Person:Vincent Cowan (1)

A YNDA test has been taken through FTDNA, by a person tracing decent from Vincent Y. Cowan. That 67 marker test matches a single 12-marker test at about 13.5% dissimilarity. That kit has been placed in the Bridge subgroup of the Sullivan County Cowans. While 13.5% dissimilarity is within the usual acceptance criteria for similarity analysis, the number of markers that are comparable (12) are too few to place great confidence in this match. At the same time the kit in question does not match well with any other kits in the project, including kits testing at 67-111 markers, and kits in the two lines known to have been present in York County SC, at an early date (Pequea Creek Cowans, and the Sullivan County Cowans).

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Notes

Source: Based on discussion of Vincent Y. Cowan at Rootsweb, by Geralyn Barry

Vincent Y. COWEN, born abt 1788 in York District, South Carolina (according to later census records) and died December 1859 in Gadsden County Florida. Known locations of descendents: York Co. SC, Gadsden Co. FL and perhaps Tippah Co. MS.

Census records show no Cowens in York District in 1790, 1800, or 1810, although there were Cowens in neighboring Chester County, SC to the south and Mecklenburg County, NC to the north. Yet, [there are] records of Cowens in York Co. as early as the 1750s.

Vincent almost always used that middle initial Y with his name [it may stand for] OUNG, because of an almost illegible clerk'scopy of Vincent's will in which it looks like he calls his youngest son (by his second wife) Vincent LandesYoung Cowen. Neither of Vincent's 2 wives had maiden names Landes or Young.

In 1814, Vincent COWEN enlisted at "ALLISON's old place" in York District SC for the War of 1812. Much of the information about his second marriage comes from his widow's application for a pension based on Vincent's service in that war.

Vincent married

1. Nancy Agnes NICKOLS/ NICHOLS (11 Dec 1792 - 31 Dec 1847) probably before 1815. Vincent and Nancy had at least 8 children, according

his will made 8 Nov 1859 [Gadsden Co. FL probate records]. There is evidence for maybe 2 more children whose names are known but who died before the will was made. Pre-1850 census head counts suggest there may have been as many as 11 children in Vincent's household. Children from will & censuses:

1. E. G. COWEN - Could this be the Alexander ["Elexander"?] G. COWEN (b.

abt 1814 SC) who was with wife Annie and daughter Margaret H. D. (b. abt 1839) in the town of York, SC for the 1850 census? Alexander was living next to Vincent in York Co. for the 1840 census. Where did he go after 1850?

2. Jane COWEN (b. abt 1815 SC, never married?) listed in 1850 York Co. SC

and 1860 Gadsden Co. FL censuses, returned to York Co. SC after Vincent died. What happened to her after that?

3. Cynthia Caroline COWEN (b. 7 Aug 1816 SC, d. 11 Apr 1890) m. Joseph C.

SMITH (1815-1886); both buried in Beersheba Presbyterian Cemetery, York Co. SC. They appear in the 1850 York Co. SC and 1860 Gadsden Co. FL censuses, then returned to SC. They had at least 8 children, 2 of whom (Vincent P. and Hiram A.) seem to be in the 1870 census for Tippah County, MS.

4. Eliza COWEN (b. abt 1822 SC) m. William Johnson? BURNS. Eliza may have

previously been married to a Mr. JOHNSTON, because the 1850 census (York Co. SC) shows Eliza 28 and William 30 with 3 young children named JOHNSTON. These children are shown in the 1860 census (Gadsden Co. FL) with last name BURNS. Where did they all go after 1860 census?

5. Messina Adaline COWEN (b. abt 1820/25 SC) m. Andrew W. JACKSON before

1850 census. Their children from the 1860 census, York Co. SC do not agree with Ancestral File (Mormon database) and are quite different from the 1870 census, which shows an Andrew W. (age 47) and M. Ada (age 45) JACKSON at Ripley P.O., Tippah Co. MS with 6 children. Is this the same family or just a coincidence? Info in AF suggests the family may have gone to IL then MS, with some children ending up in AR and TN. Some of the other info on Vincent and his family in Ancestral FIle is either wrong or grossly incomplete, so...

6. Martha E. COWEN was age 25 and with Vincent in 1850 census (York Co.

SC). No further info on her. Not named in will, unless this was Eliza (the middle initial E) BURNS.

7. Mary COWEN, married name BATES. I know nothing about her or her husband.

There are 2 possible birthdate ranges for her, based on female headcounts in pre-1850 censuses: 1810-1820 or 1820-25. She was not in Vincent's household in 1850. A woman in either of these age ranges could have been married by then. There were several BATES families in York Co. SC.

8. Daniel J. COWEN, died 10 May 1846 aged 17 years 2 months & 4 days,

buried Cowen Family Burial Ground near Bullock's Creek, York County SC [b. 6 March 1829, calculated from gravestone transcription]. Probably named for his grandfather Daniel NICHOLS.

9. John E. COWEN (b. abt 1831/25 Feb 1832 SC) m. Williana Emaline

WEATHINGTON/ WORTHINGTON 10 Dec 1858. Enlisted in Capt. J. C. Evans' Co. (later Co. C), 6th Regt. Fla. Inf. (CSA) as a private; died from disease 18 Oct 1862 at Lexington KY. He was left behind sick in hospital when the Confederate Army abandoned Lexington and died a few weeks later, officially a prisoner of war; buried in Confederate section of Lexington National Cemetery, Lexington KY. Known children William Frederick COWEN (5 Aug 1859 - 28 Jan 1931) and Mary Louise (Molly) COWEN (b. 28 Aug 1861, m. Charles A. VanLANDINGHAM) remained in Gadsden Co. FL. John's widow Emaline married Lemuel Pinckney SUBERS on 2 Dec 1866 in Gadsden Co. FL and had more children. 10. William M. COWEN (b. abt 1834 SC) m. Susan Jackaline DRAKE (b. abt 1838 GA, prob. daughter of Joshua and Ann Mortimer DRAKE) on 7 Jan 1858 in Gadsden Co. FL; enrolled as a private in Capt. Waller's company (Co. B), 8 Florida Infantry (CSA) on 10 May 1862. Died 20 Aug 1862 of typhoid fever at hospital in Gordonsville, VA. Only one child known: Sarah L. COWEN b. abt 1861. William's widow Susan married widower Alexander M. MOSELEY on 14 Oct 1872 in Gadsden Co. FL and had 4 known children by him.

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Second marriage

On 31 Dec 1847, Vincent's first wife Nancy A. died and was buried in the "Cowen family burial ground" in York County SC. Vincent COWEN then married

2. Martha Ann SMITH. They were married at the house of Nathaniel SMITH (York District, SC) on 6 Feb 1849 by Josiah G. SMITH. Vincent and Martha had at least 5 children [from Vincent's will and 1860 Census, Gadsden Co. FL]:

1. Francis Teamanda(?) COWEN b. 1850 SC
2. Sarah P. COWEN b. abt 1852 SC
3. Nancy Permelia COWEN b. abt 1854 FL; there was a Nancy COWEN in

Yorkville SC age 15 in 1870 census working as servant in the house of Daniel C. WILLIAMS. Also, an N. P. COWEN married J. M. BRANCH in York County SC on 12 Oct 1880. Was this Nancy Permelia?