Bowie was born in April 1796 in Logan County, Kentucky. He was the son of Reason and Elve Ap-Catesby (Jones) Bowie. Reason was a farmer and operated a Gristmill. The family moved in February 1800 to New Madrid, Missouri, then part of Spanish Louisiana. In 1801 they settled on farms in what is now Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. There Reason and his brothers swore allegiance to the Spanish government. Reason created a plantation there where he grew cotton and sugarcane. He also raised livestock and bought and sold slaves. This is where Jim and his brothers grew up.