BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

 

John Gowan was born about 1755, place and parents unknown.  He was married about 1879, wife’s name Nancy.  They lived near Ashpole Swamp in Marion County, South Carolina.  When the border between South and North Carolina was altered, the Gowans found themselves living in Brunswick County, North Carolina. They had not moved to North Carolina‑‑‑North Carolina had moved to them.

 

Little is known of John Gowan. other than the fact that he made his will at the turn of the century and probably died about 1800.  His wife survived him, but nothing more is known of her.

 

Children born to John Gowan and Nancy Gowan include:

 

    John Gowan, Jr.                     born about 1780

    Hugh M. Gowan                     born about 1782

 

John Gowan, Jr, son of John Gowan and Nancy Gowan was born about 1780.  About 1802, John Gowan, Jr. was married to Edith Faulk, the daughter of Richard Faulk and Sarah Hinnant Faulk.  They remained in Brunswick County and Columbus County for most of their lives.  Columbus County was formed from Brunswick County in 1808, and the family found themselves in the new county.  The family owned a farm near the present town of Cerro Gordo.

 

John Gowan, Jr. was not a prosperous man, nor was he a good provider for his family, and early records of Columbus County indicate that he was in "Debtor's Jail" on more than one occasion. When his wealthy father‑in‑law died about 1808, he left Edith Faulk Gowan's share of his estate to her children with the stipulation that they not receive their shares until after their parents were deceased. One presumes that this was done to prevent their father from squandering the legacy of Richard Faulk.

 

John and Edith Faulk Gowan were parents of eight sons and a daughter. These were, in order of birth, Elias, Garrett, Meredith, William, Ada, Jesse, John M, Richard and Alexander.  All lived to maturity, and living descendants of all but Garrett, William and Jesse have been located to date. In the 1820s the children began to scatter.

 

Elias Gowan went to Decatur County, Georgia where he was successful in the Georgia gold lottery.  Elias Gowan had become a widower about the time of his parents' deaths, and he made the decision to return to Columbus County where he lived the rest of his life. He has an enormous list of descendants still living on and near the ancestral homeplace.

 

Garrett Gowan went to Horry County, South Carolina where he was elected sheriff in the 1840s.  Garrett Gowan died in Horry County about 1845, after which his family returned to Columbus County.

 

Ada Gowan was married, husband's name Hill, and removed to Georgia.  When Ada Gowan Hill's husband died in Georgia, she brought her family to Sylvarena, Mississippi.  Later she moved to Sallis, Mississippi and finally to Nacogdoches, Texas where she died in the 1860s.

 

But it was Meredith Gowan's move which would most significantly influence the future of the family.  About 1826 he set out alone for Mississippi and made his way to the settlement of Westville in Simpson County.  There he was married to Nancy Powell, and they lived most of their life in Copiah County, Mississippi.  During the 1830s and 1840s most of the Gowans followed Meredith to Mississippi. At one time or another, all except Garrett Gowan and Elias Gowan lived in Simpson or Smith Counties.

 

In the late 1830s John and Edith Faulk Gowan also left North Carolina and made their way to what would be their final home‑‑Sylvarena, Mississippi. John apparently died about 1841, and Edith died in 1842. Later that year her children began to lay claim to the estate of their Grandfather Faulk in North Carolina.  All in Mississippi sold their inheritance, and none returned to their native state.

 

Meredith Gowan died in 1838 in Copiah County, Mississippi.

 

William Gowan and Jesse Gowan were both enumerated in central Mississippi in 1840, but disappeared after that census.

 

John M. Gowan changed his name to "Gowin," and his descendants continue to use this spelling to this day.  He died in Sylvarena in 1864. 

 

Richard Gowan left Mississippi after the Civil War and became a prosperous cattleman in Navarro County, Texas where he died in 1890.

 

Alexander Gowan settled near Sallis in Attala County, Mis­sissippi.

 

Today, descendants of this family live in at least 40 states and several foreign countries with the largest numbers of descen­dants in North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas. On the first Saturday of even numbered years, descendants of all branches of this family gather in reunion in Kosciusko, Mississippi.

 

Children born to John Gowan, Jr. and Edith Faulk Gowan include:

 

    Elias Gowan                               born about 1804

    Garrett Gowan                       born about 1805

    Meredith Gowan                        born about 1806

    William Gowan                          born about 1807

    Ada Gowan                            born about 1808

    Jesse Gowan                              born about 1809

    John Gowan                               born about 1810

    Richard Asbury Gowan                  born about 1813

    Alexander Gowan                       born about 1816

 

Elias Gowan, son of John Gowan, Jr. and Edith Faulk Gowan, was born about 1804 in Marion County, South Carolina.

 

Elias Gowan went to Decatur County, Georgia where he was successful in the Georgia gold lottery.  Elias Gowan had become a widower about the time of his parents' deaths, and he made the decision to return to Columbus County where he lived the rest of his life. He has an enormous list of descendants still living on and near the ancestral homeplace.

 

Garrett Gowan, son of John Gowan, Jr. and Edith Faulk Gowan, was born about 1805, probably in Marion County, South Carolina.

 

Garrett Gowan went to Horry County, South Carolina where he was elected sheriff in the 1840s.  Garrett Gowan died in Horry County about 1845, after which his family returned to Columbus County.

 

Meredith Gowan, son of John Gowan and Edith Faulk Gowan, was born about 1806, probably in Marion County, South Carolina.  About 1822, he set out alone for Mississippi and made his way to the settlement of Westville in Simpson County.  There he met Nancy Powell, daughter of James Powell and Patience Powell.  When he came calling, the Powells disapproved.  When he asked for her hand in marriage, the Powells were appalled—she was only 14!  But true love won out, and they were married. 

 

Prior to 1830 Meredith Gowan moved his family to Copiah County, Mississippi where his household appeared in the 1830 census.  His household and that of "William Goins," regarded as his brother, were the only members of the family in Copiah County in 1830.

 

Meredith Gowan was enumerated as the head of a household in the 1830 census of Copiah County:

 

    "Gowan, Meredith   white male           20-40

                           white female        10-20

                           white female          0-10

                           white male             0-10

                           white female          0-10

                           white male             0-10

                           white female          0-10

                           white male           40-60"

 

In the 1830 census she, the mother of five, was still under 20 years old!

 

It is believed that the "white male, 40-60" living in the house­hold of Meredith Gowan was his uncle, Hugh M. Gowan who had probably preceded him to Mississippi.  Sometime after 1820, Hugh M. Gowan was a witness for Elizabeth Lott who relinquished her dower rights in nearby Marion County, Mississippi, according to Marion County Deed Book B, page 154.

 

Meredith Gowan moved his family to Simpson County, Mississippi.  He died there in March l835, survived by "widow, Nancy, and children, James, Ann, Rose, John, Henry and Ebenezer Gowan," according to “Mississippi Court Records, 1799‑1859” by Hendrix.

 

Nancy Powell Gowan was enumerated as the head of a household in the 1840 census of Simpson County, page 219:

 

    “Gowan, Nancy      white female        20-30

                           white male           15-20

                           white male           10-15

                           white male           10-15

                           white male             5-10

                           white male             5-10

                           white female          0-5

                           white female        50-60”

 

The “white female, 50-60” is probably Patience Powell, the mother of Nancy Powell Gowan.

 

Nancy Gowan completed her role as executrix of the estate of Meredith Gowan in l848.  A study of her file in Drawer 95, Case 4014, Simpson County records might reveal more genealogical data.  She died there in 1855

 

Children born to Meredith Gowan and Nancy Powell Gowan include:

   

[daughter]                   born about 1825

James A. Gowan             born January 26, 1826

Rose Gowan                  born about 1827

John C. Gowan               born about 1828

Ann Gowan                born about 1830

Ebenezer Jahue Gowan       born about 1833

Henry Gowan                 born about l834

Thomas Robert Gowan      born about 1838

 

A daughter, name unknown, was born to Meredith Gowan and Nancy Powell Gowan about 1825 in Mississippi.  She was enumerated in the 1830 census of her father's household as one of three daughters under 10.

 

James A. Gowan , second child of Meredith Gowan and Nancy Powell Gowan, was born in Copiah County, January 26, 1826.  He removed with other members of his family to Navarro County, Texas.  He became a dentist.

 

Dr. James A. Gowan of Navarro County, Texas received a deed from Lucy Ann Cullum of Navarro County on March 10, 1868 for 320 acres of land located 16 miles south and 10 miles west of Waco, Texas, according to McLennan County deed records, consideration for the land was $640.

 

On February 1, 1871 Dr. James A. Gowan bought 960 acres of land from the John Shackelford estate in Ellis and Navarro County Deed Book U, page 125.  The trade was made with A. E. Shackelford at $1.05 per acre and totaled $1,008.  On July 15, 1871 he transferred half of the land to C. P. Kerr, according to Ellis Couny Deed Book K, page 170, and on December 21, 1883 he transferred the remainder to him, according to Ellis County Deed Book 36, page 72.

 

James A. Gowan was married May 16, l871 to Louise Emily Powell, his first cousin, according to Navarro County Marriage Book A, page 364.  She was the daughter of Henry W. Powell and Louise M. Benton Powell, who was born in Texas in 1855, 28 years after the birth of her husband.

 

On March 10, 1871, Louise Emma Powell Gowan had received a deed from her father, Henry W. Powell to 6 acres of land located one mile north of Corsicana, according to Navarro County Deed Book X, page 433.

 

For "300 gold dollars" Dr. James A. Gowan received a deed to Lot 13, Block 33, Corsicana, from Baker & Groesbeck October 2, 1871, according to Navarro County Deed Book V, page 457.

 

On May 18, 1872 he received a deed from J. C. Croom to 19 acres lying 3/4 mile north of Corsicana for $225, according to Navarro County Deed Book W, page 585.

 

Louise Emma Powell Gowan received a deed from Beall & Bro. December 4, 1872 to a drugstore, saloon and restaurant building located at the corner of Jefferson Street and Beaton Street in Corsicana for $1,920, according to Navarro County Deed Book Y, page 338.

 

Dr. James A. Gowan received a deed from C. P. Kerr of Navarro County on November 7, 1874 to Kerr's one-half interest in the 960 acres they purchased on Chambers Creek lying in Navarro and Ellis Counties July 1, 1871, according to Navarro County Deed Book Z, page 505.

 

Dr. James A. Gowan gave a deed to his uncle, Richard Gowan to 480 acres of land located in Navarro and Ellis County, Texas, located on Chambers Creek.  Consideration was $960 in gold, according to Navarro County Deed Book 26, page 15.

 

Dr James A. Gowan gave a warranty deed to Beal Bros. December 4, 1873 on 320 acres of land in Wise County, Texas, according to Wise County Deed Book A2/page 616.

 

Dr. James A. Gowan gave a warranty deed to T. J. Beall June 2, 1876 on 120 acres of land in Wise County, Texas, according to Wise County Deed Book N, page 86.

 

Dr. James A. Gowan went to court on October 20, 1879 to perfect his title to 120 acres of land in Cook County located on Callett's Creek, 22 miles northwest from Alton Texas.  The court decree giving ownership of the disputed title to him is recorded in Wise County Deed Book 5, page 403. 

 

Dr. J. A. Gowan gave a warranty Deed to E. Gowan [believed to be his brother, Ebenezer G. Gowan] of Navarro County for 100 acres of land in Wise County for $200, according to Wise County Deed Book W, page 141.

 

On January 31, 1883 he provided a new deed to N. C. Read to replace one which had been lost to 100 acres in Wise County, according to Wise County Deed Book Z, page 595.

 

Dr. James A. Gowan and Louisa Emma Powell Gowan gave a deed to Houston & Texas Central Railroad Company November 30, 1875 to 6.5 acres located one mile north of Corsicanna for $950, according to Navarro County Deed Book 76, page 171.

 

Louisa Emma Powell Gowen for "$1.00 and the love I bear for my daughter" received the deed of a lot on Church Street, Corsicana from her father, Henry W. Powell June 29, 1876, according to Navarro County Deed Book 26, page 307.  She and her husband conveyed the lot to E. H. Townsand January 30, 1877 for $272, according to Navarro County Deed Book 26, page 310.

 

The household of Dr. James A. Gowan, No. 3994412 was enumerated in the 1880 census of Navarro County, Texas in 1880 in Enumeration District 128, page 46, precinct 1, living on Beaton Street in Corsicana, Texas on June 11, 1880 as:

 

    "Gowan, James A.     53, dentist born in MS, father

born in NC, mother .born

in NC, dentist

               Lou E.         25, born in TX, father born in SC

mother born in TN,

disabled

           Richard H.     8, born in TX, father born in MS

mother born in TX"

 

Two boarders, John F. McCommas and Drury B. Hood were shown living in the household of Dr. James A. Gowan.  Dr. James A. Gowan died in Corsicana January 6, 1888, according to the "Ft. Worth Daily Gazette,” edition of January 8, 1888, page 4, column 4.

 

Emma Louise Powell Gowan continued to live in Corsicana.  In the 1894-95 city directory, the 1902 edition and in the 1910 Corsicana city directory she was living at 206 East 4th Street with her son.  In the 1911 edition the two were living at the same address.  In 1913 they moved to 319 West 3rd Avenue.  She continued to live there through 1926.  In 1928 her address was shown as 418 North 13th Avenue.  In the 1931 edition she was shown living at 625 North Commerce.

 

A legal case styled "Gowan vs. Oliver" which may have involved Dr James A. Gowan was moved from Navarro County to Galveston, Texas according to the "Dallas News", page 1, column 4, in its March 1884 edition.  The Texas Supreme Court in session at Galveston, Texas "took the case under advisement" and transferred it to Austin, Texas.  The case was also mention in the "Dallas Herald," page 6, Column 1 on July 3, 1884 in which it was stated that the Supreme Court refused a rehearing of the case.

 

Dr. James A Gowan died January 6, 1888, at the age of 62, at Corsicana, Texas.  He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

 

Louise Emma Powell Gowan was enumerated in 1900 as the head of a household living at 206 Fourth Avenue, Corsicana, Enumeration District 99, page 24.  The family as listed as:

 

    "Gowan,  Louise E.           43, born January 1856 in TX

               Richard H.      26, born April 1874 in TX"

 

Children born to Dr. James A. Gowan and Louise Emma Powell Gowan include:

 

    Richard Harry Gowan             born in April 1874

 

Richard Harry Gowan, son of Dr. James A. Gowan and Louise Emma Powell Gowan, was born at Corsicana in April 1874, according to his 1900 census return.  He was erroneously shown in his father’s household in the 1880 census as an eight-year-old.  He appeared in the 1894-95 city directory of Corsicana as “Richard Henry Gowan.”  He appeared at age 26 in the 1900 census of his mother’s household. 

 

In the 1902 city directory of Corsicana he was listed as residing in the home of his mother at 206 E. 4th Avenue.  He appeared in the 1906 edition of the Dallas, Texas city directory as a student rooming at 211 Royal Lane.  He appeared in his mother’s household in the 1910, 1911 and 1913 editions of the Corsicana city directory.  In the 1915 edition of the directory he was listed “in real estate,” living at 319 W. Third Avenue, the address of his mother.

 

Richard Harry Gowan died in 1918 unmarried at Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

 

Rose Gowan, daughter of Meredith Gowan and Nancy Powell Gowan, was born about 1827 in Copiah County.  She was mentioned in the probate records of her father in 1848 in Simpson County, Mississippi.

 

John C. Gowan, fourth child of Meredith Gowan and his wife, Nancy, was born in Copiah County, about 1828.  He was married about 1851 to Mary Patience Gibson, first child of Lewis C. Gibson and and Dolly Powell Gibson.  Dolly Powell Gibson was a daughter of Rev. James Powell.  Mary Patience Gibson was one of 14 children born to Lewis C. Gibson and Dolly Powell Gibson. 

 

Irene Gibson, sister of Mary Patience Gibson, was married to Judge Thomas R. Gowan, brother to John C. Gowan.

 

Lewis C. Gibson, a carpenter, was born in 1815 in Darlington South Carolina.  He was married second to Carolina S. Murray April 14, 1867 Rose Gowan, daughter of Meredith Gowan and Nancy Powell Gowan, was born about 1827 in Mississippi, and three additional children were born to this union.  Lewis C. Gibson built a palatial home in Simpson County, Mississippi requiring three years to construct.

 

John C. Gowan was a storekeeper at Westville, Mississippi in Simpson County.

 

"John M. Gowan" held a public office in Mississippi in 1853 and 1854, according to the Mississippi Secretary of State Records, page 639, in the Mississippi State Archives at Jackson.

 

John C. Gowan was remarried about 1861, wife’s name Liddy, according to Phillip Alan Gowan.  John C. Gowan died during the Civil War, and Liddy Gowan died about 1865.  It is believed that John C. Gowan, Mary Patience Gibson Gowan and Liddy Gowan were buried in Gibson Cemetery located across the road from the residence of Lewis C. Gibson.

 

Children born to John C. Gowan and Mary Patience Gibson Gowan are believed to include:

 

    Mary Gowan                              born about 1853

    Susan Gowan                             born about 1855

 

Ann Gowan, believed to be the fifth child of Meredith Gowan  and his wife, Nancy Powell Gowan, was born about 1830 in Copiah County.  She was enumerated in her father's household in the census of l830 as one of three daughters under 10.  She was also mentioned in her father's probate procedings in 1848.  She appeared in the 1850 census of Simpson County, Mississippi.

 

Ebenezer Jahue Gowan , sixth child of Meredith Gowan  and Nancy Powell Gowan, was born in Copiah County in January 1833, according to his 1900 census enumeration.  About 1858 he was married in Smith County, Mississippi to Louisa E. Carr a native of Scott County, Mississippi and a daughter of Isaac Carr and Lucretia Coleman Carr.  He appeared in the 1850 census of Simpson County, Mississippi.  He was enumerated in Smith County, Mississippi in 1860 and 1870.

 

Corporal Ebenezer Jahue Gowan  served in the 27th Mississippi Infantry Regiment in Companies D and G during the Civil War.  Company G was organized March 15, 1862 as the Yancey Guards of Smith County.  The Yancey Guards were incorporated into the 27th Infantry Regiment when it was organized in Columbus, Mississippi April 28, 1862.

 

 

He was captured in the Battle of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863 and was taken to Maryland as a prisoner-of-war.  He was later paroled and returned to his home in Sylvarena, Mississippi.  He continued there in farming until the reconstruction policies of the North made his residence there unbearable.  In 1777 he removed with other members of his family to Navarro County, Texas.  He was enumerated in the 1880 census of Ellis County, Texas, Enumeration District 49, page 65:

 

“Gowan, Ebenezer     40, born in MS, father born in

NC, mother born in NC,

farmer

               Lousa          34, born in MS, father born in

MS, mother born in MS

               Thomas       18,   born in MS, father born in MS

                                  mother born in MS, works on

                                  farm

               Meridy     16, born in MS, father born in

MS, mother born in MS,

               Annie          13, born in MS, father born in

MS, mother born in MS

               Rose           12, born in MS, father born in

                                  MS, mother born in MS

               Susan            8, born in MS, father born in

                                  MS, mother born in MS

               Asbury     5, born in MS, father born in

                                  MS, mother born in MS

               James            2, born in MS, father born in

                                  MS, mother born in MS”

 

On December 1, 1881, “E. Gowan of Navarro County,” believed to be Ebenezer Jahue Gowan, received a warranty deed to 100 acres of land in Wise County, Texas from his brother, Dr. James A. Gowan for $100, according to Wise County Deed Book W, page 14.  On December 20, 1881 “E. Gowan of Ellis County” gave a warranty deed to the property to J. A. & William Renshaw, according to Wise County Deed Book 2, page 129.  Consideration again was $100. 

 

On November 3, 1882, “E. Gowan of Navarro County” gave a warranty deed to N. C. Reed to 160 acres, according to Wise

County Deed Book 2, page 593.  Dr. James A. Gowan and M. E. Kerr witnessed the transaction.

 

Ebenezer Jahue Gowan appeared as the head of a household in the 1900 census of Navarro County, Enumeration District 100, page 7, precinct 2:

 

    Gowen,   E.        67, born in MS in January 1833

               Louisa     56, born in MS in 1844

               James      21, born in TX in July 1878

               Henry      18, born in TX in December 1881

               Nettie       14, born in TX in March 1886

               Eveline 12, born in TX in May 1888,

                              granddaughter

               William      8, born in TX in March 1891,

grandson”

 

Ebenezer Jayue Gowan was engaged in farming in Navarro County at Blooming Grove and Hester communities until his death October 29, 1903.  He died at age 71 of nephritis at Hester, according to Navarro County Death Book 1, page 18. 

Ebenezer was a “small, thin man with a long white beard who refused ever to have his picture taken, according to “Gowan-Morley” by Phillip Allan Gowan.

 

He was buried at New Chatfield Cemetery in Navarro County. Louise Carr Gowan survived her husband until November 24, 1919 and was buried beside him. 

 

Children born to Ebenezer Jahue Gowan and Louisa E. Carr Gowan include:

 

Albert G. Gowan                born December 30, 1860

Thomas Isaac Gowan [twin]       born March 7, 1862

        [twin son]                       born March 7, 1862

Meredith Gowan                 born February 4, 1864

Nancy Roseanna Gowan         born August 4, 1867

Rosa Altha Gowan             born September 6, 1869

Susan C. Gowan                born September 4, 1875

Richard Asbury Gowan          born September 27, 1876

James Oliver Gowan               born July 11, 1878

Henry Harrison Gowan           born January 27, 1882

Nettie Loula Gowan            born March 18, l886

 

Albert G. Gowan, first child of Ebenezer Jahue Gowan and Louisa E. Carr Gowan, was born December 30, 1860 at Sylvarena, Mississippi.  He removed with his father's family about 1877 to Blooming Grove. 

 

On January 1, 1888, he was married to Miss S. Emma Beaubieu, age 15, of Navarro County who was born in 1873.  In 1889 they received a deed to land located 17 miles northwest of Comanche, Texas, according to Comanche County Deed Book 28, page 250. 

 

On December 17, 1789, they received a release from B. F. Clark on 40 acres of land, according to Comanche County Deed Book 28, page 252.  On June 24, 1890, Albert G. Gowan and S. Emma Beaubieu Gowan “of DeLeon, Texas” sold the 40 acres to to J. W. Pittman for $165, according to Comanche County Deed Book 29, page 261.

 

On August 5, 1890 Albert G. Gowan received a deed to Lots 1, 3 and 4, Block 13 in DeLeon from Texas Central Railway Company, according to Comanche County Deed Book 41, pages 196-198.  They sold Lot 4, Block 13 to J. T. Warren for $40, according to Comanche County Deed Book 41, page 195.  They also gave a warranty deed to J. R. McAdams December 13, 1890, according to Comanche County Deed Book 41, page 199.  In 1890 Albert G. Gowan was described as an “inventor and house builder.”

 

S. Emma Beaubieu Gowan died about the end of 1890, perhaps in childbirth.  A son, unnamed, was born to her December 20, 1890 and died the same day.

 

Albert G. Goway was married second to Mrs. Naomi Lee Dossett Gill, probably in Shackelford County, Texas August 20, 1891.  She was born in Kentucky in August 1869.

 

Albert G. Gowan purchased 99 acres of land from Mrs. S. F. Harbin, “a feme sole of Dublin, Texas,” according to Comanche CountyDeed Book 53, page 155.  He paid $450 for the farm. 

 

Albert G. Gowan appeared as the head of a household in the 1900 census of Comanche County, Enumeration District 27, page 11:

 

    “Gowan,     A. G.       40, born in MS in December