Person:Nancy Hays (5)

Watchers
m. Abt 1775
  1. Charles HaysAbt 1776 - 1847
  2. Elizabeth HaysAbt 1777 - Bef 1850
  3. Nancy Hays1777 - Bet 1851 & 1860
  4. Barbara HaysAbt 1780 - 1852
  5. James Hays1784 - 1851
  6. Jacob Hays1787 - 1858
  7. Mary "Polly" HaysAbt 1790 - 1853
  8. Martha "Matty" HaysAbt 1797 - Abt 1828
  • H.  James Cowan (add)
  • WNancy Hays1777 - Bet 1851 & 1860
m. 28 Aug 1806
Facts and Events
Name Nancy Hays
Gender Female
Birth? 25 May 1777 Rich Valley, Montgomery, Virginia, United States
Marriage 28 Aug 1806 Wythe, Virginia, United Statesto James Cowan (add)
Death? Bet 1851 and 1860 Wayne, Kentucky, United States

Overview

Not many details are known about Nancy and her family by the author of this article as it has not been a primary research interest. We are able to understand, however, the basic facts of her life through US Census schedules and marriage record.

Like her sisters Elizabeth and Barbara, Nancy was not mentioned in the last will and testaments of her parents and the only connection to the family of William and Elizabeth Hays is the Smyth County court record where the remaining cash of William's estate was divided among all the children. She was listed as Nancy Cowen.

A corroborating marriage record exists for a James Cowen who married Nancy Hays on August 28th of 1806 in Wythe County, Virginia.

Nancy's birth date is reported to be May 25th 1777; however, a source for this date is not provided in various Ancestry.com family trees and it's unclear where exactly this date is found in the historical record. It is tentatively accepted in this article on the assumption that some other researcher (possibly a Cowen family researcher) previously found a source that has not been included. Given the following analysis one must consider the given birth date as provisional and possibly incorrect.

The first clue for a birth date is the 1810 US Census record for Wythe County where James Cowan and family are found. The eldest female in the household was listed as being between 16 and 25 years of age which, if correct, would put her earliest birth year as 1784 or 1785 -- at least seven years off from the above given date. The age range of 26-44 in the 1820 census is too wide and doesn't help; however, in the 1830 US Census (still in Wythe Co. VA) the eldest female was listed as between the ages of 40 to 49 giving her birth year between 1781 and 1790 which, again, indicates she may have been younger by at least four years in this record.

The trail for this family is continued (in the author's records) in Wayne County, Kentucky for the 1840 and 1850 US Census records. In the 1840 US Census, James’ presumed wife is between 60 and 69 years of age which gets us to the correct range based on given birth date. Finally, in the 1850 census record for Kentucky, the actual name of James’ wife is revealed. Nancy Cowen’s age is 73 in this record, which also matches the possible birth date. Her husband’s middle initial is given in this record too. He gives his name as John G. Cowen, age 67 giving computed birth year of about 1783.

Again, original research is not in the author's possession and it's unclear how the connection between Wythe County, Virginia family and the Wayne County, Kentucky family is made -- although the facts of each roughly match.

References
  1.   Cowen/Hays Marriage, in Dodd, Jordan R. Virginia, Compiled Marriages, 1740-1850.