Kammala wannan jumla: An haifi Bowen a cikin Jackson County, Georgia. A lokacin da yake dan shekara 22, ya sami gogewa wajen murkushe wani tayar da kayar baya na 'yan asalin Amurka a Georgia kuma ya shiga cikin yakin basasa na biyu.
Yaƙin Seminole. Bayan haka, ya ba da kansa don shiga Texas a cikin gwagwarmayar 'yancin kai da Mexico. A lokacin zamansa a Texas ne Bowen ya sami Kristi, bayan ya koma Georgia, ya fara wa'azi kuma ba da daɗewa ba aka naɗa shi minista. Ikilisiyar Bowen tana da alaƙa da Baftisma ta Baftisma ta Amurka amma bayan rabuwa a 1845, amincinsa ya koma ga Kungiyar Baptist ta Kudu (SBC). A cikin 1848, lokacin da Bowen ya fara zana taswirar hangen nesan sa game da ayyukan mishan a cikin Afirka ta Yamma, SBC ya riga ya shiga aikin mishan a China, Indiya da Liberia amma aikin da ke gudana a Liberia ba shi da tabbas, kokarin mishan na Triennial Convention a gabar tekun Afirka ta Yamma ya aika da fararen fata goma sha biyar amma tara sun mutu kuma sauran sun koma Boston. Bowen ya yi bincike don aikin wa'azi a cikin Afirka na Afirka ta Tsakiya ko Sudan ta Yamma wanda ke wakiltar Arewacin Yammacin Afirka a yau a matsayin yankin da ya fi karɓar mishaneri na ƙasashen waje. Yana da ilimi na asali amma iyakantacce game da Yammacin Afirka galibi daga bayanan da ya karanta game da ayyukan masu binciken Turai da aka samu daga littattafan tunani daga littafin Penny cyclopaedia da Chamber's miscellany. Bowen ya kuma yi abokantaka da W.B. Hodgson, ɗan asalin Georgia wanda ya rubuta littattafai game da Berbers da Fulani na Arewacin da Yammacin Afirka. An shirya Igboho ya zama farkon aikinsa na mishan a Afirka saboda yana kusa da daular Fulani, ana tunanin juyar da Fulani yana da mahimmanci don yada Kiristanci a Yammacin Afirka.