The Bowen Family of Randolph County, Indiana

EPHRAIM L. BOWEN.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

280 acres of excellent land, all of which is susceptible of cultivation, while larger portion of it is under a fine state of improvement.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JAMKS D. BOWEN.

James Dwiggins Bowen, son of Squire and Eliiabeth Bowen, was born in Greenafork Township, Ilandolph County, December 'JS, 1H32: he was raised on the farm entered by his grandfather, Epliraira Bowen, ifl lif 4, of which he is now owner and proprietor; his farm consists of 200 acres of which 140 acres are in a high state of cultivation. His boyhood was quiet and uneventful, spending the greater part of his time in cultivating the farm; his education was limited to the common district schools, with the exception of one term at a commercial school at Indianapolis in 1855. lie was EnroUiug Officer of his township during the war, an appointment from the Government: he made three trips to the front to look after the sick and wounded soldiers from his district. In addition to farming, Mr. Bnwen has been actively engaged in the mercantile business at Spartansburg and Arba, and pork-packing business at Richmond; he now has an interest in the mercantile andainbusiness at Lynn, litis county. As a lisineis man, Mr. Bowen is cautious; attd, careful to look aaer the details. He was married to Mary B. Chenoweth, daughter of John B. and Sarah U. Chenowcth, of CarroU County, Md., September i3, 1855.

Mr. and Mrs. Bowen have a family of nine children, three Iwys and six girls, all of whom are still living. Two of his sons are engage 1 with their father in business at Lynn, one as a partner, the other as clerk.,,

James D. has been elected to two of the most important offices of his township— that of Township Trustee, and served for five years, and in 18(i7. he Ayas elected Justice of the I'eoce, and has c mtinned for fnur years. That he filled these offices satisfactorily is evinced from the fact of his continuance. He now holds the office of Ditch Commissioner, under the appointment of the Judge of the Circuit Court. In 1873, he moved from Arba, where he Jiad been engaged in business since 18fi0, to the farm where he now resides. He has been blessed with an abundance of worldly effects, and is surrounded with luxury and all that is necessary to make life happy. His farm is a model of beauty and convenience, especially adapted to grazing, all parts of it being supplied with an abundance of never-failing spring water. He devotes considerable attention to the raising of corn and hogs. His farm buildings arc commodious and convenient; his dwelling-house is a large, two-story structure, situated on a beautiful knoll, surrounded with many beautiful shade trees.

Mr. Bowen has always been a stanch Republican, and has been industrious in his efforts fir the welfare of his party. He and his excellent wife are acceptable members of the M. E. Church, and are beno ed members of society of the community in which they reside. Mr. Bowen is also a useful member of the order of Free and Accepted Masons, being a member of Bethel Lodge, No. 2.')U.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

CHARLES EUGENE BOWEN.

Few men of a past generation in Randolph county were held in higher esteem than the late Charles Eugene Bowen, who, now that life's fitful fever is over, is sleeping serenely "in the windowless palace of rest." His memory will long be revered by the vast host of people who knew him and admired him, for he was a man in whom all took a delight, owing to his sterling honesty, his charitable nature and his readiness to help in the furtherance of any movement looking to the general upbuilding of the community. He was a schon of one of our sterling pioneer families to whom we owe so much, for his grandfather came here when this country was a veritable wilderness, and, working long and hard, redeemed, with others, the fertile fields and the fine farms which we of today enjoy and which are now so valuable. We can never say too much regarding these brave and courageous pioneers, who literally took their own lives in their hands and, not counting the cost, cast their lots in the new country, away from the pleasant hearthstones of their childhood and the advantages of civilization. Both our subject and his father helped complete the work begun by the frontiersmen here a century ago, and to all much credit is due.

Mr. Bowen was born at Spartanburg, Greensfork township, this county, December 6, 1858. He was a son of James D. and Mary E. (Chenoweth) Bowen. James Dwiggins Bowen was a son of Squire and Elizabeth (Dwiggins) Bowen, and was born in Randolph county, Indiana, in 1832, and died August 20, 1899, in his sixty-seventh year. The scene of his birth and death was his farm in Greensfork township, which was entered in 1814 by the first Bowen who came to this section of Indiana. On September 13, 1855, James D. Bowen married Mary E. Chenoweth of Carroll county, IVIaryland, and to them three sons and six daughters were born. He united with the Methodist church in 1859 and remained a faithful member of the same until his death. During the Civil war he was appointed enrolling officer for his township, during which time he was actively engaged in looking after the sick and wounded soldiers of his district, besides aiding their families. He

CHAS. E. BOWEN (DECEASED), was always very attentive to the welfare of his neighbors and friends, and was honest and courteous to all, carrying his religion into his every-day life. March 31, 1866, he joined the Free and Accepted Masons, Bethel Lodge No. 250, and later became a Master Mason. He also belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows when a young man. Fie passed all the chairs in the order and was Past Grand. He was said to be a man absolutely without enemies, having lived so exemplary a life. His wife, Mary Etta Bowen, was a daughter of John Baxter Chenoweth and Sarah (Murray) Chenoweth. She was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, in 1836, and died August 3, 1902. She united with the Methodist church early in life and remained a constant member until the end. She bore her sufferings with rare fortitude and enjoyed the friendship of all who knew her well.

Charles E. Bowen grew to manhood on the old homestead in his native community and he received a common school education, later spending one year in the Valparaiso Normal. Early in life, he took up merchandising and for over twenty years he conducted general stores at Crete, Carlos City and Spartanburg, building up a large and lucrative business with the surrounding country, owing to his honesty and thrift. At the time of his death he owned the farm which his grandfather settled in 1814, a century ago. This place has never been out of the possession of the family and is now owned by our subject's widow and children. It has been well cultivated and kept highly improved so that it has not lost its original strength of soil, the Bowens having always been noted as skilful agriculturists.

Mr. Bowen was married on the anniversary of his birth, December 6, 1890, to Josie Nelson, who was born in Virginia in May, 1871. She is a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Nossette) Nelson. The father was born in Virginia and died January 18, 1875. The mother was also a native of Virginia and her death occurred March 16, 1874. To our subject and wife two children were born, namely: Ephraim M., born in 1891, was graduated from the Spartanburg high school in 1907, then spent one term at the State Normal at Terre Haute, then a year in Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, specializing in history; he is now teaching history in the Spartanburg high school with much success. John M., second child of our subject, was born in 1897 d is now attending the Lynn high school.

Charles E. Bowen was a faithful member of the Christian church. He was entering upon his second year as county commissioner and had fulfilled Ms duties in such a manner in this important office as to be honored with the nomination to succeed himself for a second term. He had all the qualities

which combine to make a worthy citizen, a neighborly gentleman, a true friend and devoted husband, a gentle and indulgent father.

The death of Mr. Bowen occurred suddenly and without warning on June 10, 1910, at the age of fifty-one years, six months and four days. His fellow commissioners, William Mills and John E. Cheesman, and Mack tohue, county auditor, passed the following resolutions of respect on his death, at Winchester, Indiana, June 13, 1910:

"It is with profound sorrow that the board of commissioners of Randolph county. State of Indiana, record the loss of one of its members — Charles E. Bowen, commissioner of the eastern district, who passed away at his home in Greens fork township last Friday, in the prime of his usefulness as a servant of the people of this county, as a member of this board. During his year and almost a half as such official we found him to be a conscientious, careful, punctual, efficient and honest official and as such we learned to admire him, as a man and companion we learned to love him.

Quiet, modest, unassuming, but never shirking, ever ready to bear his portion of the responsibilities and burdens of this board, we feel that it is no fulsome praise, but his just merits, when we record that in his death the people of Randolph county have lost the service and counsel of a faithful servant, one who always did his duty as he saw it, and always for the greatest good for the greatest number. We feel that we can speak no greater eulogy to him than to recommend to his successor and to all other public officials the emulation of his official life.

While we sorrow in our personal loss of the benefit of his counsel and companionship, we realize that the public has lost a faithful servant, but the greatest loss is to those he loved best, his wife and sons, and to them we express our sympathy and with it the assurance that to us, as well as to them, his clean, upright life will be an inspiration.

Be it therefore Resolved, That the auditor of the county be authorized to spread this memento of record, in the proceedings of this day's business and that he furnish the family with a careful copy thereof."

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JAMES C. BOWEN, 1814.

Son of the fourth settler, who came on his forty-fifth birthday, October 22, 1814, when James was only a half-grown boy.

"Hunting was splendid, and game plenty in the woods. Deer, turkeys, bears (and wolves) were abundant.

We used to go to mill to Newport, to George Sugart's mill, but oftener to White Water, to Jere Cox's mill. Sugart had a little 'corn-cracker,' run by water-power. The buhr went around no oftener than the wheel did. Sugart would throw in a bushel of corn, and go out and single flax, etc., for an hour or two, and then go in and attend to his grist again. Awful slow! One day a found came in and began licking up the meal as it came in sports from the spout. It did not come fast enough for him and he would look up with a pitiful howl, and then lick for more meal! We boys would go four-- teen miles to mill on horseback. Sometimes we would go with a wagon and take a load, and then it would take two days. Often the settlers had to go over to the Big Miami for provisions. Sometimes two men would join teams and go with four horses, and bring a big load. Once I went with Clark Willcutts' son (we were boys) on horseback to a mill four miles east of Richmond, to get a grist of corn. We each got a sack of corn, took it to Cox's mill, got it ground, and took the meal home. It was twenty miles and took us two days.

Pork was $1.50 a hundred net, and sometimes $1, or even less than that. As late as 1835, when I was justice, I rendered judgment on a debt, and the defendant said he had wheat at Jeremiah Cox's mill, and he could not get I2i/ cents a bushel, in money, to pay the debt. At Newport, Jonathan Unthank sued David Bowles for $5, balance on a store debt. Bowles was angry and declared he would never trade with Unthank any more. To think,' he said, 'that I have traded there so 'much, and he must go and sue me for $5!' Benjamin Thomas (Wayne county) said he had as good wheat as ever grew, and he could not get 12½ cents a bushel, in money, to pay his taxes !

In making 'Quaker Trace,' in 181 7, twenty-five or thirty men started with three wagon-loads of provisions. I went about twenty-five miles (beyond the Mississinewa river) until one wagonload was gone, and then returned with that team."

[Mr. Bowen thinks that Sample's mill, on White river, was the first mill of any importance in the country. He says, also, that Cox's mill had at first a hand bolt, and that four had to be bolted by hand, which was a slow and tedious process.]

[Ephraim Bowen came from Ohio in a big Shaker wagon, with a load of "plunder," and then went back after his family. The patent for his quarter-section was signed by James Madison. E. B. was an intelligent, devoted Methodist, and did much to help plant the foundations of religion in this western wilderness. His dwelling was the "preacher's home," and a preaching station for more than thirty years. The first meeting was held at his house, and the first sermon was preached there also. All the Methodists in the region were there, and others, perhaps thirty persons. The descendants' of E. B. are numerous and widespread. There were at his death seventy grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. E. B. and his family are a fine specimen of the hardy pioneers who subdued these western wilds.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.