John M. Bowles was the seventh child and fifth son born to John and Celia Bowles. Like all of his siblings, he was born in Barren County KY. He was born in October 1830 according to the 1900 census [1900 Federal Census: Oklahoma Territory, Grant County, Lamont Township, ED 73, sheet 4A]. John married Catharine Payne on 2 Apr 1857 in Barren County. Catharine was a daughter of Edmund and Elvira (Witty) Payne. She was born in December 1834.
John and his family were still in Metcalfe County KY as late as 1880 [1880 Federal Census: Kentucky, Metcalfe County, Page 227C]; but moved west sometime after that. By 1900 both John and Catharine were living in Grant County OK with their son, Fred. I have not found a later record for them.
John and Catharine had seven children that I know about. Of the first four, I have only approximate years of birth and no other information: Harriet E. Bowles (b. abt 1858), Laura B. Bowles (b. abt 1860), Addissa Bowles (b. abt 1862), and Isaac E. Bowles (b. abt 1865). The other three were John P. Bowles (b. Aug 1869), William Bowles (b. Mar 1873), and Fred R. Bowles (b. 25 Aug 1874).
John P. Bowles married Minnie Barry about 1896 and they had at least one son, Lyle Bowles who was born in January 1897 in Oklahoma [1900 Federal Census: Oklahoma Territory, Grant County, Lamont Township, ED 73, sheet 4A]. Lyle Bowles shows up in 1930 in Sumner County KS as a proprieter of a gasoline filling station [1930 Federal Census: Kansas, Sumner County, London, ED 96-23, sheet 6A]. He was not married then. I have not found any additional information about this family.
William Bowles married a lady named Elida about 1903 in Oklahoma (probably Grant County). Their daughter Mildred was born in Oklahoma about 1908. Then the family moved to Sumner County KS by 1910 [1910 Federal Census: Kansas, Sumner County, Caldwell - 1st ward, ED 150, sheet 5A]. They were still in Sumner County in 1920, but had moved to the Banner Township in Harper County KS by 1930 [1930 Federal Census: Kansas, Harper County, Banner Township, ED14, sheet 4B]. I lose track of them after that.
Fred R. Bowles married a lady named Margaret about 1903 in Grant County OK. By 1910 they had two sons: Weldon and Charles [1910 Federal Census: Oklahoma, Grant County, Jefferson Villiage, ED 48, sheet 8A]. Later they had two other sons: Carl and Fred. Weldon Bowles was born 9 Aug 1904 and died in June 1960 according to the Social Security Death Index. I don't know if he ever married. Charles Bowles was born about 1908, and Carl Bowles was born about 1912. Both are deceased, but I don't have the particulars. The last son was Fred Bowles who was born 29 Apr 1921 and died 18 Jan 2001 in Arkansas.
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