Jones County, Texas - Biography - W. McD. Bowyer *********************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Dorman Holub Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************** The Western Enterprise Anson, Jones County, Texas Thursday, August 26, 1933 50th Anniversary Edition Anson's First Postmaster and Business Man It is historically important that the "Father of Anson," the man who owned half of the town-site, and opened the first business house, is still a familiar figure on the streets o Anson. Mr. McD. Bowyer, who next October will be 85 years old. He was born in Lexington, Virginia, 29 October 1848. In the spring of 1880 he sought a permanent location and settled in Jones County before it was organized. He built the first business house in Anson and opened the first mercantile store, which also served as a post office. Mr. McD. Bowyer was married in 1881 to Mrs. J.A. Carr, who came to Texas with the Carrs and Spraberries in 1879. They had give children, two of whom are still living: Dr. John McD. Bowyer of Anson Dr. Otis Bowyer of Anson, Otis was the first boy born in Anson. Mrs. Bowyer died some 15 years ago. Step-children of Mr. Bowyer are: J.J. Carr of Anson Wylie Carr of Dallas J.A. Carr of Dallas Mrs. W.A. Polk of Fort Worth. Before coming to Texas, Mr. Bowyer worked for a railroad contractor: W.P. Walton, in the Virginias and near-by states, and still has printed scrip this man used instead of money during the financial stress following the Civil War. Coming first to Burnett county in 1876, he later moved to Lampassas County and then to his present abode, then a wilderness, if a beautiful mesquite country could thus be termed, in 1880, coming to this place at the instigation of his brother, Judge John Bowyer, who was then located in Belle Plains, Callahan County and who soon moved to Abilene, where he died two years ago. Indeed John Bowyer had sent from Belle Plains either a small house or the lumber ahead of him which he improved and used for the first store in Anson and which was the first building in the town of any kind, he states. Operating his store five or six years, he quit business but remained postmaster 10 years. Another brother, 79, Judge Otis Bowyer, resides in Baird, where he also is a pioneer. Mr. Bowyer was told by friends from Lampassas County that he would never survive attacks by Indians in this section. On the contrary, he never saw but one Indian in the county, who, his face bloody, roused from a state of drowsiness on the counter in his store, and somewhat alarmed him at first. The Indian, was Osage, spoke English fluently and asked for tobacco and other necessities. He had got on a drunk at Eastland and the then terminus for the T&P, and was beaten up by a white man. He was working for a ranch. Permitted to sleep about the premises, he was up and ogne before Mr. Bowyer knew it. Mr. Bowyer's story in the first happeneings about Anson is woven into many other stories in this issue.