Biography of John Mowls, Clay Co, AR

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From:
The Goodspeed Biographical and Historical Memoirs of N. E. Ark.
Biographical Information.

John H. Mowls, Jr., a farmer of Clay County, Ark., was born in Roanoke County,
Va., March 29, 1853, and is a son of Henry and Polly Mowls, the former of
Scotch-Irish and the latter of Dutch-English ancestry. The father was a colonel
in the Confederate army during the Rebellion, and acted as recruiting officer,
and throughout life has followed the occupations of farming, distilling,
merchandising and mechanics, he and wife being now residents of California. John
H. Mowls began fighting the battle of life for himself at the age of eighteen
years, working as a teamster at the Cannelton Coal Mines of West Virginia for
one year, after which he moved to Portamouth, Ohio, where he was engaged in
engineering a tug-boat. He next moved to St. Louis, thence to Kansas City, and
from there to Topeka, where he joined a trading expedition, being thus connected
for eighteen months. The following two years he spent as a cow-boy at Galveston.
Tex., and then returned to St. Louis and made three trips on the Mississippi
River as engineer on the tow-boat "Elliott," He next operated a shingle-yard and
farmed in Mississippi, spending one year at each occupation, but was inundated
by the great overflow of 1873, which compelled him to move. He went first to
Cape Girardeau, Mo., then to Union County, Ill., and was engaged in farming four
years. He was married there on the 13th of February, 1876, to Miss M. A., a
daughter of Daniel and Ann Cook, natives of North Carolina and Australia,
respectively. On the 10th of August, 1877, Mr. Mowls left Illinois and located
in Nevada City, Mo., where he worked as a painter and mechanic until February
27, 1878, when his wife died, leaving him with an infant only two months old to
rear. He took the child to his mother, who cared for it until its death at the
age of six months. Mr. Mowls next went to Chicago, and from there to Waterloo,
Ill., where he was occupied in engineering three months. He next began
railroading, continuing this three years. The nuptials of his second marriage
were celebrated on the 25th of December, 1879, his wife's maiden name being Miss
Emma A. Griffith, of Union County, Ill., a daughter of W. T. and Jane Griffith,
who are natives, respectively, of Kentucky and Illinois. In 1880 Mr. Mowls
removed to Butler County, Mo., and in 1881 came to Clay County, Ark., and is the
owner of a saw, grist and cotton-mill in Kilgore Township. He has been engaged
in managing various mills ever since removing to Missouri in 1880, and has also
been interested in farming some of the time, and is at present following this
occupation, his principal crops being cotton and corn. He is a Mason, a member
of the Agricultural Wheel, is independent in politics, and he and wife are
members of the Missionary Baptist Church. The following are their children:
Elmer R., born February 11, 1882; Lily M., born February 3, 1887, and Joseph J.,
born July 13, 1887. Mr. Mowls was educated in the common subscription schools,
and expects to give his children good educational advantages.