Rice and Bowen / Bowen and Rice of Southeast Texas

Of the Southeast Texas Rice and Bowen clans. by Benjamin L. Bowen & Anita Cooper

Thomas McClure Rice is descendant of Edmund Rice (b ca 1594 d 1663) who arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from Barkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England about 1638 and settled on a plantation near Concord, by 1639 the area was incorporated as Sudbury.
In 1642 Edmund Rice bought 6 acres and a dwelling fom the widow Axtell and later purchased from Phelemon Whale an adjoining plot with house "nearer the spring". This place, next to the Dunster farm , is known as the Edmund Rice homestead, a marker was erected there in 1913 by the Edmund Rice Association.

Thomas McClure Rice ,son of Nathan Rice and Jemima McClure Rice,was born 1804 in Poultney Vermont and died in 1842 at the battle of Salado Creek in Texas. Thomas McClure Rice married Elizabeth Wilson and had children: Oliver Hugh Rice who was born in 1830 at Steubenville Ohio and Mary L. Rice who was born in 1829. Other children were James Rice b 1825, William Wilson Rice b 1835 in Ohio and Thomas Richard Rice b 1842 Texas.

According to noted Rice family researcher, Anita Cooper's article :

" Answering General Sam Houston's call to help gain freedom for Texas,Thomas McClure Rice arrived in Fort Bend County soon after Texas has declared its independence from Mexico in 1836,and brought with him his wife of 12 years Elizabeth Wilson,and their four children aged 11, 7, 6 and 1. The family left Fort Bend County and settled and farmed near Little Brushy Creek, DeWitt County, where their fifth child Thomas Richard Rice was born in 1842 and where many of his descendants still reside." Elizabeth Wilson was a native of Ireland and was born in 1805. She immigrated to Ohio about 1818 where she married Thomas McClure Rice in Marietta, Ohio in 1824.

In 1842, General Santa Anna sent troops to San Antonio under the command of General Adrian Woll, a European mercenary. On September 18 this infantry and calvary of several hundred Mexican soldiers battled about 200 Texians under the commands of Captain John C. Hays and Colonel Matthew Caldwell. Answering a call to arms, Captain Nicolas M. Dawson assembled the nucleus of his band under the historic oak in La Grange, Thomas M. Rice among them. The Battle of Salado Creek found the Texians under Capt. Dawson's command entirely exposed to the fire from the enemy's cannon, being in a smooth prairie only partially protected by small mesquite trees. With many of their horses either killed, wounded or otherwise broken loose from their charge, they found no means left of retreating.

Thomas M. Rice was among those killed in action, leaving his wife Elizabeth and now five children, the youngest only 7 months old. Elizabeth Rice received $80.75 from the Late Republic of Texas for her husband's horse, saddle and three weeks pay for military service. The Republic later granted her 640 acres, which she sold for $65.00.

Six years later, the patriots of this Battle of Salado Creek were given a military burial in a concrete vault on Monument Hill in La Grange,Texas in the presence of Sam Houston and a great concourse of dignitaries and citizens from all over Texas. The State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission now own this historic park.

On September 18, 1842, Elizabeth and her children were suddenly without husband and father as Thomas was killed in action in the Battle of Salado Creek. In 1848 with then President Sam Houston officiating, Thomas was among the Texian soldiers enshrined on Monument Hill in LaGrange.

Elizabeth lived in DeWitt County until she died in 1859 and is believed buried in Clinton Cemetery.

The sacrifice and legacy of Elizabeth and Thomas Rice will always serve their hundreds of descendants and the people of Texas."Oliver Hugh Rice son of Thomas McClure Rice and Elizabeth Wilson Rice, married Adeline Prudence Courtney (b Jun 21, 1839) on Mar 23, 1854 in DeWitt County, Texas. Adelines father was Truman Courtney and her mother Amanda Garey.
Adeline Prudence Courtney Rice's grandfather Seymour Garey (father of Amanda Garey) came to Texas in 1839 where he received a land grant in Gonzales county which was later split in order to create Dewitt county and Gonzales county where his land was then located. Elijah Garey son of Seymour Garey was killed at San Antonio at the battle of Salado creek in 1842 when Santa Anna sent General Adrian Woll back into Texas to try to recapture San Antonio.

Elijah Garey and Thomas McClure Rice are buried in a common grave at Monument Hill with the others in La Grange,Texas. Sam Houston is reported to have attended the interment ceremony. There is a large standing tombstone with his and the others names inscribed. The family group of Oliver Hugh Rice and Adeline Prudence Courtney Rice both lost family at the battle of Salado creek.
Oliver Hugh Rice lost his father, Thomas McClure Rice and Adeline lost her mother's brother, her uncle Elijah Garey.
Oliver and Adeline had five children : William Henry born 1857, Orien Adelbert born in 1855 at Stratton,Oliver Jr. born 1859 at Stratton, believed to have died young ,Amanda Elizabeth born 1861 at Stratton and Mary Elizabeth b1866.
Oliver Hugh Rice died abt 1867 in DeWitt County, Texas.
After her husband Oliver Hugh Rice died, Adeline Prudence Courtney Rice married Abraham Bowen on the16th of May 1870 in Texas. Abraham Bowen was eleven years younger than Adeline was. Adeline had three Bowen children by Abraham ( Daniel Hodge Bowen b 1871,Dora Alice Bowen b 1875 and David Bowen b 1878 ) and they raised all of Adeline's children as one big happy family.

Abraham Bowen, son of Green George Bowen and Mary Fobar Bowen was born ca1850 In Illinois, the family consisting of Eliza b1839, Elizabeth b1842,Mary b 1843, William M. b ca1846, John b ca 184?, and Mary Jane "Polly" b 1854 emigrated to Goliad County,Texas between 1854 -1856. Joseph Green Bowen Jr. was born 1856 in Goliad County. Abraham Bowen was a stock raiser in Goliad and DeWitt Counties between the years of 1870-1880+, His father Green Bowen also raised cattle in the area registering his cattle brand & ear mark notches in 1871 at ,Goliad Texas.

When Adeline Prudence Courtney Rice Bowen died on June 23 1909, Abraham Bowen married Nancy McNichols just six months later on Dec. 23, 1909 and they are found on the 1910 Lavaca County , Texas census.Clarence Neal Bowen the Ggrandson of Abraham Bowen stated to his daughter Marlene Bowen Fruth. " Abe's kids were mad at him for marrying so soon after Adeline's death." Abraham died in 1923 and is buried at Alexander cemetery at Yoakum, Texas.

Abraham & Adeline's son David Bowen married Hermana " Maggie" Magdalena Rice b 1876 Maggie Rice is decendent through her father Asa Samuel Rice ( asa's Mother is Mary L. Rice , father unknown), her mother Mary Jane Bradley Rice, and her GGrandfather/mother Thomas McClure Rice & Elizabeth Wilson Rice.

David Bowen was the brother of Dora Alice Bowen( b April 20,1877) Dora Alice Bowen married her cousin James Lawrence Bowen (b Nov 18, 1874) on 3-19-1896 and had among their 8 children, Seymour Courtney Bowen, Seymour Courtney Bowen married Bessie Myrtle Phillips and had children Clarence Bowen, Shirley Bowen andWayne Lanier Bowen.
Wayne Lanier Bowen and Ruth Agnes Romanos Chapa Bowen are the parents of five sons including your humble transcriber, Benjamin Leighton Bowen b 1957 in Chula Vista, Ca.

Also see on the Bowen family web :
[ Von H.Ehrenberg's personal account of the Goliad (Texas) Massacre - December 3, 1853
Introduced by Murray Montgomery for The Gonzales Inquirer newspaper. ]

Monument Hill

Burial site of Dawson & Mier casualties

NAME DEATH COMMENTS

Adams, ? 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Alexander, Jerome B. 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Alley, James 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Barkley, Robert 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Beard, John 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Berry. David 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Brookfield, Francis E. 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Butler, Thomas J. 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Cash, John L. 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Church, T. John 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Cocke, James D. 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Cummings, John 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Dancer, John 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Dawson, Nicholas Mosby 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Dickerson, Lewis W. 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Dunham, Robert Holmes 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Eastland, Robert 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Eastland, William Mosby 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Este, Edward E. 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Farris, Lowe (?) 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Field, Charles S. 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Garey, Elijah 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Griffin, Joe 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Hall, Harvey W. 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Harris, Robert 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Hill, George A. 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Jones, Asa 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Jones, John F. 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Jones, Thomas L. 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Lewis, Patrick 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Linn, William 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Lowe, Winfield S. 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Maher, Patrick 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

McGee, Richard 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Ogden, James Masterson 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Pendleton, John Wesley 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Rice, Thomas 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Roberts, Christopher 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Rowan, William 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Savage, William 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Scallorn, John Wesley 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Scallorn, Elam 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Simms, Thomas 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Slack, Richard 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Thompson, Joseph N. M. 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Torrey, James N. 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Trimble, Edward 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Turnbull, James 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Wells, Norman Miles 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Whalen, Henry 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Wing, Martin Carroll 25 Mar 1843 Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition

Woods, Zadock 18 Sep 1842 Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition

Thomas McClure Rice is a descendant of Edmund Rice b ca 1594 d 1663 who came to the area of the Sudbury river Massachusetts in America by about 1649.The genealogy of Edmund rice and family is well documented.

http://mujweb.atlas.cz/zdravi/celostnimedicina/StromKingHenryI.htm

Bibliography:

Bowen family web site pages :
[ Rice family group sheet ] [ Rice & Bowen ] [ Oliver Hugh Rice]
[ Thomas McClure Rice family group sheet ] [ Thomas McClure Rice Bio by Earline Rumsey ]
[ Seymour Garey ] [ Chronicles from Uncle Clarence's Notebook : salado creek ]
Anita Cooper [ info link ] [ Anita Cooper homepage]
Mark Hostetler : The Rice family transcript " Edmund Rice Descendants"
Clarence Neal Bowen : Notes
Marlene Bowen Fruth : Records
Oliver H. Rice by Geneva McCown Garrett
The Edmund Rice Association
A Family History of Edmund Rice: From The History of Marlborough by Charles Hudson
Seymour Garey By Veltmon Goodman White Transcribed by Benjamin Bowen
The Dawson and Mier Expeditions and their Place in Texas History. by Mark Abolafia-Rosenzweig.

NAME	DEATH	COMMENTS
Adams, ?	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Alexander, Jerome B.	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Alley, James	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Barkley, Robert	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Beard, John	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Berry. David	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Brookfield, Francis E.	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Butler, Thomas J.	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Cash, John L.	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Church, T. John	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Cocke, James D.	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Cummings, John	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Dancer, John	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Dawson, Nicholas Mosby	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Dickerson, Lewis W.	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Dunham, Robert Holmes	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Eastland, Robert	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Eastland, William Mosby	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Este, Edward E.	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Farris, Lowe (?)	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Field, Charles S.	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Garey, Elijah	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Griffin, Joe	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Hall, Harvey W.	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Harris, Robert	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Hill, George A.	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Jones, Asa	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Jones, John F.	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Jones, Thomas L.	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Lewis, Patrick	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Linn, William	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Lowe, Winfield S.	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Maher, Patrick	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
McGee, Richard	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Ogden, James Masterson	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Pendleton, John Wesley	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Rice, Thomas	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Roberts, Christopher	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Rowan, William	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Savage, William	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Scallorn, John Wesley	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Scallorn, Elam	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Simms, Thomas	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Slack, Richard	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Thompson, Joseph N. M.	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Torrey, James N.	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Trimble, Edward	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Turnbull, James	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Wells, Norman Miles	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition
Whalen, Henry	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Wing, Martin Carroll	25 Mar 1843	Executed at Salado, Mexico on the Mier Expedition
Woods, Zadock	18 Sep 1842	Died at Salado Creek on Dawson Expedition