Springfield-Greene
County LibraryCAPT. C. B. OWEN, Needmore, Mo., is one of the largest farmers and stock raisers in Greene County, and one of the old soldiers and pioneer citizens of this county. His farm contains 1,310 acres of mostly fine farm land and pasture. It is well watered, being on both banks of the James River and having six fine springs on different parts of the farm. There are about 500 acres cleared, and in either cultivation or pasture and the rest is covered with timber. The farm is stocked with 50 head of horses and mules, 75 head of cattle, 100 head of hogs and 75 head of sheep. This land was partially entered in 1838 by Solomon H. Owen, father of our subject, who was born in east Tennessee, December 12, 1797, in Sullivan County, near the Virginia line. Joseph Owen, his father, was reared in Pennsylvania, was of Welsh stock, and married a Pennsylvania Dutch woman, and moved to Sullivan County, Tenn., at an early day. He was a farmer and lived to be only thirty-five years of age, and was the father of Charles, Jesse, Solomon H., Hannah, Mary and Elizabeth. Solomon H., father of our subject, was married in Sullivan County, Tenn., to Mary E. Bushong, of Pennsylvania and German stock. After marriage Mr. Owen moved to middle Tennessee, where he owned a farm of 170 acres in Marshall County. In 1836 he moved with his family, a wife and five children, to this county, and settled on 400 acres, which be entered four miles northwest of Springfield. He entered in all about 2,000 acres in southwest Missouri, 200 acres of which is part of the farm of our subject. He gave all his children land. He was the owner of slaves like most of the early settlers from Tennessee. During the war much of his personal property was destroyed and he moved to Springfield in 1874 at seventy-seven years of age. Himself and wife were the parents of six children: Susannah A., George H. (died at the age of twenty-one), Pleasant B., Charles B., Jesse W. and William S. Both were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He was a Union man and Democratic in politics. Capt. Charles B. Owen, our subject, was born on his fathers farm in Marshall County, Tenn., February 28, 1827, and was nine years of age when he came to Missouri, was reared a farmer and received a common-school education. He married, Septemberl8,1856,Sarah E. Yarborough, and to them were born two children: John S. and Stephen A. Douglas. After marriage Mr. Owen settled on his present tract of land. He had previously been engaged in buying and selling Stock. In May, 1861, he organized a militia company of Home Guards in his township and was elected captain, and then he consolidated his company with another, and being younger than the other captain, accepted the position of first lieutenant. When the Union troops occupied Springfield Gen. Lyon appointed him as guide to the troops under Gen. Sigel to the battle field of Wilson's Creek, and was engaged in that fight. The Union troops having retreated to Raleigh, Capt. Owen at this place was enrolled with his company in United States service, and was commissioned by the governor of Missouri as first lieutenant in the United States Army. He was mustered into the service at Benton barracks. He was in a series of skirmishes. with the bushwhackers in southeast Missouri, and was afterward in service against Marmaduke in southeast Missouri and in skirmishes in different parts of Missouri and western Tennessee. At Columbus, Ky., his company did guard duty on the ordnance boat Gen. Grant, and then was on the March with Gen. Sherman through Mississippi; was on the Red River and at the occupation of Alexandria, also at the battle of Pleasant Hill, La., where his regiment lost all of its officers except the major, captain and second lieutenant, in killed and wounded, and lost one-third of the men. His own company lost one-half of their number in killed or wounded, and was then in severe skirmish fighting from April 9 to May 16, where the battle of Yellow Brow was fought; was afterward in a battle near Mineral Point, in Missouri; was sick and in hospital nine weeks at Memphis, and was mustered out and honorably discharged at St. Louis, October 14, 1864, and returned home. His wife died March 18, 1862, and be married, January 31, 1865, Nancy C. McCrodey, and they were the parents of eight children: Charles J., Rachel M., Margaret S. E., Alwilda M. J., George D., Francis W., W. E. and Joseph L. Since the war Mr. Owen has farmed and raised stock, and owns 1,310 acres of land in one body and 395 besides. Politically he is a Democrat and was sheriff in 1870-72 and 1874-76.
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