James Tinsley Bowen was born 31 January 1841 in Talbot County, Georgia, died 30 May 1913 in Temple, Texas, and is buried in Jena, Falls County, Texas.

He was the son of Stephen Bowen and Mary Permelia Clementine Killingsworth Bowen. He was given his grandmother's maiden name as his middle name. When James Tinsley was about five years old (about 1846) his parents moved from Georgia to Alabama and bought a farm of several hundred acres near Cottondale, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, upon which was built a cotton gin and a water mill to grind corn and wheat into meal for the family, neighbors and friends. James Tinsley had ten brothers and one sister. Seven of the brothers fought in the Civil War. Four were killed. (See BFC, Vol 3, No 2, pp 6-7, Sons of Stephen Bowen" by June Orr Reese.

JT Bowen was a member of Company F, 26th Alabama Infantry, which was joined to the 50th Alabama Infantry and later became the 22nd Alabama Infantry, Company K. He mustered in on 6 October 1861 and was paroled 01 May 1865 in Greensboro, North Carolina. James Tinsley Bowen was captured at Port Hudson, Louisiana, 9 July 1863. Service records do not indicate when he was released. One JT Bowen is shown in Capt Bains Company, Marshall County, Alabama 13 January 1863, age 20, farmer 6'3" with dark hair and gray eyes. Possibly this record may be for another JT Bowen assigned to the other North Alabama 26th.

On December 6, 1866 James Tinsley Bowen married Elizabeth Ann Lawless, born 05 August 1846, Alabama, daughter of Henry Lawless. They had six children: Margaret Permelia (Maggie), Young Pascal, Sarah Ann Frances, Amanda Syble "Manda", Stephen Willis and Henry Woodford. All of these children were born in Cottondale, Tuscaloosa County AL.

James Tensley and Elizabeth Ann moved their family from Alabama to Texas arriving in Burton, Washington County, Texas, December 1878. They traveled by train which used wood for fuel. Traveling with them was James Tinsley's brothers Joesph Franklin "Doc" Bowen, and Jasper Newton Bowen and a good friend Bill Mathis, who was the brother of Jasper Newton's wife. James Tinsleys sister, Sarah Frances, who married William Morgan Jennings had already moved to Texas. All were looking for more opportunities to make a living and build a new country.

Elizabeth Ann died the following Feb 1880 and is buried in the Lone Grove Cemetery near Llano, Texas. Two children, Sarah Frances and Amanda Syble preceded their mother in death.

In 1881, he married Mary L Berta "Bertie" Hewett, and to this union nine children were born: Mary Elizabeth, Maude, Jasper Tensely, Charley Columbus, James Newton, Seth Green, Snowie Myrtle, Joseph William and Mary L Berta "Little Bertie". Bertie died 16 Sept 1897 in childbirth.

Two years later, James Tensley married Mary Emma Means and had two more children: Walter and Garland Bowen.

James Tinsley Bowen converted at the age of 19 and joined the Baptist Church and lived as a true Christian through the succeeding years of an eventful life. His Mother gave him a New Testament when he left home for to enter the Civil War, which he kept with him often reading to and praying with Soldiers. He was often called upon to conduct funeral services for the soldiers. Early in life, he was a Master Mason, while loyal to this order, he was more loyal to the Church.