Caleb Tillinghast Bowen was born on June 18, 1832 in West Woodstock, Connecticut. He married Lydia Waterman Knight in 1856, and they settled in Wickford, Rhode Island, where their son Edward was born two and a half years later. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Caleb Bowen joined the Rhode Island 4th Regiment, where he would attain the rank of captain. Captured twice by Confederate troops, Bowen nevertheless survived the war, being finally mustered out of service on July 13, 1865. The Bowens then began moving westward. They were living in Wisconsin when Lydia died in 1888. Caleb Bowen then died in Portland, Oregon on December 9, 1906.
From the description of Caleb T. Bowen Papers, ca. 1853-1906 (bulk 1861-1865) (University of California, Santa Barbara). WorldCat record id: 173189264
