Person:John Cowing (1)

Traditionally two separate lineages have been associated with the descendancy of John Cowen (1)=Rebecca Short. YDNA evidence for these lines indicates that they do not, infact, share a recent common ancestor. Examination of the lineage data, coupled with an examination of original source documentation, shows that the bulk of this traditional lineage does descend from John (1) and Rebecca.

Four individuals who believed they descended from John and Rebecca took the YDNA test through FTDNA. The first kit, (referred to here as Scituate A, traced descent from Israel Cowen (1), a son of John and Rebecca. The other three kits (Scituate B) traced descent from John Cowen (2), another son of John and Rebecca, through his son John Cowing (1). Descendants of John Cowing (1) matched each other closely, but did not match the single kit which traced descent from Israel Cowen.

John Cowen (2) presumed ancestor of the Scituate B line, had a son John Cowing (1), born in 1692. Massachusetts court records of 1729 identify four of John (2)'s sons and gives their place of residence. Son John is shown as living in that year in Provincetown, Massachuesetts, while the other three sons (Joshua, Caleb, and Israel), are shown living in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Rhode Island records, show that a John Cowing married Sarah Mitchell in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1718. Birth records for this couple show that they had a number of children at approximately 1 to 2 year intervals beginning in 1719, and continuing through 1734. From this we can infer that the couple and their children were living in Rhode Island from 1718 until after 1734. Among those children were sons James (74), John (3) and Joseph (2) through whom the Scituate B line traced descent.

These data show that The John Cowen who married Sarah Mitchell in Providence Rhode Island can not be the same John Cowing (1) who was living in Provincetown, Massachuesetts in 1724.