Andrew Cowan (1782-1872)

View of Wigton, Scotland, looking north east toward Wigton Bay

Genealogical Keynotes

Vita

• Born: 02 May 1782 in VA
• Married:
  1.  26 September 1816 in Blount Co., TN by Isaac Anderson, M. G.
  2.  12 January 1857 in McMinn Co., TN by Jonathan Thomas, J. P.
• Died: 20 October 1872 in Bradley Co., TN
• Burial: Flint Springs Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Flint Springs, Bradley Co., TN

Ancestry

Andrew Cowan is the son of William COWAN‎ and Jane Walker.

Spouse(s)

1. Esther F_____ HOUSTON b: 19 July 1795 d: 12 August 1850 in TN
   
2. Margaret ______ FISHER (Mrs.?) b: c. 1799
   
   

Military Service

War of 1812 -- Pension application at the National Archives, Washington, DC

Child List

1. Samuel Houston COWAN b: 1817 in TN d: 1864 during Civil War
   m. Sally ______ HUBBARD b: 1822 d: 1887
   
2. Nancy Gillespy COWAN, dsp b: 28 Mar 1819 in TN d: 05 Oct 1846 in Flint Springs, TN
   
3. Jane Walker COWAN b: 05 Jun 1821 in TN d: 19 Dec 1895
   m. Joseph A______ JOHNSTON d: 11 Dec 1875
   
4. William Baker COWAN b: 1823 in TN d: Aft. 1906 in Lewisville, TX
   m. Malinda E______ COBB b: 1830
   
5. Isabella Ann COWAN b: 1825 in TN d: 13 Aug 1908 in Wise Co., TX
   m. Pulaski Wallace NORWOOD
   
6. Matthew Leonidas COWAN b: 1828 in TN d: 1914 in Waketon, TX
   m. Elizabeth ______ MITCHELL
   
7. Andrew Finis COWAN b: Dec 1829 in Bradley Co., TN d: Aft. 1906 in Wagoner, OK
   m. Elizabeth _______ "Lizzie" CLINGAN b: 01 Apil 1830 d:
   
8. James Independence Gillespie COWAN b: 04 Jul 1832 in TN d: 1917
   m#1. Annie E______ GALBREATH b: 1834 d: 12 Oct 1857
   m#2. Mary Jane LINDSAY b: 1846 in Jackson Co., AL
   
9. Martha Serena COWAN b: 1835 in TN d: 13 Jan 1928 in San Diego, San Diego Co., CA
   m. John McGAUGHEY b: 1823 d: 18 Oct 1874
   

Alternative Interpretation

Biographical Directory of the Tennessee General Assembly, VOLUME I, 1796 - 1861, edited by ROBERT M. McBride and Dan M. Robinson (reprinted in 1975 by The Tennessee State Library And Archives and the Tennessee Historical Commission), p. 167.

Cowan, Andrew (1782 - 1840)
HOUSE, 14th and 15th General Assemblies, 1821-25; representing Blount and Monroe counties. Born in 1782, place and exact date not indicated; son of William and Jane (Walker) Cowan. Extent of schooling not determined. Twice married; nothing found to show name of first wife, date and place of their marriage or date of her death; the five children by this marriage were-Alfred, Albina, James Harry, Margaret, and Letitia Cowan; second marriage in Blount County September 25, 1816, to Esther F. Houston, daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Gillespy) Houston; nine children by this marriage-Samuel Houston, Nancy Gillespy, Jane W., William Baker, Isabella Ann, Matthew Leonidas, Andrew F., James I. G., and Martha Serena Cowan. Subject described as early settler and farmer living on Nine Mile Creek, Blount County. Delegate, 1822, to anti-slavery convention in Blount County. In War of 1812; enlisted December 1, 1812, as private in Captain William Walker's Company, East Tennessee Mounted Volunteers, commanded by Colonel T. H. Benton, enlistment dates February 10, 1813, and October 12, 1813. Ruling elder and trustee in Pine Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church, then in Blount County but later in Loudon County. Died in Blount County September 22, 1840; place of burial not named.

Sources: Athens, Hiwassee Patriot, November 17, 1840; Burns, History of Blount County, 43, 58n, 106, 312; Presbyterian records, Blount County file in Tennessee State Library; "Blount County Will Book," p. 19; "Blount County Marriage Records, 1795-1854," p. 36; Lyle, The Lyle Family, 177-80; McClung, The McClung Family, 54-56; War of 1812 files Tennessee Archives.

The green text is a questionable "fact".
The red text is incorrect.
Explanations of these errors and/or questionable facts are found on the Errors Explained page.

1. It is highly likely the source’s information "merged" two Andrew Cowans into one biographical entry. Both Andrew Cowans presumably lived in Blount Co.
2. One Andrew Cowan may well have died in 1840 and been the father of the five children listed,
   but ,
   the Andrew Cowan that married Ester F. "Hettie" Houston clearly died in 1872 in Bradley Co., TN
3. As descendants of Andrew Cowan (m. Hettie Houston) have not referenced him being in the TN Gen. Assembly, this fact likely attributed to the “other” Andrew Cowan ... the "other" Andrew Cowan that allegedly died 1840?

Records

1. Andrew Cowan's pension application for his War of 1812 service, National Archives, Washington, DC.
2. Blount Co., TN marriage records (for first marriage to Ester F. Houston)
3. McMinn Co., TN marriage records (for second marriage, to Miss Margaret Fisher) Copy of the marriage license clearly indicates she was "Miss" Margaret Fisher.
4. 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).
   (Copy of the Andrew Cowan's 1857 letter was included with Margie Cowan's First Families of Tennessee applications for William Cowan and John [Alexander] Cowan, along with a copy of his pension application for War of 1812 service to prove that the signatures matched on both documents.)
5. 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). (Copy of the the AFC letter was included with Margie Cowan's First Families of Tennessee applications for William Cowan and John [Alexander] Cowan.)
   • 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 ("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.
6. Tombstone photos of Andrew Cowan, Hetty (Houston) Cowan, and Nancy Gillespy COWAN at Flint Springs Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Flint Springs, Bradley Co., TN

Census

• Andrew Cowan appears to have been a census enumerator on the 1840 census in Blount Co., TN as evidenced by his very distinct handwriting and signature. (This handwriting matches that found on his 1812 pension application and also the 1857 letter written to Rosanna (Gillespy) Cowan.
  
  Andrew Cowan's family is enumerated as follows:
  1840 census -- Blount Co., TN  M 1(5-10) 2(10-15) 1(15-20) 1(20-30) 1(50-60)   F 1(5-10) 1(10-15) 1(15-20) 1(20-30) 1(40-50)
  
  The people enumerated in Andrew's household in 1840 (Blount Co., TN) match what is known of his family ...
  
  

  	Age Range	Qty	Census Birth	Most Likely Person	Real Birthdate	Age
  Males	05-10	1	b. 1830-1835	James Independence Gillespy (J I G) Cowan	07/04/1832	08
  	10-15	2	b. 1825-1830	Matthew Leonidas Cowan Andrew Finis Cowan	1828 12/01/1829	12 11
  	15-20	1	b. 1820-1825	William Baker Cowan	1823	17
  	20-30	1	b. 1810-1820	Samuel Houston Cowan	1817	23
  	50-60	1	b. 1780-1790	Andrew Cowan	05/02/1782	58
  Females	05-10	1	b. 1830-1835	Martha Serena Cowan	1835	05
  	10-15	1	b. 1825-1830	Isabella Ann Cowan	11/27/1825	15
  	15-20	1	b. 1820-1825	Jane Walker Cowan	06/05/1821	19
  	20-30	1	b. 1810-1820	Nancy Gillespy Cowan	03/28/1819	21
  	40-50	1	b. 1790-1800	Ester F. “Hettie” [Houston] Cowan	07/19/1795	45

  
  The Andrew Cowan in the 1840 Blount Co., TN census is not to be confused with the Andrew Cowan found on the 1840 Bradley Co., TN census. (See Research Needs below.)
  1840 census -- Bradley Co., TN  M 2(5-10) 2(15-20) 1(40-50)   F 1(5-10) 2(10-15) 1(40-50)
  
  

• 1850 census, TN, Bradley, Subdivision 26, M432_871, 10/09/1850, p. 168; l. 19-24, 410/410, Farmer

  Last Name	First Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Value	Born
  COWAN	Andrew	60	M	Farmer	2500	TN
  	Hester	55	F			TN
  	Matilda	22	F			TN
  	Andrew F	20	M			TN
  	James	19	M			TN
  	Martha	15	F			TN

  
  
• 1860 census, TN, Bradley, District 4, M653_1241, 06/23/1860, p. 90; l. 4-11

  Last Name	First Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Value	Value	Born
  COWAN	Andrew	78	M	Farmer			TN
  	Margaret	60	F				TN
  COWAN	Wm B	35	M	Farmer	4000	2000	TN
  	Malinda	29	F				TN
  	Andrew	08	M				TN
  	Hetta A	05	F				TN
  	Arta E	8/12	F				TN
  COBB	John O	18	M				TN

  
  
• 1870 census, TN, Bradley, Cleveland, First Civil District, M593_1515, 07/14/1870, p. 21-22, l. 30-40+1-2

  Last Name	First Name	Age	Sex	R	Occupation	Value	Value	Born
  COWAN	Andrew	88	M	W	Retired Farming		1200	VA
  	Margaret	65	F	W	Keeping House			TN
  COWAN	William B	46	M	W	Farming	3500		TN
  	Melinda E	39	F	W	Keeping House			TN
  	Andrew S	18	M	W	Farm Laborer			TN
  	Hetty A	13	F	W				TN
  	Arter E	10	F	W				TN
  	Martha E	07	F	W				TN
  	Mary R	05	F	W				TN
  	John O C	02	M	W				TN
  COBB	Henry C	21	M	W	Attending School			TN

• Andrew Finis Cowan's 1906 letter makes reference to having a brother, William B, living in Lewinsvile, TX at the time he was writing the letter. William Baker Cowan later moved to Texas from Bradley Co., TN.
  
  

References

• Bates, Lucy Womack, TN Society NSDAR, Roster of Soldiers and Patriots of the American Revolution Buried in TN, 1974 (revised 1979 by Helen Crawford Marsh), p. 42 … lists children: “Andrew b 5/2/1780 m Hetty Houston; Samuel b. 7/23/1799 m. Ester Jane Houston; Eleanor b. 1774 m. James Gillespie; John Alexander; James; Robert; David. Ref: DAR #435539 [Barbara Gillespie]”
• Boyer, Reba Bayless, Marriage Records of McMinn County, Tennessee 1820-1870, 1964, p. 64 (DAR Library)
• Boyer, Reba & Reksten, Harald, Index to McMinn County, Tennessee Tax Lists 1829-1832, 1836 & Detail from 1836 Tax List, Heritage Books, Inc., 1996, p. 39, 78. (DAR Library)
• Fagen, Barbara, Bradley County Will Book 1864-1883 Index, 1989, p. 4 (DAR Library)
• Fleming, John Kerr; Cowans of County Down, Derreth Publishing Co., Raleigh, NC; p. 371-376. (DAR Library)
• Hudson, Mary Kay Parrish, TN Society DAR, Register of Qualified Soldiers and Patriots of the American Revolution Buried in Tennessee, p. 24 … lists children: Andrew, Samuel, Eleanor Gillespie, John Alexander, James, Robert, David. (DAR Library)
• Ross, Ernest Lafayette, Historical Cemetery Records of Bradley County, Tennessee, Vol. I, p. 158, (DAR Library)
• Snell, William R., Death Notices in the Cleveland Banner (Tennessee) 1865-1883, 1991, p. 6 (DAR Library)
• White, Emma Siggins; Genealogy of the Descendants of John Walker of Wigton, Scotland, with Records of a Few Allied Families. Also War Records and Some Fragmentary Notes Pertaining to the History of Virginia. 1600-1902, Tiernan-Dart Printing Company, Kansas City, MO; 1902. [DAR Library]
• DAR Applications, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1776 D Street, NW, Washington, DC.
  The following application was submitted to the DAR on the Revolutionary War service of William Cowan through his son, Andrew.
  (Copies of DAR applications are available from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 1776 D Street, NW, Washington, DC. Cost is $10 for each application, which includes the four pages of each application.)
  

  DAR #	Date	Applicant's Name	Cowan Child's Name	Rev. War Ancestor
  088306	10/04/1911	Annie (Cowan) Stephens	Andrew Cowan	William Cowan

Note: Annie (Cowan) Stephens application is a very, very early application and is not well documented. In fact, her documentation for William Cowan ties to a William Cowan with military service in Pennsylvania. However, her application is good for providing clues to her heritage. Essentially, the vital statistics she provides are able to be proven by census and other documents.

Research Needs

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1. Need death date for second wife, Margaret (Fisher) Cowan, and place of burial. (She is not buried with or near Andrew, Hettie, Nancy G Cowan at Flint Springs.) She obviously died after 1870 because she is enumerated with him in the 1870 census.
   
2. Athens, Hiwassee Patriot, November 17, 1840 ... need text of article;
   
3. Burns, History of Blount County, 43, 58n, 106, 312 ... need text of referenced pages;
   
4. Presbyterian records, Blount County file in Tennessee State Library ... need extracts;
   
5. Lyle, The Lyle Family, 177-80 ... need text of referenced pages;
   
6. McClung, The McClung Family, 54-56 ... need text of referenced pages;

Anyone with additional info on Andrew Cowan, please contact mcowan @ erols.com

NOTE:  Andrew (m. Ester F. "Hettie" Houston) is not to be confused with another Andrew Cowan living in Bradley Co. at the same time.

• This other Andrew Cowan (b. Jul. 24, 1857 d. Aug. 30, 1876) appears on the 1840 census of Bradley Co., appears to have lived primarily inside Cleveland, TN (while "subject" Andrew lived 10 miles south of Cleveland at Flint Springs)
  
• This other Andrew Cowan is buried at Fort Hill Cemetery within Cleveland, TN.
• Others buried with him at Fort Hill are:
  • James M. Cowan (b. Feb. 16, 1823 d. Feb. 25, 1874)
    
  • John M. Cowan (b. Jul. 26, 1855 d. Dec. 30, 1879)
    
  • Lena R. Cowan (b. Aug. 31, 1861 d. May 13, 1880)
    
  • Nancy W. Cowan (b. Apr. 7, 1830 d. Oct. 3, 1864 )
    
  • Nannie A. Cowan (b. Oct. 28, 1859 d. Jun. 20, 1876)
    
    

QUESTION: Who are these Cowans? Their relationship to John [Alexander] Cowan and Andrew Cowan (of Flint Springs, TN)?
In the 1830 McMinn Co., TN census there are two sets (possibly 3) of Cowans, relationship to each other unknown.

1. Rosanna Cowan ... plus Campbell, Robert, and William (pages 171-172) ... Campbell is Rosanna's son; Robert and William are brothers-in-law.
2. James Sr. ... plus James "Jr." (by age range on census and proximity to James Sr. on the census page) (p. 181) ... is in the same age range as Rosanna. Could he be another brother of Rosanna's husband, John [Alexander] Cowan?
3. David (p. 142) ... presumably this is another of Rosanna's brothers-in-law ... and, presumably, this is the same David Cowan found on the 1819 Alabama Census living near Rosanna's son, James Gillespie Cowan. (The ages match.)

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