NORTHWESTERN IOWA ITS HISTORY AND TRADITION VOLUME II 1804-1926 W. N. Bowman Wilbur N. Bowman is at the head of a job printing establishment in Spencer which he is successfully conducting under the name of the Bowman Printing Company. His birth occurred in Marquette county, Wisconsin, on the 2d of June, 1862,his parents being William Parker and Lestina Charlotte (Boynton) Bowman. The father was born in the town of Jay, Essex county, New York, February 12, 1823, a son of Thaddeus and Martha (Upham) Bowman, both of whom were natives of Windsor county, Vermont. The family was established in New England when this country was still numbered among the colonial possessions of Great Britain. Thaddeus Bowman, Sr., the paternal grandfather of William Parker Bowman, was born in the Green Mountain state and was of German and English linage. He was a shoemaker by trade, and at the time of the second war with England he put aside business and personal considerations to fight in defense of American interests. He lived to be more than ninety years of age and was twice married, having a family of five children by his first marriage, this number including Thaddeus Bowman, the father of William Parker Bowman. The maternal grandfather of William P. Bowman was Alonzo Upham, who also lived in Windsor county, Vermont, where he devoted his life to the pursuits of the farm. He, too, was twice married and to him was allotted a ripe old age, his years numbering more than ninety when he was called to his final rest. thaddeus Bowman, Jr., the father of William Parker Bowman, engaged in the tilling of the soil as a life work, but did not remain always a resident of New York. In fact, he became one of the pioneer citizens of Wisconsin, locating there when it was under territorial government. He tookup his abode in Waukesha county and was closely identified with the early development and progress of that part of the state in the effort to plant the seeds of civilization upon the virgin soil of the west. After following farming in Wisconsin for a number of years, he removed to Mitchell county, Iowa, where he remained for seven years, passing away in 1880 at the age of eighty-nine years and seven months. His wife died in 1833 in the faith of the Congregational church, to which Mr. Bowman also belonged. While living in New York he served as justice of the peace. Following the death of his first wife he wedded Nancy Nichols. His eight children, five sons and three daughters were all born of the first marriage. In his boyhood days William Parker Bowman worked on his father's farm in Essex county, New York, taking his place in the fields as soon as he was old enough to handle the plow. When the corps were all harvested in teh autumn he had the opportunity of attending the district school, the sessions of which covered little more than the winter months. He was twenty-four years of age when in 1847 he became a resident of Wisconsin, living in Waukesha county. Subsequently he took up his abode in Rock county, that state, and afterward lived at Marquette, Wisconsin. In 1864 he donned the nation's blue uniform and went to the front in defense of the Union, enlisting as a member of Company K, First Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, in which he served until the close of the war. After the war was ended and victory perched upon the northern banners, he resumed the pursuits of peace, returning to him home in Marquette county, Wisconsin, where he engaged in general farming. The following year, however, he came to Iowa and it was in this state that the remainder of his life was spent. He located first in Mitchell county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land. Eight years were devoted to farming that tract, and in 1874 he took up his abode in Spencer, Iowa, where he continued to reside until called to his final rest. Here he made investment in three hundred and twenty acres of land in Lone Tree township and operated the farm for three or four years, after which he sold that property His bank deposits and other investments were amply sufficient in the evening of life to supply him with all necessities and many comforts and luxuries, and thus in his declining days he did not find it necessary to labor for those things which contributed to his welfare. On the 2nd of June, 1847, William Parker Bowman was married to Miss Lestina Charlotte Boynton, a daughter of Ephraim and Alice (Thurston) Boynton. She was born in the town of Jay, Essex county, New York, and in her girlhood days was a schoolmate of him who later became her husband. For more than sixty years they traveled life's journey together, sharing with each other its joys and sorrows, adversity and prosperity, their mutual love and confidence increasing as the years went by. At length, however, they were separated in the death of Mrs. Bowman, who passed away January 4, 1908, at the age of eighty years and five months. There were eleven children in their family, five sons and six daughters, namely: Harriet, Caroline, Henry, Charles, Martha, Minnie, Wilbur N., Ella and three who died in infancy. William P. Bowman belonged to Spencer Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and to Annett Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. He was a stalwart advocate of republican principles from the organization of the party, and while in Wisconsin served as supervisor. In Spencer, Iowa, he became a member of the city council. A life of activity and usefulness won for him an enviable position in the regard of his fellowmen. He early learned to value life's opportunities and appreciate its purposes, and never was content to choose the second place. He was one of the revered patriarchs of his community, who was born during the administration of President Monroe and lived to witness the notable events which not only shaped the history of the country but also largely molded the destiny of the world. His reminiscences of the earlier days were interesting and gave a glimpse into the bygone civilization almost totally unknown to the youth of the present time. Wilbur N. Bowman, whose name introduces this review, spent a brief period with a surveying party in his young manhood and subsequently engaged in newspaper work for a short time. Thereafter he followed the printing trade in South Dakota and in Iowa for a number of years. He purchased the Spencer Herald in 1915 and on selling that paper turned his attention to the job printing business, which has claimed his time and energies continuously since and in which he has become well known as proprietor of the Bowman Printing Company in Spencer. In former year he did composition work at Faribault, Minnesota, and Mason City, Iowa. On the 5th of January, 1885, Wilbur N. Bowman was united in marriage to Miss Nellie M. McKay, a native of Decorah, Iowa, nd daughter of Cyrus and Livia Ann (Porter) McKay, who were born in Pennsylvania and New York, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. McKay came to Iowa by wagon, locating first at Freeport, this stare, while subsequently they took up their abode in Decorah. Cyrus McKay served as a county official for a number of years. To him and his wife were born eight children, as follows: Aruthur L., who is a resident of San Diego, California; Eva M., who is the widow of W. T. Bowen and also lives in San Diego, California; Alice J., deceased; Allan M., who has also passed away; Frank, who makes his home at Pomona, California; Mrs. Nellie M. (McKay) Bowman; Charles S., deceased; and Jessie, who is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur N. Bowman became the parents of four children, namely: Lyle, who died in infancy in South Dakota; Clifford, who was born in Sturgis, South Dakota, and who is associated with his father in the printing business; Jessie A., the wife of Leo C. Dailey, of Spencer, Iowa; and Lloyd, who died in Mason City, Iowa. In politics Mr. Bowman maintains an independent attitude, supporting men and measures rather than party. He is a worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the Masonic fraternity, to which he belongs, and is also a consistent member of the Congregational church. In his community he is respected for his character, trusted for his counsel and honored for his service. Debbie Clough Gerischer Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ IAGENWEB: Special History Project: http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm Gerischer Family Web Site: http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/