Bowen, David - Biography

Bowen, David - Biography

David Bowen

David Bowen came to Spanish Fork in 1856. He had been a chain and anchor maker in Llanelly, South Wales. After he and his family set sail for America he dropped his bag of money into the sea. This misfortune caused a delay in his trip across the plains for he was forced to remain in the East until he could earn sufficient money to buy his outfit to travel to Utah. He located at Minersville, Pa., where he remained a year.

When he arrived at Spanish Fork in 1856 he had no blacksmith tools, so he borrowed some from Stephen Markham and worked in a shop in the northern part of town. There was very little money there in those days so people were paid for their work in food and other supplies, which were gratefully received. The time came when Pioneer Bowen had nothing in the house for his family to eat except potatoes. They had lived on this fare for a week or longer and he worked every day. At last, when the potatoes were all gone, he went to the shop discouraged. He leaned against his anvil in despair. This attracted the attention of Harvey Pace, who inquired "What is the matter? Why aren't you working?" The reply was: "I am trying to decide whether to starve to death working or resting." He had done blacksmithing for a number of men who were not able to pay him, not even in produce. Mr. Pace let him have wheat and from then on, times grew better and he never felt a shortage of food to such an extent again. On the other hand, he helped many families who were in need.

In a short time after this, Mr. Bowen built and equipped his first blacksmith shop. This was a two-room building made of adobe. Howell Davis and his family lived in one room. During a long rainy spell the place became watersoakedand Mr. Bowen advised Mr. Davis to move out for fear the house would collapse. It fell to the ground a few hours after the family had vacated it.

Mr. Bowen rescued his tools from his wrecked place and moved them to the Robert McKell shop, where he worked for six months. John Bowen tells that he went into the McKell home on the corner every morning to get a shovelful of live coals to build the fire in the forge to start the day's work.

David Bowen built three other shops where he and his sons, all four of whom learned the blacksmith trade, worked for many years often from daylight till the stars came out. Each son in turn helped his father in the shop and they did a great deal of work for which they never received pay. When a man couldn't pay, his work was not neglected.

One time when Mr. Bowen was passing a blacksmith shop in Salt Lake City, the rapid beat of the hammer rang out form the anvil. "A chain maker is working in there." He entered the shop and watched the smithy with great interest. The man said: "You seem to be interested in my work. I suppose it is something new to you." "On the contrary," was the reply, "I have made miles of chain."

A man with a load of fruit was traveling through Spanish Fork one Sunday when his wagon broke down. He came to this village blacksmith's home to ask him to repair it. He said he had been to several blacksmith's and everyone had refused to work on his wagon on Sunday. Unless he could get immediate help his fruit would spoil before he reached his destination. Mr. Bowen didn't like to work on the Sabbath, but there was a man in distress. He said to his son, "Will you help me, John?" The two men soon repaired the broken wagon and the stranger went on his way rejoicing.

David Bowen made the machinery for the first sawmill and also for the first molasses mill in this part of the state.

-- Jane B. Tuttle.

David Bowen

by Jane Bowen Hodgins Tuttle, granddaughter

David Bowen, son of Jane Evans and William Bowen was born in Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, South Wales, 11 August 1823. He was one of nine children, four girls and five boys.

As his parents were in fair circumstances they gave their children a good education in the best schools and colleges of Great Britain. As it was and is customary of the people of the old world to teach their children a trade, Grandfather was assigned to the trade of chain and anchor maker, which line of work he followed for several years.

He had a flair for mechanics and when he was fifteen years of age he and his broher built a small steam engine about three feet long, proportionately wide and high. It was accurate and complete in construction and was operated by the steam from a teakettle. It was used by the family to do washing and churning. It was brought to America. I remember it for my father had it for a time, but I cannot locate it now.

I do not know a great deal about Grandfather's early manhood, but I've heard him tell about his love romance which runs something as follows: "I was born and confirmed a member of the Episcopal Church, but the chief thing about religion that interested me was the pretty girls who attended services. With a crowd of boys I was always on hand when church let out my object being to watch the girls come down the steps. I was not content to visit my own church but went to neighboring towns to be on hand when services dismissed. While several other boys and I were watching the crowd desend [sic] the steps at a church in Dowlais, Glamorganshire, South Wales, one young lady attracted my gaze. It was love at first sight and I involuntarily remarked, "Boys that's my wife." From that time on I became a frequent visitor to Dowlais, and eagerly sought an opportunity to meet this young lady, which was in due time afforded to me. A friendship sprang up between us which ripened into courtship and finally, one glorious autumn day in 1844, I became the husband of one of the finest girls in the land."

This newly married couple located in Llanelly where Grandfather worked at his trade, studying mechanics in the meantime. He was a natural mathematician, which tendency sided materially in his line of work. He developed upon his trade and his natural ability, combined with industry, awarded him advancement until a position was offered him as foreman of a large mint. In this capacity he had jurisdiction over about one hundred and fifty men and boys at a very generous salary. He enjoyed this work very much but was not to hold this situation long.

It was while he was thus employed that he heard the gospel message and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. He was baptized 11 October 1848 and confirmed a member, by William Hughes. He was ordained an Elder 14 August 1849 by William Williams and William Hughes. After this he bent all his efforts toward preparing to come to Zion. By joining the L.D.S. Church he incurred the displeasure and ridicule of his relatives and friends, but this served only to strengthen his faith.

In due time all preparations were made to start for Utah. The Bowen family sailed from Liverpool, England in April of 1855 on the ship Chimborazo. The vessel had just set sail when Grandpa accidently [sic] dropped the bag containing all his money into the water. This at first seemed to be a great calamity, but it eventually proved to be a blessing, for another baby came to this couple a few months later while they were comfortably settled in Pennsylvania. The child, otherwise, would have been born on the plains under adverse circumstances. This new baby was Uncle John.

The trip across the water lasted six weeks. When they reached America they settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but moved from there to Minersville, Skylkill County, Pennsylvania, where they remained about ten months until sufficient money was saved by to buy an outfit. In the summer of 1856, the family, now being well equiped for travel, left Minersville to go to Iowa City where the saints were gathering to prepare for their trip across the plains. (Iowa City was as far as the railroad extended in those days) Captain Dan Jones led the company to Newton, Iowa. Then with John A. Hunt as leader they left Iowa Camp Association after Captain Martin's Handcart company.

The travelers got along fairly well until winter set in. As a protection to the handcart company the ox teams were kept behind. When they reached the last crossing of the Platte river they were held there some time on account of the snow. Feed for their teams was snowed under, so the men were obliged to cut down cottonwood trees for the cattle to brouse [sic] on to keep them alive.

Finally they started to move on, breaking the road through the snow as they traveled, but the oxen were so weak from lack of feed that most of them died. When they reached Devil's Gate, Grandfather had but one oxen out of four. John Lewis had lost five out of six. The two surviving animals were hitched to Brother Lewis' wagon and the two families came with the outfit to Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Grandfather left his wagon and most of his supplies at Devils Gate. As they journeyed on they met teams from Fort Supply which had been sent to meet the saints. An extra team was hitghed [sic] to the Lewis wagon. This helped materially.

At Fort Bridger, they were met by better equipped outfits sent out from the valley by President Brigham Young. The wornout cattle were left there and strange to say, some of othem lived through the winter and were found by the owners the next spring. Grandpa found his ox and gave it to a man in settlement of a debt.

The Bowen family reached Salt Lake City 22 December 1856 and came to Lehi the next day. They reached Spanish Fork on Christmas eve and went to the home of Morgan Hughes, where they remained for several weeks. Spanish Fork became their permanent home. Grandfather's experience and his knowledge of mathematics came in very handy after he reached Utah. Adding to his trade, he took up general blacksmithing and gun repairing. At first he had a struggle but later work came to him from all parts of the state. Prior to his coming there were no sawmills in this part of the state, and he made the machinery for the first sawmill and the first molasses mill in this locality.

David Bowen was a black Hawk Indian War veteran and served his country with his comrades.

In Utah County, more especially in Spanish Fork, the name of David Bowen is revered as a pioneer, for he contributed his share toward the upbuilding of our community. During those early pioneer days, no occupation or trade was more important than agriculture and blacksmithing, the raising of food and the making of implements with which to till the soil; David Bowen was both a farmer and a blacksmith.

As a farmer he accumulated land in the various fields around Spanish Fork, and was interested in developing agricultural pursuits. There were no apricots in this locality until he planted his trees. He cured the first alfalfa hay in this vicinity, although he did not plant the first alfalfa seed. Uncle John Bowen recently told me that he hauled and stacked the first alfalfa hay in Spanish Fork.

While Grandpa was in Wales on a mission he sent home for some sweet clover seed. He gave it to a florist who planted it and raised the first of its kind in Great Britain. This florist had procured something new and he increased his sales by putting clover blossoms in his bouquets.

One of the first apple orchards in this part of the country was planted by Grandpa Bowen. As young people we loved to stray down to the "old lot", as we called it, and get apples and cider. We gathered apples and ground and pressed them in the old cider mill. The juice was put into barrells to ripen into vinergar, part of which was sold and the rest given away.

Grandpa was also a pioneer in the honey industry. When I was quite young I helped him extract honey from the comb. Children came from far and near to get the "cappings" when he was extracting honey.

David Bowen was intersted in business and civic as well as church affairs. He was one of a company who organized the first co-op store in Spanish Fork, and was also a stockholder in the Z.C.M.I. He was a member of the city council and held other positions of trust in this community. He was a blacksmith, a farmer, a stockraiser, a business man and a civic worker. He also did a great deal of church work and was advanced in the priesthood and filled a mission to Great Britain when he was 57 years old.

While he was on his mission he sent a little eight year old girl home to Utah with some returning missionaries. Second Ward (Polly) Myler, who became the mother of our present Second Ward Bishop Eugene Hughes. Polly was raised in the home of Aunt Eleanor Jane Thomas, Grandpa's only surviving daughter. Later Grandpa sent for her brother, Samuel, who came to Utah with John Evans.

The Bowen family held a reunion on Grandpas' return from his misison. He was sixty years old at this time. He again took up his work in the blacksmith shop, but as he grew older he spent much time and money doing temple work. He also helped to immigrate a number of saints to Utah, and donated liberally to church and charity. He was generous but never "let the left hand know what the right hand was doing." He helped many people with food and money, and did a great deal of work in his blacksmith shop for which he expected no pay.

He enjoyed going to conference and always visited at my home when he came to Salt Lake City. I was happy to have him with me. It was then I became more intimately acquainted with this dear old man and discovered his real worth. He was jovial and ever ready with a good story to suit most every occasion. He had a keen sense of humor and appreciated a good clean joke. It was a delight to accompany him when he went to visit his old Welch [sic] friends and hear them tell tales of their younger years. Some of these stories I shall never forget.

Grandfather was dignified and pure minded. I never knew him to profane or use slang. He kept the word of wisdom consistently, but was not radical in any way. I remember him as an intellectual scholarly man, exceptionally gifted in a mathematical line. During my school days I could always depend on him for the solution of a difficult problem for he delighted in helping anyone.

A man of keen intellect, he was always a worker, always a leader.

He died 15 January 1910 at the age of eighty six, leaving a posterity of ninety-nine.

The children of David and Jane Foster Bowen are: