The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1906-10-18

nee OF the saw, plane and hammer,
Three years spent in the shop gave
a sufficient knowledge to satisfy
him that some other kind Of busi-
ness would be more congenial If
not more profitable. During his
apprenticeship Bowen had applied
! his leisure hours to the reading of
history and study Of chemistry,
natural philosophy and the higher
branches of matheme tics. Leaving
the shop he entered as clerk in n
grocery store. After acting a
year or more in this capacity he
took position in dry-goods
store, and Dec. 25, 1851, being tnen
past twenty-one years Of age, was
married to Mary Elizabeth Crooks
the daughter of James w. Crooks,
an old goods merchant of Lo.
gan. They have had eight chill
dren, six still living-Charles E.,
Kate b., James NJ, William M. Z,
Vernon c., and Fannie f. In 1854
young Bowen, wishing to obtain a
thorough knowledge of doubleen-
try bookkeeping, attended and
graduated from Granger's Com
mercial College, Columbus, Ohio,
after having been a married man
some three years. On his return
from his studies in 1855, he en-
gagged to keep books for the Five
Mile Furnace Company. The iron
interest at that time seeming in a
healthy condition small property
in Logan was sold and invested in
furnace stock. The financial crisis
of 1857 came on, iron went to
naughe, and organized companies
followed, leaving pennilcss those
who few years previous seemed
riding on the topmost wave of
prosperity. Bowen's stock and
earnings went the way of all things
tangible, and returning to Logan
he for time engaged in the drug
business. In 1858 he accepted a
situation as Cashier and bookkeep-
er in the Citizens Bank of Logan,
position he kept until the news
of the first battle of Bull Run
aroused all the latent patriotism
of the individual. Reslgning his
position as Cashier in favor of his
brother Charles, in fourteen days
he reported with l03 men, rank,
and file, at Camp Chase, the first
three years company raised in the
valley. Taking position as Cap
tain he was assigned the second
place in the Thirty-first Regiment,
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that is,
Company B. Having at that time
never been exposed or having had
any outdoor exercise, and putting
his whole soul and energy in the
business of drilling his company
for the service, he contracted while
in Camp Chase the typhoid fever
and lay all the month of Septem-
ber, 1861, and portion of October
at the point of death. About the
lst of November, same year, hav-
ing recovered somewhat from his
severe sickness, he reported for
duty at Camp Dick Robson, Gar
rard County, Ky. Remained in
the service, passing through the
campaign of the winteis Of 1861
'62, the battle of Mill Springs, the
of Nashville, and after
the battle of Shiloh or Pittsburg
when, having had three
several returns of the first attack
and completely broken down in
health, was forced to resign his
position in the army and return
home, and for more than one-half
year remained an idle invalid.
regained health somewhat
in the fall of 1862 accepted posi-
tion in the Venango Bank, Frank
lin, Pa, where he removed his
He continued in business
in Franklin until the spring of
1864 then removed to Cory, Pa,
and started the First National
Bank of Cory Pa, with capital
of $l00, 900, taking the position as
Cashier. Having been successful
in several oil enterprises Mr.. Bow
en- sold out his banking interests
in Cory and purchased two thirds
of the stock of the First National
Bank of Logan, whose capital was