My Genealogy Hound

Parker T. Bowman, liveryman at Aurora Springs, was born at Lexington, Ky., in 1838, and is the second in a family of six children born to Robert T. and Elizabeth E. (Dickerson) Bowman. Robert T. Bowman was a dealer in horses and mules and later was a partner in the firm of Conard & Co., carpet dealers at Lexington. He died at Covington, Ky., at the age of fifty-three years. The mother is still living (1889) at Kansas City. Parker Bowman attended school at Lexington until thirteen years of age and then started out to seek his fortune. He came to California, Mo., and soon began working for contractors, building the Missouri Pacific Railroad through Missouri. He then worked for a time on the Iron Mountain Railroad, and soon secured the position as foreman or boss of a gang of men. Later he returned to California and clerked in a store for a short time. In 1861 he married Miss Cynthia Nelson, daughter of Alexander N. Nelson, and both natives of Missouri. Soon after his marriage Mr. Bowman enlisted in the Confederate Army. After the war he was foreman of a gang of men on the ‘Frisco Railroad for some time, then went to Louisiana and had charge of men on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. He then went to the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Road, contracting for ties, and from there to the Lexington & Sedalia Railroad, and took contract to do grading for that company. Later he went to the Chester & Iron Mountain Railroad, where, after building fourteen miles of railroad, the company failed and Mr. Bowman lost $13,000. From there he went to the Mississippi Central Railroad, then to the Little Rock and Ft. Smith, and had charge of the work for W. P. Donovan & Co., taking a contract to build three miles of the same road. He went from there to the Cincinnati Southern Railroad to superintend work for Donovan & Co., and later took contracts. He then took charge of the work for the Chicago & Alton, in Missouri. About 1873 he purchased a farm in Miller County, near Aurora Springs, where from time to time he returned. Sometime after this he went to New Mexico and had work on the Santa Fe, then went to Colorado, having charge of the work on the San Juan extension of the Denver & Rio Grande, and later was in New Mexico for the same company. He also worked on the Burlington and Missouri Pacific Railroads, the Springfield & Memphis Railroad, then went down to Arkansas and took a contract through the St. Francis river valley, where he suffered heavy losses during the floods of 1883. He after this returned to his farm for a short time and then bought out the livery stable at Aurora Springs, but subsequently sold out and went to Colorado. He here engaged again in railroad work which he continued for some time. He then returned to his present business in Aurora Springs, and here he has continued since. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is also an Odd Fellow.