Albemarle Cowan Tapestry

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Overview

There are several Cowan's who appear in Albemarle County, VA prior to the Revolution. Among them are:

Person:David Cowan (1)

Person:James Cowan (XX)

both of whom seem to have ties to [[Person:Andrew Cowan (XX) who settled after 1746 in Old Augusta, on Beverley's Manor.

Since we normally (and not necessarily correctly) think of the Cowan's as of Scot Irish ancestry, and Presbyterian, their appearance here, east of the Blue Ridge, seems anomalous. If we assume that they were Presbyterian Scots Irish, then we would expect them to have immigrated first to Pennsylvania, and eventually followed the Great Road south, into the Valley of Virginia, passing east at Staunton, over the Blue Ridge to settle in Albemarle. This seems incomprehensible for Scot Irish Presbyterians. Episcopalianism was the established church in Virginia; west of the Blue Ridge this was not enforced, but to the east they would not have been so free. This might indicate that these Cowans were a) not in fact Presbyterian, and/or b) they didn't come to the area from Pennsylvania.

There are several lines of evidence that the family did in fact come from Pennsylvania, following the Great road south, and crossing the Blue Ridge, perhaps at Wood's Gap, to settle in Albemarle County.