56.  Jacob Victor Bowman (1854-1930) Age 75
57.  Ada Brain (1864-1899) Age 35

Jacob Victor Bowman was born 30 Nov 1854 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, the son of William W.  and Maria E. (Grayson) Bowman.

He is age 5 in the 1860 Census living in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, with his father, stepmother Phoebe, and sister Julia.  It is presumed that his mother, Maria, died sometime between 1850 and 1860, but no record of her death, burial location, or any other information has been found at this time.

1860 Census for Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, showing Jacob's family starting on Line 14. Image from ancestry.com.

The 1870 Census finds Jacob Victor at age 15 living with his father, new stepmother Christine, sister Julia who seems to now be called Inez, and younger half-sister Alice.

1870 Census for Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, showing Jacob's family starting on Line 40 and continuing on the next sheet. Image from ancestry.com.

1870 Census for Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, showing a continuation of Jacob's family starting on Line 1. Image from ancestry.com.

Jacob Victor "J.V." is living alone in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas, during the 1880 Census.  He lists his Occupation as Painter.

1880 Census for Marshall, Harrison County, Texas, showing Jacob Victor on Line 41. Sheet has obvious damage, including black blotches and tape repair which block part of the name. Image from ancestry.com.

Jacob Victor married Ada Brain, daughter of Captain John Clibbon and Elizabeth A. "Lillie" (Butler) Brain, 18 Jul 1881 at the Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew in Dallas, Dallas County, Texas. 

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(Newspaper clipping obtained from the archives of The Harrison County Historical Museum.)

At the Episcopal Church in Dallas, on Monday evening at 6:30, July 18, 1881, by Rev. Stephen H. Green, Mr. J.V. Bowman and Miss Ada Brain, both of this city.  Mr. Bowman is a prominent attaché of the Texas & Pacific road in this city and Miss Brain is the adopted daughter of Captain Brain, also an attaché of that road.  The couple will accept our cordial congratulations with many wishes for their prosperity.

Newspaper clipping obtained from the archives of The Harrison County Historical Museum.

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The Dallas Daily Herald 19 Jul 1881

Yesterday afternoon, in the parlor of the Grand Windsor hotel, were united in the happy bonds of matrimony, by Rev. Stephen H Green, Mr. J. Victor Bowman and Miss Ada Brain; Mr. Wm. Jenkinson, the courteous clerk of the Grand Windsor, giving away the beautiful bride.  That bowman is a victor, indeed, who seeking to win a heart thus captures a brain.

Marriage Announcement for Mr. J. Victor Bowman and Miss Ada Brain published 19 Jul 1881 in The Dallas Daily Herald.

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While one source claims they were married in the church, the other claims it was the hotel.  The certified copy of their marriage record does not give a location other than Dallas County, Texas.

Portion of the Certified Copy of the Marriage Record for Jacob Victor Bowman and Ada Brain.

A letter from The Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew includes a copy of their entry in the Marriage Register of that church and it shows that Ada's father and mother were living in Savannah, Georgia, at the time, but only Mrs. Brain was in attendance at the wedding.  The Register indicates the wedding was in the cathedral.

The following July brought about the birth of Harry H. Bowman, first son of J.V. and Ada.  He died 9 Sep 1883 at age 14 months; it is unknown where he is buried.

The Tri-Weekly Herald (Marshall, Texas) 1883

Died:  In this city, on Sunday, September 9, of congestion, little Harry H., son of Mr. and Mrs. J.V. Bowman, aged 14 months.

Jacob Victor and Ada remained in Marshall, where J.V. continued to work for the railroad.  In 1884, they welcomed their son, William Earl Bowman.

Sometime between 1884 and 1888, they moved to Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  It was there that their son Raymond Leonard Bowman was born 26 Jan 1888.

Another son, Everett Victor Bowman, was born 19 Nov 1892, also in Pittsburgh.

Valentine's Day 1899, the unthinkable happened, and Ada died of consumption.  Jacob Victor was 45 years old, with three sons, the youngest not yet 7 years old.  With no way to care for them and hold a job at the same time, he made the decision to put them in an orphanage.  It appears that William Earl may have already left home the year before.

In the 1900 Census, J.V. and his son, William Earl, now 16, are boarding in a house at 618 Allegheny Avenue in Pittsburgh.  J.V. works as a Telephone Operator.

1900 Census for Allegheny City, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, showing J.V. and William Earl Bowman starting on Line 47. Image from ancestry.com.

Jacob Victor married Pauline Erath, daughter of Phillip and Anna Marie (Hartz) Erath, 13 Dec 1900 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

At the time of the 1910 Census, J.V. and Pauline are renting at 3614 Michigan Avenue in Pittsburgh.  He is working as a Clerk for the City Treasurer.  William Earl and Raymond have since married.  Everett marries soon after, in 1913.

1910 Census for Pittsburgh, Allegeheny County, Pennsylvania, showing J.V. and Pauline Bowman starting on Line 40. Image from ancestry.com.

The 1920 Census shows Jacob Victor (enumerated as Victor J.) and Pauline living at 500 Sherman Avenue in Pittsburgh.  They have James and John Maitland living with them as boarders.  J.V. is still working as a Clerk for the City.

1920 Census for Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, showing Jacob Victor and Pauline starting on Line 28. Image from ancestry.com.

Jacob Victor died of carcinoma of the liver 5 Feb 1930 in Pittsburgh.  He is buried in United Cemetery in West View alongside his second wife, Pauline, who died 12 May 1932.

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The Pittsburgh Press 6 Feb 1930

DEATH NOTICE
BOWMAN - On Wednesday, Feb. 5, 1930, at 11:05 p.m., Jacob Victor, beloved husband of Pauline Erath Bowman.  Funeral from Aeberli's Chapel, East North Ave., at Sandusky St., North Side.  Services on Saturday at 2 p.m.  Member of Allegheny Aerie 822, F.O.E.; Manchester Council No. 124, F.P.A.; City Employees' Relief Fund and friends invited.

Death Notice for Jacob Victor Bowman in the 7 Feb 1930 edition of The Pittsburgh Press. Image from google.news.com./newspapers

Family of Jacob Victor Bowman

Father: 
William W. Bowman
Mother: 
Maria E. Grayson

Spouse(s): 
Ada Brain
Pauline Erath

Children: 
Harry H. Bowman
William Earl Bowman
Raymond Leonard Bowman
Everett Victor Bowman

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Connecting the Dots
aka Finding Lost Family

A great granddaughter of Raymond Leonard and a granddaughter of Everett Victor had been working on tracing their Bowman heritage, but kept hitting a brick wall when it came to Jacob Victor Bowman.  They knew he had been born in Cincinnati, and the informant on his Death Certificate (J.V.'s second wife, Pauline) had recorded his father's name as John Bowman.  Try as they might, they could not find a John Bowman who had a son Jacob Victor Bowman born in Cincinnati in 1854.

Meanwhile, I was working on my end of things trying to connect the dots using a crudely hand drawn "map" of the Bowmans done by either William Earl Bowman, son of Jacob Victor. or his great grandson, William Earl Thomas Bowman.  Because of that drawing, I knew that William Earl's father was Jacob Victor Bowman and that he had two brothers, Raymond and Everett.  I also knew that Jacob Victor's father was William Bowman, brother of John Bowman.

It wasn't something that happened overnight, but we can thank the message boards at ancestry.com for finally bringing us together, many, many years ago.

I met Liz online and was fortunate to meet Evie and her wonderful husband, Joe, in person when they came for a visit just to meet family they never knew they had.  What great, great folks!  I have lost touch with them since then, but hope to find a way to reconnect soon.

Definitely one of the perks in tracing the family tree!

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The Texas & Pacific Railway

Texas and Pacific Railway Logo from nonjohn.com.

Texas & Pacific Steam Locomotive 55, an A-2 Class 4-4-0 manufactured by the Schenectady company. The first steam locomotives used by the T&P were built by Rogers Locomotive Works. Image from nonjohn.com.

The Texas and Pacific Railway was the only railroad in Texas originally, starting out as the Texas Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.  An Act of Congress changed the name to the Texas and Pacific Railway Company in 1872.  It was to build a railroad from Marshall, Texas, to San Diego, California.  Several smaller railroad companies were purchased in their effort to do this, and parts of the track were completed prior to the panic in 1873 that occurred when the construction company did not receive payment.

Continuing construction on its own, the Texas and Pacific made slow progress.  Conflict arose with another railway constructing a railroad meant to meet up with the track they were building.

The following  two paragraphs were from a wonderful website covering the Texas & Pacific which I accessed in 2002, but is either no longer in existence or has changed web addresses and can no longer be found.

"From 1873 to 1881 the Texas and Pacific had constructed 972 miles of track and was entitled to 12,441,600 acres of land.  The company actually received land only for the construction east of Fort Worth, totaling 5,173,120 acres.  It received no land for the trackage west of Fort Worth on the grounds that it was not completed within the time stipulated in the charter."

"Between 1881 and 1885, when the railroad entered receivership, the Texas and Pacific was leased to the Missouri Pacific Railway Company."

Slowly, but surely, the Missouri Pacific began to take control of the Texas and Pacific and in 1976, they were merged into the Missouri Pacific (MoPac).

Image from mopac.org in 2002.

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Marshall, Texas, Train Depot. Image from familysearch.org.

Marshall, Texas - Birthplace of Boogie Woogie Music

When I found out that William Earl had been born in Marshall, Texas, I had two thoughts:  first, Texas!, and second, Texas???

All of the family stories I had heard involved Norwood, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Nobody had ever even mentioned Texas.  But I also knew that the first two words that come to mind when the Bowman name is mentioned are always trains and music.

So it didn't surprise me when I found the connection in Marshall to the Texas and Pacific Railroad.  But I was very surprised to find that Boogie Woogie Music had its roots in the Marshall area.  I ran across a website created by John Tennison with a page dedicated to the history of Boogie Woogie Music.  He's an amazing musician and listening to him on YouTube as I write this I find it hard not to jump up and dance around.  

Okay, I confess to taking a short dance break.  

If you are interested, take the time to check out his website at http://nonjohn.com/.  His History of Boogie Woogie page can be found here.  In May 2015, he played at the Marshall Depot, and you can access the YouTube videos of his performance here.

Boogie on, Bowmans.

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Sanborn Map of Marshall, Texas - May 1885. Image from utexas.edu.

Sanborn Maps is an American publisher of historical and current maps of U.S. cities and towns. The maps were initially created to estimate fire insurance risks.  They are an amazing resource for genealogists and historians.  You can view the original image here in much greater detail:

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/sanborn/m-o/txu-sanborn-marshall-1885-1.jpg

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A portion of one of the 1906 Sanborn Maps for Allegheny City, which was annexed into Pittsburgh in 1907. Image from psu.edu.

The map above shows a portion of one of the 1906 Sanborn Maps for Allegheny City, now Pittsburgh's North Side, with the arrow on the left pointing to the building in which J.V. and William Earl lived in 1900.  The arrow on the right points to the Protestant Orphan Asylum of Pittsburg and Allegheny where Everett was living at the time.  Raymond was probably there as well, but may have been missed during the census. 

You can find the original map with much greater detail by clicking the link below and selecting Sheet 78:

http://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/cdm/
compoundobject/collection/maps1/id/2764/rec/1

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Map of Pittsburgh with approximate locations where Jacob Victor lived during the Censuses indicated. In 1910, he was living just a little northwest of the area shown by this map. Image from Google maps.

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Certificate of Death for Jacob Victor Bowman

Cemetery Monument for Jacob Victor Bowman and Pauline Erath Bowman in United Cemetery, West View, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Photo by Find A Grave Member lavendar #47580836 and used with permission.

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A Final Note About J. V. Bowman

Sometimes when researching a family, you run across someone with whom you really connect.  I have found the Bowman family to be full of such characters, and felt that way about Jacob Victor, in particular.

Maybe it was his adventurous spirit that excited me, maybe it was his heartbreak at losing his wife when she was only 35 years old.  Maybe I romanticize things and it was just about going where there was work and struggling to survive.  Maybe it was that there were so many and are STILL so many unanswered questions about him and his life.

One day, I hope to locate a photo of him so I can put a face with the name.  In the meantime, here's a nod to the man who connected our family to Marshall, Texas, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylavnia.