Billy Saxon Bowie

Personal and Family Information

Billy was born on 7 Nov 1915 in Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas, the son of Arthur Bowie and Eleanor Cornelia Simmons.^{[Note 2]}

He died on 26 Sep 1989 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.^{[Note 3]}

His wife was Emma Elsie Flynt, who he married on 7 FEB 1943 in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas. Their only known child was Arthur Flynt (1946-?).

Pedigree Chart (3 generations)

Events

Event	Date	Details	Source	Multimedia	Notes
Birth	7 NOV 1915	Place: Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas Address: 213 Elm St, born 10 PM, Nov 7, 1915 Arkansas Birth Certificate #945, dated 15 Nov 1915, certified copy dated Aug 17, 1942 in possession of Arthur F Bowie, 21 Aug 97		Birth Cert-Bowie,BillyS BirthCert-Bowie, BillyS 1915	See Note 2
Death	26 SEP 1989	Place: Searcy, White County, Arkansas Age: 73y, 10m, 21d Type: natural Address: Wife Emma and son Arthur present time of death. 2:30 A.M Cause: Acute Respiratory Insuffidiency Agency: Arkansas certificate of death #0075819 filed 3Oct1989		DeathCert-Bowie,BillyS	See Note 3
Census	9 JAN 1920	Place: Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas Age: 4 Address: 213 Elm Street, dwelling 165, family 186 Bowie, Arthur, head of family, owned house & free of mortgage, Male, white, 39 yrs, married, able to read & write, born Mississippi, father born Mississippi, mother born Mississippi, speaks english, Merchant of Groceries. -------Cora, wife, female, white, 31 yrs, married, able to read & write, born Arkansas, father born Fordia, mother born Arkansas, speaks english, no occp. -------Arthur J, son, male while, 9 yrs, single, attends school, born Arkansas, father born Mississippi, mother born Arkansas, no occp -------Billie, son, male, white, 4 yrs, single, born Arkansas, father born Mississippi, mother born Arkansas, no occp.	Census 1920 Arkansas, Jackson County , ED 71 Newport, ED 181 Breckendridge Twp Source: Census 1920 Arkansas, Jackson County , ED 71 Newport, ED 181 Breckendridge Twp Date: JAN 1920 Publisher: US Deptartment of Commerence
Census	4 APR 1930	Place: Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas Age: 14 b Ark Address: 213 Elm Street	Census 1930, Arkansas, Jackson Cty, Newport and Tuckerman Source: Census 1930, Arkansas, Jackson Cty, Newport and Tuckerman Date: APR 1930 Publisher: US Dept of Commerence	Census-1930, Arkansas, Jackson, Newport1 Census-1930, Arkansas, Jackson, Newport2
Census	6 APR 1940	Place: Woodruff County, Arkansas Age: 25 born Ark Address: dwelling 120 with parents and younger siblings	Census 1940 Arkansas, Woodruff County, Augusta City Source: Census 1940 Arkansas, Woodruff County, Augusta City Authors: US Federal Census Date: APR 1940
Burial	1989	Place: Woodruff County, Arkansas Age: 73y, 10m, 21d Type: Headstone Address: N 35° 17.350' W091° 21.726' WGS84 Augusta Memorial Park Cemetery west of Brown - Guy, Huston, and Eva, south of Sale - Helen and Kennady		Grav-BowBill
Residence	BET 1941 AND 1989	Place: Woodruff County, Arkansas Type: Brick House Address: 401 Magnolia Street,Augusta, Arkansas 72006 501-347-2356		Dwg-Augusta Street Map	See Note 4
Graduated	1933	Place: Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas Age: 18 Address: Walnut Street High School Newport, Arkansas	Newport, Arkansas HS Class Photo 1933 Source: Newport, Arkansas HS Class Photo 1933 Authors: PK Holmes Newport, Arkansas Date: 1933 Citation Date: 1933 Text: Newport Class Photo with names and cover letter by P.K. Holmes date January 10, 1964 in possession of Arthur F Bowie 6/2/98. Quality: Primary	Newport High School, Class of 1933 Doc-Bowie,Billy, High School Diploma
Will	2 OCT 1989	Place: Woodruff County, Arkansas Age: 73 Address: Filed for probate, Woodruff County Courthouse, Augusta, Arkansas			See Note 5
Other Event	1923	Place: Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas Age: 7 Address: Stream of History, July 1966, page 16 low quality Picture of Tom Thumb wedding with Billy and friends copy in genelogy file"Billy Bowie" in possession AFB Feb03		Tom Thumb Wedding, 1923	See Note 6
Other Event	1931	Place: Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas Age: 16 Address: Eagle Scout Boy Scouts of America
Other Event	BET 29 NOV 1940 AND 18 AUG 1941	Place: Omaha, Neb Age: 25 Type: Military Service Address: Entered in Little Rock Ark trained Ft Riley Ks per his father's obit Discharged Omaha, Neb Cause: death of father Agency: US Army	Certificate of Service 37060123 - Bowie B.S Source: Certificate of Service 37060123 - Bowie B.S Publisher: HQ 7th Corp Omaha Neb Citation Date: 3 APR 1945 Page: Certificate of Service 37060123 Text: Certificate of Service 37060123, filed for record 3 April 1945 HQ 7th Corp Omaha Neb. Recorded Woodruff county Arkansas Discharge book page 80, 3 April 1977. copy in possession of Arthur Bowie 1Jun98 Quality: Primary	Military - Bowie, Billy S	See Note 7
Other Event	15 SEP 1942	Place: Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee Age: 26 Address: First Solo in J3	Pilot's Log Book and Flight Record Source: Pilot's Log Book and Flight Record Authors: Billy Bowie		See Note 8

Attributes

Multimedia

Billy S Bowi...	Billy holdin...	Billy nappin...	Billy, Micke...	Billy with E...	Billy in kni...
Arthur with ...	Arthur with ...	Bobby, Billy...	Bowie Brothe...	Cora holding...	Bowie Brothers
DNA Match-Wa...	Guardianship...	Christmas Gi...

Notes

Note 1

Note 2

Billy recongized his father's handwriting on this birth certificate.

Arthur gives his age as 34, which indicates birth year 1881, and birth place Sanatobia, Mississippi. Billy is the third child

Note 3

Immediate cause:Acute Respiratory insufficiency

due to: congestive heart failure

due to: severe chronic obstructive lung disease

unoffical reflection by AFB; all due to many years heavy smoking and binge drinking.

Note 4

Lived in either Newport or Augusta lifelong, except for a few months in Army. Last and longest home in Newport was 213 Elm Street where his mother and youngest brother Mickey lived until after mother Cora died.

He and Emma married in 1942 and lived in rented space across from Methodist Church. In 1943 they bought house at 216 South Fourth in Augusta. A smaller house facing Mulberry Street was on the large lot and was used as rental property the whole time Billy and Emma lived there. Renters included Pint and Martha Thompson, Ed Flower, Mary Ann Davis and Bobby Brown.

June 1961, Billy contracted to install a Reynolds lifetime Aluminum roof. Credit application gives interesting details about work history for Billy and Emma. That aluminum roof was still on the house at 216 S 4th in 2006.

In 1972 they moved a few blocks north on 4th street to 401 Magnolia where they lived until Billy died.

Note 5

May 4, 1990 Order of final distribution filed in Woodruff County

Original Will in genelogy file "Billy Bowie" in possession AFB 2/5/2003

Note 6

Tom Thumb Wedding 1923.

Photo taken at the home of Mrs John W Stayton, 522 Walnut ST, Newport.

In front in white suit: Billy Stephens, ringbearer.

Front Row: Mary Wise, Fred Pickens, Elizabeth Rossington.

Second Row: Luther Bob Harrell, Howard Ridley, Virginia Hinkle, Groom Glenn Edgar, and Bride Jane Bandy. (Her son Herschal Cast was roommate with AFB at UA)

Third Row: Joe Findley, Maude Frances West, Walker Parish, Billy Bowie, Clay Gregory, Emily Watson

Top Row Minister Paul K Holmes, Alma Davis

Note 7

Billy service records and notes of WWII service of Piggy and Tay Schol in genelogy file "Billy Bowie" in possession AFB 2/5/2003.

37060123

Note 8

First flight 8/27/42 in a Taylorcraft at Little Rock. Then instruction filights at Memphis in J3 Cub 2 to 3 times per week until First Solo on 9/15/1942.

In 1946, the day before son Arthur was born in Little Rock, Billy logged 3.5 hours in a Cub shooting landings at McCory.

Private Pilot check ride successfully completed 4/21/1947 at Beebe.

Nothing logged between Sept 1949 and August 1959. Several flight in August, Sept, and October 1959, then none until Sept, Oct and Dec 1966.

Next activity began July 1973 and ended with last entry Jan 17, 1981 in Searcy..

Significant entry on May 18, 1975 in Cessna 172 N 5031R, round trip from August to Newton Kansas with Mr A. We went to see Beede Aircraft demo that he was buying. My logbook has more detail on that trip, 31R was a plane I rented in Jonesboro and made a few cross country trips in.

Nov 8, 1978 is another flight with son Arthur in a Cessna 172 N 2533Y from Searcy to Walnut Ridge to practice VOR tracking.

Note 9

June 15, 1977 Bill of Sale for store and laundry o Ralph Myers, Jr of McCory. Notarized by Max Bowie in Possession of Arthur F Bowie 6/1/98

Billy help father establish liquor stores twice in Augusta. First was 1935 in downtown in or near building that became Canon Drugstore. City voted dry, forced closure of first try.

Letter Billy to Arthur dated May 14, 1969 and notes of conversation dated 5/25/77 both in possession of Arthur F Bowie 6/2/98

Second store probably established about summer of 1937 based on BBB notes that family moved from Newport to Augusta after he finished 6th grade and that BBB was in Augusta for 7, 8, 9 and 10 years of school. Then back to Newport when father was killed in May 1941.

Note 10

Billy also owned a coin operated, self service laundry in downtown Augusta. He overbuilt , underestimated market size and operating costs. It was a separate corporation (Our Dime Laundry/Econ-O-Wash??) that went bankrupt early, was reformed and operated (Augusta Coin Laundry, Inc) for several years at break even or slight loss. I don't remember the years, but may have first started about 1959 and continued in one form or another until Billy retired and sold liquor store and laundry,-June 1977- Bank of Augusta ended up with the lot and building, in 2003 the space is a parking lot just north of the Bank.

Another venture that Billy tried was farming. In either late fortys or early fiftys he bought a small bottomland farm south of Augusta and had a tenant farmer operate it. I think the same tornado that devastated Judsona in early 1950s hit the tenant house and may have put him out of the farm business. He sold the land to Dr Rogers of Searcy who was accumulating a lot of farm land in those years.

The liquor store land described as “ Lots Ten, Eleven, and Twelve of Block One, of Winfield-Conner Addition to the City of Augusta, Arkansas” also know as US 64 Business East, between 9th and 10th streets. -901 East Main Street. Tax returns indicate the frame building was acquired in 1941 at cost of $400. Rent payments were reported to his mother, Mrs A Bowie of Newport, as her share of the liquor business for a few years.

The land downtown where Ben Franklin Store and coin laundry had been described as “The south half of Lot Seven , of Block 17, of the City of Augusta, Arkansas” also know as nw corner of North 2nd street and Locust St. Tax returns indicate the brick on this lot was aquired in 1943 at a cost of $6000 and produced rent income to Billy and Emma for many years. At first rent was from the Ben Franklin franchise in it until about 1959 when the laundry was put in. But even then, about 288 sq ft was rented to US gov for local Selective Service Office — friend, neighbor, also rent house tenant- Mary Anne Davis.

Sources

1. Census 1920 Arkansas, Jackson County , ED 71 Newport, ED 181 Breckendridge Twp

   Source:	Census 1920 Arkansas, Jackson County , ED 71 Newport, ED 181 Breckendridge Twp
   Date:	JAN 1920
   Publisher:	US Deptartment of Commerence

2. Census 1930, Arkansas, Jackson Cty, Newport and Tuckerman

   Source:	Census 1930, Arkansas, Jackson Cty, Newport and Tuckerman
   Date:	APR 1930
   Publisher:	US Dept of Commerence

3. Newport, Arkansas HS Class Photo 1933

   Source:	Newport, Arkansas HS Class Photo 1933
   Authors:	PK Holmes Newport, Arkansas
   Date:	1933
   Citation Date:	1933
   Text:	Newport Class Photo with names and cover letter by P.K. Holmes date January 10, 1964 in possession of Arthur F Bowie 6/2/98.
   Quality:	Primary

4. Census 1940 Arkansas, Woodruff County, Augusta City

   Source:	Census 1940 Arkansas, Woodruff County, Augusta City
   Authors:	US Federal Census
   Date:	APR 1940

5. Certificate of Service 37060123 - Bowie B.S

   Source:	Certificate of Service 37060123 - Bowie B.S
   Publisher:	HQ 7th Corp Omaha Neb
   Citation Date:	3 APR 1945
   Page:	Certificate of Service 37060123
   Text:	Certificate of Service 37060123, filed for record 3 April 1945 HQ 7th Corp Omaha Neb. Recorded Woodruff county Arkansas Discharge book page 80, 3 April 1977. copy in possession of Arthur Bowie 1Jun98
   Quality:	Primary

6. Pilot's Log Book and Flight Record

   Source:	Pilot's Log Book and Flight Record
   Authors:	Billy Bowie