Notebook:Land Records of William Cowan (12)

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Contents


Smoky Mountain Cowan Tapestry
Cowan Tapestry
Register
Data
Notebooks
Analysis
Bibliography
Graphics
YDNA
Cowan Links
Index

The Tapestry
Families Old Chester Old Augusta Germanna
New River SWVP Cumberland Carolina Cradle
The Smokies

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Records

Printed Sources:
  1. Clarks Grove Cemetery, Maryville, Blount Co., TN ... transcriptions at DAR Library.
  2. Cowan Bible Records in possession of Margie Cowan, Reston, VA (as of August 2006) ... starts with John [Alexander] Cowan and his wife, Rosanna Gillespy/Gillespie.
  3. Fischer, David Hackett, Albion’s seed: Four British folkways in America, Oxford University Press, New York, 1989 (ISBN: 0195037944)
  4. Fleming, John Kerr; Cowans of County Down, Derreth Publishing Co., Raleigh, NC; p. 371-376. (DAR Library)
  5. Houston, Blaine and others, Maxwell History and Genealogy; C. E. Pauley & Co., Indianapolis Engraving Co., 1916, p. 6. [DAR Library]
  6. Houston, Samuel Rutherford, Brief Biographical Accounts of Many Members of the Houston Family accompanied by a genealogical table, Elm Street Printing Co., Cincinnati, 1882. [DAR Library]
  7. White, Emma Siggins; Genealogy of the Descendants of John Walker of Wigton, Scotland, with Records of a Few Allied Families. Also War Records and Some Fragmentary Notes Pertaining to the History of Virginia. 1600-1902, Tiernan-Dart Printing Company, Kansas City, MO; 1902, p. 282-283. [DAR Library]
  8. Wiseman, Eugene M.; The Warren County Story, Genealogy Publishing Service, Franklin, NC 28734, 1995 (DAR Library)
  9. Womack, Walter; McMinnville at a Milestone, 1810-1960; Standard Publishing Co., Inc. & Womack Printing Co., McMinnville, TN; 1960, p. 120-121. [DAR Library]
  10. Land Records, Library of Virginia:
    Template:Library of Virginia  --  Grant 400 acres on the waters of Licking Creek adjoining David Gass (Fayette Co., [KY])
    Template:Library of Virginia   --  Grant 400 acres Castles Woods
    1797  13 September  --  Grant 100 acres Rockbridge Co.
  11. Land grants for Blount County show that William Cowan secured a parcel on the west bank of the Little River, near Davis Ford. The following shows this parcel in relationship to land holdings by his brother-in-law, John Walker IV. <imagemap> Image:WilliamCowanLandHolding.jpg| poly 220 96 239 119 395 59 395 44 291 9 224 31 Property of William Cowan: "400 acres in Castles Woods on the waters of Clinch River adjoining John Cowan’s land." poly 574 200 553 270 498 337 571 388 630 413 655 503 696 502 695 218 Property of John Walker Jr.- possibly John Walker IV default Image:WilliamCowanLandHolding.jpg desc bottom-left </imagemap>
  12. Hamilton, Emory L.; The First Militia Roster of the Clinch River Area of Russell County, 1978
    "DAVID GASS - Capt. David Gass was born in Pennsylvania in 1729. He settled early in Albemarle Co., Va., where he was serving in the militia in 1758. In 1769 he moved to Castlewood and prepared to go with Boone to Kentucky in 1773. After the Indians attacked Boone's party in Powell Valley, Boone came to Castlewood and lived in a cabin on Capt. Gass' land until he moved to Boonesboro in 1775. Capt. Gass made seven trips to Kentucky before finally moving his family there in 1777. Gass sold his home place on the Clinch to his brother-in-law, Capt. WILLIAM COWAN, who in turn sold it to James Osborne. Gass died in Madison Co., Ky."
    NOTE: David Gass has been mentioned by several sources as being William Cowan's brother-in-law.
  13. Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church (today, Staunton, Augusta Co., VA) shows John Cowan as one of the founding members of the church. See Research Needs below ...
  14. Land records for Warren County, TN show land transactions (before 1809) for William, John, and Robert – Surveys Around McMinnville from Tennessee’s 3rd Surveyors’ District Plat and Survey Books
    Shows land granted to:
    35-145, John Cowen 1807 156 acres
    35-124, Jno Cowen 1808 200 acres
    34-071, Wm Cowen 1808
    Colville and Mitchell families are neighbors to the Cowans on the plat map.
  15. Orphan Court minutes in Dallas County, AL tie brothers Robert (William1) and John (William1) together ... separate transactions, but on the same day and same page. (Dallas Co., AL Orphan’s Court records, p. 73-74 … where (i) there are 2 transactions at the top of the page involving Robert and a (ii) third transaction at the bottom of the page where Robert (William1) and John (William1) are involved in the estate of David Mitchell and, in the same transaction, James G. Cowan (John [Alexander]2, William1) is named guardian of the Mitchell minor children.)
  16. Additionally, the 1820 Dallas Co., AL State census shows three Cowan brothers: John (William1), Robert (William1), and David Cowan (William1) residing in Dallas Co.

      Other Sources:
  17. Clarks Grove Cemetery, Maryville, Blount Co., TN ... personal tombstone photos taken by Margie Cowan (many posted at Find-a-Grave.com). See the online transcription for ... Clarks Grove Cemetery.
  18. TN Land Grant #544 for William Cowan [Tennessee State Archives, Nashville, TN] ... dated October 17, 1783 for 250 acres in Greene Co., NC (part of Greene became Sevier Co., TN; then part of Sevier became Knox Co., TN; then part of that became Blount Co., TN)
  19. TN Maps -- 1820-1840
  20. Key document to establishing identity of several of William Cowan & Jane Walker's children is Andrew Finis Cowan's (AFC) Letter (June 7, 1906; Indian Territory/Oklahoma) to Columbia Cowan (John Alexander4, Campbell Gilmer3, John [Alexander]2, William1) in Pierce City, Lawrence Co., MO.
    (Original in possession of James E. Freeman (Ruth (Ginder) Freeman6, Florence Edna (Cowan) Ginder5, Richard Tankersley4, Campbell Gilmer3, John [Alexander]2, William1), Camas, WA as of August, 2006).
    Note:   A copy of the AFC letter was included with Margie Cowan's First Families of Tennessee applications for William Cowan and John [Alexander] Cowan (William1)
    • Of note, Andrew Cowan (William1), father of Andrew Finis Cowan, was 90 when he died in 1872.
    • Since Andrew Finis Cowan was 43 when his father died, it is likely he heard many stories first hand about his grandparents (William & Jane) as well as his aunts/uncles, interacted with the remaining aunts & uncles and/or their children (his first cousins), was aware of correspondence between the families, and/or that the families visited each other ... especially so since many of these aunts/uncles remained in Knox/Blount/Loudon counties, which were in relatively close proximity to McMinn and Bradley counties, where AFC and his father lived for many years.
    • The letter was written by Andrew Finis Cowan (Andrew2, William1), who was 77 years old (b. December 1829), in an apparent response to Columbia’s request for information about their ancestors, initiated because of a “claim” (scam?) that the Cowans were potential heirs to a part of Central Park and she was trying to “prove” whether her Cowan ancestors tied into the Central Park “ancestors”.
    • Thus, Andrew responds with information about his aunts and uncles, makes “honorable” mention to several of their children, and a reference to his grandmother, Jane (Walker) Cowan.
    • While Andrew Finis Cowan's eldest three aunts and uncles died at relatively young ages (either before AFC was born or shortly thereafter), their spouses did not die until many years later.
    • The 1857 letter written by Andrew Cowan (William1) to Rosannah (Gillespy/Gillespie) Cowan shows, that despite considerable distance, the two branches of the family remained in contact.
  21. Key document to establishing relationship of Andrew Cowan to John [Alexander] Cowan is the letter written Andrew Cowan (William1) on May 17, 1857 from Bradley Co., TN) to Rosanna (Gillespy/Gillespie) Cowan (addressed as "Dear Sister Roseanna") ... original in possession of James E. Freeman, Camas, WA (as August, 2006).
    (Copy of the Andrew Cowan's 1857 letter was included with Margie Cowan's First Families of Tennessee applications for William Cowan and John [Alexander] Cowan, along with a copy of his pension application for War of 1812 service to prove that the signatures matched on both documents.)

    Both letters below have similar details to the AFC letter and/or either further substantiate his info or add further details of family relationships.
  22. W. E. Parham Letter to W. D. Newberry re Cowans [McClung Library, Knoxville, Parham Collection; Blount Co., TN Library]
  23. R. M. Johnston (Jane Walker (Cowan) Johnston3, Andrew2, William1) letter to first cousin, James H Cowan (George Washington3, Samel2, William1) [McClung Library, Knoxville, Parham Collection; Blount Co., TN Library]
    • R. M. Johnston's mother was Jane Walker (Cowan) Johnston (Andrew2, William1), a daughter of Andrew Cowan (William1) and his wife, Esther F. "Hettie" (Houston) Cowan.
    • Thus, R. M. Johnston was a grandson of Andrew & Hettie ... and AFC's nephew.
    • (The Johnston family is buried at Steekee Creek Cemetery, Loudon, Loudon Co., TN. ... listed at findagrave as [Steekee Cemetery]. While I have many pictures of Johnston tombstones, I have not had time to post them at findagrave. However, see the online transcription of the Steekee Creek cemetery ... Part 1 and Part 2)


      Cemetery Records/Tombstone Photos

  24. Clarks Grove Cemetery (Findagrave.com), Maryville, Blount Co., TN ... Clarks Grove Cemetery transcriptions.
  25. William Cowan's DAR marker, Clarks Grove Cemetery, Maryville, Blount Co., TN
  26. Eleanor Gillespy's tombstone, Clarks Grove Cemetery, Maryville, Blount Co., TN.


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