Abraham Dowden

Who was Abraham Dowden?

Abraham Rinkle Dowden was a minor Democratic political figure in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana in the late- 19th and early-20th centuries. He was also Postmaster of the Fourth Class Post Office in Kisatchie, LA from 1887 to 1891.³ He. was known by "A.R." for most of his life.

He was the son of Hugh Dowden⁸, who was born in Fayette, Jefferson County, Mississippi Territory² to a family of early pioneers, probably from Pennsylvania. Abraham Dowden married¹ Louisa Ann Dendy in Kisatchie, Louisiana¹ on December 23, 1856¹. He was 17 years old, she was 16. Conducting the ceremony was Rev. Edmund Duggan¹ of Many, LA.¹

The first child of A.R. and Louisa, known only as "Son" Dowden, was born in and died in 1858. Usually, in that area, children buried unnamed had been stillborn or died at childbirth. The second son, Francis Marion Dowden was born September 6, 1860. The third son. Thomas Jefferson Dowden, was born February 14, 1862. These and subsequent children were all born in Kisatchie. LA.

He enlisted in Co. E¹, Sabine Guards⁴, 11th Louisiana Infantry¹, on May 14⁴, 1862¹ in Many, Louisiana⁴ during the American Civil War. He was a couple of weeks shy of his 24th birthday.⁶⁶⁶⁷¹