Portal:Indian Captivity Stories/Mrs. Blaine

Mrs. Blaine's Account

This item is provided in Cleming, 1971:364, citing a letter from Mrs. Laua Cowan Blaine, of Springfield MO, to J. Max Cowan then of Bloomington, IN. Fleming believes the John Cowan identified in the letter refers to Major John Cowan, son of Samuel. This is easily shown not to be the case (see below), but the story told in Mrs. Blaine's letter does bear some resemblance to the Mary Walker Cowan and Ann Walker Cowan stories.

''My father's father's name was Jhn Cowan. He had one brother James. My grandfather John was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Married in Rockbridge County, Virginia 1st Margaret Weir; 2nd in 1819, Anna Maxwell, in Jefferson County, Indiana. My father is the only child by the second marriage. Do not know my great granther or great grandmother's name. father always thught hte name was John, but he was not sure. Hew was one o seven brothers and was killed by the Indians and his wife was captive to the Indians for six years at one time and several months at anotyhr. We feel certan they were connected witht he Walker family, as the name was has been given to several generations of Cowans of our line."

Fleming comments at this point about Mrs. Blaine's father "his recollection of the name of his grandfather obviously was correct. he was Major John Cowan, son of Samuel Cowan, the immigrant."