Gospel preacher listed in H. Leo Boles' Biographical Sketches of Gospel Preachers.

The subject of this sketch is another one of those pioneer gospel preachers who loved, labored, and died in obscurity. The world never knew him and the Lord' people have forgotten him. The present generation possibly has never heard of him, and yet few have sacrificed more for the cause of Christ than did he. Jordan Owen was born on November 12, 1793, in Amherst County, Virginia. When he was one year old, his parents moved to Bedford County, Virginia. It was there that he grew to manhood. He endured the hardships incident to that country at that time. He had a religious turn of mind, but was inactive because of the confusion that existed in religious affairs in his county. At the age of twenty-five he was married to Miss Ruth Tinsley. Soon after his marriage he moved to Green County, Kentucky. This was in the year 1818. Kentucky was on the frontier at that time, and there were few settlements in the section of the State where Jordan Owen lived. He continued in the same confused state of mind about religion for several years after coming to Kentucky. His religious turn of mind caused him to have deep convictions in regard to the fundamental traits of character, such as loving the truth and dealing honestly with his fellows. He engaged himself in the clearing of timber and farming. He was known by his neighbors as a man who would not swerve from his conviction of honesty. His was a rugged nature, and he was well suited to become a leader among the uncouth citizenry of his country. He was loved by his neighbors and was strongly urged to attach himself to one of the denominations in his vicinity. His neighbors could not understand why such a man as Jordan Owen, who loved peace and honesty and truthfulness, would refuse to become a member of some church. Probably he could not have given them a satisfactory answer. In 1833 the Restoration Movement commenced by Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, and others encroached upon the denominations in Green County. John D. Steele, a man without letters, yet a man who had learned well the will of the Lord and who had clear conceptions of the New Testament church, came into the community of Jordan Owen. John D. Steele could recite with much interest the conversions found in the New Testament, and could draw conclusions with logical force from them; and he could point out with accuracy the errors of denominationalism as preached in that section of the State. Very few honest hearts could resist the truth as presented by John D. Steele. Jordan Owen heard him but a few times before he concluded that he was preaching the truth. He was now forty years old. He was settled in his habits and confirmed in his convictions; but when he heard the story of the cross as preached by Brother Steele and learned the simple terms of salvation, he at once made the good confession and was baptized into Christ by Brother Steele in 1833. He began an earnest study of the Bible, and applied himself so well that he soon became well versed in the New Testament Scriptures. He had, by this time, with industry and economy, gathered much of this world's goods. He was considered" well to do," or rich, for that time. He was able to live and yet give much of his time to the study of the Bible. He became so full of the knowledge of God and saw the sore -need for it among his neighbors so clearly that he began to preach with great power. All who knew him had confidence in him, and he wielded a mighty influence on his neighbors. He was a man of strong character and soon rendered himself very conspicuous among the disciples as a devoted defender of the faith. He had no equals in that part of Kentucky. Through his teaching the congregation was established at Mount Gilead, in Green County. When the congregation was organized, Brother Owen called upon all the disciples to "give themselves to one another and t'l the Lord," and called upon them to meet upon the first day of the week to eat the Lord's Supper. He was made one of the elders of the congregation and remained in that position for many years. Under his teaching and influence the church was preserved and became a mighty force for righteousness in that county. In 1848 he moved to Hart County, Kentucky, and there became the active force in another strong congregation. He labored in word and doctrine among the people, who seemed to be anxious to know the will of the Lord. He traveled much on horseback, and received very little for his preaching; but he did not complain, for he did not expect any remuneration for his preaching. Some years he did not receive enough to keep his horse shod. He preached because he felt, like Paul, "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" When he was fifty-six years of age, he began to lose his hearing. This was somewhat a hindrance to him, but there was no relaxing of his energy. His love and devotion to the cause of his heavenly Master was so firmly fixed in his mind that he continued to preach the gospel wherever he found a willing listener. His hearing continued to grow worse and worse until he became "stone deaf." His family and friends had to communicate with him by writing. This was the only medium of conversation that he had in his last years. This misfortune, though great, did not appear to weaken his determination in the least to preach the gospel and exhort his brethren to faithfulness in the Lord. Brother Owen never missed a Lord's Day in eating the Lord's Supper. Many who had come from the denominations were negligent about meeting regularly upon the first day of the week. Brother Owen's example of regular and punctual meeting on the first day of the week to break bread had a great influence over his brethren and sisters. On the first day of the week, if there was a band of disciples to be found within ten or twelve miles of his home, though greatly enfeebled by the incessant labors of many years, through heat or through cold, he was ever found plodding his way to the place of worship; and notwithstanding the fact that, after he arrived at the place of worship, he could not hear a word that was spoken, still it was to him a season of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Through that all-inspiring medium of faith he looked forward to that within the veil, whither his forerunner had entered, and to whom he made his offerings, and upon whose strong arm he leaned for support in every trial of life. Though physically deaf, yet he could hear in his soul the words of the Lord Jesus, and he worshiped in spirit and in truth. In his last years, when he became so enfeebled that he could do but little preaching, he did much good in circulating religious tracts, periodicals, and useful books. There were few books and papers in his country, and he became a great agent, not only for the church, but for the civilization of his county, by distributing good literature. Brother Owen was riding horseback, and his horse became frightened and threw him off, breaking many bones in his feeble body. His body was too frail to recover from the shock, and he died on January 30, 1876, in the eighty-fourth year of his age, at his residence in Hart County, Kentucky. So closed the earthly life of another faithful old soldier of the cross and pioneer preacher of the gospel. --pages 61-65.