The Vault at Pfaff'sBoweryem was born on the banks of Avon in England and died at just thirty-three years old. Boweryem spent the last ten years of his life in the United States pursuing careers in both writing and music composition. Boweryem first appeared in the Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries in 1859 as a patron of the North American Phalanx, the utopian socialist commune. In Gunn’s words, Boweryem was “an advertisement collector for the Century and other papers, and once a boy on Punch in its early days” (vol. 11, p. 166-167). He published Three Fishers Went Sailing out into the West in 1858. The Pfaffians were first introduced to Boweryem through a prank at the North American Phalanx.
Boweryem was a well known figure in the Pfaffian circle from 1859 through 1863. He boarded at the Bleecker Street boarding house during the same timeframe as Frank Cahill, Thomas Butler Gunn, Arthur Ledger, Nathaniel Graham Shepherd, and others. The boarding house also acquainted Boweryem with James Willard Morris, Frederick Rondel, Tracy, Nathaniel Graham Shepherd, Bob Gun, and Charles Damoreau. Boweryem was often subjected to boarding house pranks and drinking games held by the Bohemians. Gunn and Boweryem later grew closer during their time at the North American Phalanx. Boweryem was also minimally acquainted with Thomas Dunn English, though Gunn reported that Boweryem felt a coolness from Dunn English. Boweryem was also later introduced to Jesse Haney and present for the infamous Fourth Ward Police Station visit with Haney, Shepherd, Gunn, and Damoreau.
Boweryem worked collaboratively with multiple Pfaffians. Larason consulted him for advertisements in the New York Nick-Nax. Bob Gun utilized Boweryem's skills to carry out new methods of printing and engraving for his [Bob Gun’s] American Agency. Boweryem also later hired Cahill to assist with advertising work and worked with Gunn on and off. Gunn was often consulted for advice on Boweryem’s literary projects, and Boweryem did copy work for Gunn. Boweryem was an ardent supporter of the Union in the Civil War. He tried to enlist in the Union army during his time as a Pfaffian. Gunn often felt that Boweryem failed George Arnold’s rule for Pfaffians: “[not] making a d____d fool of himself” (vol. 16, p. 126). Appropriately, Boweryem struggled to get his writing published during this time. His poems, “The Northern Volunteers” (1861) and later “The Union Volunteers” (1861), were rejected by the Times, Post, and Tribune. While Gunn was supportive of his friend’s work, he also was not surprised by Boweryem’s failures. Gunn believed Boweryem to be vain, and Boweryem’s height (he stood at five feet tall) was an ongoing source of tension between him and other Pfaffians.
Boweryem was often judged by and alongside other Bohemian poets, including Edmund Clarence Stedman and Nathaniel Graham Shepherd. Shepherd, by Gunn’s account, was another who had experienced Boweryem’s vanity. Boweryem was infamous for boasting about his wealth and prestige as a litterateur. However, Bob Gun reported disappointment with Boweryem’s lack of dedication to the business matters of Gun and Company. Boweryem had to accept a role at a Secessionist newspaper, “a humiliation for the bold British Volunteer and rampant republican, effected by poverty alone” (vol. 17, p. 171). Boweryem’s contentious nature led to a physical fight between himself and Cahill at the Bleecker Street boarding house. Boweryem tried to press charges after the fact, but Cahill garnered more support than his assailant. The subsequent tension between the two men was palpable. Gunn often found himself in the middle of their continued struggles.
Boweryem remained loyal to Gunn during Gunn’s time as a Civil War correspondent, often writing letters and meeting Gunn every time he [Gunn] was back in New York. Boweryem took over Gunn’s Bleecker Street room and later became roommates with Shepherd. Boweryem continued to get into fights with Cahill and Edward Mallen over work and life matters, leaving him as a contentious figure in the Pfaffian circle. He also continued to work on his poetry until the end of his life. A newspaper clipping included by Gunn described the circumstances of Boweryem’s death. He had gotten sick while serving as a war correspondent and, in the delirium of fever, walked off a ship on the water. He tragically drowned. Other works by Boweryem included “The Time I’ve Lost in Wooing: Song” and “Alone! Alone! Serenade” (1864).