Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
I am a descendant of Samuel Thomas Cowan and Margaret Maria Halsey. Samuel was born in Wytheville in 1816 or 1817. There is one James Cowan in early census records that may possibly be his father. There is also a land record for an early Samuel Cowan and Wife Jean of Knoxville to a Hugh Montgomery.
Samuel T. Cowan and Margaret Maria Halsey Cowan had the following children; 1. Senah (Asentha) Cowan married probably Clayborn Lawson 2. James N. Cowan married to Alberta Lindsay 3. William Cowan married to Mary L. Patterson 4. Martha Cowan married to 5. Mary Elizabeth Cowan married Rush Patterson 6. Sophia (Sylvia) Cowan 7. Samuel Cowan married Margaret Leedy 9. Guy T. Cowan married 1. Mary T. Patterson 2. Eliza Thompson 3. Tina Leadman 10. Horton Cowan married Cora Fowler 11. Rachel Cowan married Thomas Proffitt.
There are marriage records for Farney Jones and Rebecca Cowan on Feb 22. 1831 and Merideth Hurt and Lucinda Cowan on March 22, 1833. These are possible siblings for my Samuel T. Cowan.
Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Martha
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Re: Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
Hi, I have Isabella Cowan married to George Dabney Painter. They lived in Wythe co.,VA, married about 1820 in VA. I think her parents were Samuel and Mary Unknown Cowan. Siblings included Andrew, David, Sarah, Margaret, Elizabeth, Jenny, and Rebecca. Isabella was born abt 1798. That is about all that I have so am hoping that we may have a connection? Pam
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Re: Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
Martha - Just a thought. Samuel Cowan of Knoxville, married a Jean Montgomery from Salisbury, NC in Jonesborough, TN if I remember correctly. I do not know if I have who her parents were or not. We do know that the Knoxville Cowan DNA does not match your Wythe Co., VA line.
For someone that connects to this Cowan or Montgomery line, It might be interesting to trace them. I always thought that it was strange that he married someone from that part of NC but then Ramsey speaks of James Cowan of Bertie Co, NC.
I know that when Samuel Cowan that married Jean Montgomery dies, she at a later date marries David Campbell as in Campbell Station west of Knoxville, TN.
This is from memory, but you have a really good post for your Cowan line. I can't help but wonder who the Lawson group is what happened to the groups that the Cowan women married.
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Re: Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
Hi Laura,
It is nice to hear from you, I hope you had a Merry Christmas.
Thanks for your post. I will respond to both replies to my orginal post as I think I missed the last one. I believe that Elizabeth Cowan wife of Dabney Painter is resting in the Halsey Cemetery with the parents of the wife of Samuel Thomas Cowan. So, there is likely a connection between Elizabeth and my group.
I have not gotten farther on the Cowan line as to the roots of the family beyond the James that was likely the father of my Samuel Thomas Cowan. The families of Wytheville are very interconnected. The Leedy's, Pattersons, Cowans, Crocketts and so forth. I have watched their migration from Wytheville into Tazewell and later into Mercer, McDowell, and Cabell Counties in West Virginia. These families stayed together for generations. I have not followed the other families back to their migration into Wytheville which may help with fining where they Cowan line came from.
It would be nice if we had a larger research group tracing families that migrated into in Wytheville in the late 1700's and early 1800's. If there is a group that I am not aware of please let me know.
As to our DNA, has there been any Cowan group to date that has even matched the Wytheville haplogroup? Or are we still "out there" alone?
From my memory Nancy Montgomery was the daughter of Hugh Montgomery.
An update to my earlier post Martha Cowan married John Fortner. She married in 1882. In 1880 she is found in the census with two Cowan daughters Margaret age 6 and Sally J. age 4 (both girls have the Cowan surname in this record). John's mother was Minerva Patterson Fortner which would have made him a descendant from this same group of families from Wytheville. The couple is first seen together in the 1880 census living with Martha's brother Samuel Wesley Cowan. John was listed as brother in law (but was not yet married to Martha) The couple married in Tazewell Virginia where they appear togehter in the 1900, 1910 and 1920 census records. A family member recalled going to Martha's funeral and that both of her daughters were there. She could not recall their married names so for now I have no more on that line.
Senah married Clayborn Lwason from their marriage record. Clayborn was from Pulaski County, Virginia the son of Riley Lawson and Elizabeth Wisehart. On their wedding information it specifically states that Senah is the daughter of Samuel Cowan - dead and Margaret Marah Healsey. I still have not found Margaret Halsey Cowan's death date if anyone out there knows I would sincerly appreciate that information.
As always any clues for this line are welcome I am happy to search any leads.
Thanks, Martha
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Re: Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
What about an obit for the funeral that they people did not remember the married name of the two daughters. The obit could be right before the funeral or right after, Just a thought that flew through my brain,
No, your Cowan DNA is still a stand alone group and did not match Robert Cowan of Sullivan County, TN which I really thought that it might. It was another non-related Cowan group. Some of the Wythe Co, VA people were in Bristol, VA/TN area. I know my husband's Cooper group was and when you go down I-81 and think of it as a migration path...it leaves a lot of things to think about.
I don't know if any of the researchers in Wytheville have done a study on each of the families. I have not even seen a list of the different surnames that were there in the late 1700's and early 1800's. I know that my husband's Cooper group would fall into that sub-set along with the King, Umbarger, Farmer, Grubb, Tarter, Nuckols, Corvin, Portor, Six, and Catron to mention just the ones that married into my husband's Cooper group. That doesn't include the women with Cooper surnames that married Cooper men.
I have looked for years for an Ellen Cowan that died 2 August 1896 and married Franklin A. Six before 1894 since their son Raymond Samuel Six was born 17 Oct 1894 in Johnson City, TN. I know that other Coopers moved between JC and Wythe County.
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Re: Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
Hi Laura,
That is unfortunate that we don't match the Sullivan County, TN Cowan's. I was hoping you would e-mail one day to let us know we had a match and that we did not seemingly appear out of nowhere.
Martha's funeral was either sometime in the very late 20's or early 30's. I can't find her in the 1930 census so I would think it may have been late 20's. Horton died in 1924 leaving a sister Mrs. John Faulkner of Five Oaks, VA. Since I don't know a month and year I haven't asked the Tazewell Library for help, yet. I will check for a death record next time I am there. I have narrowed it to a five year time frame though so that is a start.
As for the Cowan/Six marriage I have kept an eye out for a possible Ellen Cowan in the time frame and will continue to do so.
Your list of names is right on for the Wytheville group!
Thanks, Martha
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Re: Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
And that was just looking at marriages to a Cooper!!!
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Re: Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
Hi Martha, It's been a while. Isabella was the wife of Dabney Painter, not Elizabeth. Elizabeth was my ggg grandmother and it looks as if she was unmarried and had one son, George Washington Cowan. He was born in Pulaski, VA.
I found an old post from Laura Cowan Cooper (12/14/06) that says she had a call from a local research and author that said she had a cousin in Morristown, TN who was also researching the line. This person said that Elizabeth was the daughter of an Irish Cowan immigrant and was thought to be unmarried when she had George Washington Cowan in 1827 (which definely is my gg grandfather). She said it is also thought that George may have had two brothers - James and Samuel Cowan. I haven't found anything that would substantiate this at all. Elizabeth and George were together on all censes from 1850 (in Wythe VA) to 1870 in Pulaski, VA, and I never saw any evidence of siblings. George Washington had sons named James and Samuel, so they could have been named after uncles, but not brothers. George also had a son named William Morgan Cowan, who was the grandfather of the now retired-teacher Morristown researcher.
So, back to my questions to you, where is the Halsey cemetary you refer to? and does the stone say Elizabeth Cowan? I think she was born about 1796 in Wytheville. I've read a couple of things about a possible father...James, which I believe is the most likely, and also Samuel.
I'm in Maryland and not familiar with that part of the state of Virginia, so it's hard for me to get a handle on the proximity of Wytheville and Pulaski.
Something else particularly interesing happened this fall. I received an email from someone in California stating she thought she might be my first cousin on my mother's side. My mother's mother, Afton Isabella Cowan, had four children and deserted the family when my mother was 3. My great-aunt, Carrie Belle Cowan, raised my mother, who died in 2005. It was always thought that my grandmother, Afton, had died in a train wreck apparently because of a locket that was found. Well, come to find out, she married an army general and had two children and lived out her life in California. They never had any idea that this other family existed. My cousin googled our grandmother's married name, which brought up her death certificate that listed her parents' names, and she then found one of my posts on this message board. We're learning all these new things about each other and I am finally able to put a face and personality to my grandmother that I never knew.
I've gone on quite long enough. It does sound like we are cousins as well, and if we can find out who the parents of Elizabeth, Isabella and Samuel Thomas, we'll be in good shape.
Take care and Happy New Year!
Debi
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Re: Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
Hi Martha, I just read your response and noticed that you have Dabney Painter married to Elizabeth Cowan. In my previous post, I mentioned that he is married to Isabella Cowan. She was born about 1798 possibly in Rockbridge Co. Therefore, she is probably not the Elizabeth Cowan that is buried in the Halsey Cemetery. Pam
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Re: Cowan Family of Wythe Co., VA
Curiously about your line and wonder if it may be associated with my male Cowan 1st cousin's Family tree Y-DNA Cowan Project kit #89028. He stand almost alone. Our families migrated from VA with hints of unconfirmed Wythe Co connections. James Cowan, his son, James Cowan, Jr. and the elder james' brothers, William and Andrew came into the old Cumberland, now Clinton Co KY region about 1799. James had 8 children, one of which was Samuel, amongst others. The children of William have not been established but he had four son,. Bro Andrew had a least 3 sons, only two identified. there was also a David Cowan, thought to be the son of the elder James Cowan. Is their anyone out there that can compare by cousin's kit with their's and give me some clues on the 20 year search of mine. Dot Doll, adm. for Kit #89028, thedolls@earthlink.net
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