George Bowen was born in Middlebury on this day in 1816. He would become a missionary, moving to Bombay.

Bowen refused his missionary boarding and salary, choosing instead to rent a small apartment near the market and support himself. He became the editor of the Bombay Guardian, a post he would hold for some 34 years.

Bowen, a prolific writer, wrote editorials for the paper discussing scripture, God and mankind. These editorials were eventually compiled into three books. Some of Bowen’s work is being brought back into circulation through new printings. Bowen passed away in 1888.

Image courtesy History of Middlebury And Addison County by Samuel Swift.