The Dowdle Family

Soon after Robert's birth, his family moved to Macon, Alabama until 1843 when they lost the land due to "a pretended and false debt." They moved to King Creek, Mississippi soon after. The year following, the day before Robert's 14th birthday, the Dowdle family was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and began preparations to move with the other Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois. The Dowdle family reached Winter Quarters, Iowa in July of 1847.1 

Soon after their arrival, Robert's father died. Robert and his siblings moved to Missouri for a time to get work so that they could travel across the plains. The Dowdle family secured enough money to cross the plains, joined the James C. Snow company on July 5, 1852 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on Oct 9. After their arrival, they settled in Santaquin, Utah.1

Robert married Harrietta Messervy on March 27, 1857 in Santaquin, Utah. In 1858, Robert participated in the Utah War in Echo Canyon.

In 1860, the Dowdle family moved to Cache Valley. They settled in current-day Cove and made a homestead in the area. Sometime in the late 1860s, the Dowdle family moved to Franklin, Idaho. The Dowdle family moved to Cove in 1876.