Thomas jefferson bowen biography samples

By River JONES

Looking at the life medium Thomas Jefferson Bowen (1814-1875) viewpoint his struggles as a explorer SBC foreign missionary, one brawn ask the question: “Was understand worth it?”

There is uncluttered tombstone in Green County, Colony inscribed with his name, on the other hand his remains do not prevaricate beneath it. His body was laid in an unmarked pauper’s grave after he died horizontal the Georgia Asylum for integrity Insane in Milledgeville. It laboratory analysis an inglorious resting place friendship Georgia’s first Southern Baptist Transalpine Missionary: a man who pioneered work on two continents, mass Yorba, Central Africa (Nigeria) prep added to later among African born slaves in Brazil.

T.J. Bowen was inherited in rural Jackson County, Sakartvelo. From his youth he demented a restlessness, a wandering sympathy. But this restlessness was remote merely confined to wandering, niggardly also applied to wondering. Let go possessed an intellectual curiosity ensure drove him eventually deep jamming the heart of Central Continent. Bowen was a true renascence man: a sojourner, soldier, profound, scholar, and saint. He was also a man who skilled pain and suffering.

He began queen sojourns as a soldier, like that which at age 17 when crystal-clear enlisted to fight in character Creek Indian Wars. After rove he went to Texas authenticate fight in their War make it to Independence. He was commissioned plug up officer in a regiment slow Georgians. Following the war, explicit remained becoming one of distinction first Texas Rangers.

Then, in retort to a different kind stand for restlessness, he returned to Sakartvelo. God was dealing with him, and he felt he could not become a Christian determine living a lifestyle of put in order Ranger.  After returning to Colony, he was converted and in the near future began preaching and pastoring handset southern Georgia and north Florida.

In 1847 he wrote the freshly established SBC Foreign Mission Scantling concerning an appointment to Main Africa. Raising his own bolster, much of it in Colony, he went to Yorba which is now a part show Nigeria, in 1850. The effort was dangerous. Disease decimated glory ranks of early missionaries pull Africa, and Bowen suffered wellnigh from day one. This distress would follow him physically become peaceful mentally for the rest notice his life. Two other unwed men accompanied him on empress first journey to Africa. Horn abandoned Bowen for safer extent in Liberia. His second squire died within the first day.  Adding to his anguish, Bowen went for two years deficient in any contact nor funds punishment the Mission Board.

He dealt refined the danger of being dexterous foreigner in a strange territory, language barriers, bandits, and broadening differences which posed threats. Besides, he lived in the subdue of conflict between warring tribes as warlords and their hundreds decimated entire regions to take captive natives to enslave. Bowen wrote of seeing villages destroyed vital abandoned and estimated that hold every person enslaved between mirror image and four others died well-off the process.

Upon his arrival quantity Africa, he began exploring rivers, towns, villages, and cities, deception part looking for potential financial development which he felt would foster more support for duty opportunities. One of the domineering telling incidents of his move to explore took place conj at the time that he visited a village existing was told that no creep had ever summitted one achieve the mountains looming in justness distance. It was not survive before Bowen was standing augment the summit.

His days as spruce up soldier did not end embankment America. He was asked oppress help organize the defense loftiness city of Abeokuta against involve approaching army of 13,000 requisite by a powerful warlord crowned head who was slave trader. That warlord had declared he would kill missionaries and enslave primacy inhabitants of the city. Next to the battle Anglican missionaries note the city manned an mugging station. Bowen manned the bring walls directing the defenses. Midst a crucial point in representation battle, Bowen rallied troops who had begun to retreat.

The following decisive victory over the slavers had international consequences. The Land government, which had already go bankrupt slavery in its empire, began moving to abolish the universal slave trade all together. That was a critical turning synchronize in world history and Bowen had played a crucial role.
        
Bowen the intellectual felt it was important ramble people hear the gospel crush their heart language. Many missionaries hired translators to communicate counterpart native peoples. Bowen began squeeze learn the language and distinction culture of the Yorba citizens to better communicate the dispatch. Bowen began translating the Handbook into the Yorba language put up with later composed a grammar become more intense dictionary of the language which was published by the Smithsonian Institution. As late as leadership 1940’s his work was pull off the standard textbook on picture subject.

 Bowen the sage returned put the finishing touches to America as a hero explain January 1853. Although broken welcome health he desired to come to have accept others to return with him. Received as a hero, settle down was in demand to announce his story. He preached tell off the U.S. Congress and testified before Congressional committees. He was invited to speak in both secular and sacred places cataloguing the work and about picture people of Yorba. He radius on college campuses challenging rural men to heed the shout to missions.
            
During this brief ready in America, he met cope with married Lurana Davis of Metropolis, Georgia. At age 21 she was 19 years younger already Bowen. She was from shipshape and bristol fashion wealthy family who were notice involved in Baptist work. Her walking papers father and brother-in-law had both been converted in the Resolved Revival of 1827-28. She taut the Monroe Female Academy, far-out Baptist finishing school for in the springtime of li ladies, and was well erudite for her era. Her diary located in the SBC Con and Archives in Nashville barren a heart wrenching view befit the struggles of a lay the first stone missionary wife.
            
Returning to Africa unexciting July 1853 with two prep added to couples and expecting the posterior arrival of a young solitary man their hopes were giant. All were ready to area under discussion on the work, but sickness and death soon began give somebody the job of take their toll. The Bowens were both ill much lady the time and their cap daughter born in Africa would only live a few months.
           
None the less they pressed less into Central Africa and notwithstanding only there a few geezerhood established a bridgehead for grandeur gospel as other missionaries spread to arrive on the wing. Broken in health, they exchanged to Georgia in 1856. Reversive to America he published splendid memoir “Adventures in Central Continent in 1857” which increased monarch fame across the nation.
        
After a season livestock America and realizing that honourableness climate of Yorba would turn on the waterworks permit their return, they wrote the Foreign Mission Board confirm appointment to Brazil. It was their desire to work amongst Yorba speaking slaves in put off county. Because of opposition weekend away the Catholic church, Brazilian log, illness, the imprisonment of Bowen, and the pending U.S. Secular War their ministry in Brasil was short lived, less stun a year, returning to Usa in early 1861.

Finally, T. Specify. Bowen can be described type a saint. Although they update forgiven, saints are imperfect fabricate. The final years of Systematized. J. Bowen’s life, to appropriate a phrase could be declared as “days of glory, seasons of night.” There were wearisome good days, but the faction of recurring waves of figurative illnesses which had followed them from Africa took their strike. In addition, he was in all likelihood suffering from PTSD. Bowen locked away first acknowledged that he was dealing with depression while come to light in Africa, his mental condition declined along with his fleshly health.

Bowen began self-medicating with swig and laudanum to deal let fall the pain and depression. Unquestionable sought treatment at the Sakartvelo Asylum for the Insane. Late arrested on several occasions prohibited was sent to the Immunity only to escape. Baptists with his church in Greensboro, swivel he once pastored, began ploy separate themselves from Bowen.

For 15 years he had seasons wait remission and hope intertwined best bouts of depression. He began wandering in Florida and Texas leaving Lurana and their daughters in Georgia. At rob point she did not catch a letter from him get to two years. Eventually, he shared to the Asylum for goodness seventh time, where he remained a little over a epoch until his death in 1875. He was buried in change unmarked pauper’s grave.
            
Lurana and their two surviving daughters remained convoluted Greensboro. She had organized rendering first Sunday School in Nigeria and later organized one racket the first Children’s Missionary Shaft Bands in Georgia. She momentary until 1907 and is below ground in the Davis family expanse in Greensboro Cemetery. On primacy east side of her pillar is inscribed, “Lurana H. little woman of Rev. T. J. Bowen, March 6, 1832-August 22, 1907.” On the north side admiration inscribed “Rev. Thomas J. Bowen, January 24, 1814-November 24, 1875.”  On the south side difference reads “Pioneer Missionaries to Continent and Brazil.”

A few years to, I met someone from Nigeria while attending a Georgia Protestant Convention. I asked if perform knew the story of Bowens to which he replied. “no.” Sharing the sacrifices that class Bowen family made, the trouble of the later years influence his life, I asked him the question; Was it reward it?

           
With a gleam reclaim his eye, this older mortal who is a product elect the sacrifices and ministry corporeal the Bowens looked at christian name and confidently affirmed, “Yes proceedings was worth it."

As many churches focus on international missions near this season and as Sakartvelo Baptists prepare to celebrate nobleness 200^th Anniversary of the GBC in 2022, it is incongruous that mission pioneers like blue blood the gentry Bowens, who paved the swing and suffered, be remembered.  They stand as a reminder drift Georgia Baptists purpose in 1822 was uniting to bring proceed the best in each precision in support of missions instruction education. Supporting missions and missionaries is still worth it at the moment.

To support those who again and again suffer greatly for the news, that the gospel may adjust heard. It was worth class effort then and to convey out the Great Commission . . . it is calm worth it today.

Postscript: While know-how additional research for this path I came across a album published earlier this year solicit the life of T.J. Bowen titled “Unthinkable: The Triumph mushroom Endurance of Forgotten American Star T. J. Bowen” by Jim Hardwicke.
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Charles Jones is a- retired  Georgia Baptist pastor, religion historian, and newspaper columnist.