Fowler, Benjamin

FOWLER

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 14:51:01

BENJAMIN FOWLER
born Oct 7, 1834, Ohio

Captain Benjamin Fowler, one of the prosperous farmers of Lincoln township, Warren county, Iowa and an honored veteran of the great Civil War, dates his birth in Perry county, Ohio, October 7, 1834, he being one of the eleven children of John and Sarah (Brown) Fowler. Five of this number are still living, namely; Mary Ann, wife of George Barnett of Ohio; David C., who resides on the old homestead in Perry county; Maria, wife of James E, Davis, Perry county; Benjamin, the subject of this article; and William H., Perry county. John Fowler, his father, was born in Maryland, near the city of Baltimore, and lived there until he was twenty one years of age. On attaining his majority he emigrated to Perry county, Ohio and made settlement in a heavily timbered district; he being the first white settler of Pike township and, so far as known, there were no settlers to the west of his location. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, was nearly all through that struggle and rendered valiant service. Some time after the war he was married to Miss Sarah Brown, a native of Virginia and a daughter of Isaac Brown and wife, whose maiden name was Clayton, both natives of Virginia; and in Ohio Mr. and Mrs. Fowler spent the whole of their married life, and died and are buried there, her death occurring at the age of sixty three years, and his at eighty four. Our subject's grandfather, Richard Fowler, was a native of France and a son of Richard Fowler; they being descended from the old nobility of France. The elder Richard Fowler was a man of marked personality and prominent in military matters. His son, Richard, came to this country in early life and made settlement in Maryland, where he was for many years engaged in farming and where he died at an extreme old age. The Fowlers are noted for longevity. In the family burying-ground upon the old homestead may be seen the graves of fifteen members of the family whose ages average over eighty five years - a remarkable record indeed. Captain Benjamin Fowler, whose name graces this sketch, made his home in his native State until after the close of the Civil war. August 26, 1861, he enlisted in the Thirtieth Ohio Infantry, Company D, under Colonel Hugh Ewing, and at once went to the front. The first important engagement in which he took part was that of South Mountain, where his regiment met with a heavy loss. His command also met with heavy loss at the battle of Antietam, the siege of Vicksburg, and the siege of Jackson, Mississippi. Other engagements in which he participated were those of Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta, Kenesaw mountain, Ezra Chapel, Jonesborough, and and Bentonville. At Missionary Ridge, Company D lost one third of its member. But Mr. Fowler passed safely through the many hotly contested battles until that of Bentonville, where he received his first wound, and for three months thereafter was in hospital. His regiment participated in the grand review at Washington, but Captain Fowler - he having been promoted to the rank of Captain some time before - had not sufficiently recovered from his wound to be there on that occasion. He was mustered out of the service August 18, 1865, at Little Rock, Arkansas, after four years of honorable and arduous service, and after receiving his discharge returned to his old home in Ohio. That same fall he came out West and settled in Warren county, Iowa, on the place where he now lives.
Mr. Fowler was married September 22, 1857 to Miss Emily Brown, a daughter of Joshua and Sarah Brown, she being a native of Perry county, Ohio, and a member of a large family of children. Mr. and Mrs. Fowler have four children: Grant, living on a farm adjoining his father's; Thad, at home; Sallie, wife of Ed Webster, Fort Collins, Colorado; and Samuel, at home. For a period of thirty five years Captain Fowler has made Warren county his home and in this time has won a place among the most successful and enterprising farmers of his vicinity, always abreast with the times and ever ready to give his support to any movement or enterprise intended to advance the interests of the county. A veteran of the Civil war, he is of course identified with the GAR, his membership being with James Randolph Post, No 116. He is in politics a pronounced Republican and finds as he grows older that he is more strongly imbued with Republican ideas. Both he and his wife are devoted Christians and earnest and efficient members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, their church organization having recently erected a fine new house of worship on land immediately joining the Fowler homestead. Source: A Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa, Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1896, vol.1, p.102

History of Warren County, Iowa from Its Earliest Settlement to 1908, by Rev. W. C. Martin, Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1908, p.693
BENJAMIN FOWLER
Among the representative citizens of Warren County are many who were numbered among the valiant defenders of the Union during the dark days of the Civil War. Prominent among these is Captain Benjamin Fowler, who is familiarly known as Uncle Ben by his many friends throughout this section of the state. He was born in Perry County, Ohio, on the 7th of October, 1834, and is a son of John Fowler and grandson of Richard Fowler. The father was a native of Maryland, where he continued to make his home until reaching man's estate and then went to Ohio about 1810, where in the midst of the unbroken forest he opened up a farm. In that state he married Miss Sarah Brown and they continued residents of Ohio throughout the remainder of their lives. The mother of our subject died in 1863. The father was a soldier of the War of 1812. In their family were five children who reached manhood and were numbered among the boys in blue during the Civil War: D. C., who was a captain in the one hundred day service; C. Isaac, who died in the army; John W., who was also captain and served for three years in an Ohio regiment; Benjamin, of this review, and William H., who was in the service for three years. Our subject has one sister living, Mrs. Maria Davis,
now a widow and a resident of Ohio.
Captain Benjamin Fowler grew to manhood upon a farm in the county of his nativity and received a good common school education. Responding to the call of his country for aid when the south attempted to secede, he en­listed October 26, 1861, as a private of Company D, Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. He participated in numerous important engagements, including the battle of Antietam, the siege of Vicksburg and Jackson, Mississippi; the battles of Missionary Ridge and Kenesaw Mountain, and the Atlanta campaign. He was with Sherman on the memorable march to the sea and was wounded at Bentonville, Carolina, being confined in the hospital for a time and then sent home on a furlough. After being off duty for two months, he rejoined the army at Alexandria, Virginia, and proceeded to Washington. D. C., where he took part in the grand review. He was later sent to Louisville, Kentucky, and from there to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was mustered out August 13, 1865, and honorably discharged at Columbus, Ohio. Although he entered the service as a private he soon won promotion, becoming a sergeant, then second lieu­tenant, later first lieutenant and was finally made captain of his company, with which rank he served until the close of the war. He returned home with an army record of which he may be justly proud.
In 1866 Captain Fowler came to Warren County, Iowa, and purchased the farm in Lincoln Township where he now resides, it being conveniently located near Indianola. He added to his property from time to time but has since sold a part of his land, now owning one hundred and thirty acres, which is well improved and highly cultivated. He has erected a large neat residence and convenient outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock, and for a number of years he was actively engaged in general farming and stock-raising but he now rents the place though he continues to supervise its management.
On the 22d of September, 1857, in Perry County, Ohio, was celebrated the marriage of Captain Fowler and Miss Emily Brown, who was also a native of Ohio and died here July 6, 1901, being laid to rest in the Indianola cemetery. Of the seven children born to them three died in infancy. Grant, the eldest living, is married and is a railroad carpenter residing in Minne­sota.Thad is married and resides at Staples, Minnesota; Sally, the wife of E. H. Webster, who is engaged in the real-estate business in Lexington, Okla­homa, and Samuel F., of Salida, Colorado.
Captain Fowler has been a life-long Republican, supporting each presiden­tial nominee of the party since voting for John C. Fremont in 1856. He has been a delegate to state and county conventions, has served as road super­visor and has been officially connected with the schools for many years, serv­ing as a director and also secretary and treasurer of the board. He was township trustee for seven years and has served the petit jury a number of times. His public service has been exemplary and he has always been found true to any trust reposed in him. In religious faith he is a Metho­dist and he is an honored member of the Grand Army Post at Indianola.