Has anyone ever heard of a place called Mount Holyoke in Henry County, Tenn. I have a copy of letter from a James Cowan, Mt. Holyoke, to Abel Cowan in Rowan County, NC. The letter is dated 1835. Please let me hear. Thanks. Ruth Cook

I have lived in this area all my life (60 years) and have never heard of Mt. Holyoke in Henry County. There might have been a community called this in the 1800's, but I have never heard mention of that either.

Could Mt. Holyoke, Henry County, Tenn. be a plantation? I have a letter from James Cowan, mailed or written from Mt. Holyoke, Henry County, Tenn. It is addressed to Abel County, Wood Grove, Rowan County. Do you happen to know how I (living in NC) could find out if there is a listing of old plantations? Thanks, Ruth Cook

I have worked in our library in the genealogy room many times and I have never seen nor heard of a book of plantation names nor homeplace names. Next time I go there I will ask if such records exist. I don't understand the way he has it addressed, do you?

I don't understand either. I was just thinking that since the person who received the letter is Abel Cowan, Wood Grove, Rowan County, and that I know that was a plantation, that Mt. Holyoke, Henry County, Tenn. would be one too. He never refers to a plantation, just his crops, slaves, and family. I wish people back then would have written more about the surroundings. But that was then. They seem to be more interested in how much money they got for crops and who was sick. Maybe it's no different today.

I went to the Paris Library today and asked the Genealogist if there were any listings of Plantations for Henry County.
She said there were none.

I checked out a book that talks about Henry County Happenings in the 1800's. I am reading it now and will let
you know if any Plantations are mentioned.

Mount Holyoke is both a mountain and a college, dating back to 1837 in South Hadley, MA.

I don't know if this info will help you in anyway in explaining your Mount Holyoke in TN, but I thought that I'd give you the info, just in the event that the reference might help and shed some light on the subject matter.

I am interested in the information from this James Cowan letter to Abel Cowan. I know who these 2 Cowans are, and have MUCH Cowan info. to share.

Best regards,

Terry Cowan

The American Antiquarian Society (library) has letters ca. 1842 from James Cowan in Mt. Holyoke, Tenn. to Catherine Pierson in Richmond, Mass. One letter lists names of children and ages. The letters are contained in the Manuscript collection -- The Pierson Place papers.

Do you know where James Cowan came from? He writes that he last met Miss Pierson near Broadway in New York City.

James Cowan was the son of Capt. Thomas Cowan of Wood Grove Plantation in Rowan County, NC. Early in his marriage, I believe they lived in Jasper County, GA, but by 1830 or so James and wife were in Henry County, TN. His wife, Harriette Adelaide Craige, was a native of Philadelphia, PA, and the thought is that they married there. So, James Cowan apparently spent some time in the North.

I am most interested in obtaining copies of these James Cowan letters in the American Antiquarian Society archives. I checked their online catalog, and find a collection--the "Pearson papers"--but nothing of that name, or Pierson, in the Manuscript collection. Do you know someone near the Archives that could be hired to research these files? Best regards, Terry Cowan (tcowan at jcowaninc.com)