F. M. Bowen - Family Histories - Coleman County, Texas

     Ferdinand Malone Bowen rented out his farm east of Plano and moved into town because of his wife's poor health. There he went into the mercantile business. In Plano in 1881, "it pleased God to take Julie Ann Martin) Bowen to rest," according to the journal of her mother-in-law. The combination of childbirth and measles overcame the frail lady. Mr. Bowen, too ill to attend the funeral, and two of the children also had measles at the time of her death. That left Mr. Bowen with five children: Cora, Robert Isaac, Anna Maria ('Dove'), Georgia ("'George"), and Cherry Belle, who was only three weeks old! Probably, the encouragement of his brother, Dick, and the desire to leave the scene of his sorrow led F. M. known as "Bud," to decide to move to Coleman County. He prevailed upon his half-sister, Emma Gully, to take the tiny infant home with her, caring for Cherry for four years. In 1882, he brought his brood west of Coleman, settling on Hords Creek. He undertook sheep ranching at what was called the Bowen Crossing, where the Bowen School stood.

     The remarried grandmother and her husband, Mr. P. P. Poindexter, accompanied the family, with a measure of reluctance on her part, but she regarded it as her duty to help with the children. That winter on the sheep ranch was a hard one. The sheep died, and they moved to town. A Scotsman, Bill Lauder, was Bud's "sheep herder" until his death; buried on the family plot in Coleman.

     Soon Mr. F. M. married the beautiful Miss Alice Berry, aunt of John and Pat Warren, Ethel Wilhoit Hargett and Grace Wilhoit Smith - and five more children were forthcoming: Blanche, Berry, Floyd, Joe, and Nelle. The necessarily spacious home they occupied was at 602 West Live Oak, across the street west of the First United Methodist Church. The W. R. Hickman family bought the property in 1927, razed the house to build their pretty cream-colored brick, English-style home. Having come west and establishing roots, Mr. Bowen became active in the community, and was elected third Mayor of Coleman, serving from 1900 to 1906. It was during this time that the fabled Spindletop Oil Field came in at Beaumont. The stories of it lured the mayor down there to check the field out. All that came of the trip for him was a severe case of smallpox! After the protracted illness in quarantine and his recuperation, he went down to Brown's Drug store and inquired of Mr. Brown as to how much he owed him. The bill was so great he then asked, "How much do you want for the whole store?" and he found himself in the drug business!

     The eldest son, Robert, known as "Bob," had ridden a cattle car to Kansas City and continued on to Sedalia after delivering the cattle, where he attended Central Business College, graduating in 1895. His work was with stock, rather than an office. He was looking after a flock of their sheep at Fort McKavett when Mr. Bowen wrote to Bob, saying "Come on home, son. I've bought a drug store and I'm too old to learn to run it." So, that was the beginning of several Bowen boys growing up in the store that bears the name, on the northwest corner Commercial Avenue and Pecan Street, or in fact, 118 Commercial. It became Bowen's in 1901, but the building dates to 1874.

     Bob married Bell (Key) Whitaker, a pretty, young widow whose family, the Keys, came west from Waller County, stayed very briefly in Santa Anna, before coming on to Coleman in 1890. Amelia Josephine was born to them in August, 1904, then Robert Isaac, Jr. followed in 1908 - the year the R. I. Bowens moved to 315 W. Pecan Street.

     Amelia graduated from Coleman schools, went to C.I.A. (College of Industrial Arts, in Denton, now Texas Women's University) to develop her artistic talents, then to Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth. There she met and married Jesse Christopher Hill. In fact, she had married Chris secretly before he came to Coleman and asked her father for her hand. They had two children, Robert Douglas Hill, now a pediatrician in Odessa; and Marian Christine, "Mimi," now married to Peter Artzt, and has for many years, lived in Honolulu.

     Meanwhile. Berry was next in the procession of Bowen boys to begin his drug store career behind the soda fountain. He then studied pharmacy, married Miss Annah V. Robey, (see W. J. Robey) and moved to Sweetwater, establishing his own Bowen Drug Store. The Berry Bowen's children are Joan (Mrs. Hal) Cody, and William Jackson, called "Jack," who married Annis Hilty. The Berry Bowens moved later to Lubbock, then Waco, establishing their stores in both cities. Jack has many accomplishments to his credit. and is now Chairman of the Board of Transco Energy Co. in Houston.

     With the Ranger-Breckenridge oil boom, R. I. Bowen was inspired to put the store in Breckenridge. That was long before paved roads, and what a cold, muddy winter that was! Mr. Bowen was hauling merchandise over in his own automobile, while John Warren busily attended to the business here.

     Floyd, the third son, was old enough to work here before moving to Sweetwater. Pure fun played a prominent part in the lives of Coleman citizens in those days, and Floyd either perpetrated or was the object of the frequent practical jokes. Floyd, called "Doodle," settled in Sweetwater, worked in the store, and married Alice Majors, whose Colorado City family had as many jewelers as the Bowens did druggists. They had one son, John Berry, now on the Texas Optometric Board. The twin factor of Grandfather F. M. brought a girl and boy, Beverly and Berry, to John and his wife, Betty.

     Joe, the youngest boy, was lame, and the sweet, quiet one of the whole family. He had the Sweetwater Bowen Drug, married Thelma Howard, postmaster in Sweetwater for many years. They adopted Judy.

     In the late 1920's, Mr. Bowen and John Warren bought the Owl Drug Store from H. L. Gober. They operated it with Joe Heddleston, then Oplin Saunders, for many vears at 312 Commercial until it was sold to Mr. Saunders about 1948.

     Robert, Jr. ("Ikie') graduated with a B.B.A. from the University of Texas, came home during the depression, and was the best-educated "soda skeet' in town. Not only that, but he rolled up his apron and made deliveries in his mother's elegant Packard sedan! His father disapproved of what he really wanted to do at that particular time - which was to go to Europe - so he would not assist financially. As mothers sometimes will, Mrs. Bowen gave Robert a little money. Through friends in Beaumont, Robert got a job on a Lykes Brothers tanker, as a deck boy, "the lowest form of humanity" on board ship. It was a high adventure, a highlight of his life even measured against his many later trips, no matter where in the whole world. Then. he went to Dr. Danforth's College of Pharmacy in Ft. Worth, which was an accepted practice, and settled into the drug store. Robert had been advised by Dr. Danforth to seek a reserve commission in the army after graduation from pharmacy school, which he did. When he was summoned for service, he was turned away for being underweight. When war was declared, he was called again, and again sent home. He persisted in seeking admittance, and was finally accepted. He left in September 1942, to serve in the Medical Administrative Corps and was separated from service in October 1945.

     Throughout the years, the Bowens always had great love for livestock. Mr. F. M., after the sheep experiences, had borses "clear to Talpa," and bought the place five miles west of Coleman for raising commercial Herefords. Robert Jr., concentrated on registered Herefords, which were proudly shown and sold nationally.

     From Coleman's youth, the Bowens were active in civic affairs as well as business, from F. M.'s terms as mayor and county judge, R. I.'s participation in the Chamber of Commerce, helping form the Rodeo Association. Charter member of the Coleman Country Club, director of First National Bank, then First Coleman National Bank, after the reorganization after the moratorium; then Robert I. Jr. followed on the board of directors of the First Coleman National Bank, served as president of the Kiwanis Club, Chamber of Commerce, Retail Merchants, and was a devoted Episcopal Churchman. Civic activity continued after the drugstore was purchased by James C. Stokes, June 1, 1968. The representative sent to Coleman from Brady (for the Texas Centennial) was June Jordan, the 1936 Brady July Jubilee Queen. After several years' courtship, her completion of high school (Brady) and college (Lindenwood, St. Charles, Missouri and University of Texas, Austin), Robert, Jr. and June married.

     Mr. F. M.'s daughters were Cora, who married Henry A. Orr, an attorney here; "Dove" married George B. Davidson (see Roquemore); Georgia married Claude Grough; Cherry Belle married John Bolin Warren (see John B. Warren). Alice Berry Bowen's daughter, Blanche, married George Beakley, and Nelle married David Bibbee, who died, then Robert Richards.

pictures to be added

Judge F. M. Bowen

F. M. Bowen Home - Live Oak Street

Amelia Bowen Hill

Robert I. Bowen, Sr.

Joe Bowen

Berry Bowen

Floyd Bowen

R. I. Bowen Home - Pecan Street

Robert and June Bowen