He was born Isaac Erb Baumann in Woolwich Township in Upper Canada in 1832, the son of John B. Bowman; his parents had moved there from Pennsylvania in 1820. He attended school at the Rockwood Academy in Rockwood, Ontario.
Isaac Erb Baumann, born in Woolwich Township, Upper Canada in 1832, was a son of John B. Bowman who had moved from Pennsylvania to the area in 1820. He received education at Rockwood Academy in Rockwood, Ontario.