I am looking for any information on John W Bowen who lived in Boone County Indiana during the 1850 Census. He was married to an Eliza Gardner. I believe this was his second wife as he had a daughter who was too old to be Eliza's daughter. The daughter (Mariah/Mary) married Rhesa Conly. Her mothers name in unkown, but Mariah died at some point in Iowa and her son Presley grew up in his grandparents home (John and Eliza)

Around 1852 they all moved to Benton county Iowa where John and Eliza lived out the remaider of their lives. In the 1852 and 1856 Iowa census John is listed in the same household as Elias H Bowen who had moved from Carroll county Indiana. There is also another Bowen listed in Benton county Iowa although not in the same household, his name is Thomas S. Bowen. From Benton county land records it appears that John W, Elias H. and Thomas S. were all purchasing multiple tracts of land between 1852 and 1856 all adjaent to each other and then by 1860 they had sold most of the land except for what they were living on.
Then by 1860 Thomas S. and Elias H. eldest son David moved to Saline Nebraska.
John W died about 1888 in Benton or Tama County Iowa and Elias died in 1900 in Linn County Iowa.
I am truly stuck trying to make the connection between these three Bowen's. In the Boone County census John list his year of birth as 1798, but everything in Iowa lists him as being born in 1804.
It is plausable that Thomas S "could" be John W son, but if he was born in 1804 he most likely is not Elias H father, but maybe a brother? Which would make Thomas S and David cousins and therefore plausible to move to Nebraska together.
I am completely lost and hope someone can shed some light or suggestions for me. I have searched all the standard platforms: ancestry, rootsweb, family search, Boone county Gen site, Benton county gen site, Saline County Gen site, various books and BLM records, and I have scoured the court records in Benton County Iowa.