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James Bowie (1796 - March 6, 1836), aka Jim Bowie, was a 19th century pioneer and soldier who took a prominent part in the Texas Revolution and was killed at the Battle of the Alamo. He was born in Kentucky, and spent most of his life in Louisiana before moving to Texas and joining in the revolution.
Bowie is also known for the style of knife he carried, which came to be known as the "Bowie knife". Stories of his frontier spirit has made him one of the most colorful folk heroes of Texas history.
Family history
Jim Bowie's grandfather, also named James, came to the British American colonies in 1742. In 1745 he married Sarah Whitehead and then moved to Georgia. They had a son named Rezin, who was named for a warrior king of Israel and who fought in the American Revolution. During the revolution, Rezin married Elve Jones in 1782 and they had ten children. They left Georgia and headed to present day Tennessee. On September 8, 1793 Rezin Bowie Jr. was born. Rezin Sr. then moved his family to Kentucky where James Bowie was born on or about April 10, 1796. Another son, Stephen, was born a year later.
Life
Bowie was born in Kentucky, likely on April 10, 1796, but spent most of his childhood in Louisiana. He was the child of Rezin Bowie and Elve Ap-Catesby Jones, who had previously settled in what is now called Catahoula Parish. During his early years, Bowie did a lot of hunting and fishing, and popular folklore says that he roped alligators, tamed wild horses, and trapped bears. In 1803 Rezin Sr. moved his family to St. Laundry Parish, Louisiana. The brothers James and Rezin Jr. signed up in the Louisiana militia company of Col. Colman Martin to fight the British at New Orleans. James and his brother arrived too late, the battle was over. The Treaty of Ghent officially ended the War of 1812. Rezin married Margaret F. Neville in 1814 and the couple had five children. Their father, Rezin Bowie Sr. died in 1821. Rezin would die on January 17, 1841.
After the war, Bowie and his brother headed to the Texas coast and met up with the infamous French pirate Jean Lafitte to buy and sell illegal slaves. The U.S. government had passed a law in 1808 outlawing the importation of slaves into the U.S. James and Rezin, Jr. became quite wealthy from the several trades that happened afterwards, stopping when they had made $65,000, a considerable sum at that time. After quitting the illegal slave importation business, Bowie moved on to illegal land speculation. He settled in Rapides Parish, Louisiana in 1814.
During the period before the Texas Revolution, Bowie had all sorts of adventures, including his famous search for the silver mines of San Saba, which proved unsuccessful. Also during this time, he became embroiled in many fights and was known for his fiery temper. Rezin Bowie gave him the now-legendary Bowie Knife, a huge blade that was ten and one-half inches long and two inches wide.
Bowie's first famous display of courage was participating in a brawl near Natchez, Mississippi where several people died and he himself was wounded. This fight, called the Sandbar Fight, snowballed from a duel between Samuel Levi Wells III and Dr. Thomas Maddox. The two men shot at each other with no ill effect. An onlooker, named Alexander Crain, fired at another bystander, Samuel Cuny, who was hit. Bowie then shot at Crain, but missed him. A local banker named Norris Wright fired and hit Bowie in the lower chest. Bowie, ignoring the injury, was said to have chased Wright with his Bowie Knife. During the skirmish, several people assaulted Bowie with their knives, but Bowie with his long blade stabbed them back. It was here that he got his reputation for being a superb knife-fighter. Not surprisingly, his large blade became known as a very formidable weapon. Men all over Texas were asking blacksmiths to make knives for them that were like Bowie's.
Bowie married Ursula de Veramendi (daughter of the Govenor of the province of Texas) in 1831, and they settled in San Antonio. In September 1833, while Bowie was away in Natchez (and suffering from Yellow Fever), Ursula Bowie and their child (in addition to her parents), died during an outbreak of cholera. Afterward, Bowie reportedly turned to the bottle.
By the time he was killed at the Battle of the Alamo at the age of 38, Bowie was suffering from advanced consumption (tuberculosis).
Miscellaneous
David Robert Jones, an aspiring rock star in the 1960's, feared his name was too similar to Davie Jones, a member of The Monkees. David Jones chose to use the stage name "Bowie" after Jim Bowie, and subsequently became David Bowie.
Further reading
- Edmondson, J.R.; The Alamo Story-From History to Current Conflicts; Republic of Texas Press; ISBN 1-55622-678-0
- Hopewell, Clifford; James Bowie-Texas Fighting Man; Eakin Press; ISBN 0-89015-881-9
External links
- James Bowie Perspectives - Perspective and mythology of James Bowie
"Jim Bowie"