Bowen Family History As Compiled by Kent C. Houck – May 12, 1994 Julia Busby Bowen Julia Busby Bowen was born in 1840 in New York State. Her parents were John Busby and Julia Busby. She had at least one sister named Rhoda Busby and three brothers, Isaac R. Busby, Samuel Busby and Harry Busby. When Julia was nine years old she moved with her parents to Whitewater, Wisconsin. Her father died in Whitewater and the family moved back to New York State to the village of Almond in Alleghany County. Almond is six miles from the village of Alfred which is the location of Alfred University. Alfred University was one of the first coeducational universities in the United States. It was operated at that time by the Seventh Day Baptist denomination. Located in a rural district and surrounded by “romantic and delightful scenery, “Alfred University was instrumental in the future causes Julia Busby held close to her heart. Alfred University was noted for its high moral principles. The Members of the Board of Instruction were of different religious denominations. By 1860 there were 407 students in attendance. Julia took painting from Abigail Allen, wife of Alfred university president Jonathan Allen. Abigail was also a teacher of modern languages, mathematics, and penciling. Abigail was a reformer. Her childhood memories, born in 1824, of stories of slavery made her an eager abolitionist. She was an advocate of women’s rights and, in reality, human rights. She practiced what she taught. She was a strong advocate of higher education for women and stressed co-education. Abigail had attended Alfred University at the age of fifteen. She was also involved in the suffrage movement and in 1887 newspaper headlines reported “Ten Women of Alfred Voted and Votes were counted. Wife of President Allen the Head.” By autumn of that year the paper reported: “100 Women Voted-50 Counted”, Abigail was also active in the temperance movement. In a memorial tribute written following Abigail’s death in 1902 her former students wrote that “she taught us more than to capture the likeness of nature.” Julia was quite an accomplished painter as a result of her instruction with Mrs. Allen. Her exposure to ideas at Alfred University was to inspire her in the future as a leader in Richland County Wisconsin. When Julia was twenty years old she married S.N. Waite. Julia and her husband went south where S.N. Waite was in business. When the civil war started Julia and her husband were interned by the confederate government. Waite escaped and Julia was apparently released. Waite joined the Union Army and was wounded. He died on March 27, 1865 in Baltimore, Maryland. Julia came back to Wisconsin with several members of her family. Rhoda settled in Stoughton, Wisconsin, while Harry and Julia located in Richland Center. Isaac Busby had been apprenticed to a printer in Angelica, New York when he was sixteen and had become a “tramp printer” spending the rest of his life traveling from newspaper to newspaper throughout the United States. Julia was a school teacher in Richland Center. She met Frederick Phelps Bowen who was recently widowed and left with two small girls, Mattie and Helen. On July 12, 1868, Fred and Julia were married in a civil ceremony by Judge James Miner of Richland Center. Their home was a small frame building on the Southwest corner of the intersection of Church and Mill streets. Fred had lived there with his first wife and children. This old house survived until the nineteen twenties as a photography studio run by a man named Hillman. The old house was too small and Fred could now afford something more suitable so in 1869 the house at the corner of Church and Union streets was started. The two story square part of the house built in 1869; family tradition has it that Julia wanted it constructed in such a way that fireplaces were an impossibility. She wanted stoves for heat to exhibit the fact that it was a more “modern” home with no need for the more primitive fireplace. Julia was very active in all facets of community life in Richland Center. The following excerpts from Margaret Scott’s “History of Richland Center” describe some of her activities. (Please see pages 89 through 92 of Margaret Scott’s book which details some of Julia’s activities as President of the Woman’s Club.) A story which has been in the family for years describes how Julia sold a beautiful ring given her by Frederick to provide funds for her work in the suffrage movement. Three boys and two girls were born to Fred and Julia Bowen: Charles Frederick Bowen, April 14, 1869, Alice Julia Bowen, September 1, 1871, Dwight Samuel Bowen, September 9, 1873 (the family bible notes Dwight was born at 3:00 a.m.), Elsie Bowen, died in infancy, January 4, 1876, and Frederick Phelps Bowen Jr. August 3 1880. Charles Bowen was born in the old house. The other children were born in the new residence. All three of the boys in the family became medical doctors. Charles graduated from Marquette College in Milwaukee. Dwight also graduated from medical school, and Fred Jr. graduated from Rush Medical School in Chicago. Mattie, Fred’s daughter by his first wife, married Joseph Kommers and they ran a dry goods store in Wausau, Wisconsin. Helen, the other daughter by Fred’s first wife, married Dick Booth a band leader who played some of the time with the Ringling Brothers Circus Band. Helen and Dick settled in Waukesha, Wisconsin where Dick was the band director at the state school for delinquent boys. Alice married Grant Ross who eventually took over Fred Bowen’s cattle buying business. They lived out their lives in the house on Union Street. Alice showed considerable artistic talent following in her mother’s footsteps. She gave china painting lessons and also created many oil paintings. Frederick Phelps Bowen Frederick Phelps Bowen was born in Vermillion County, Illinois on April 5, 1835. His father, William Bowen, was born in Cambridge, Washington County, New York, on December 25, 1793. His mother, Electa Phelps, was born in Hebron Tolland County Connecticut on July 26, 1793. William Bowen and Electa Phelps were married in Crawford County, Illinois on October 11, 1824. The family moved from Vermillion County Illinois to Green County Wisconsin in 1839. William Jennings Bowen, Fred’s older brother, left the family home in Green County in 1850 to look for gold. He traveled to California, Australia, and Peru in his search for gold. His biography in the “History of Crawford and Richland Counties” says that he did not find any gold. William J. Bowen returned to Wisconsin by way of Panama and settled in Richland County in 1854. Fred Bowen also came to Richland County in 1854. William and Electa Bowen moved to Richland County in 1855. William and Electa are both buried in the Bowen cemetery near Bowen’s Mill. William Jennings Bowen, with his brother Fred Bowen as a partner, bought a sawmill that was located on the Pine River above Richland Center. The mill had an up and down saw; the Bowens rebuilt the mill with a circular saw, the first in Richland County. They also set up a town which they named Florence to compete with Richland Center. Florence never grew into much of a town but it did persist well into the twentieth century under the informal name of Bowen’s Mill. The sawmill was converted to a grist mill in 1867 and made flour as well as grinding feed for farmers. The mill operated up until the early 1950’s under the ownership of the descendants of William J. Bowen. Fred Bowen was a partner in the mill up to the 1870’s. He also ran a drug store in Richland Center, was a partner in a tannery, and was a dealer in livestock. Eventually his livestock business became his principle occupation. In this business he bought livestock at a stockyard which was owned by the railroad located near the present location of Schreiber Foods (North location). He would ship most of the livestock by train to either Chicago or Milwaukee. He also owned a butcher shop at the corner of Court and Church streets in Richland Center. He had a slaughter house south of Richland Center to provide meat for the butcher shop. Back of the butcher shop he had a cold storage building which used ice that was harvested from the mill pond at Bowen’s Mill. Another brother, John Bowen, operated a dry goods store at the corner of Court and Central in Richland Center. John Bowen built a large brick house at the corner of Church and Third streets. This house still stands but is in poor shape. It has been painted and divided into apartments. Fred Bowen was married to Maggie Turner on February 5, 1860. She was seventeen at the time. Three children were born to them: Helen Electa Bowen in 1861, William (Willie) Bowen July 4, 1864, and Marta Emma Bowen, July 8, 1866. Maggie Turner Bowen died on March 1, 1867 and is buried in the Bowen Cemetery. Willie Bowen died on August 26, 1865. Fred was well off by the standards of the post-Civil War era. He bought and sold several businesses and real estate both in Richland County and in some western states. On one occasion he took an extended trip to California to buy land and possibly relocate there. He belonged to a number of lodges and was a member of the County Board for a time. He did not serve in the Civil War but there is no family information or legend as to why he did not serve. Fred Bowen died on October 17, 1904, while taking a nap after supper in the front parlor of the Union Street house.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 00:20:46 +0000