This information from the Texas State Library indexes Bowens' that filed for claims with the Republic of Texas between the years of 1835-1846. Claims include the paperwork required to verify goods or services provided to the Republic in order to receive payment.

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Introduction to the Republic Claims archived at the Texas State Library   About the Republic Claims The Republic Claims series of Comptroller's records includes claims for payment, reimbursement, or restitution submitted by citizens to the Republic of Texas government from 1835 through 1846. It also includes records relating to Republic pensions and claims against the Republic submitted as public debt claims after 1846. The files include supporting documents such as vouchers, financial accounts, military records, receipts, notes, or letters. These historic records from the Republic era have been microfilmed to preserve the highest image quality, and the entire series has been meticulously indexed by staff in the Archives and Information Services Division. The records comprise four groups of payments made for services rendered during the period 1835-1846: Audited Claims, Republic Pensions, Public Debt Claims, and Unpaid Claims. Because the actual Republic Claims are extremely fragile, access to the records is restricted to high-quality microfilmed copies of the documents. This Online Database provides the Reel and Frame location of more than 48,500 indexed names. The microfilm reels are available through interlibrary loan and, to view in person, at the Genealogy Collection of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Microfilming and indexing for the Republic Claims project were made possible by two generous grants from the Summerlee Foundation.   What are Republic Claims? The Republic Claims are made up of papers submitted to the Texas Comptroller or Treasurer to document or to verify goods or services provided to the government of the Republic of Texas in order to receive payment. Records in the claims include the following: a. Documentation of attendance in an official capacity at any of the conventions, beginning with the Consultation in November 1835, the Convention of 1836, and the Annexation Convention of 1845. b. Documentation of services as an elected or appointed national official or as an employee in the executive, legislative or judicial department-in other words, any government employee or office holder on the national level from a clerk to the president-between November 1835 and February 1846. c. Documentation for military service or association with any military engagement during the period October 1835 through 1845. d. Documentation concerning any goods or services (other than military) provided to the Republic government. e. Documentation supporting pay for special services, such as acting as a witness in county court cases, and for payments authorized by special relief acts. f. Documentation of specific services during the Republic period submitted in support of a Republic pension application. Who could receive payment for a Republic Claim? Once a person's right to receive a payment for goods or services provided the government during the Republic period (1835-1846) was established by the Comptroller or the Treasurer, a voucher would be issued. The payment could be made to a. The person who performed the service or provided the goods b. That person's assignee-someone designated by the original claimant to receive the payment instead of himself. (Because the Republic government was usually broke, claimants would frequently sell their vouchers at a lower rate to a buyer who could supply immediate cash.) c. That person's attorney. d. That person's legal heir(s) e. An entity rather than an individual. Vouchers were issued to the Steamer Savannah, the Tow Boat Daniel Webster, and the Richmond Telescope. What types of claims were filed? The Republic Claims are divided into four series: Audited Claims, Public Debt Claims, Republic Pensions, and Unpaid and Miscellaneous Claims. Audited Claims (1835-1846) Claims that were submitted to the Comptroller or Treasurer of the Republic, that were audited and approved (or allowed) and paid by that government during the Republic Period are considered Audited Claims. The series includes both civil and military claims. The services and the payments for these services date between 1835 and 1846. Republic-era claims that were not paid until after Annexation are included in Public Debt Claims described below. More information about the requirements for submitting claims to the Republic government may be found on the Laws About Republic Claims page. Public Debt Claims (1848-ca. 1860) Claims for services or goods provided between 1835 and 1846 that could not be paid before Annexation in 1845 were eventually paid as Public Debt Claims, mainly from the 1850 Boundary Compromise money awarded Texas in exchange for the territory it lost. The chief difference-apart from the payment date-between the Audited and Public Debt Claims is that many of the claims were settled by issuing one voucher to cover the separate claims of a large number of persons who had performed the same service. For example, Public Debt voucher 1634 covers payment for "Balance of Pay for Service as Minute Man in 1841." The voucher pays the debt described in certificates #3396 (John Anderson) through #3569 (Patrick Quinn)--173 certificates. The voucher and the entry in the Public Debt Warrant Register are in the name of the first certificate issued: John Anderson. All the information regarding the 173 men and their service as Minute Men, as well as documentation of attorneys and heirs, will be found in this one record. Additional information on the laws relating to Public Debt may be found on the Laws About Republic Claims page. Republic Pensions (1870-ca. 1900) Pensions for service to the Republic were not generally awarded before the 1870s, although the congress or the legislature might, in an act passed during a legislative session, authorize a special pension for an individual. At first pensions were confined to "Each and every surviving veteran of the revolution which separated Texas and Mexico, including the Mier prisoners," Beginning in 1874, pension acts added later military services that would qualify pension applicants, but these acts required that the pensioner be indigent to qualify. Information on the pension laws and their different requirements and payments may be found on the Laws About Republic Claims page. Unpaid and Miscellaneous Claims Although claims submitted to the government that were not audited or allowed may be found in the Unpaid and Miscellaneous Claims, the "unpaid" designation in this series usually refers to the absence in the file of any record of the final disposition of the claim or the inquiry. The series also includes records that do not fit into the Audited, Public Debt, or Pension Claims series. The most noteworthy of these are letters received by the Commissioner/Court of Claims between 1856 and 1861.   What records will I find? Audited Claims An Audited Claim file can contain any or all of the following: Claim vouchers Official authorization of services or purchases Auditor's affidavits War Department Pay Certificate Discharge Assignment of benefits Power of Attorney Pay Accounts Invoices Court dockets Potentially, these documents can provide such information as the name of the claimant; amount of claim; dates filed, approved, and issued; authorizing official; type of materials or services provided; rank, company and company commander; dates of service; date enlisted and date discharged. Some files have only the endorsement wrapper showing the number of the voucher, the type and amount of the claim, the date approved, the date paid, the authorizing government official, and the signature of the person receiving the warrant. Public Debt The Public Debt files usually include one or more of the following: Public Debt Certificates (1st, 2nd, or 3rd class) Affidavits concerning service Power of attorney Petitions to Legislature Acts for the relief of an individual Partial or complete lists of soldiers for whom payment was being collected by a single    individual--usually a company commander Invoices Court dockets These records, in turn, can give some or all of the following information: name, nature of service or type of debt, amount owed by Republic of Texas, amount allowed by State of Texas, endorsement (which could include supporting information concerning the claim or claimant), and amount of interest. Where multiple claimants are paid with a single voucher, the typical file arrangement is 1) a muster roll, company list, list of claimants, etc., that gives all the names associated with the claim. Often these lists include the signature of the claimant or his attorney or his heir, indicating receipt of the person's money. 2) the Public Debt Certificates and related matter, arranged in the order of the muster roll/list of claimants. All documents relating to an individual (affidavits of service, powers of attorney, probate information, etc.) are filed immediately in front of his public debt certificate. Some Public Debt files, because of their size, are filmed on two reels. File 1634, for example covers payment for "Balance of Pay for Service as Minute Man in 1841." The voucher includes certificates #3396 (John Anderson) through #3569 (Patrick Quinn)-173 certificates. The initial list of claimants is filmed on Reel 132 Frames 528-534. The entire claim includes Frames 527 - 718 on Reel 132 and Frames 7 - 141 on Reel 133. Pension Claims Statements of military service found in these files are among the most detailed in the Republic records. Affidavits testifying to the applicant's worthiness also provide considerable personal information. The files can include Affidavit of service (usually handwritten, detailed accounts) Transcript of County Court ruling on validity of the claim Certification of continuing indigence Certified copies of muster rolls (occasional) Powers of attorney Pension Certificate Oath of identity Widow's Application (1883 or later) These records can provide name of claimant, date filed, by whom filed, disposition, amount of pension, company commander, service information, age, residence, heir's name, husband's name (for widow's pension), date of death, widow's age, widow's residence (county). The fact that a person has a Republic Pension file does not guarantee that he or she received a Republic pension. Unpaid and Miscellaneous Claims This group of records contains a variety of documents. Cover letters for inquiries addressed to the Court or Commissioner of Claims about    the validity of land certificates issued to veterans Claims for compensation for Indian or Mexican depredations Applications for a veteran's pension Claims for military service pay The letters to the Court or commissioner of Claims do not contain personal information: they note that certain numbered land scrip certificates were being forwarded to the Claims Court. Neither the land script certificates nor information about the outcome of these inquiries are in the holdings of the Texas State Library. A few files have nothing in them but the "wrapper" once used to enclose documentation. When that occurs, the "Claim Number" field will show "Wrapper #xxx." The wrapper has only a name or names and a file number: it has little or no research value.   How were the claims indexed? What names were indexed? The names indexed as either Claimant Name or Name Mentioned include most, but not always all of the names found on documents in a claim file record. Normally, the indexed names include Claimant name(s) Persons associated with the claim, either as claimants or as persons associated with the    transaction (such as names found on a county court docket, names of persons who received    the supplies purchased, etc.) Person(s) certifying or affirming claimant's testimony Appraisers Attorneys Heirs Plaintiffs and witnesses in court cases Court officials, including judges and sheriffs Commanding officers Texas auditor, comptroller, or treasurer when that official or those officials do more than the    routine work associated with auditing a claim Government officials associated with a claim Ships or newspapers Names were not indexed when they were for Witnesses to signatures on a document An official signing a pay warrant for routine salary claims from one of his departmental staff An Adjutant General verifying a military claim Spelling of names found in the documents The spelling of a name in either the Claimant Name or the Name Mentioned column duplicates the actual spelling on the document with only two exceptions: a. names of prominent Texas officeholders were entered fully, although they may have used a variant signature on the document itself. Therefore, signatures like "T.J. Rusk" or "S.F. Austin" have been spelled out as "Thomas Jefferson Rusk" and "Stephen Fuller Austin." b. names of commanding officers have been reduced to a uniform spelling to allow a researcher to access all military references with a single search. John Chenoweth, then has entries under Chenoweth, John (Capt.) Chenoweth, John (Maj.) Chenoweth (Capt.) Chenoweth (Maj.) However, where John Chenoweth's name is associated with a claim in a "civilian" capacity, it is left in the original spelling. So, he appears in other claims as Chanyworth, John Chenawoth, John Cheneworth, John as well as "Chenoweth, John." The name spelling in the Claimant Name column reflects the way recipient's name is spelled on the claim voucher. This version is not always the correct or even the most common way a person spelled his name-but it is the official "name" for the claim. Any variant spelling of the "voucher" name that appears in the file is indexed in the Name Mentioned column. Thus a Barrett may appear in the same record as Barret or even Barnet. Foreign names can have even more creative spellings: Thomas Chadoin's name is also spelled Shadoin and Shadowen. When checking for a name, be sure to check all possible variants. The spellings used in the Name Mentioned column duplicate the name spellings found on the various documents that make up the file. If a name appears familiar, but a letter or an initial is incorrect, check that reference as well. Handwriting is often difficult to read and the condition of many of the documents is so poor that letters could only be guessed at. In general, the following groups of letters can easily be substituted for one another: M or m for W or w N for W or for H (and vice versa) L for S I for J J for G C for G F for T T for Y i for e u for n a for o or u r for v r for n Uriah Irwin Bullock's name has been frequently misidentified as W.J. Bullock because of the way the "U.I." initials look on a document. Some claims are issued to persons with no surnames: Agnes (Slave) Catfish (an Indian) Jack (a Delaware Indian) Jane (a Mulatto) Jose Maria (a Mexican) Stephen ("a Black Man") Where a name was only partially legible, the legible portion of the name is provided and a guess at the missing letters added, enclosed in brackets, e.g. Camp[bell?], Joseph. If you have not found the name in the regular sort, check also for such bracketed variants. A Find Any search on "[" will locate the relevant names. How do I borrow or view the microfilm? Once you've determined which reels of microfilm contain the files you wish to view, contact your local library to arrange an interlibrary loan. When requesting film, provide your library with the reel numbers you wish to borrow. Up to six reels may be borrowed at a time. Specific regulations for interlibrary loan vary by individual library, so call or visit your local library for details. In Austin, you may also view the microfilm in the Genealogy Collection of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, located just east of Capitol at 1201 Brazos Street. The Genealogy Collection is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but closed on Sundays and Mondays.

The records comprise four groups of payments made for services rendered during the period 1835-1846:
Audited Claims, Republic Pensions, Public Debt Claims, and Unpaid Claims.

Claimant Name	Type	Claim Number	Name Mentioned	Reel	First	Last
Bowen, A. R.	PD	1067		138	724	730
Bowen, A. R.	PD	339		138	718	723
Bowen, Eli A.	AU	4148		10	15	20
Bowen, G. B.	PD	312		139	7	11
Bowen, John	AU	2854		123	222	224
Bowen, John	AU	753		10	21	25
Bowen, John	AU	8043		10	26	29
Bowen, John	AU	8055		10	30	32
Bowen, John	AU	8331		10	33	34
Bowen, John	AU	9043		10	35	36
Bowen, Smith	PD	1001		139	12	17
Bowen, Smith	PE	N/A		204	149	155
Bowen, Sylvester	AU	757		10	37	43
Bowen, T. J.	PE	N/A		204	156	159
Bowen, T. J.	PE	N/A	Bowen, Thomas J. (Lt.)	204	157	159
Bowen, T. J.	PE	N/A	Bowen, Thomas J. (Lt.)	204	157	159
Bowen, Thomas J.	AU	7882		10	44	47
Bowen, Thomas J.	AU	7882		127	423	427
Bowen, Thomas J.	AU	7882	Bowen, Thomas J. (Lt.)	127	424	427
Bowen, Thomas J.	AU	8630		10	48	50
Bowen, William	PD	1196		139	18	24
Bowen, William	PD	1196	Bowen, William (Capt.)	139	19	24
Bowen, William	UN	N/A		248	621	624
Bowen, William R.	PD	1902		139	25	33
Bowen, William R.	PD	1902	Bowen, William R. (Maj.)	139	26	33
Boyle, Bowen	AU	8087		10	374	377

Name Mentioned	Type	Claim Number	Claimant Name	Reel	First	Last
Bowen (Capt.)	AU	5432	Garret, Dickerson	34	432	437
Bowen (Capt.)	PD	1317	Fowler, William H.	153	574	593
Bowen (Capt.)	PD	1889	Grace, Morgan	156	648	648
Bowen (Capt.)	PD	2406	Patrick, William	178	484	484
Bowen (Capt.)	UN	N/A	Jackson, J. M.	252	429	429
Bowen, A. R.	PD	1899	Fowler, William H.	153	634	634
Bowen, A. R.	PD	2607	Fowler, William H.	153	667	667
Bowen, A. R.	PD	3092	Fowler, William H.	153	677	677
Bowen, Adam R.	PD	1318	Willis, Richard S.	197	422	474
Bowen, Adam R.	PD	2811	Millican, John H.	174	55	55
Bowen, Adam R.	PD	2991	Waller, Edwin	193	643	648
Bowen, Adam R.	PD	2991	Waller, Edwin	199	230	230
Bowen, Edward L. Sr.	PE	N/A	Bardwell, Solomon	202	25	29
Bowen, J. W.	AU	4160	Keating, John	55	596	596
Bowen, John	PD	141	Sanchez, B. C.	183	656	679
Bowen, John	PD	1968	Fisher, Samuel W.	153	27	33
Bowen, John	UN	N/A	Flores, Juan Jose	251	60	60
Bowen, John	UN	N/A	Pleasants, John	255	390	391
Bowen, John	UN	N/A	Taylor, S. J.	257	214	214
Bowen, John C.	PD	638	Price, William B.	180	563	563
Bowen, Moses B.	PD	2347	Davenport, James	148	102	102
Bowen, Nancy	PD	2347	Davenport, James	148	102	102
Bowen, R.	AU	1598	Stevenson, Robert	100	628	629
Bowen, Robert	AU	800	Stevenson, Robert	100	584	588
Bowen, Smith	PD	1399	Grover, George W.	158	105	105
Bowen, Smith	PD	911	Cox, Thomas W.	146	368	368
Bowen, Smith	PE	N/A	Erhard, Antonio M.	214	254	258
Bowen, Thomas (Lt.)	AU	3073	Byington, Whiting	14	265	265
Bowen, Thomas (Lt.)	AU	3278	Mooney, John	73	300	301
Bowen, Thomas (Lt.)	AU	3362	Sculley, John	93	80	80

This information which was placed on the Bowen family web on July 1, 2002 was gleaned from the files of the Texas State Library on-line

The Bowen family web was created and is maintained by
Benjamin Bowen.
[ AKA Crazy Uncle Ben ]

The Bowen family web
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