Brethren Mill Owner Bought And Freed Slaves

Bowman and business partner Frederick Miller were the third 
owners of what became known as Bowman's Mill, rebuilt after
the Civil War as the Silver Lake Mill near Dayton,

Myron Augsburger recently told me about an ancestor of his, Daniel L. Bowman, who was reputed to have purchased African-American slaves prior to the Civil War in order to free them.

My frequent attempts to verify this from written sources were unsuccessful until yesterday, when a retired pastor friend, Paul Roth, sent me a link to a Church of the Brethren history site that included the following statement:

"Family traditions tell that Daniel Bowman, prior to the Civil War, would purchase slaves and free them. Once freed, the slaves would work in his mill and on his farm. At the present, evidence seems to support the tradition. There were free blacks living near the Mill in pre-Civil War censuses."

I'm not sure how unusual it was to have a respected citizen of a slave holding state like Virginia dare do this, but I'm sure it must have been considered scandalous by many of his neighbors. And like most Valley Brethren and Mennonites, Bowman was also adamantly opposed to war and to all forms of sedition or violence, an equally unpopular position as the clamor for secession grew to a fever pitch.

For example:

"Daniel Bowman absolutely refused to give any aid or support to the cause of the Rebellion or to contribute anything to the Southern cause unless compelled to by military force, except when a lone soldier would call at his door for something to eat; he gave alike to the northern or southern soldier."

Bowman is an example of someone who was clearly ahead of his time, and who dared live out his convictions in spite of the cost.

Here's a link to the article on the history of Daniel Bowman that was made available to me by Cheryl Lyon, current owner of the historic Silver Lake Mill: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxFT5M50X6ixYngwZ0pJY0thd2loZ1VPZWxBOU5iSlFiVTZJ/view?usp=sharing

Here is the link to the gift and craft shop currently renting the space from Ms. Lyon:
http://www.silverlakemill.com/