Crawford Co., AR - Biographies - Capt. William Bowlin

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed 
Publishing Co., 1889.
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Capt. William Bowlin, retired citizen of Van Buren, is a native of Knox County, 
Tenn., a son of Noble and Catherine (Clift) Bowlin, and was born in 1832. After 
the death of Noble Bowlin in Tennessee, in 1835, the mother married John Barnes, 
who also died in Tennessee. In the fall of 1843 Mrs. Barnes, with her seven 
children, in company with her brother-in-law, Robert McCurry, floated down the 
Tennessee River, on the Mississippi, to the mouth of the Arkansas River, in a 
flat-boat, and then travelled to Van Buren by steamboat, landing March 10, 1844. 
The mother made Van Buren her home, then, until her death, in 1868, aged sixty-
two. Four of her children are now living: James, of Little Rock, captain of a 
steamboat; Catherine, wife of William Johnson, of California; Sarah, wife of 
Jasper Culvert, residing near Troy, Kas., and William. The latter was about 
twelve when brought to Van Buren, and when eighteen began to work in a printing 
office, as apprentice, and for about eight years worked on the Arkansas 
Intelligence, which was published by Absalom Clark. In 1859 he established a 
family liquor and grocery store, and continued in that business until 1863. He 
then gave up the mercantile business, and entered the Federal army, Gen. 
Pleasanton's division of the Department of the Missouri, and Gen. Sanborn's 
brigade, and Col. John E. Phelp's regiment, which drove the Confederate Gen. 
Price from Missouri in the fall of 1864, and received his discharge at Memphis, 
Tenn. He then resumed his business, in connection with which, for the past ten 
years, he has also engaged in farming. He now has 1,000 acres of land, 700 being 
well cultivated. Capt. Bowlin began life with but little, but by close attention 
to business and economy has amassed a fortune, which places him among the first 
ranks of Crawford County's business men. He is a director and stockholder in the 
Citizens' Bank, and a man who always lends a helping hand to public enterprises 
and charities. In [p.1125] 1852 he married Samantha Neal, a native of Missouri, 
who became the mother of the following children: Rebecca, wife of John Clark; 
Elizabeth, wife of James Lowery; Noble; Lillie, wife of LaFayette Wright; John, 
and Fanny, wife of John O'Brien. Mrs. Bowlin died in 1866, and in November of 
that year Capt. Bowlin married Miss Julia Barnes, of this place, of whose seven 
children but two are living: Gertrude and Troy James. In politics the Captain is 
a Republican, and in 1860 served as city marshal one year, afterward holding the 
position three years in succession. After the war he was appointed by the 
governor on the board of registration, and served until the completion of the 
work. Himself and wife hold to the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
South, and he has been a member of the I. O. O. F. since 1857.