Norman Bowen

Norman Bowen is the fourth of five children born to Elias Bowen and Cynthia Harrington, both of Vermont. After joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Bowen family moved to Nauvoo, Illinois where their son, Norman, was born.

Norman was born blind. While Brigham Young served as President of the Twelve, Cynthia and Elias met and shook hands with him. They asked Brigham if he would give Norman a special blessing. He did, and from that time forth, he was able to see.

The family joined the Silas Richards Company to cross the plains to the Great Salt Lake Valley. They began their journey west on July 10, 1849.

From their family history: “Later in life, when a young man, Norman and another young man signed on a cattle drive that was going through Salt Lake to California. For some reason, when they were somewhere in the Nevada desert, they were not needed any more and were dismissed. They started to return home and somehow became lost, and because they were starving, they ate some red berries and became very sick. The friend threw up what he had eaten, but Norman was not so lucky, he is supposed to have died there on the desert in Nevada. Someone came along and picked up the other fellow and brought him back to Utah. He then told this story to Norman's mother. Some of the family believed that Norman didn't die but went on to California, but Dad said Grandma and Grandpa did not believe this, they believed the young man had told Grandma (Cynthia) the truth.”

It is not known where 17-year-old Norman is laid to rest in Nevada. But he is remembered lovingly and missed by his family. The family never gave up trying to find where he is buried.