John Bowman, farmer and stock dealer, was born in Claiborne County July 21, 1829 the son of William and Mary (Beeler) Bowman, the former born in Virginia, and died in Claiborne County in 1849. He was a child when they came to Tennessee, at that time a territory, and served as sheriff of Claiborne County several years. The mother, also of Virginia, died in Claiborne County about 1839, and our subject is the fourth of her seven children. Mr. Bowman was fairly educated, and after his father’s death farmed the homestead, and then, a year later, bought land in the First District, where he spent nine years. In 1867 he bought his present land. He joined Company C, First Federal Tennessee Infantry, August 9, 1861, and served in the Georgia campaign, and various other places. Martha C., a daughter of William Dunn, became his wife in 1865, and died in 1881. Of three sons and two daughters born to them, two sons and one daughter are living. In 1883 he married Rhoda J., a daughter of David Anderson, who bore him two daughters. He was a magistrate several years, in both Claiborne and Union Counties, and in 1879 became trustee of this county for three terms. He is a Methodist, and his wife a Missionary Baptist. He is a Republican.
Source: History of Tennessee Containing Historical and Biographical Sketches of Thirty East Tennessee Counties. Illustrated, pp. 1146-1152. Published: Chicago and Nashville: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1887.
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