Biographical Sketch of Thomas Jefferson Bowman, Dent County, Missouri

>From "History of Laclede, Camden, Dallas, Webster, Wright, Texas,
 Pulaski, Phelps & Dent Counties, Missouri, Published 1889, Goodspeed
 Publishing Company.

Transcribed by: Penny Harrell (Incog3678@aol.com)

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Thomas Jefferson Bowman.  Prominent among the many enterprising farmers
and stock raisers of Watkins Township stands the name of the above men-
tioned gentleman, who was born in Greene County, Tenn., in 1833, the
son of Benjamin and Millie (Skyles) Bowman, also natives of Greene Co,
Tenn., where they remained until about 1852 or 1853, when they moved
to what is now Dent County, and here the father died two years later,
at the age of sixty-five years.  He was a farmer, and one of the early
settlers of the county.  The mother died in 1871; she was the daughter
of William Skyles, who was also an early settler of Greene County, TN,
and died in that State while in route for Missouri.  He was with Gen.
Jackson in one of the Indian wars, and was at the battle of Horseshoe
Bend.  Sparling Bowman, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was
born in Maryland, and was one of the first white settlers of Greene
County, Tenn., where he died.  He was a soldier in the Revolutionary
War, was also in the Indian wars, and was sheriff of Greene County many
years, and one of its best citizens.  Thomas Jefferson Bowman was the
third of six children born to his parents; he received a limited educ-
ation in the common schools of Tennessee, and moved with his parents to
Dent County, MO., where in 1858 he married Miss Elizabeth, daughter of
Robert and Prudence Thompson, natives of Virginia and South Carolina,
respectively.  Mrs. Bowman was born in Tennessee, and came to Dent 
County about 1851 or 1852.  Her father died in Arkansas about 1862,
and her mother in Phelps County shortly after coming to Missouri.  To
Mr. and Mrs. Bowman were born two children:  Benjamin F. and Thomas J.
Since his marriage Mr. Bowman has lived on and adjoining the old farm
on which his father first settled.  He is the owner of 400 acres of
land.  In 1863 he served about four months in the Federal army, in 
Company B, Forty-eight Missouri Infantry, on guard at Rolla.  He has
been a Democrat in his political views all of his life, and cast his
first presidential vote for James Buchanan in 1856, and for every
Democratic candidate since.  Mrs. Bowman is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, in good standing. 

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