Source: History of Boone County, Indiana, by Hon. L.M. Crist, 1914.

SAMSON BOWEN Samson Bowen, one of our most honored pioneers of Boone county,
Indiana, was born in Harrison county, Kentucky, August 19, 1818. His parents were
Francis and Sarah G. (Turley) Bowen, who died, respectively, August 20, 1866, and July
19, 1874. Mrs. Sarah G. Bowen was a daughter of William Turley, a native of Virginia.
She bore her husband twelve children, all of whom lived to manhood and womanhood.
Francis Bowen was of Welsh extraction and by trade was a tanner.

Samson Bowen, when he became old enough for manual labor, was hired out to a planter
until he reached the age of eighteen when, in November 1836, he came to Boone county,
Indiana, worked industriously, and in August, 1838, purchased a farm of forty acres; in
1840, he bought forty acres additional, and eventually increased it to two hundred eighty
acres. April 11, 1844, Mr. Bowen was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary A. Burke,
daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Basket) Burke, who had born to them a family of
thirteen children, of whom Dr. George L. Burke of Jamestown is one. Samuel Burke died
September 24, 1839, and Mrs. Elizabeth Burke was called from earth February 27, 1865,
the remains of both being interred in Erskine cemetery, Boone county. The children born
to Mr. and Mrs. Samson Bowen were named in order of birth as follows: George E., born
March 7, 1846; Elbert C., born December 7, 1847; Armilda M., born July 2, 1849, and
died September 15, 1858; Emily J., born January 19, 1851, and died September 21, 1853;
James C., born May 9, 1853, died September 27, 1853, and Marietta, born July 25, 1858.
Mr. and Mrs. Bowen were pious members of the Christian church and stood deservedly
high in the estimation of the community in which they lived for so many years.
Politically, Mr. Bowen was a faithful adherent of the Democratic party. Mr. Bowen was
called away December 5, 1899, having reached the venerable age of eighty-one years.

BASKET BOWEN BURKE TURLEY

Submitted by Amy K Davis

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