He was born in Grandville, MI on March 11, 1905 and started School there.
The son of Jacob and Elizabeth Bouwman, immigrants to Michigan from the Netherlands.
He had 4 brothers, John, Benjamin, Peter, and Jack
plus 4 sisters, Carrie, Dora, Elizabeth and Gertrude.

At times, Herman worked in his brother Peter's building company. He was know to be a good tiler.
The Bouwman's lived in the north section of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He was known to us as a person we could not afford to be associated with since Arleen
was born in 1939.  He went to Fennville while on parole in 1949 to see LaVerne, where
he stopped a Birkholz boy on the street. The boy got LaVerne to run up to see them in
a car by the post office. All Vern remembers is there was a woman with him.        
His son, Vern has comments.

Herman, Alias "Slim" Prison # 87821, w/ blue eyes, brown hair, and 6.0 ft. tall was        
convicted and sent to prison 3 times. Not including unknown times served in county jails.        

Vern visited him in 1959 just before got married. See: Prison Visit.        

His last contact to one of his siblings was through  Christmas Cards, to LaVerne.          

He died on the streets of Grand Rapids on May 11, 1967
and was buried in Garfield Park Cemetery.