Family:Samuel Cowan and Mary Unknown (1)

Notes

From Rootsweb

1814 Dublin Township, Tax List

Samuel Cowen, 75, age

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listed in 1790 census Bedford Co 4 males & 1 female

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1798 tax list Dublin twp

Log house 20x20 value $50 (neighbor "mountain")

log barn 40x24

114 acres value $160

another source puts the property at what is now Cowan's Gap State Park along the Forbes Road

listed in 1800 Bedford, Dublin twp - 4 - - 2 1 males , - - - 1 females

Samuel's Wife

Why Samuel's wife is sometimes identified as "Mary Mueller" by many genealogists, the earliest version of her personal history (Document. Burning of the Old Cowan House, dating to 1878) does not give either her given name or her last name. Subsequent versions add the name "Mary" (See Source:Maurer, 1899, by BL Meurer, fide Source:Fleming, 1971), but the basis for this is unknown. Genealogists often add the surname "Mueller" but again the basis for that is unknown.

Fleming says that Meurer's 1899 report was he accounting of his interview with "Mary", but this does not seem likely. The 1878 account appeared in an issue of the Chambersburg Chronicle, and was probably written by its editor. In anycase, the article specifically states that the last person in the party who listened to "Mary's" story, was then an 80 year old man when the author heard the story (several years ago). The author further requests that this gentleman, should he read the article, provide any needed corrections. Thus, the author of this article, at least, clearly rules himself out as the source of information, and so can not be Maurer. If the 80 year old gentleman that is identified in 1878 as the source of this information were Maurer himself, then in 1899 he would have been over 100 years of age; it seems unlikely that he himself could have published this article, given his age. Yet Maurer's article, as transcribed by Fleming 1971, is surprisingly similar to the 1878 version, and in more ways than just a repetition of specific facts. While there's no queston of plagerism here, the presentation of facts is virtually identical, with some word rearrangement and rephraseing. It looks as though Maurer had access to the 1878 article, and used it to prepare his own version, and may have added a few embellisments of his own.

Maurer's identification of the womans age as "102", is significant. The 1878 article makes her out to be 104 years. Here Maurer may have used data from the 1860 census which does, in fact, identify a 102 year old woman living at this location, by the name of "Margaret Cowan". Its probably Margaret Cowan's story, not that of Mary Cowan, that is actually being told here. The leads us to the question of why Maurer identified Samuel's wife as "Mary". Its possible that "Margaret" as given in the 1860 census was simply an error to begin with, and the census taker misunderstood her name...but what is the evidence to support that? The woman's name is not in the 1878 original upon which Maurer apparently based his 1899 story. Part of the explanation may be that in 1850 a woman appears in the same household (based on the other occupants) as 78 year old "Mary Cowan". It looks very much like Maurer used "Mary's" name, and "Margaret's" age. Given the wide difference in age in the two census' it could be argued that "Mary Margaret's" age has suffered a generous helping of "age creep", and that her name has been transformed to "Margaret". In the census in which case Maurer got it right. Nonetheless, the simpler explanation is that these are two different woman, and usually simpler is better. But who were they? Was one or the other the wife of Samuel? or neither?

Margaret does not appear in the records until the 1860 census (at age 102) in the household of William Cowan (age 50) at Cowan's Gap, along with a somwhat older David Cowan (age 63), and several younger children. The children maybe William's by a deceased wife, but there are other possibilities. Essentially this same family group appears in the 1850 census, but with a Mary Cowan (age 72) as HOH, David Cowan (age 46), and William Cowan (age 44), as well as a Hugh T. Cowan (age 51). At age 72 Mary is appropriately aged to be the mother of David, William and Hugh (ages 44 to 51). The identity of David, William, and Hugh is revealed in a revealed in an 1848 land transaction which shows that they are cousins of James Cowan, son of Samuel. This family has come to live on the old Samuel Cowan property because James, in 1848, transferred the land to them in exchange for their taking care of him. Since he is not in the 1850 census, two years later, we can probably conclude that he died shortly after making the transfer. ^[1] In anycase, this would seem to make Mary out as the most likely mother of David, William and Hugh. Her husband, presumably deceased at this time, could be any of the other Cowan males who appear at an early date in the area: In addition to Samuel, there are at least two other Cowan males in the area: Hugh and Edward. Hugh aquired property in the same general area on the same day, and could well be the uncle to whom James refers in the land transfer of 1848. Edward Cowan lived some distance away (about thirty miles, living at Roaring Spring), but not so far as to rule him out as Samuel's brother.

While we don't know specifically that Samuel, Hugh, and Edward were related, we do have clues to suggest this. First, we know that Samuel and Hugh obtain their land warrants on the very same day in 1785, and lived no more than a few miles apart. While they might be either cousins or brothers, it seems most likely that they were brothers. Edward obtained his land warrant about a year later, and at some distance (roughly 30 miles) away at what is now McKee Gap, near Roaring Springs. All three properties are within the larger area known as the "Great Cove". The timing and general proximity of these three parcels are enough to suggest that the three Cowan's may have been related. This is almost certainly the case with Hugh and Samuel, but we don't have enough direct evidence to say its probably true of Edward. There is, however, a very curious problem in the original 1878 version of the "Mary/Margaret Cowan" story. Namely, unlike later versions of this story, she identifies her husband's name not as Samuel, but "Edgar". This looks like the later authors changed this to "Samuel" because they assumed that "Mary/Margaret" had lived their all her adult life, and was married to Samuel---and it was Samuel who acquired the land at Cowan's Gap. But perhaps the story errors here, and Margaret is in reality Edward Cowan's wife, and "edgar" is a mishearing of "Edward". Under this view William, David, and Hugh T. would be the sons of Edward Cowan of Roaring Springs.

Data

1. ↑ The children identified in the 1850 census could have been from a marriage of James. He appears to be married in the 1840 census, which shows him living in the same area as Samuel Cowans land. He is shown as age 40-49, with a similarly aged woman in his household (presumed wife), along with three boys, and two girls.