On page 2, following William COWAN (c.1801-1865) one can find "There is no
PROOF for his parents' names."
The same thing follows Samuel C. COWAN (c.1806-1885) on page 3 of
COWAN Connections.
Descendants of William and Sarah (HICKEY) COWAN claim the KEITH
connection. It is strong in their family
history. Contact with other relatives will add more to this timeline.
Cindy (HENSLEE) STAMPS, of Richardson, TX, a family researcher and
descendant of William COWAN (m. Cynthia MORGAN), is actively seeking the
parents of William COWAN and his brother Samuel
who lived and died in Marion County, TN. She does not believe that her
William and his brother Samuel are from this "KEITH bunch" of COWANs. We
cannot even prove that the Samuel COWAN who married Sarah KEITH was ever in
Marion County.
Though the descendants of William and Sarah (HICKEY) COWAN cannot
understand why Dr. Cole chose to put the other William in the family in his book,
COWAN Connections,
instead of their William, what's done is done. Now it is up to
researchers (not "copiers") to rectify this.
Hopefully this timeline is of benefit to you. It is by no means complete.
If you have any source records
which will help to verify the location of Samuel COWAN from 1819 to 1825,
please contact Carol Baker Wahl.
*1803, TN: Riley Cowan is born
*1806, TN: Hugh Cowan is born (unable to find researcher on this line for
verification)
*about 1811: Margaret Cowan is born in TN (info from tombstone)
*about 1812 Bledsoe Co., TN: William Cowan is born in TN (age from 1850 census)
1812, Bledsoe Co., TN: Samuel Cowan is on Bledsoe, TN petition
1813 (30 Sept - 30 Dec)TN: Samuel Cowan in Brown's Regiment (East Tennessee
Volunteer Mounted Militia). Roll dated in Washington (Rhea County, east of
Bledsoe). Samuel was present at discharge.
1814 (20 Jan - 20 May) TN: Samuel Cowan in Brown's East Tennessee Mounted
Gunmen. Roll dated in Kingston (Roane County, northeast of Bledsoe), Samuel
was present at discharge.
1815 (30 August), Bledsoe Co., TN: Samuel Cowan authorizes James Keith to
collect militia wages
*1816/19 TN (prob. Bledsoe Co.): James Harvey Cowan is born (birthplace from
census records)
******Between the birth of James Harvey Cowan and Stephen Cowan, we have
been unable to find any land, tax or court records to verify the location of
Samuel Cowan. Bledsoe records are scant. The census records of Samuel's
children vary, and researchers know that a person often claims as his
birthplace a different place where he lived later, a place he remembers. It
appears that Samuel Cowan was in Bledsoe TN until the 1826 Occupancy Law
when he moved to McNairy. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, please
share it.******
*1819 TN (prob. Bledsoe Co.): Eli Cowan is born (No evidence found so far
places Samuel Cowan in AL. It is unlikely that the family moved to AL for
the birth of one child and then returned to TN. But it is possible.)
*1823 TN (prob. Bledsoe Co.): John Borden Cowan is born (birthplace from census
records)
*1825 (7 March) TN (prob Bledsoe Co.): Stephen Cowan is born (no evidence places
Samuel Cowan elsewhere. The oft-cited Tishomingo MS as a birthplace for
Stephen is unlikely because the land was not open for settlement until 1832.)
1826, McNairy Co., TN: Samuel Cowan and family relocate here (likely from
Bledsoe) to get new land (1826 Occupancy law)
1827, McNairy Co., TN: Samuel Cowan claims land by means of Occupancy Law.
1830, McNairy Co., TN: Samuel & Sarah Keith Cowan family are on the census.
William Cowan is enumerated with his parents, Samuel & Sarah Keith Cowan
1832/3, McNairy Co., TN: William Cowan marries Sarah R. Hickey. There are only
two lines between Sarah Hickey's family (stepfather John Bibb) and the
Samuel and Sarah Keith Cowan family on the 1830 census.
1834, McNairy Co., TN: James R. Cowan (believed to be JAMES RILEY COWAN) is born
1834/5, Tishomingo Co., MS: William Cowan family relocates across the state line
1836 (January), Tishomingo Co., MS: Polly Ann Cowan is born
1837, Tishomingo Co., MS: William Cowan, Sarah Keith Cowan, and Riley Cowan are
all enumerated on the Tishomingo census. They all live in the same area. (on
same census page). Living with Sarah were three of her sons.
1838 (February), Tishomingo Co., MS: John H. Cowan is born.
1838 (4 June), Tishomingo Co., MS: Eli Cowan marries Anna E. Hays
1838-40, Franklin Co., AL: William, Riley, and Sarah Keith Cowan relocate across
the state line into Alabama
1839 (26 January), Tishomingo Co., MS: James Harvey Cowan marries Louisa Blassingame
1840 Tishomingo Co., MS, Census:
1840, Franklin Co., AL: William Cowan and Riley Cowan are enumerated on same
census page. Sarah Keith Cowan has moved in with her son, William. Delila
Cowan is born after census.
1842, Franklin Co., AL: West Cowan is born
1846, MS (probably Tishomingo Co. again): William Isaac Cowan is born
1847-8, Titus Co., TX: William Cowan and family with Sarah Keith Cowan move to
Texas. Rejoin other Cowan & Keith family members.
1848, Titus Co., TX: Elizabeth Ann Cowan is born
1847-9, Titus Co., TX: Sarah Keith Cowan dies and is buried in a family cemetery
in Titus County, TX. (It is claimed that Sarah is buried in an old Keith
cemetery, now on private land in Titus County about two miles north of
Cookeville. This is not the Keith cemetery in Cookeville. An old letter says
she was buried on James Harvey Cowan's land near Mt. Vernon, now in Franklin
County. NO PROOF OF EITHER)
1850, Titus Co., TX: Family is on the 1850 census. Sarah Keith Cowan has died.
1850, Titus Co., TX after census: Emily Jane Cowan is born.
1850-56, Titus or Hopkins Co., TX: William Cowan dies. (Tradition says he is
buried in the same cemetery as his mother, Sarah Keith Cowan. NO PROOF.)
1856 (7 October): Sarah Hickey Cowan remarries Isaac Robinson (Hopkins
County Marriages, Book 3, Page 18). One known child born to this
marriage: Amanda Ellen Robinson ca 1858, Hopkins or Erath County, TX.
1857/8, Titus Co., TX: William Cowan estate settled (Franklin TX records)
1860, Erath Co., TX: Family is enumerated on 1860 census.
Timeline
On page vii of COWAN Connections,
© 1994, by Michael S. Cole, M.D., are these two paragraphs:
"There is no known proven list of children for Samuel and Sarah
(KEITH) COWAN. The list used is based on what COWAN genealogists have
accepted for many years. From my research I have no doubt that Riley, Eli,
and Stephen COWAN were sons of Samuel and Sarah. I believe the evidence is
compelling to count James Harvey and John Borden COWAN as sons. Though the
tradition has been held for quite some time now, I have seen nothing to
convince me that William and Samuel C. COWAN were sons of Samuel and Sarah.
These two are included in this book because nothing has surfaced to prove
that they were not sons of Samuel and Sarah.
"Evidence is accumulating that a different William COWAN was very
possibly a son of Samuel and Sarah. He was born about 1812 in Tennessee.
He married Sarah HICKEY circa 1833 in McNairy Co., TN. He died in the
1850's in Texas. He can be found in the census records of 1836 Tishomingo
Co., MS; 1840 Franklin Co., AL; and 1850 Titus Co., TX."
William & Cynthia (MORGAN) COWAN are closely related to the
direct male COWAN descendants of Samuel & Sarah (KEITH) COWAN.
The evidence for including the William COWAN who married Sarah R. HICKEY
in the Samuel and Sarah (KEITH) COWAN family is presented below in a chronological fashion.
The * is used to
show the children of Samuel and Sarah (KEITH) COWAN, so as not to confuse
them with William & Sarah (HICKEY) COWAN's children. Based on family traditions for
the number of children in the COWAN-KEITH family, the list is incomplete.
This timeline will be changed if new evidence is uncovered. Much
more information on the COWAN clan than this is available, mostly on the
other lines.
It would be too confusing to include everything, so only the
lines pertaining to Samuel and Sarah (KEITH) COWAN are included here,
combined with the
information on the family of William and Sarah (HICKEY) COWAN. One can easily
see that this appears to be one family.
TIMELINE of events for William COWAN (c.1812-1850's)
about 1800/1802: Samuel Cowan marries Sarah Keith, probably TN or VA (This
conflicts with the date and place of the old piano book document.)
230 498 Cowen Eli 00001-00001
233 577 Cowan Hugh 112001-220001
234 612 Cowan James 00001-10001
Page 232
Line 16: William Cowan 11001-10001001
Line 25: Riley Cowan 122001-211001
Compiled from information from many researchers.
Provided 11 November 1998 by Carol Baker Wahl.
Updated 4 Nov 1999.
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