John & Hatte Bowen Family History
“A legacy that never dies”
The Bowen family traces its roots to Prentiss, Mississippi, where John and Hattie Bowen began their life together in the late 1890s. As the family grew, they moved to Doddsville, Mississippi, where John continued working as a sharecropper. Though the labor was grueling, he and Hattie found deep reward in raising ten of their eleven children: Frankie, Bessie, Lovie, Gertrude, Roosevelt, Clevelle, Phezelle, Etta, Levelle, and Johnnie Mae. Their youngest, Major, died in infancy shortly after Hattie’s passing.
Life in the fields was hard. The Bowen children learned discipline and resilience under the stern guidance of their father, and while they became hardworking men and women, they also yearned for a better way of life. Over time, the family began to branch out—first across the South, and eventually across the country.
After Hattie’s death, John Bowen married three more times: to Nannie, Maude, and Elizabeth. All preceded him in death except Elizabeth, who lived into the late 1970s. Before his own passing in 1948, John left behind the farming life he loved and moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he opened a successful grill—the site of which still stands today.
From those humble beginnings in Mississippi’s cotton fields, the Bowen family has grown into a vibrant, multi-generational legacy. Today, John and Hattie Bowen live on through more than 500 descendants. The family has made its mark in medicine, education, economics, technology, automotive, public service, business, real estate, media, music, and ministry.
Like a mighty tree with roots stretching deep beneath the soil, our family draws strength from its foundation and continues to branch outward across time and place. We honor the ancestors who gave us heritage, purpose, vision, and faith. We are the branches of that sturdy tree, reaching across generations and geography, continuing their legacy through the grace, guidance, and goodness of God.
Proud of our roots, we are equally proud of what we have become—and we pray that our fruits will carry the same pride and purpose into future generations.