Three Forks of the Kentucky River Historical Association

Biography

James F. Bowman

Submitted by his daughter
Theda Bowman Partin

JAMES FLOYD BOWMAN was the fourth child born to Jake and Emily McGuire Bowman on October 14, 1907, at Endee in Owsley County, Ky. Jake was a mountain farmer, who operated a general store for about ten years. Emily was Postmaster at Endee from 1908 to 1928. James’ brothers were Arch Barker Bowman and Robert Sturgus Bowman and his sister was Jennie Bowman Holcomb. Arch and Jennie were the oldest children and were twins.

James was a curious boy and as a child was asking questions of people he met, such as who they were, where they came from and who their parents were. He began writing down the information he gathered and as years passed, he was consumed with his hobby as genealogist. He graduated from Clifty Community High School, Scoville, Ky in 1926 and Berea College in 1931.

While in college at Berea, he met a high school student by the name of Ruby Wilson.

After dating for a couple of years, they married in November 1931. Genealogy continued to be a very important part of his life. He traveled to many counties in Kentucky and Tennessee and searched census, marriage, death, deed and will records to add to his files.

After teaching school for ten years, And working with the Civilian Conservation Corps, James entered the U. S. Army in 1943. During this time their children, Ann, Jim, Theda and Rose were born. While he was serving overseas, Ruby was raising their four small children near her parents, Blame and Martha Brewer Wilson, at Sturgeon.

After he was discharged in 1945, James and Ruby farmed for a few years but there was not enough money in farming to send growing children to college, so in 1952 he took a position with the Social Security Administration and worked in Hazard, Corbin, Hopkinsville and Covington, Kentucky. During their moves, they kept their home in Owsley County and returned home on week ends and vacations. His final professional move in 1965 was back to Hazard where he had started in 1952 and he retired as Manager of the Social Security Office there in 1968.

James and Ruby moved back to the farm that they loved at Sturgeon, Owsley County, Ky. Retirement life for him consisted of raising hereford cattle and expanding his genealogical office in his bedroom with even more boxes and files. He gathered information from every person he met and kept notes on their families. His wish was for his work to help anyone who wanted to know more about their heritage.

On August 30, 1971, James was preparing his farm for the winter and was finishing up mowing in the last field when his tractor overturned and he was killed instantly. As he had requested, Ruby donated most of his genealogical material to the Ky. Historical Society and other places.

You can see James F. Bowman's work at the Owsley County Historical Society, catalogued by his daughter, Theda Bowman Partin who wrote the above biography of her father. James F. Bowman's material of the work on Owsley County families is also available on CD.