THE COWANS OF GENEVA COUNTY, ALABAMA

Background

The COWAN family immigrated into the area just west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia between 1720 and 1730. They were part of the great Scotch-Irish movement from Northern Ireland into this country that resulted from the conflict between that area and England in the first half of the Eighteenth Century.

The Cowans followed the general population movement through the valleys of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.

JAMES COWAN emmigrated into Pennsylvania about 1719, as a young child. Among other children, he had a son, named JOHN COWAN, who married MARGARET ?. This man was the father of a JOHN COWAN who married SUSANNAH GLOVER. JOHN COWAN and SUSANNAH GLOVER had a son named JOHN GLOVER COWEN.

JOHN GLOVER COWEN

JOHN GLOVER COWEN was born in Old Ninty Six District, South Carolina in 1806. He lived for a few years in Putnam County, Georgia, between 1812 and 1822, and then moved into Crawford County, Georgia. In 1828, he moved into, what was to become, Stewart County, Georgia, and helped form that county in the early 1830's. The early 1840's found him living just north of Eufaula, Alabama, on what is now the northern edge of Lake Eufaula. He lived in this area until 1858. At this time there were nine children in the family. Some of these moved along with him into Coffee County, Alabama, just south of the Pea River, which was to become Geneva County in 1868.

At least two of John Glover Cowen's sons, a widowed daughter and another son's widow were in the Geneva County census for 1870.

During the Civil War, some of the sons and at least one son in law joined the 57th Alabama Infantry, from Coffee County, Alabama.

MARY COWAN

The widow who came to Geneva County with John Glover Cowan was Mary, the widow of Samuel Cowan, a son of John G. Cowan. Samuel died as a result of the Civil War, and was a friend of George Leddon. Samuel left a son, Samuel Jesse Cowan.

Mary later married George Leddon and along with the young Samuel Jesse Cowan, raised a large family. There has always been a close relationship between the Cowan and Leddon families, and they lived very near each other for many years. The Leddon descendants still live in the same area, just south of Pea River.

SAMUEL JESSE COWAN

Married Ruth McDougal and had the following children:

          LEON COWAN - deceased.  Lived near Geneva.
            
          JOHN D.COWAN- deceased.

          LEMAN COWAN- deceased.  Lived near Geneva.

          ALMA COWAN- married Welcome Watson and resided in Geneva,

          until death. 

          IDONIA COWAN- married  Ira  Bush  and  lives  in  North 

          Carolina.

          OLLIE COWAN - Married John Watson and lives in Elba, Al.

The old homeplace of these Cowans was three or four miles west of Geneva, near the Samson highway.

MARION FRANCIS COWAN

Marion Francis Cowan, or "Frank", was born near Eufaula, Alabama in 1849 and later married Cherry Shelley. They were in Geneva in 1870 and remained there the rest of their lives. They were very successful business people, owning several businesses. Frank, for a while, was editor of THE MIRROR, a Geneva newspaper. In 1900 he was listed as Justice of the Peace in Geneva County.

Frank and Cherry are buried in the old section of the Geneva Municipal Cemetery, and their tombstones are still visible. They had the following children:

          EDWARD COWAN - married Elizabeth(?) and, as of, 1900 he 
  
          had a son named Clay.

          MARY A. COWAN

          LILLY (LIZZY?) BULAH  COWAN - married a Mr. Sheppard.

          LENORA (LEE?) COWAN - a single woman in 1923

JAMES C. COWAN

Not a lot is known about James C. Cowan's life in Geneva County. He was John Glover Cowen's son, between Joshua Lawrence Willingham Cowan and Marion Francis Cowan. A record has been found of he and DELAURA COWAN transferring land to Joshua Lawrence Willingham Cowan. This was recorded in Escambia County, Florida in 1888. It appears Delaura was his wife and they sold out in Geneva County and moved to Escambia County, Florida.

JOSHUA LAWRENCE WILLINGHAM COWAN

Joshua Lawrence Willingham Cowan was born near Eufaula, Alabama in 1844 and married CATHRINE JANE LEDDON. There is no record of them being in Geneva County in 1870, but they were in Geneva County in 1880 and remained there the rest of their lives. It is strongly thought they were there in 1870, because John Glover Cowen was there. The Leddon family was also there. Joshua would have had to married Cathrine prior to 1864, as that was the birth year for their first son, George. Joshua was a farmer and log hauler most of his life, but he was also active in county road work and was Commissioner of Bridges for several years.

The Joshua Cowan home was just south of Pea River, near where the Gaffords and Summerlins live today. In 1880 and 1900 "Cowans" is listed as the voting place for Beat 17.

Joshua and Cathrine had the following children:

GEORGE L. COWAN

He married MARGARET BROCK (Aunt Maggie) and lived in Holmes County, Florida, in the New Hope Community, just south of Geneva, Alabama. The following children were born:

     ARTHUR COWAN          BESSIE COWAN
     
     WALTER COWAN          ROBERT COWAN
           
     ROY  COWAN                ZEMA COWAN
           
     MARY COWAN              GLENN COWAN

These Cowans moved away from the New Hope, Florida Community, near Geneva, Alabama and settled in Panama City and West Bay, Florida. This occured around 1913. Arthur later moved to Louisanna and remained there. Many of the decendants of these Cowans still live in the Panama City, Florida vicinity.

GILES F. COWAN

He married CELIA ANNA JOHNSON and had a son and daughter:

     BASCOLM COWAN

     VELMA COWAN

Rita Graves, a descendant, who resides in Colorado, is researching this branch.

JOHN PATRICK "PAT" COWAN

He married MARY VAUGHAN in 1892 and had the following children:

CATHRINE COWAN

She married BILL HOWELL and lived near Chipley, Florida until her death.

CLAUDE COWAN

He married VELERIA CURRY, and lived in Montgomery, Alabama until his death. They had the following children:

     CHARLES LEHMON COWAN

     DENNIS HUGH COWAN
     
     BILLY RAY COWAN

QUINN COWAN

He married LUCY OUTLAW and lived in Montgomery, Alabama until his death. They had a daughter:

     NORA COWAN

LONNIE COWAN

He married ETHEL CLEMMONS and had the following children:

     LONNIE  COWAN
     
     BETTY COWAN
     
     FRANK  COWAN

After Lonnie's death, Ethel was married to JESS WILKERSONN until his death. She operated Ethel's Ladies Shop in Geneva, Alabama for many years and now resides in Freeport, Florida.

ALMA COWAN

She married ZACK KNOWLES and had three children:

     MARVELLE  KNOWLES  
     
     LOUISE  KNOWLES
              
     JAMES  AUBREY  KNOWLES - died an infant.

After Zack's death, Alma married CHESTER KURTZ. She resided in Macon, Georgia until death.

HOMER COWAN

He married VEOLA YARBROUGH and had two children:

     DONALD  COWAN
     
     ELOUISE  COWAN

Homer and Veola were divorced and he married LULA ?. Homer lived in southern Florida until his death.

MARY MAGDALINE COWAN

She married CLARENCE SPEARS and lived near Geneva and Hartford, Alabama until her death.

MODELLE COWAN

She married A. Z. DIXON and had two sons:

      CARL PATRICK DIXON
                   
      CARLOS  HENRY  DIXON

Modelle and A.Z. Dixon were divorced. Modelle married JOSEPH BRODSKY and lived in Chicago for several years, until moving to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After Joseph's death, Modelle married EDWARD M. VANA, but is now a widow, residing in Geneva, Alabama.


JOHN PATRICK COWAN

He married ADA JANERA TRAMMELL in 1911, after the death of Mary Vaughan, and had the following children:

J.P. COWAN JR.

He married MILDRED LOUISE HINES in 1935 and the following children were born:

        JOHN GLOVER COWAN 

        MARILYN LOUISE COWAN
       
        JOE PAT COWAN
         
        PATRICIA ANN COWAN
A. D. COWAN

He died in a swimming accident at a young age.

AUGUSTA CASCEE "BUSTER" COWAN

He married GERALDINE BOSWELL in 1941 and had the following children:

       
         PATSY LOIS COWAN

         JAMES DANIEL COWAN

         CARLOS PAUL COWAN

         THOMAS WADE COWAN

John Patrick "Pat" and Ada Cowan resided five miles south of Geneva, Alabama for the rest of their lives. This location has been the Cowan homeplace since 1919.

"Buster" Cowan has lived and worked around Geneva, in the building trade, most of his life. He and his wife, The Gracious Geraldine, still reside just south of Geneva, on the old homeplace.

J.P. Cowan spent the greater part of his life around Geneva, Alabama in farming and several other occupations which included: radio repairman, electrician, plumber, and civil servant. He died in 1975. Louise Cowan died in 1977.

J. P. and Buster were the only two of "Pat" Cowan's children to remain in Geneva.

Several of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren still live in and around Geneva.

This brief history of the COWANS IN GENEVA COUNTY provides information through the fifth generation. The younger generations have not been included, due to limited space. Many of these younger Cowans presently reside in and around Geneva. There are many of the latter two or three generations living in other areas, mainly the Southeast.

       
                     Researched and supplied by:
                     
                     John G. Cowan
                     3311 Kings Rd
                     Panama City, Fl. 32405
                     (850) 763-4855

     Feel free to contact me.  My  email can be accessed on The
Cowan home page.

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