JOHN WESLEY UPTON had a birthday every four years, he was born February 29, 1828, in Lawrence County, Arkansas. His parents were JOSEPH UPTON SR and GENTIE . Since JOHN WESLEY'S mother died when he was 3 years of age and his father died when JOHN WESLEY was 8 years old, JOHN found himself migrating at a young age from Lawrence Co, AR to MADISON CO, ARKANSAS. By 1840 at the age of 12, John W was in Madison Co, AR, with his two brothers and his sister.

MARTHA BOWEN born 1830 in Texas, came to MADISON CO, as an infant, and in 1840 is with her parents, WILLIAM B BOWEN and LEVICA McELHANEY. The BOWEN'S, the McELHANEY'S and the Jackson's migrated from White co, Tn, and where among the earliest settlers in the town of AURORA. This area was named BOWEN TOWNSHIP, for WILLIAM B BOWEN.

The town of AURORA, about 8 miles south of HUNTSVILLE, the county seat, is where JOHN WESLEY  and MARTHA BOWEN lived and where all their children were born. They moved on over to WASHINGTON CO, AR the last part of 1886.

Though the land around AURORA was settled in the 1830's and 1840's, it seems that the town of Aurora began to flourish, while the Civil war was going on, Madison Co, was a dangerous place, not because of battles being fought, but because the land was full of bushwackers. These bands of lawless men, with no loyalty to either side, caused great fear and worse torture, murder, and theft of anything they desired.

After the Civil war, a calm settled on the area, people began to prosper and the town of Aurora grew, In 1850 the population of Bowen township was 650, but by 1880 it had grown to 997.