JOHN RANKIN BOWEN



JOHN RANKIN BOWEN, son of Adam Rankin Bowen and Cloanther Trecilla Roe, was born 29 March 1847 near Anderson, Grimes County, Texas and died 24 June 1923 in Wharton, Wharton County, Texas. He married 30 December 1886 in Williamson County, Texas to ELISABETH REBECCA ZIRKLE, daughter of Jacob W Zirkle and Nancy Coffman, born 14 July 1866 in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Virginia and died 8 April 1952 in Wharton.

Issue:
ADAM RANKIN BOWEN, born 4 March 1888 in Bartlett, Williamson County, Texas and died 19 April 1952 in Wharton. He married 9 October 1909 in El Campo, Wharton County, Texas to Mabel Hunt Adams.
JOHN LEWIS BOWEN, born 14 March 1890 in Bartlett and died December 1982 in Wharton. He married Ella ---.
EDITH MARIE BOWEN, born 1905 in Texas. She married 27 July 1930 in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas to Clarance G Krause.
Two others whom died young or at birth.


John Rankin Bowen was born near Anderson, Texas and grew up in Grimes County. He received his education at the old Austin College (Presbyterian) at Huntsville. After that he served as a private in Company K, 35th Regiment, Texas Cavalry for the Confederate in the Civil War, seeing service in Texas and Louisiana. He enlisted May 21, 1862 in Wharton and was on the muster roll until February 1864. He filed for Confederate Pension #34178 from the State of Texas and was a member of Bushnell Camp, U.C.V. After the war John moved to Williamson County, near the towns of Jarrett and Bartlett and began farming and raising stock. There he met and married Miss Elisabeth Rebecca Zirkle. In 1895 they moved to El Campo in Wharton County. There John served as a Justice of the Peace from 1898 to 1910. In 1908 he was elected County Judge. Elisabeth Bowen taught (Sunday) school and they were members of the First Baptist Church in Wharton.
John, Elisabeth, their sons John Lewis and Adam R, and Elisabeth's father Jacob W Zirkle are all buried in the Wharton City Cemetery in Wharton at Caney St. @ East St.
John Lewis (or Louis) and his wife Ella had no children.
Edith and Clarance Krause had one son, Donald Krause.

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