R. A. (Ralph Augustus) Rowley (c.1844-1919) was born in Wrentham, Massachusetts, and died in Medford, Oregon. During the Civil War, he enlisted as a private in Company L of the Massachusetts 3rd Cavalry Regiment and rose up in the ranks, becoming a first lieutenant in Company H of the United States Colored Troops 4th Cavalry Regiment. After the war, he worked as a farmer, miner, traveling salesman, and missionary. Although he expressed an interest in Christian Science and the works of Mary Baker Eddy, there is no record of him studying with her or uniting with the Church of Christ (Scientist).

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