Data. Records for Cowan's in Albemarle and Bedford County, VA

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Related

Introduction

The following is based on readily available online records for the Albemarle, Augusta, and Bedford County areas, as pointed to in the "Related" section above. While records for Augusta are voluminous, the online records for Albemarle and Bedford seem quite limited. Additional records for these areas are available in microfilm format, and a thorough search of those sources may yield better insight into the problems discussed below. Note that while the following discussion uses the "Cowan" spelling of the surname, the "Cowen", "Cowon", and "Cowin" have also been searached in those online sources immediately available. Occasional records recovered may include other surname variants, such as McCown and Cown, etc, but variants such as these have not been systematically searched.

Overview

Members of the Seven Brother Cowans settled in Albemarle and Bedford probably by 1734. They are believed to have come from Pennsylvania with Person:Michael Woods (1) and his extended family. That extended family included of the Campbell, Wallace, Cowan, and Gass lines who had originally settled in the Lancaster and Cumberland portions of Old Chester. About prior to 1733 they moved westward into the Cumberland Valley area. Beginning about 1734 they passed south through the Shannandoah Valley to settle either in what became Augusta County on the west side of the Blue Ridge, or in Albemarle/Bedford Counties on the east side of the Blue Ridge. Those who settled in Albemarle County are found clustered in a relatively small area between the Meachum River to the east, the Blue Ridge to the west, and between Rockfish Gap to the south and Woods Gap (now Jarmans Gap) to the north. Land and court records place them there after 1734.

Members of the Cowan branch of this family are documented to be present in the area west of the Blue Ridge, around Staunton, by 1741, when some of their children are baptized by the Reverend John Craig of Tinkling Springs Meeting House.^[1] They were probably in the area before this date, but their presence earlier than 1741 has not been documented.

The first Cowan record in the Albemarle/Bedford area is for person:John Cowan (65) in 1745, when he is listed as a member of a roadcrew for maintenance of the portion of Three Notch'd Road leading from the DS Tree to Woods Gap on the Blue Ridge. Other members of the extended family of Michael Woods appear in this same Road Order. [2] The bulk of available records for the Cowan's in Albemarle County are related to land transactions. [3] In 1756 John Cowan secures a land grant for 268 acres in the Meachums River area, near other members of the extended family of Michael Woods. In 1758 John Cowan appears in the local militia[4] In 1759 David Cowan sells a 268 acre tract of land to John Cowan in the Meachum River Watershed. In 1762 John Cowan secures a 68 acre land grant in Meachums River watershed In 1765 an Eleanor Cowan sells a parcel of land to Daniel Lewis. David Cowan (presumed to be Person:David Cowan (1) also assigns over his rights to the land. Beginning in 1772 and continueing through 1785 Robert Cowan secures various land grants at different locations in Bedford and Campbell County. Other members of the extended Michael Woods family live in these same areas.