CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, INDIANA, Its People, Industries
and Institutions by Warder W. Stevens.  With Biographical Sketches of
Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old
Families.  Illustrated 1916, B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis,
Indiana. Rockcastle County.

     ROBERT NELSON OWENS, the son of William and Kate (Tyree) Owens, was
born in Rockcastle county, Kentucky, near Mt. Vernon.
     William Owens was born and reared in Rockcastle county, as were his
parents.  His father was of German descent.  Mrs. Owens was of Irish
descent, and a native of Rockcastle County, Kentucky.  For over twenty
years William Owens was a justice of the peace in his Kentucky home and
was a man of much importance, as the justice court had many cases to be
heard.  The justices sitting together comprised the county court.  Mr.
Owens was essentially a peacemaker, and he would often compel the
antagonistic parties, who appeared in court with guns, to shake hands and
pass the bottle.  When all could be settled in this way, the justice would
remit the fines and all would go home happy.  He was not in the office for
the money, but for the good that he could do.  He did not seek the office,
yet it was forced on him time and time again, the people recognizing his
ability.
     Robert N. Owens lived on the home farm until he was twenty-one years
of age, where he worked on the farm and made chairs until sixteen years of
age; then he worked as a stone mason and carpenter.  On coming to Salem
(Washington County, Ind.) at this time, he devoted his energies to this
trade, that of stone-mason, and later a contractor and builder of streets
and roads.  He has done much public and private work, building many of the
bridges of the county and much of the street work in Salem has been done
under his supervision.  He also did the stone work for the Carnegie
Library in his home town, as well as that for the Etyler opera house.  His
half-brother, John Owens, of Bedford (Lawrence County, Ind.), did the work
on the public square in Salem in 1883. In 1903 Robert Owens and his
brother, George, now of Mt. Vernon, Kentucky, formed a partnership for the
making of monuments.  The plant at this time is the best equipped of any in
the southern part of Indiana.  In 1909 he built a fine modern house, with
every convenience, and here he and his family reside.  The barn and other
buildings are all in keeping with the house.  In connection with his other
work, Mr. Owens is also agent for the Maxwell car.
     In 1879 Mr. Owens was married to Clementine Collier, who died three
years later and just before Mr. Owens came to Salem.  On June 8, 1885, he
married Sylvia Paynter, a native of Kentucky, and the daughter of John
Paynter.  Her father and mother died when she was but a small child and
she made her home at first with her grandmother until her death and then
with an aunt.
     Mr. and Mrs. Owens are the parents of three children, Lillian, who
died when six years old; Arthur, who at present is in the auditor's office
of the Louisville & Nashville railroad at Louisville.  He married Elva
Tatlock, daughter of John Tatlock, of Salem.  Myrtle is the wife of Grover
E. Hinds, who lives in Salem and has the agency for the Maxwell car.  They
are the parents of two children, Mildred and Robert Clinton.   
     Mr. Owens' mother, Kate Tyree, was a native of Kentucky, and was the
daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth Tyree, both of whom were of Irish
descent.  The father was a shoemaker in Rockcastle county.  The mother
still lives on the old homestead, near Brodhead, the father having died in
1902.
     Mr. Owens is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Red Men.  He also takes much interest in the Salem fire department, of
which he is a member.  He and his family are active members of the Baptist
church and take much interest in the services of the church.

Owens Tyree Carnegie Collier Paynter Tatlock Hinds
=
Salem-Washington-IN Bedford-Lawrence-IN

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/rockcastle/owens.rn.txt