Duwa'li 'John' Bowles, Sr., Principal Chief

Section 1

Duwa'li 'John' Bowles was a Cherokee man

Disputed Origins

All that is known of his father is that he was a white trader from North Carolina possibly named John Bowles and an unnamed Cherokee woman.

Biography

Duwal'i was born about 1756 in the Cherokee Nation, the son of a white trader, John Bowles, and a Cherokee woman. According to Emmet Starr, his father was killed when he was about 12 years old. [1] He became the head man of a town on the Hiwassee River in the Cherokee Nation (now Tennessee). In 1810 he moved to Arkansas with a group of 63 other Cherokee. [2] The group settled on Petit Jean Creek in Arkansas, but over time they moved south, settling near the Trinity River in Texas by 1821. Other disaffected Cherokee joined them and built communitines around what is now Nacogdoches, Texas. When Texas became a republic the Cherokee signed a treaty with the Texas government which promised them a permanent home in Texas, but by 1839 the Cherokees were notified that they were being expelled from Texas. Many of the Cherokee moved north to Indian Territory, but Duwali asked to remain until crops could be harvested and the families could move in an orderly fashion. The Texans refused, and in an ensuing battle, Duwali was killed by a Texas militiaman. Over one hundred Cherokee and their Shawnee, Delaware, and Kickapoo allies had been killed. [3] Some of the survivors moved to Indian Territory, others moved south into Mexico.

Duwali had at least three wives, Jennie, Oo-loo-tsa, and Oo-ti-yu and about fifteen children,John, French, Nellie, Lightningbug, To noo ne ski, Wagon/Duqulilu, Quatini, Tsagina, Rebecca, Samuel, Eliza, Nannie, Standing, and James. [4]

Chief Bowles told Martin Lacy, the Indian agent "If I fight, the whites will kill me. If I refuse to fight, my own people will kill me. I have led my people for a long time and I feel that it is my duty to stand by them regardless of what fate might befall me." Lacy accused the Indians of stealing, committing certain murders and of cooperating with Mexican rebels. He also stated that Texans would pay the Indians for the relocating move and for their improvements but nothing for the land. Needless to say, the Indian council chose to fight for their rights.

Death Jul 16, 1839 Battle of the Neches, the last battle fought btwn Texas Cav. and the Cherokee Nation. He was not buried, but a monument was erected in his memory in Van Zandt County, Texas. [5]

The Battle of the Neches, by Donald M. Yena

This map is from the book, The Savage Frontier II, by Stephen L. Moore
(Curator Note: There is an obvious geographical error in this map, Van Zandt County was not in existence until 1848. In 1848, Henderson County was split into three counties: Kaufman, Van Zandt, and what remained as Henderson County.) The Battle of Neches took place at "headwaters of the Neches River in present-day Van Zandt County.

Chief Bowles’s sword (which was given to him by Sam Houston) was retrieved and eventually sent back to Sam Houston, who sent the sword to the Masonic Lodge in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Research Notes:

• Residence (1777) St. James District, Caswell County, NC
• Burial Van Zandt County, Texas, United States of America (Curator Note: Duwali John was not buried, his body was left on the battlefield where he died.) A Texas Historical Marker was erected on the site of the battle in Van Zandt County in 1968\
• Duwa'li is sometimes referred to as Colonel Bowles. It must be pointed out that the title of Colonel was provided by the Mexicans as part of the expected support of his band of Cherokee against the Republic of Texas.

Sources

↑ Starr, Emmet. History of the Cherokee Indians. Oklahoma Yesterday Publications edition, Tulsa, OK. 1979. pp. 473-473
↑ Records of the Cherokee Indian Agency in Tennessee, 1801-1835. National Archives and Records Administration. Image at Fold3 Amos Eagle Elliston
↑ Blackburn, King, and Morton. Cherokee Nation: A History of Survival, Determination, and Identity. Cherokee Nation, 2018. pp. 80-84
↑ Starr, "History," pp. 372-373
↑ Find A Grave, database, and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 14 December 2018), memorial page for Chief Diwali Bowles (1756–16 Jul 1839), Find A Grave Memorial no. 8378875, citing Chief Bowles Monument, Van Zandt County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .

See also:
"Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 09 February 2019, 16:30), entry for Chief Duwal'i Bold Hunter John BOWLES Sr(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:GMQ8-DD5); contributed by various users.

Source: The WikiTree Native American Project @ https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bowles-355
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Section 2

Bowles

11 John Bowles. Jennie, Oo-loo-tsa and Oo-ti-yu. A33
1112 John Bowles. Jennie.
2 French Bowles. *
3 Nellie Bowles. *

Starrs Notes:
A29. Teesee Guess was born in 1789. This second wife Rebecca Bowles was born in 1816. She died on October 12, 1866 and he died on September 17, 1867.

A33. John Bowles was the son of a Scotch trader and a full blood Cherokee woman. His father was killed and robbed by two North Carolinans while on his way home from Charlestown with goods for his establishment. This murder was in 1768 when the son was only twelve years of age, but within the next two years the fair complexioned, auburn haired boy had killed both of his father's slayers. Bowles settled at Runningwater Town, one of the Chicamauga settlements near Lookout Mountain and at this place he became involved in an altercation with some pioneers who were floating down the Tennessee River and killed all the boatmen in June 1794. Bowles and his followers now manned the boats and navigated them down to the mouth of St. Francis River in the Spanish province of Louisiana.
On arriving at their destination they placed all of the White women and children in a boat, relinquished to them all of the furniture which they claimed and allowed them to descend the Mississippi River to New Orleans.
Bowles and his followers joined the Cherokees that had lived in that locality for many years and he became their Chief in 1795 a position he held until 1813. On account of the earthquake that centered in their settlement in the winter of 1811-12, the Cherokees moved enmass to the country between Arkansas and White Rivers and a few of them settled south of the former stream. In accordance with the United States Cherokee treaties the limits of the Cherokee country was marked in the spring of 1819 by William Rector, Surveyor General of Arkansas and because it was not extended to include his town on Petit Jean Creek, on the south side of Arkansas River, Bowles with some sixty townsmen and their families emigrated in the winter of 1819-20 to the Spanish colony of Texas and settled between the Trinity and Angelina Rivers. They staid in Texas until July 16, 1839 when Bowles was killed and his colony evicted.

Source: Starr, Emmett. “History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folklore.” Warden Company, 1922.
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Section 3

JOHN BOWLES, SR, CHIEF(_____1) was born Abt. 1746, and died July 16, 1839 in Van Zant County, Texas. (Curator dvb Note: VAn Zant County was created in 1848 9 years after the death of John Bowles and the name used today, from the division of the larger Henderson County. The location of John's death was in Henderson County in 1839.)

• He married (1) U-LU-TSA Abt. 1784, daughter of DA-TSI and E-LI-SI. She was born Abt. 1760.
• He married (2) JENNIE DUE Abt. 1796, daughter of ROBERT DUE and ELIZABETH EMORY. She was born Abt. 1766.
• He married (4) U-TI-YU VANN Abt. 1812, daughter of VANN. She was born Abt. 1786.
• Starr, A33, pg 472: John Bowles was the son of a Scotch trader and a full-blood Cherokee woman. His father was killed and robbed by two North Carolinians while on his way home from Charlestown with goods for his establishment. This murder was in 1768 when the son was only twelve years of age, but within the next two years the fair-complexioned, auburn-haired boy had killed both his father's slayers.
  • ********************
• The Texas Cherokees, p10-11;" In January [1810] Duwali, also known as Bowl and Bold Hunter, chief of the Town of Little Hiwassee (on the Hiwassee river, now western NC) and another headman named Saulowee (Tsu-lawi or Fox) jointly conducted a group of seventy-five from their villages... Duwali's and Takatoka's people settled along the White and St Francis rivers in present-day northeast Arkansas.

The Texas Cherokees, p99;" Bob Smith, with a pistol in his hand, ran toward him from further down the line...I called 'Captain, don't shoot him' but he fired, striking Bowles in the head and killing him instantly."
(John Hunter Reagan, an eyewitness to Duwali's death, 7/16/1839). (Curator dvb Note: It's important to note here that 1) an article in theTexas Ranger Dispatch Magazine titled Rangers of the Cherokee War by Stephen L. Moore presents it this way "By the time a halt was called in the late afternoon on the Neches battlefield, an estimated 100 Indians had been killed, including Chief Bowles of the Cherokees. He was shot several times, including by “buck and ball” by Private Henry Conner of Madison Smith’s Nacogdoches County Rangers. Former Ranger Captain William T. Sadler was also among those who fired a musket shot which hit the 83-year-old chief. One of the militia captains, whose father-in-law had been killed by Indians, then placed his musket to Bowles’ head and dispatched the Cherokee leader.", not identifying anyone by name, only that a Capt. Smith was a detachment commander of 68 men, and 2) the text cited above is from the autobiography of John Henninger Reagan, the Wikipedia bio for this person mentions nothing about involvement with the Cherokee, the Texas State Historical Association says only that "Soon after arrival (in Nacogdoches) however, he became involved in the Cherokee War and, on July 15, 1839, participated in an engagement in which the Indians were routed and their leader, Chief Bowl, was killed. Hardly consistent evidence I would submit.)

• The Texas Cherokees, p127;" Born about 1756 of a Scottish father and full blood Cherokee mother...
  • ********************
• Myths of the Cherokee, p146; Christmas day 1839, in a fight on Cherokee Creek, San Saba Co, ...captured were the wife & family of The Bowl.
  • ********************
• When Diwali saw that his people were going to be overrun, he rode to the rear of his small army of warriors and there he waited for the advancing Texans. The 83-year-old chief rode with the sword and hat given to him by his friend Sam Houston. (The sword is now in the Masonic Lodge in Tahlequah Oklahoma.) The old Chief was shot and knocked off his horse, and he rolled over to a sitting position. While he sat on the ground singing his war song, a Captain Smith rode up, stepped off his horse, and shot the old warrior in the head with a pistol. The Texans would not allow his body to be removed. The bones of the old Chief remained exposed and on the ground until the late 1800s.
  • ********************
• On the "Houston" Treaty of Feb 23, 1836

Chief Bowles places his X mark with the name of Colonel Bowl his son, John, places his X mark with the name of John Bowl

• Aka (Facts Pg): Duwa'li, John Bowles, The Bowl, Bold Hunter, Chief Bowles/Boles/ Bowl, Colonel Bowles
• Blood: 1/2 Cherokee, 1/2 Scottish
• Cause of Death: shot in the head by Cap Bob Smith
• Chief 1: Bet. 1810 - 1813, Principal Chief, CN-Arkansas
• Chief 2: Bet. 1827 - 1832, Principal Chief, CN-Texas
• Emigration 1: January 1810, from North Carolina to Arkansas
• Emigration 2: 1824, from Arkansas into Texas, across the Red river
• Signer 1: 1791, Treaty of Holston
• Signer 2: February 23, 1836, Houston Treaty (never ratified)
• Starr's Notes: B669

More About U-LU-TSA:

• Clan: Ani'-Wâ'di = Red Paint Clan (Aisley)

Notes for JENNIE DUE:

• "The Texas Cherokee", Dianna Everett, Univ of OK Press, p146;

"interesting to note... Talihina's mother (John Roger's wife) was named Jennie Due; coincidentally one of Duwali's three wives was named Jennie (the other two were Utsuta and Utiyu).It is possible that Duwali married Jennie Due after the death of John Rogers thereby becoming Talihina's "father".

• Clan: Ani'-Gilâ'hi = Twisters, Braids, or Long Hair Clan (Mary Grant)

Children of JOHN BOWLES and U-LU-TSA are:
2. i. LIGHTNINGBUG3 BOWLES, b. Abt. 1784.

	ii.	 	DU-NU-NE-S-GI BOWLES, b. Abt. 1786.

	More About DU-NU-NE-S-GI BOWLES:

Clan: Ani'-Wâ'di = Red Paint Clan (Aisley)
3. iii. STANDING MAN BOWLES, b. Abt. 1788.

	iv.	 	QUA-TI-NI BOWLES, b. Abt. 1790.

	More About QUA-TI-NI BOWLES:

Clan: Ani'-Wâ'di = Red Paint Clan (Aisley)
4. v. TSA-GI-NA BOWLES, b. Abt. 1792.

Children of JOHN BOWLES and JENNIE DUE are:

	vi.	 	JOHN3 BOWLES, JR, b. Abt. 1796; d. July 1839, Texas; m. JENNIE; b. Abt. 1800.

	Notes for JOHN BOWLES, JR:

• On the "Houston" Treaty of Feb 23, 1836
• John places his X mark with the name of John Bowl and John's father places his X mark with the name of Colonel Bowl
• Clan: Ani'-Gilâ'hi = Twisters, Braids, or Long Hair Clan (Mary Grant)
• Signer: February 23, 1836, Houston Treaty (never ratified)

	vii.	 	FRENCH BOWLES, b. Abt. 1798.

	More About FRENCH BOWLES:

Clan: Ani'-Gilâ'hi = Twisters, Braids, or Long Hair Clan (Mary Grant)

	viii.	 	NELLIE BOWLES, b. Abt. 1800.

	More About NELLIE BOWLES:

Clan: Ani'-Gilâ'hi = Twisters, Braids, or Long Hair Clan (Mary Grant)

	ix.	 	STANDING BOWLES, b. Abt. 1802.

	More About STANDING BOWLES:

Clan: Ani'-Gilâ'hi = Twisters, Braids, or Long Hair Clan (Mary Grant)
Residence: 1845, on the Red river, TX
5. x. JAMES BOWLES, b. Abt. 1804, Texas; d. April 1871.

Child of JOHN BOWLES, SR, CHIEF is:
6. xi. STANDING IN THE MIDDLE3 BOWLES, b. Abt. 1808; d. Bef. 1895.

Children of JOHN BOWLES and U-TI-YU VANN are:
7. xii. SAMUEL3 BOWLES, b. Abt. 1812.
8. xiii. REBECCA DU-GA BOWLES, b. 1816; d. October 12, 1866.
9. xiv. _____ BOWLES, b. Abt. 1818.

	xv.	 	NANNIE BOWLES, b. Abt. 1820; m. GEORGE CHISHOLM; b. Abt. 1830.

10. xvi. ELIZA BOWLES, b. Abt. 1823.

Source: Hicks, James R. “Cherokee Lineages: Register Report of John Bowles, Sr, Chief” Genealogy.com, Sites.Rootsweb.com, https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/i/c/James-R-Hicks-VA/BOOK-0001/0004...
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Section 4

The Rest of the Story

What happened after the Battle of the Neches? Apparently, there was yet another battle at San Saba, not often heard of.

"After the double defeat of the Cherokees in East Texas, in the battle of July 16th and 17th, the whereabouts of those Indians were unknown for a considerable time. Doubtless, a considerable portion of them sought and found refuge among their kindred on the north side of the Arkansas, where Texas had long desired them to be. The death of their great chief, Col. Bowles, or "The Bowl," as his people designated him - the man who had been their Moses for many years - had divided their counsels and scattered them. But a considerable body remained intact under the lead of the younger chiefs, John Bowles, son of the deceased, and "The Egg." In the autumn of 1839, these, with their followers, undertook to pass across the country, above the settlements, into Mexico, from they could harass our Northwestern frontier with impunity and find both refuge and protection beyond the Rio Grande and among our national foes.

At that time it happened that Col. Edward Burleson, then of the regular army, with a body of regulars, a few volunteers, and Lipan and Toncahua Indians as scouts, was on a winter campaign against the hostile tribes in the upper country, between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers.

On the evening of December 23rd, 1839, when about twenty-five miles (easterly) from Pecan Bayou, the scouts reported the discovery of a large trail of horses and cattle, bearing south towards the Colorado River. On the following day, Col. Burleson changed his course and followed the trail. On the morning of the 25th, Christmas Day, the scouts returned and reported an encampment of Indians about twelve miles distant, on the west bank of the Colorado River and about three miles below the mouth of the San Saba River (This was presumably the identical spot from which Captains Kuykendall and Henry S. Brown drove the Indians ten years before in 1829).

Fearing discovery if he waited for a night attack, Col. Burleson determined to move forward as rapidly as possible, starting at 9 AM. By great caution and the cunning of his Indian guides, he succeeded in crossing the river a short distance above the encampment without being discovered.

When discovered within a few hundred yards of the camp, a messenger met them and proposed a parley. Col. Burleson did not wish to fire if they would surrender but perceiving their messenger was being detained, the Indians opened a brisk fire from a ravine in the rear of their camp, which was promptly returned by Company B. under Capt. Cleindenin, which formed under cover of some trees and fallen timber; while the remainder of the command moved to the right in order to flank their left to surround them; but before this could be executed, our advance charged and the enemy gave way, and a running fight took place for two miles, our whole force pursuing. Favored by a rocky precipitous ravine, and a dense cedar break, the warriors chiefly escaped, but their loss was great. Among the seven warriors left dead on the field were Chief John Bowles and 'The Egg.' The whole of their camp equipage, horses and cattle, one man, five women, and nineteen children fell into the hands of the victors. Among the prisoners were the mother, three children and two sisters of John Bowles.

Our loss was one Toncahua wounded and the brave Capt. Lynch of the volunteers killed - shot dead while charging among the foremost of the advance.

The prisoners were sent under guard commanded by Lt. Moran to Austin, together with important papers found in the camp.

Col. Burleson made his official report the next day to Gen. Albert Sydney Johnston, Secretary of War, from which these details are derived. He then continued his original march, scouring the country up the Pecan Bayou, then across to the Leon and then down the country. Several bodies of Indians were discovered by the scouts - one being large, but they fled and avoided the troops. Two soldiers deserted on the trip, and both were killed by the hostiles. Among others in this expedition were Col. William S. Fisher, Maj. Wyatt, the gallant Capt. Matthew Caldwell, Lt. Lewis, Dr. Booker and Dr. (then Capt.) J.P.B. January, who died in Victoria, Texas, a worthy survivor of the men of '36.

A few months later, after an amicable understanding, the prisoners were sent to their kindred in the Cherokee Nation, west of Arkansas."

Source: The Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas," by John Henry Brown, L. E. Daniel Publisher, 1988, pages 69-70 (Only 750 copies printed)
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A Final Word: Feb 25, 2023 based on research by the curator team...

Here are some facts about Duwali's family: according to John Henry Brown's "Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas." Bowle's son John was killed on Christmas Day of 1839 by Texans and his mother, two sisters, and three children were captured. According to John H. Reagan (The Expulsion of the Cherokees from East Texas, 1897) Mirabeau Lamar gave them permission to go to Indian Territory after a year or two.

Other than the death of John we find nothing to confirm that any other children died in battle in Texas. The wives and children in question went to Mexico after the Battle of the Neches and then asked permission to cross over Texas to go to Indian Territory.

The Cherokee were allowed to continue on to Mexico not long after their capture - they weren't kept in Texas and then they peititoned Lamar for permission to cross Texas to bget to Indian Territory. We don't know what records - if any- are available from the Republic of Texas or Martin Lacy regarding these events.
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Further Reading:
1.---. “The Bowl (Cherokee Chief).” Wikipedia, 30 Dec. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bowl_(Cherokee_chief).
2. Chief Bowles and the Battle of the Neches @http://forttours.org/pages/chiefbowles.asp
3. Who were the TEXAS' CHEROKEES? By Twila Carey B… @ http://www.pollysgranddaughter.com/

(Curator Note: There are many sources for the biography of Chief Duwa'li John Bowles, some legitimate, some with elements of history but interpretation added by the author, and some written for the purpose of solicitation of contributions. It is not the purpose of the section on Further Reading to provide tacit recognition of those groups who are considered to be perpetrating a fraud on the population by seeking the endorsement of an agenda or monetary contributions. To that end, we do not list as links to those websites.)