William Cowan (1750-1809)

Vita

 * Born: 1750 VA
 * Married: c. 1773 [Botetourt or Fincastle Co., VA]
 * Died: 1809 [Blount Co.?] TN
 * Burial: [Clarks Grove Cemetery, Maryville, Blount Co., TN]

While many written sources claim he was buried in Clarks Grove Cemetery, there are questions and reservations about where he died and where he is buried because the BRONZE marker erected by the DAR is right in the middle of a chronological row of approximately 12 tombstones for Christopher Columbus Cowan and his descendants, beginning with Christopher Columbus Cowan (d. 1873) and ending with Margaret (Eagleton) Cowan (d. 1904).

The question arises whether William Cowan and Jane (Walker) Cowan died in Blount Co., TN -- as he does not appear on the Blount Co. tax rolls for those years. In 1803, he settled/lived on land owned by sons Robert and David.
 * Womack, Walter; McMinnville at a Milestone, 1810-1960; Standard Publishing Co., Inc. & Womack Printing Co., McMinnville, TN; 1960, p. 120-121. [DAR Library]
 * “The Bentley papers aver that Robert and David Cowan were living somewhere on the eastern side of the present Riverside Cemetery as early as 1803. The same source states that a grant to William Cowan in 1803 is described as beginning at a poplar tree on the north bank of Baren Fork at Polly Black’s ford.”]

Thus, there is reason to believe that he and wife, Jane, were living in Warren Co., TN when they died.

Ancestry
William COWAN is the son of Unknown (?-?) and Unknown (?-?).

Spouse(s)

 * Jane Walker (b. 1755 in VA; d. 1806, [Blount Co.?], TN)


 * m. 1773 (Botetourt or Fincastle Co., VA)

Marriage date based on the birthdate of the eldest child, Eleanor (Cowan) Gillespy. Eleanor Gillespy's tombstone states:
 * ''Beneath Sleeps
 * the mortal part
 * of
 * Eleanor Gillespy
 * Wife of
 * James Gillespy
 * Deposited here
 * November 23, 1831
 * Aged 57 years''


 * (d. 1831-57 = b. 1774)

Military Service

 * Virginia State Library, Dunsmore’s War Records, p. 229. [Virginia State Library, microfilm, interlibrary loan.]
 * 1773 -- William Cowan shown on the list of militia soldiers under Captain William Russell for the first pay period just prior to the outbreak of Dunmore’s War in the fall of 1774.


 * Clark, Gerald H; Militia of Washington Co., VA; Officers 1777-1835; Militia Men 1798-1835, Mountain Press, Signal Mountain, IN; 1979, p. 13. (Fairfax Co., VA Library)
 * 1777 -- Recommended Lieutenant in Capt. Snoddy's Co., Washington Co., Militia (27 Aug 1777)


 * 1780 -- William Cowan was at the Battle of Kings Mountain under Col. William Russell (October 7, 1780).


 * 1782 –- William Cowan was “Recommended to his Excellency the Governor as fit and Proper Persons for Captains of Militia in the County of Washington” on March 20, 1782


 * 1785 -- Mentioned as Captain, Company No. 9, 1st Battalion.


 * White, Kathrine Keogh, The King’s Mountain Men …, Joseph K. Ruebush Company, Dayton, VA; 1924,
 * p. 162: “Andrew and William [Cowan] are listed by Summers and Eckenrode. They were captains in the militia of Washington county, 1777-1780, and were under Campbell at King’s Mountain.”


 * Hamilton, Emory L., The First Militia Roster of the Clinch River Area of Russell County, 1978 ...
 * "In the Archives of the Virginia State Library is found one of the most interesting documents pertaining to the earliest settlers of the Clinch River Valley in what is now Russell, Scott, and Lee Counties, but then a part of Washington County. It is pages 229 and 230 of the Dunmore's War Records, and is a roster of 72 names of Militia soldiers under Captain William Russell. The roster is for the first pay period just prior to the outbreak of Dunmore's War in the fall of 1774.


 * While this document does not list everyone living in the area, it does give an insight into some of the very earliest settlers. On the ensuing pages [Hamilton lists] by number and name each of the Militiamen, with a brief biography of what I[he was] able to find pertaining to each man."


 * Of note for purposes of this page:


 * "1. WILLIAM RUSSELL - He was Captain of Militia and lived near the present Castlewood High School. His first wife, Tabitha Adams Russell died there in 1776 and was buried there. Russell later married Elizabeth, the widow of General William Campbell and lived at Saltville. The second Mrs. Russell was a sister to Patrick Henry. At the outbreak of the Revolution, Russell became a general in the Continental Army. It was for him that Russell County was named."


 * "4. JOHN SNODDY - This was Captain John Snoddy, born circa 1739 and who was a militia captain on the Clinch until his removal to Kentucky around 1780. He had married Margaret Walker, a daughter of John Walker who lived at the "sink" of Sinking Creek on a farm he called "Broad Meadows". Snoddy at one time owned Moore's Fort at Castlewood, which he sold prior to his removal to Kentuckyto Frederick Fraley. He was a brother-in-law to Patrick Porter, and the Cowan brothers, David, William and Samuel, all having married Walker sisters. John Snoddy died in Madison Co., Ky. in 1814, and should not be confused with an older John Snoddy who served on the Washington Co. Court who lived at Abingdon. The older Snoddy married Agnes Glasgow in Philadelphia in 1741 and moved to Tennessee where he died in 1786."


 * "28. WILLIAM COWAN - William Cowan was a Captain in the militia and his wife was Jane Walker, daughter of John Walker. His brothers David, Samuel, and Andrew also lived on the Clinch River. William Cowan lived two miles below Moore's Fort on land he bought from Capt. David Gass, his brother-in-law. Cowan sold his land to James Osborne and left the area around 1780, probably for Kentucky. The old log house where Gass, Cowan, and Osborne lived still stands in lower Castlewood. Captain William Cowan made several trips into Kentucky before leaving the Clinch."


 * "30. DAVID GASS - Capt. David Gass was born in Pennsylvania in 1729. He settled early in Albemarle Co., Va., where he was serving in the militia in 1758. In 1769 he moved to Castlewood and prepared to go with Boone to Kentucky in 1773. After the Indians attacked Boone's party in Powell Valley, Boone came to Castlewood and lived in a cabin on Capt. Gass's land until he moved to Boonesboro in 1775. Capt. Gass made seven trips to Kentucky before finally moving his family there in 1777. Gass sold his home place on the Clinch to his brother-in-law, Capt. William Cowan, who in turn sold it to James Osborne, Gass died in Madison Co., Ky."

Religious Affiliation
Presbyterian
 * Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church (today, Staunton, Augusta Co., VA)

Child List
 Eleanor "Ellen" COWAN (1774 - 1831)	b: 1774 in Washington Co, VA	d: 23 Nov 1831 in Blount Co., TN  m. James "Smoking Jimmy" GILLESPY (1772 - 1861) b: 02 September 1772 in Gillespy's Gap, VA d: 06 January 1861 in Canonsburg, PA  <li>John Alexander COWAN (1775 - 1821)	b: 1775 in Washington Co., VA	d: 12 Oct 1821 in Dallas Co., AL <BR> m. Rosanna "Anna / Annie" GILLESPY (1777-1857)/GILLESPIE, sister to James "Smoking Jimmy" GILLESPY (1772 - 1861), b: 07 October 1777 in VA d: 17 August 1857 in Pleasant Hill, Lowndes Co., AL <BR> <li>Samuel ______ COWAN (1779 - 1828)	b: 23 Jul 1779 in Washington Co., VA	d: 30 Dec 1828 in Blount Co., TN <BR> m. Ester Jane Gillespie HOUSTON b: 22 August 1792 d: 1844 <li>Andrew COWAN (1782 - 1872) b: 02 May 1782 in Washington Co., VA	d: 10 Jan 1872 in Cleveland, Bradley Co., TN<BR> m#1 Effie F______ "Hettie" HOUSTON b: 19 July 1795 d. 12 August 1850 (1st cousin to Ester Jane Gillespie Houston)<BR> m#2 [Mrs?] Margaret FISHER m: 12 January 1859 in McMinn Co., TN. <li>Robert COWAN (1784 - 1869) b: 22 Jun 1784 in Washington Co., VA	d: 17 Sep 1869 in Lowell, Benton Co., AR <BR> m. Elizabeth COLVILLE b: 15 April 1793 d: 12/26/1865 in Benton Co., AR <li>Polly COWAN (? - ?) b: Bet. 1785 - 1798 <BR> m. ______ ______ MITCHEL <li>Ann Cowan	b: Abt. 1790	[d: Bef. 1850? in Hickman Co., TN?] <BR> m. George PEERY? <li>William COWAN (c. 1796 - ?) b: Abt. 1796	<li>James Walker COWAN (1798 - 1870)	b: 09 Apr 1798 in TN	d: 22 Jul 1870 in AR <BR> m. Catherine COLVILLE, sister to Elizabeth Colville, b: 10 November 1799 d: 07 July 1872 in Benton Co., AR <li>David COWAN (1799 - ?) b: 1799</ol>

Family History
Land grants for Blount County show that William Cowan secured a parcel on the west bank of the Little River, near Davis Ford. The following shows this parcel in relationship to land holdings by his brother-in-law, John Walker IV.




 * Hamilton, Emory L.; The First Militia Roster of the Clinch River Area of Russell County, 1978
 * "DAVID GASS - Capt. David Gass was born in Pennsylvania in 1729. He settled early in Albemarle Co., Va., where he was serving in the militia in 1758. In 1769 he moved to Castlewood and prepared to go with Boone to Kentucky in 1773. After the Indians attacked Boone's party in Powell Valley, Boone came to Castlewood and lived in a cabin on Capt. Gass' land until he moved to Boonesboro in 1775. Capt. Gass made seven trips to Kentucky before finally moving his family there in 1777. Gass sold his home place on the Clinch to his brother-in-law, Capt. WILLIAM COWAN, who in turn sold it to James Osborne. Gass died in Madison Co., Ky."

NOTE: David Gass has been mentioned by several sources as being William Cowan's brother-in-law.<BR><BR>

Records
Printed Sources:
 * Clarks Grove Cemetery, Maryville, Blount Co., TN ... transcriptions at DAR Library.
 * Cowan Bible Records in possession of Margie Cowan, Reston, VA (as of August 2006) ... starts with John [Alexander] Cowan and his wife, Rosanna Gillespy/Gillespie.
 * Fleming, John Kerr; Cowans of County Down, Derreth Publishing Co., Raleigh, NC; p. 371-376. (DAR Library)
 * Houston, Blaine and others, Maxwell History and Genealogy; C. E. Pauley & Co., Indianapolis Engraving Co., 1916. [DAR Library]
 * Houston, Samuel Rutherford, Brief Biographical Accounts of Many Members of the Houston Family accompanied by a genealogical table, Elm Street Printing Co., Cincinnati, 1882. [DAR Library]
 * McMinn Co., TN Tax Lists … 1829-1832, 1836 [DAR Library]
 * White, Emma Siggins; Genealogy of the Descendants of John Walker of Wigton, Scotland, 1600-1902, Tiernan-Dart Printing Company, Kansas City, MO; 1902. [DAR Library]
 * Wiseman, Eugene M.; The Warren County Story, Genealogy Publishing Service, Franklin, NC 28734, 1995 (DAR Library)
 * Womack, Walter; McMinnville at a Milestone, 1810-1960; Standard Publishing Co., Inc. & Womack Printing Co., McMinnville, TN; 1960, p. 120-121. [DAR Library]

Other Sources:
 * Clarks Grove Cemetery, Maryville, Blount Co., TN ... personal tombstone photos taken by Margie Cowan (many posted at Find-a-Grave.com).   See the online transcription for ... Clarks Grove Cemetery.
 * TN Land Grant #544 for William Cowan [Tennessee State Archives, Nashville, TN] ... dated October 17, 1783 for 250 acres in Greene Co., NC (part of Greene became Sevier Co., TN; then part of Sevier became Knox Co., TN; then part of that became Blount Co., TN)
 * TN Maps -- 1820-1840
 * Key document to establishing identity of several of William Cowan & Jane Walker's children is Andrew Finis Cowan's (AFC) Letter (June 7, 1906; Indian Territory/Oklahoma) to Columbia Cowan (Pierce City, Lawrence Co., MO) ... original in possession of James E. Freeman, Camas, WA (as August, 2006).
 * The letter was written by Andrew, who was 77 years old (b. December 1829), in an apparent response to Columbia’s request for information about their ancestors, initiated because of a “claim” (scam?) that the Cowans were potential heirs to a part of Central Park and she was trying to “prove” whether her Cowan ancestors tied into the Central Park “ancestors”. Thus, Andrew responds with information about his aunts and uncles, makes “honorable” mention to several of their children, and a reference to his grandmother, Jane (Walker) Cowan.
 * Of note, Andrew's father (Andrew "Sr." ... son of William Cowan and Jane Walker) was 90 when he died in 1872. While Andrew Finis Cowan's eldest three aunts and uncles died at relatively young ages (either before AFC was born or shortly thereafter), their spouses did not die until many years later.  Further, since Andrew Finis Cowan was 43 when his father died, it is likely he heard many stories first hand about his grandparents (William & Jane) as well as his aunts/uncles, interacted with the remaining aunts & uncles and/or their children (his first cousins), was aware of correspondence between the families, and/or that the families visited each other ... especially so since many of these aunts/uncles remained in Knox/Blount/Loudon counties, which were in relatively close proximity to McMinn and Bradley counties, where AFC and his father lived for many years.


 * Key document to establishing relationship of Andrew Cowan to John [Alexander] Cowan is Andrew Cowan's Letter (May 17, 1857; Bradley Co., TN) to Rosanna (Gillespy/Gillespie) Cowan (addressed as "Dear Sister Roseanna") ... original in possession of James E. Freeman, Camas, WA (as August, 2006).

Both letters below have similar details to the AFC letter and/or either further substantiate his info or add further details of family relationships.
 * W. E. Parham Letter to W. D. Newberry re Cowans [McClung Library, Knoxville, Parham Collection]
 * R. M. Johnston letter to James H Cowan [McClung Library, Knoxville, Parham Collection]
 * R. M. Johnston's mother was Jane Walker (Cowan) Johnston, a daughter of Andrew Cowan and his wife, Esther F. "Hettie" (Houston) Cowan.
 * Thus, R. M. Johnston was a grandson of Andrew & Hettie ... and AFC's nephew.
 * (The Johnston family is buried at Steekee Creek Cemetery, Loudon, Loudon Co., TN. ... listed at findagrave as [Steekee Cemetery]. While I have many pictures of Johnston tombstones, I have not had time to post them at findagrave.  However, see the online transcription of the Steekee Creek cemetery ... Part 1 and Part 2)<BR><BR>

Research Needs
<BR>(I am also looking for photos of ancestors and/or current descendants as well as tombstone photos.) <BR><BR>
 * If anyone claims descendancy from one of William Cowan and Jane Walker's children, please contact Margie Cowan -- mcowan @ erols.com.
 * Does anyone know what the tax laws were in early TN? I'd heard that there was an age at which a man no longer paid tax ... which could provide an alternative explanation for why William Cowan does not appear on Blount Co., TN tax rolls after a certain date.

Links

 * Wigton Walkers
 * Walker Home
 * Virgina County Boundary Changes
 * Smoky Mountain Photos
 * Finley & Gillespie Research
 * Cowan Clan United
 * Cowan DNA Project<BR>
 * If you are a COWAN male, the DNA project needs you to help establish links between the various Cowan branches. Click the link and sign up!<BR><BR>

Definitions

 * Common Acronyms and Definitions
 * Genealogical Definitions

Contributors

 * Margie Cowan -- Cowantex 14:55, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
 * --Bill 20:14, 12 August 2006 (UTC)