By Jerry Benson
The Lone Grove Ledger
Lone Grove, Oklahoma
27 September 2006
George Bowling is buried at the Newport Cemetery.
A Confederate soldier, Bowling migrated to the Newport area after the war, where he died in 1897.
Bowling had "lots of kinfolk in the Newport and Woodford, Oklahoma areas, says Gary Ayres.
Ayres is a member of the SCV (Sons of Confederate Veterans.) He is also a descendant of George Bowling.
"George Bowling was the great-grandfather of some of the individuals in the Missouri Division of the SCV - the Coffee Camp."
Ayres, several members of the Missouri SCV group, and many relatives are expected to attend a memorial service for George Bowling in the Newport Cemetery, Saturday, September 30, to start at 12:00 Noon.
"It will be brief," says Ayres. "The relatives and SCV members will come from Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma City, Mississippi. We expect a pretty good turnout.
We have held these memorial services for a dozen or more former Confederate soldiers in the past few years, although most have taken place in Missouri.
Stockton is northwest of Springfield, and a 6-8 hour drive for folks coming from that area. If it were not so far away, we would bring a carriage, and have a riderless horse - pretty much like it was done back in those days.
But with Newport being so far away, we can't transport all of that equipment.
We will have a color guard dressed in full regalia, and several of our members and family members on hand for the service. We'll post the colors and lay a wreath during the ceremony.
Someone will offer a history of the George Bowling family. Some of their descendants includes Evans family members."
The Coffee Camp has its own website at coffeecamp.org.
The history of the group can be found at that site. It was named after Colonel John Coffee, a Confederate cavalry leader who fought primarily in Missouri and Arkansas.
In addition to being a Civil War leader, Coffee served in the Missouri Legislature and was a lawyer.
Among the favorite stories about Coffee is a case he tried in the early 1840s. He and a fellow lawyer from Bolivar, Missouri, John T. Payne, had taken a case and received a horse as their payment. While socializing in a Springfield saloon, Coffee and Payne discussed their payment.
After a few drinks, the two lawyers began arguing loudly on how to divide the fee. Tired of the heated discussion, Coffee finally unholstered his pistol and started to walk out of the saloon. Payne followed him and demanded to know what Coffee planned to do. Coffee replied: "I am going to shoot my part of that horse. You may do what you please with your part.
© Lone Grove Ledger, Lone Grove, Oklahoma 2006
Click Here To See Clippings From The Article.
