Jersey gravestones dating from the colonial era. Its tympanum features a winged soul effigy in bas relief with finely detailed ringlets and a lace collar, set off by classically carved acanthus leaves and rosettes. Thought to have been imported from England, it has been attributed to the British stonecarver William Valentine. ("Anonymous" GRAVESTONE PHOTO by Nikita Barlow, 2002.)