JAMES MADISON BOWLER:

James Madison Bowler was born in Lee, Maine, on January 10, 1838, the son of Edward and Clara Augusta (Smith) Bowler. He was educated in Lee and Falmouth, Maine, and engaged in school teaching and other occupations. In 1857, he left Maine, arriving in St. Anthony, Minnesota, in 1858. While in St. Anthony he was a printer for Croffut and Clark, and he later (1859-1860) taught school in Nininger, Minnesota.

He enlisted in the First Minnesota Regiment, Company E, on August 11, 1861. Before he left for the South he joined the Third Minnesota Regiment, Company F. Bowler took part in most of the major engagements of the regiment, both in the South and in the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War. In 1865 he was made a major of the 113th U.S. Colored Infantry and took part in Reconstruction activities in Arkansas through his muster out on April 9, 1866. The regiment was formed by a consolidation of a number of battalions, including elements of the Third Minnesota Regiment.

Following his army service Bowler returned to Minnesota and engaged in a number of occupations, including farming and railroad construction. The family lived in Nininger, Minneapolis, Bird Island, and St. Paul. Bowler was a representative in the Minnesota Legislature (1878); state dairy commissioner (1891); and Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 1896 and 1898.

On November 20, 1862, Bowler married Elizabeth Sarah Caleff, daughter of Samuel and Susan (Justason) Caleff, who had come to Nininger in 1856. James Bowler died on May 17, 1916 in St. Paul. Elizabeth Bowler moved to Crow Wing County, Minnesota, in 1920 and resided there until her death in Deerwood Township, January 24, 1931.

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Many of the materials relate to Bowler's Civil War service with the first and third Minnesota infantry regiments at Fort Snelling (1861) and in the western theater (1861-1865); with the Sibley expedition against the Dakota Indians (1863), and as major of the 113th U.S. Colored Infantry during Reconstruction in Arkansas (1865-1866). His letters to his wife Elizabeth describe army life, battles, wartime civilian life, and his attitudes toward the war. Correspondence with relatives in Maine (1850s-1860s) discusses family activities, schoolteaching, Maine politics, opinions on the war, and his brother Joseph's service in Maine regiments.

A few letters refer to Nininger, Minnesota (1856), Bowler's St. Anthony planing mill (1866), and his work on construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad (1866-1867). Other correspondence and papers document the lives and activities of the Bowlers and their children and grandchildren, and of related families and friends in Maine, in New Brunswick, Canada, and elsewhere. Much is addressed to Bowler's daughter Edna. Also present are genealogical data and family memorabilia.

Correspondence for the period 1827-1860 includes a few letters (1827, 1856) from members of the Caleff family; Ignatius Donnelly to Caleb Adams (1856) regarding Nininger city (1856); and letters (1856-1866) written by Joseph S. Bowler, brother of James, who lived in Lee, Maine. These letters include information on family matters, Joseph's school teaching activities, and opinions on political matters; letters of recommendation for James Bowler written by school leaders in Maine (1856-1857); and a letter written to James by his father giving advice to his son who is leaving for the West (April 24, 1857).

The correspondence from April 1860 through November 1861 includes letters to James Bowler from his sister Sarah, brother Joseph, and aunt Sarah Lowell, all in Maine. These letters give information on family activities, school teaching, and politics. The correspondence between James Bowler and Elizabeth Caleff also begins during this period.

Letters dated April 27 through November 3, 1861, were written while Bowler was at Fort Snelling. The letter dated April 27 tells of his enlisting in the "St. Anthony Zouaves," which later was incorporated into the First Minnesota Regiment. The letters give information on army life at Fort Snelling, marches, drills, a review by Colonel Willis A. Gorman (May 26) and similar events. Letters dated April 27, May 2, and September 9 mention W.A. Croffut. The letter dated September 9 contains the writer's opinions of Colonel Gorman, Governor Alexander Ramsey, and Ignatius Donnelly.

The correspondence from December 6, 1861 through April 1865 is almost exclusively between Bowler and Elizabeth Caleff, with a few letters from his brother Joseph and members of the Caleff family. Bowler's regiment was located primarily in the following places and engaged in the following battles: Camps Dana, Jenkins, Rough and Ready, and Lester (all in Kentucky) (December 1861-March 1862); Benton Barracks (August 1862); Sioux Uprising campaigns (September-October 1862); Columbia, Fort Halleck and Fort Heinman (Kentucky) (February-May 1863); the Vicksburg Campaign (June-July 1863); and the occupation of Little Rock, Arkansas (August 1863). Bowler remained in Little Rock until the end of the war and was on General Christopher C. Andrew's headquarters staff.

The letters give many details on army life, camps, food, skirmishes and battles, food foraging, conditions of life among southern civilians, attitudes of captured Confederate soldiers, and general comments on the war and its causes. The letters between Bowler and his wife reveal the longing felt by the couple for each other, and Bowler's determination to remain in the army until the defeat of the Confederacy.

There are also a number of letters from Bowler's relatives in Maine, including his sisters Clara, Georgette, and Sarah, his brother Joseph, his uncle James H. and his aunt Sarah Lowell. This correspondence gives information on family activities and school teaching, and also reveals the lukewarm sentiments toward the war in some parts of Maine. Bowler's brother Joseph enlisted in Company E, 22nd Maine Regiment, in 1862, and took part in the Virginia campaigns. He later joined the 11th Maine Infantry, Company K.

After 1865 the correspondence becomes less frequent. From June 1865 to June 1866, Bowler was stationed in Little Rock and was engaged in carrying out Reconstruction policies. Also in this period are letters from Joseph Bowler telling of his occupation duties in Virginia.

The remainder of the correspondence details some of Bowler's postwar activities: A St. Anthony planing mill which he operated (1866); his appointment as school examiner in Dakota County (1866); his work on the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad (1866-1867); his move to Bird Island, Minnesota (1874); and his 1877 operation in Boston for throat cancer.

Other correspondence for the years 1866-1899 is with various members of the Caleff and Bowler families in Maine and in New Brunswick, Canada. The letters contain general information on family and friends. There are also a few letters from Bowler to his wife.

The 1901-1928 correspondence includes letters from Bowler to his daughters Josephine and Edna and correspondence between Bowler and his wife, their brothers and sisters, and other relatives. The letters written by Bowler to Edna contain information on Edna's teaching career in Waterville and Wadena, Minnesota. The other correspondence written by members of the Skene, Justason, and other families, relates routine family matters.

A Bowler-Caleff family history and genealogy, compiled by Anna Skovholt, Barbara Butler, and Elizabeth Morlock traces the following family lines: Caleffs: Robert (1648-1717); Joseph (1671-1707); Robert II (1693-1730); John (1726-1812); Jedidiah (1778-1857); and Samuel (1807-1901), the father of Elizabeth Sarah. Bowlers: William Ormskirk (1758-1835); William (1788-1873); and Edward (1811-), father of James Madison. There is also information on the Justason and Chaffey families and substantial biographical data on Bowler, his wife, and their children. It also contains lists of burial places of family members in Massachusetts and Minnesota.

Newspaper clippings include the act to incorporate the city of Nininger (1858), the Populist Party convention (1900), reminiscences of the U.S.-Dakota War (1910), reminiscences of early Minneapolis (1911), the Bowlers' golden wedding anniversary (1916), James M. Bowler's obituary (1916), the celebration of Elizabeth Bowler's 90th birthday (1930), and obituaries of members of the Bowler and related families (1921-1972).

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. James M. Bowler and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 9014; 9110; 9245; 9251; 9338; 9470; 10,410; 12,857; 13,511

Processing Information:

Processed by Kathryn A. Johnson, August 1981 and May 1985.

Catalog ID number: 990017152230104294

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

African Americans.

Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1862-1865.

Education -- Maine.

Education -- Minnesota.

Farmers' institutes.

Frontier and pioneer life -- Minnesota.

Railroads -- Design and construction.

Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)

Schools -- Maine.

Schools -- Minnesota.

Sibley Expedition, 1863.

Students -- Minnesota -- Nininger.

World War, 1914-1918.

World War, 1939-1945.

Persons:

Andrews, C. C. (Christopher Columbus), 1829-1922, author.

Bohler family.

Bowler, Burton Haskell, 1871-1952, author.

Bowler, Edna Beatrice, 1883-

Bowler, Elizabeth Caleff, 1841?-1931, author.

Bowler, Frank Leslie, 1877-1959.

Bowler, Joseph Smith, 1841-1889, author.

Butler, Katherine Clara Bowler, 1873-1971, author.

Caleff family.

Chaffey, Maggie E. Justason, author.

Croffut, W. A. (William Augustus), 1835-1915.

Donnelly, Ignatius, 1831-1901.

Donnelly, Ignatius, 1831-1901, author.

Gorman, Willis Arnold, 1816-1876.

Gregg, Oren Cornelius, 1845-1926.

Haskell, Sarah Frances Bowler, 1844-1908, author.

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875.

Justason family.

Law family.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.

Lowell, Sarah, circa 1795-, author.

Morlock family.

Polk, Sarah Childress, 1803-1891.

Skene family.

Skovholt, Anna Marie, 1941-, author.

Organizations:

Lincoln Farm Association.

Northern Pacific Railroad Company.

United States. Army. Colored Infantry Regiment, 113th.

United States. Army. Maine Infantry Regiment, 11th (1861-1866).

United States. Army. Maine Infantry Regiment, 22nd.

United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 1st (1861-1864).

United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 3rd (1861-1865).

Places:

Confederate States of Americirca

Bird Island (Minn.)

Fort Snelling (Minn.)

Indian Island (N.B.).

Lee (Me.)

Minnesota -- Politics and government.

New Brunswick.

Nininger (Minn.)

Saint Anthony (Hennepin County, Minn. : 1855-1872)

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns.

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Participation, African American.

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Public opinion.

Document Types:

Deeds.

Genealogies.

Letterheads.

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