Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-04-15
WILLIAM H. H. BOWEN

WILLIAM HI. H. BOWEN
William Henry Harrison Bowen,
with John Sitlord and their families,
came together from Jones county, this
state Mr. Bowen bought the claim
of Reuben Carpenter, where Hugh
| Bowen now lives. He also obtained
| forty acres of timber in Section 2l, in
the big Grove There was a CON
| tention between him and Mr.. p /.
/ Whitfield over a piece OF bis land: both
| claimed the same tract, made race
t. the land office for it and Bowen
won out. Mr.. Bowen was high tenn
pered. He and Whitfield afterwards
met in the timber had a personal en-
counter and fought it out. The place
of encounter was once pointed out to
me on the west side of the old road
A leading from Troublesome to the
steam mill at Louisville, midway,
about, of the big Grove | have
been told Judge Harris was present,
witnessed the scrap, but did not in
terfere.
At that period and long afterwards
4 it was regarded the proper thing for
men to settle their differences person
allv. and not resort to a lawsuit The
real fact was there was not much.op-
pOrtunity for courts and lawsuits
then. Tradition is that they punished
each other somewhat. Uncle Harry
once showed me his knuckles, which
h. said We're broken by striking a
tree with blow aimed at Whitted's
head ! think Whitfield has related
to me am account of his valor on that
occasion.
He was an extensive farmer in his
day and had many horses and cattle
In 1860 he went to Pixies Peak. re
turned here and again moved to Col
orado with his family in 1862, was :
ranchman on Thompson. He returned
here again in 1860.
not be forgotten. While the famil,
were living in Colorado, his daughter
Juliette a young girl, remained here
Her fathers land, through neglect
was sold for taxes. She earned thu
money by teaching school and redeem
ed the land from tax sale. Not man,
young men would have done so we'll
AT that period and for several year
later the U. p Railroad was not We
5 built. The Indians were hostile ant
troublesome. Travellers and emigrant
were not allowed to cross the plain
except in large companies and heavil.
armed, SO the communications be
tween Iowa and Colorado were SLOW
and infrequent, as compared with to
, day.
The Bowen children, including Mis-
Juliette, attended school taught b.
> the writer in 1866.
/ Mr.. Bowen was member of TIL
Board OF Supervisors of this county
1912
His wife was Eliza Watson. 1t wa
a rare pleasure to visit at the hOSpit
able home of "Uncle Harry and Aun
Liza" She died in the early los an
! he married I'd, Josephine Smith.
: Later he went with his second fan
' lily to Western Nebraska, lived ther
several years and returned to tn
. north half of Cass county, near his oil
home, where he died years ago, an
) his widow has recently died.
: Children by lst wife:
! Nancy Jane: m. Hon. VIM. Walker
: Rachel Elizabeth: m. VIM. b. Stone
e John Wesley: m. Nancy Cannon.
e Anna L.: died unmarried
a Sarah e.. m. VIM. Bales.
0 Hugh g.: m. Maggie Selladay.
! Julictte w b.; m Joseph w. Wake
Emma Caroline: m. John Lorah.
> James w; died unmarried
Charles e.: M Mary Alien.
4 Children by I'd wife:
l<ittie; M. Leonard j. Whitney.
8 Burns.
+ Harry.
q Edward.