Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-05-11
TRIBUTE TO REEFS T. BOWEN.

When Recs T. Bowen departed this
life OH the 3rd instant TaZewell
County lost one of her best citizens.
For more than forty years had been
intimately associated with him as
friend and connection by marriage;
and / cannot resist the impulse to
offer my brief tribute to one for whom
| entertained n very deep affection.
Rees Bowen, the fourth of that
name, was born at the historic an
cestral home, "Maiden Spring." in
this County, February 7th, 1S45, near
the spot where his pioneer ancestor
Rees Bowen, the first, built his cabin
in 1772; and shortly thereafter built
the fort that became famous in the
Dunmore War of 1774. And it was
from this spot that Captain Rees
Bowen started out with his gallant
Company for Kings Mountain, in
which eventful battle he gave his
life for his country, and on which
field his heroic dust now rcposes.
The subject of this sketch was the
son of General Rees L. Bowen and
Louisa Peery Bowen, who was the
daughter of Squire Thomas Pcery,
and sister of the late Captain VIM.
E. Peery. 1t will, therefore, be seen
that he was descended on both the
paternal and maternal side from the
splendid pioneer settlers who helped
to bring Tazewell County into exis-
tance.
AT the beginning of the Civil War,
though but sivteen years old, he en-
listed in the Confederate service as
a private in the cavalry company
known as the Tazewell Troopers,
which afterwards constituted q mart
of the famous Sth Virginia Cavalry.
Two of his elder brothers, Thomas
Peery Bowen and Henry Bowen en-
listed in the same Company ut the
same time. The first of these two
brothers was afterwards promoted
to Major of the 8th Regiment, and
the later became Captain of The Troo-
pers, serving as such until the war
his youngest and only remaining
brother, William Edward Bowen, en-
listed with the Tazewell TROOPERS,
and four as gallant soldier brothers
as ever drew sabre fought together
for their Country's cause until that
cause went down in defeat. On the
3rd inst. the last of these soldier brot-
hers, who proved themselves worthy
descendants of their pioneer ances-
tors, passed away, and all are now
resting beneath the sod of the Valley
that gave them birth and that they
loved so well.
On December oath, 1872, Rees T.
Bowen was married to Miss Mary
Crockett, daughter of Thompson S.
and Rachel Cecil Crockett, in Croc-
kett's Cove. Wythe County, Virginia.
Mrs. Bowen's mother was the daugh-
ter of Samuel Cecil, and was born
and reared on Clinch River, three
miles west of the town Of Tazewell.
She was also the great grand daugh-
ter of Thomas Witten, the first white
settler in Tazewell County. Eight
children were born unto Mr. and Mrs
Bowen, all of them now living. They
are: Mrs. S. j. Thompson. of the
Cove; II. S. Bowen, Wittens Mills;
7. G. Bowen, Tazewell; Rees T. Bo-
wen, Maiden Spring; DR.. S. c. Bo-
wen, Richmond, Virginia; Mrs. j. Po-
we'll Royal, Miss Rachel Bowen and
Bowen also has twenty-three grand
children living. His death was the
first to occur in the family, which he
and his devoted wife had so tenderly
raised and cared for.
INccS DOWcIl WIS u tlulcUt ullODlTQ-
sive man, but of sound Judgment
and the highesc integrity. His heart
was so big and kind as to make all men
his neighbors, and his generous hospi-
tality was known wherever he was
known. That he was highly esteemed
Eby all who knew him was testified
ITO by the many expressions of SYM
pathy spoken and written to his wife
and children after announcement of
his death. Among these was a tele-
gram sent to Mrs. Bowen by Gov
ernor Stuart. 1t was as follows:
"The information of your af-
Fiction has just reached me. I
beg to express to you in additi-
on to my sympathy and sense OF
personal grief the appreciation
that is due by the good citizen
ship of the State to an honor
able life characterized by de-
votion to duty, public and pri-
vate, conspicuously illustrated
by four years of gallant service
as Confederate Soldier"
All the people who knew him will
give cordial sanction to this excellent
tribute to one of Tazewel's worthy
sons.
VIM. C. Pendlcton.
Nav 9Th. 1917.