A Cowan Family at Quebec
Life in 1839 Quebec within citadel
The Story of Robert and Eliza Cowan and of their son William M. Cowan
Cowan, Cowans, Cowen are common surnames in Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire and other lowland counties of Scotland. The name is sometimes explained as from the Scots, meaning a dry-stone dyker, but this is doubted. The name comes from the clan Colquhoun and has possible earlier roots in the ancient name Macilchomhghain.
Macilchomhghain is one of whom it is written that he built Christian churches along the west coast of Scotland in the sixth century. Cowan is one of the Septs of the Clan Colquhoun and the others are Kilpatrick, Kirkpatrick, Macachounich, and MacCowan.
Robert Cowan and his wife Eliza Gunston
Robert Cowan b. ca. 1800 - 1810
Eliza Cowan b. ca. 1800 - 1810
Here begins the story of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston whose parents each, in the late-seventeenth century, took passage by sailing ship from Britain across the Atlantic to Canada; likely setting forth from Liverpool and arriving at Quebec on the St. Lawrence River. Their son William M. Cowan lived first at Quebec City, then at Seaforth in Ontario and later moved on to settle in the Dakota Territory. From the prairie that became the State of North Dakota, their descendants, numbering today perhaps a thousand, spread across the nation from Maryland to California. These are their descendants and this is their story.
How it all started
Lawrence W. (Dudley) Cowan (1904 – 1978) is the son of my grandfather’s brother Robert and I had heard from my brother Wally (1931 – 2003) that Dudley knew quite a bit about our family history. I had not met him before but he worked at FMC Corp. in Fridley and he had helped my brother Wally get his job there after his stint in Korea. One day during the summer of 1972 I gave Uncle Dudley a call and asked if I could come over to visit. He lived across town in St. Louis Park, Minnesota at the time. Well, I went over to visit and we sat in the back yard and, over lemonade, he told me story after story of things I had never heard before. I went home and wrote down everything he said. Thus began my long journey to search how our family is connected and to discover many, many stories.
Among the things he said was that Grandpa William (Jim) Cowan’s father was born at Quebec in 1840 shortly after his mother and father arrived from Scotland (I’ll get onto some of the other things he said later). Although there are still several loose ends, three things I’ve discovered since then have helped to get back to that time. The first is is the marriage record in 1833 of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston at Quebec City; the second is the marriage record of their son William to Margaret McMichael at Clinton, Ontario; and the third is William’s death record in South Dakota.
Foundation Documents
1. From the Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection (1621 – 1967) (I found this record in March of 2012): St. Andrew’s Church (Presbyterian) Quebec City, QC documented on the 1833 Record of baptisms, marriages and deaths, forty-eighth leaf (page), Sept 09, 1833 the record of the marriage of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunstone:
“Robert Cowan, bachelor & Eliza Gunstone, spinster, both of the city of Quebec,
were, after due presentation of service, joined in Holy Bonds of Matrimony on
the ninth day of September, one thousand eight hundred thirty three by me”
Signed: James Harkness, Min.
Signed: Robert Cowan
Signed: Eliza X [her mark] Gunstone
Signed: Thomas[?] Higg [Possibly a pastoral student]
Signed: Margaret X [her mark] Sprosten[?]
To get an idea of what Quebec was like when Robert and Eliza were married there, look at:
"Québec City in the 1830’s" , W. H. Parker, Cahiers de géographie du Québec, vol. 3, n. 6, 1959,
p. 261-273. http://www.erudit.org/revue/cgq/1959/v3/n6/020184ar.pdf
2. Huron County Marriage Record,
1858 - 1869; Vol. 1, p. 164: WILLIAM COWAN, 25, of Hullett, born
Canada, son of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston and MARGARET McMICHAEL, 21,
of Hullett, born Canada, daughter of Thomas McMichael and Elizabeth McMillan married
June 26th, 1866 by the Rev. A. D. McDonald of Clinton, Canadian Presbyterian Church.
The witnesses were Malcomb Campbell of Mckillop [probably a relative] and Grace
McMichael [Margaret’s sister] of Hullett.
3. The N. D. Dept. of Health Public Death Index lists William’s death on June 4, 1918 and his
birth on Sep. 22, 1842. The birth date of Sept. 22 is likely correct but the year must be
incorrect. Based on his recorded age of 25 at his marriage, he was born sometime in
the period of June 24, 1840 and June 25, 1841; not in 1842. The correct then likely date of
birth is Sept. 22, 1840.
What do we know and what can we surmise about Robert and Eliza Cowan?
1. Because there s not a direct lineage connection to our ancestry it cannot be
unequivocally confirmed that Robert and Eliza recorded married here are indeed
our family ancestors – some additional connecting evidence is needed but I doubt
we’ll ever find it. However: oral statements from several sources say that our ancestor
William M. Cowan was born in Quebec and that his parents lived at Quebec. Some
census records point to Quebec as well. The Scotch population of Quebec was not large
making it unlikely that here were two sets of people with the same name. For example,
the Scotch immigrant population in 1844 was still just 700 souls.
2. When Robert and Eliza married, the day of the marriage on September 09, 1833
was a Monday. Does that suggest that it was a small ceremony with just the principals
attending? On the other hand, the “weekend” as we know it when people have time
off from work didn’t exist then.
3. St. Andrew’s church is located within the citadel walls of the Quebec City on the bluff
which overlooks the St. Laurence River. The citadel was the economic and social center
of the city. It was where commerce commenced; where government business was conducted;
where the churches were headquartered; and where people with means lived and partied.
Lower Quebec below the bluff was where the general populace lived and worked.
A single difficult road up to the bluff connected the two. The marriage record for Robert and
Eliza states that they were both “of the city”. Does this mean that they were residents within
the citadel?
4. Does the fact that they were unmarried young adults living in the city suggest that they
lived with family or, more unlikely, they immigrated alone and had no connections? I suspect
that they were there with their parents and that had siblings there as well. There is no
information on this. We do know that it is common that families emigrated together, often
with other relatives and their neighbors and that they also often settled in the same place.
Were they there with intentions to move on?
5. It is likely that Robert and Eliza were born in the period of 1800 – 1810 however it’s
possible that Robert was born much earlier. Did Robert and Eliza know each other from an
earlier time in Scotland or did they discover each other there in Quebec? Is Eliza originally
from England?
6. According to Uncle Dudley they emigrated from Scotland. Also, the 1910 US Census for
Owego Township, Ransom County, ND shows William, then age 63, saying that both his father
and mother, Robert and Eliza came from Scotland. The 1910 census for Granville, ND for his
daughter Elizabeth and for his son Stanley separately report the same.
7. Robert and Eliza’s son William M. Cowan was born in 1840 or early ’41 seven years after
they were married. There should be other siblings born both before and after his birth.
8. The parents of Robert and Eliza were likely born at about the time of the American Revolution (1776).
9. With the signing of the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, Canada East came under
English rule which resulted in an influx of merchants to Quebec from Scotland and England.
Was it at around that time that our ancestors came to Quebec? If so, then it would have been
Robert and Eliza’s grandparents who emigrated at that time. Another possibility is that when
England defeated the French and overtook Quebec City in 1759, they fortified the city to
prevent invasion by the sea. As the years passed, however, they grew concerned about
invasion by land, so in 1815 the British government offered free passage and land to
English citizens with the idea that they would settle the land to the north and south of
the city and thus provide further protection from possible invaders. I suspect that one or
the other of these possibilities related to Quebec is the reason that our ancestors emigrated.
10. 1830’s Quebec City Population Estimate:
According to the W. H. Parker "Québec City in the 1830’s" noted above, it is estimated that
tourists, immigrants and sailors together numbered between 5,000 and 10,000. Although a
majority of the resident population was French Canadians, there were a large minority of
British extractions. The closest population records for Quebec City were from the period of 1844.
French Canadians 19,386
British Canadians 5,560
English immigrants 1,347
Irish Immigrants 5,432
Scotch immigrants 700
Group Total: 13,039 13,039
Other immigrants 239
Americans 112
Total population 32,876
Where might be the roots of Robert and Eliza in the british Isles?
Their son William reports in the 1910 U. S. Census that the nativity of both of his parents, Robert and Eliza, is Scotland. He also reports, however, that their nativity is Canada in the 1900 census. Based on this and other information I am certain that Robert and Eliza hailed from Scotland. It is possible that Eliza’s family originally came from England. I must add as part of this story that family lore among some of the children of William James says that that we had French Canadian blood in us and that there was some Indian blood in us as well. I doubt the part about about Native American heritage but the French Canadian part is surely a reference to their residence in Quebec City where perhaps everyone was considered French Canadian.
The Gunston or Gunson surname represents a smaller family group in Dumfriesshire, perhaps at Lockerbie, and may be fairly easy to trace. It was common for entire groups of families to emigrate together so it is possible that Robert and his wife came over with brothers and sisters and possibly parents. Dumfriesshire today is equivalent to a county of about 30,000 people and is located in the vicinity of Glasgow in Southwestern Scotland in the lowlands.
In searching the Mormon genealogical files for parish birth records of England for the period of 1807 - 1825 (the assumed period during which Robert and Eliza were born), ten persons named Elizabeth Gunson and one person named Eliza Gunson are found recorded. While some Gunson and Gunston surnames are found in Scotland, this surname may be English origin. I will continue to search Scottish parish records for the births and marriage of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston. It is possible that Eliza "Gunson" in the record following is William’s mother.
The record is as follows:
“Eliza Gunson. Child of Richard and Francis Gunson, Christened 6 September, 1819, Barrow Upon Humber, in Lincolnshire County, England.” Barrow Upon Humber is on the coast of a large inlet from the North Sea and is about 150 miles to the southeast across land from Dumfries, Scotland. The children listed are Charles Gunson, b.1806; Maria Gunson, b.1807; Ann Gunson, b.1813; Dorothy Gunson, b.1816; Eliza, b.1819; and Mary Barkworth Gunson, b.1822. If this is indeed her, it is possible that Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston were married at a Presbyterian or Church of England parish in the vicinity of Barrow Upon Humber sometime during the period of the late 1830’s to 1840. This Eliza Gunston would have been about 21 years of age at the time that William was born in Quebec. Later research suggests that it is unlikely that the person named here is the Eliza Gunstone who married Robert Cowan.
Mormon records show many Guns[t]on marriages in England for the period up to 1845 but none, however, are found to a Cowan. It is possible that the marriage may be found in the parish records of Scotland and these should be searched. Indeed, It is found that our ancestors Eliza Gunstone and Robert Cowan were married at Quebec in 1833.
Although the name of Cowan is of Scottish origin and it is a common surname there, specifically in Dumfriesshire; no direct evidence other than family lore to suggest that Robert and Eliza came from this place. One reference to their nativity is an 1871 Hullett County Canadian census in which their son William states that his origin is England. It is of course likely, however, that Robert’s ancestral lineage is Scottish. Perhaps he or his parents came to England where he lived for a time and married Eliza. They may then have gone back to Scotland and thence to Quebec where William was born.
As you may observe in the following pages, it was common among the Cowan and McMichael clans to name children after their forebears and similar names show up among several generations. The name “Stanley”, however, shows up several times in later generations but does not seem to have an earlier counterpart. Could this have been Robert’s father’s name?
Several ships’ entries show a “Robert Cowan” and it would take further research to identify the right person. Such research would likely lead to specific roots in the British Isles.
Many Scots were moving away from what they felt was a stifling religious and political environment at that time. Canada was a British Commonwealth and the British Parliament was making recommendations for numerous reforms in its administration. In political matters, it made a strong case for Canadian self - government in which an elected assembly would assume virtual control over all domestic affairs. In 1840 the northern and southern sections of Canada joined as one country and parliamentary government began independent of Great Britain and of Queen Victoria.Canadaseemed to many a Scot as a new economic opportunity and for those with courage and a heart for adventure, it became their new home.
I have wondered why it was that Robert and Eliza Cowan immigrated to Canada. Was it freedom and opportunity for a courageous young family? It is not likely that they came to Canada during the Potato Famine of 1845-1846, but they came earlier around 1840 or earlier (according to Dudley Cowan). Many people left Ireland and Scotland during that period and came to Canada, a new country, and to new opportunity. Interestingly, many families from eastern counties of Scotland settled in Hullett Township of Huron County in Ontario during the mid 1800’s and many of these same people then moved on to Ransom County in the Dakota Territory around 1880 when the new towns opened up!
The trip by sailing ship from Britain to Quebec usually took about six to ten weeks and ships often carried more than a hundred passengers, often with several births and deaths aboard ship.
An 1848 Assessment (p.65) and 1850 census (p.71) lists a Robert Cowan at Clarke Townshipin Durham County. An 1840 assessment (p.130) lists a Robert Cowan at Murray Townshipin Northumberland County. MurrayTownship is about 110 miles to the east of Seaforth and near Toronto.
An 1850 census entry is shown (p.131) for a Robert James Cowan in Durham Countyat Clarke township. Although the specific location of their homestead is not known, there is a possibility that they eventually settled on a farm in Hullett Township just a couple of miles to the north of the McMichael’s farm.
An historic 1879 Plot Map of Hullett Township identifies the location of these farms and shows William as the owner of a farm just north of the McMichael’s.
Surrogate court records of 1795-1858 show a Robert Cowan who died in Walton County in 1857. If, indeed, this is him and he came to Canada in his mid-twenties, this would place his death at about age 50 or 60 or so and would be good reason that finding records is difficult.
The following two entries in A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to USA Before the Confederation are possibilities:
1) Cowan, Robert from Aberdeen.
Son of William C., saddler, and Sarah Watts. To N.Y. before 1851. (S.H.)* Entry #1144.
*Services of Heirs, Bicentennial Index to, Vol. 1-4 1700-1859 Edinburgh 1863-1891.
2) Cowan, Robert Burns, 15 Aug. 1822 - 9
Mar, 1865. From Glasgowto U.S. probably N. Y. before 1844 (D.C., 23 May, 1962)* *Dictionary Correspondence, Letters to the Editor Regarding Scottish Emigrants, Scottish Genealogical Society Library.
The birth records of the United States as found in Mormon genealogical files show a Robert H. Cowan and his wife Eliza who had children born to them during the middle 1840’s to early 1850’s in North Carolina. The record shows three children christened at the St. James Episcopal Church, Wilmington, New Hanover, North Carolina. The children are Robert Cowan, christened 24 May, 1847; Jane Dickinson Cowan, christened 7 September, 1848; and Cornelia Frothington Cowan, christened 17 May, 1851. The dates are very good. Did Robert and Eliza come to Canada and stay at Quebec where William was born and then move south to North Carolinaw here the other children were born? Birth or baptism records of these children may show Eliza’s maiden name. If, indeed, it is Gunston or Gunson - -Eureka! This is, however, not likely them.
William’s granddaughter, Doris Randleman of Toledo, Oregon says that William was born at Seaforth. Also, William’s marriage record states that he was living at Seaforth before he was married. These suggest that his family was at Seaforth and a name search in that area could be successful.
Cowan, Cowans, Cowen are common surnames in Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire and other lowland counties of Scotland. The name is sometimes explained as from the Scots, meaning a dry-stone dyker, but this is doubted. The name comes from the clan Colquhoun and has possible earlier roots in the ancient name Macilchomhghain.
Macilchomhghain is one of whom it is written that he built Christian churches along the west coast of Scotland in the sixth century. Cowan is one of the Septs of the Clan Colquhoun and the others are Kilpatrick, Kirkpatrick, Macachounich, and MacCowan.
Robert Cowan and his wife Eliza Gunston
Robert Cowan b. ca. 1800 - 1810
Eliza Cowan b. ca. 1800 - 1810
Here begins the story of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston whose parents each, in the late-seventeenth century, took passage by sailing ship from Britain across the Atlantic to Canada; likely setting forth from Liverpool and arriving at Quebec on the St. Lawrence River. Their son William M. Cowan lived first at Quebec City, then at Seaforth in Ontario and later moved on to settle in the Dakota Territory. From the prairie that became the State of North Dakota, their descendants, numbering today perhaps a thousand, spread across the nation from Maryland to California. These are their descendants and this is their story.
How it all started
Lawrence W. (Dudley) Cowan (1904 – 1978) is the son of my grandfather’s brother Robert and I had heard from my brother Wally (1931 – 2003) that Dudley knew quite a bit about our family history. I had not met him before but he worked at FMC Corp. in Fridley and he had helped my brother Wally get his job there after his stint in Korea. One day during the summer of 1972 I gave Uncle Dudley a call and asked if I could come over to visit. He lived across town in St. Louis Park, Minnesota at the time. Well, I went over to visit and we sat in the back yard and, over lemonade, he told me story after story of things I had never heard before. I went home and wrote down everything he said. Thus began my long journey to search how our family is connected and to discover many, many stories.
Among the things he said was that Grandpa William (Jim) Cowan’s father was born at Quebec in 1840 shortly after his mother and father arrived from Scotland (I’ll get onto some of the other things he said later). Although there are still several loose ends, three things I’ve discovered since then have helped to get back to that time. The first is is the marriage record in 1833 of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston at Quebec City; the second is the marriage record of their son William to Margaret McMichael at Clinton, Ontario; and the third is William’s death record in South Dakota.
Foundation Documents
1. From the Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection (1621 – 1967) (I found this record in March of 2012): St. Andrew’s Church (Presbyterian) Quebec City, QC documented on the 1833 Record of baptisms, marriages and deaths, forty-eighth leaf (page), Sept 09, 1833 the record of the marriage of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunstone:
“Robert Cowan, bachelor & Eliza Gunstone, spinster, both of the city of Quebec,
were, after due presentation of service, joined in Holy Bonds of Matrimony on
the ninth day of September, one thousand eight hundred thirty three by me”
Signed: James Harkness, Min.
Signed: Robert Cowan
Signed: Eliza X [her mark] Gunstone
Signed: Thomas[?] Higg [Possibly a pastoral student]
Signed: Margaret X [her mark] Sprosten[?]
To get an idea of what Quebec was like when Robert and Eliza were married there, look at:
"Québec City in the 1830’s" , W. H. Parker, Cahiers de géographie du Québec, vol. 3, n. 6, 1959,
p. 261-273. http://www.erudit.org/revue/cgq/1959/v3/n6/020184ar.pdf
2. Huron County Marriage Record,
1858 - 1869; Vol. 1, p. 164: WILLIAM COWAN, 25, of Hullett, born
Canada, son of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston and MARGARET McMICHAEL, 21,
of Hullett, born Canada, daughter of Thomas McMichael and Elizabeth McMillan married
June 26th, 1866 by the Rev. A. D. McDonald of Clinton, Canadian Presbyterian Church.
The witnesses were Malcomb Campbell of Mckillop [probably a relative] and Grace
McMichael [Margaret’s sister] of Hullett.
3. The N. D. Dept. of Health Public Death Index lists William’s death on June 4, 1918 and his
birth on Sep. 22, 1842. The birth date of Sept. 22 is likely correct but the year must be
incorrect. Based on his recorded age of 25 at his marriage, he was born sometime in
the period of June 24, 1840 and June 25, 1841; not in 1842. The correct then likely date of
birth is Sept. 22, 1840.
What do we know and what can we surmise about Robert and Eliza Cowan?
1. Because there s not a direct lineage connection to our ancestry it cannot be
unequivocally confirmed that Robert and Eliza recorded married here are indeed
our family ancestors – some additional connecting evidence is needed but I doubt
we’ll ever find it. However: oral statements from several sources say that our ancestor
William M. Cowan was born in Quebec and that his parents lived at Quebec. Some
census records point to Quebec as well. The Scotch population of Quebec was not large
making it unlikely that here were two sets of people with the same name. For example,
the Scotch immigrant population in 1844 was still just 700 souls.
2. When Robert and Eliza married, the day of the marriage on September 09, 1833
was a Monday. Does that suggest that it was a small ceremony with just the principals
attending? On the other hand, the “weekend” as we know it when people have time
off from work didn’t exist then.
3. St. Andrew’s church is located within the citadel walls of the Quebec City on the bluff
which overlooks the St. Laurence River. The citadel was the economic and social center
of the city. It was where commerce commenced; where government business was conducted;
where the churches were headquartered; and where people with means lived and partied.
Lower Quebec below the bluff was where the general populace lived and worked.
A single difficult road up to the bluff connected the two. The marriage record for Robert and
Eliza states that they were both “of the city”. Does this mean that they were residents within
the citadel?
4. Does the fact that they were unmarried young adults living in the city suggest that they
lived with family or, more unlikely, they immigrated alone and had no connections? I suspect
that they were there with their parents and that had siblings there as well. There is no
information on this. We do know that it is common that families emigrated together, often
with other relatives and their neighbors and that they also often settled in the same place.
Were they there with intentions to move on?
5. It is likely that Robert and Eliza were born in the period of 1800 – 1810 however it’s
possible that Robert was born much earlier. Did Robert and Eliza know each other from an
earlier time in Scotland or did they discover each other there in Quebec? Is Eliza originally
from England?
6. According to Uncle Dudley they emigrated from Scotland. Also, the 1910 US Census for
Owego Township, Ransom County, ND shows William, then age 63, saying that both his father
and mother, Robert and Eliza came from Scotland. The 1910 census for Granville, ND for his
daughter Elizabeth and for his son Stanley separately report the same.
7. Robert and Eliza’s son William M. Cowan was born in 1840 or early ’41 seven years after
they were married. There should be other siblings born both before and after his birth.
8. The parents of Robert and Eliza were likely born at about the time of the American Revolution (1776).
9. With the signing of the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, Canada East came under
English rule which resulted in an influx of merchants to Quebec from Scotland and England.
Was it at around that time that our ancestors came to Quebec? If so, then it would have been
Robert and Eliza’s grandparents who emigrated at that time. Another possibility is that when
England defeated the French and overtook Quebec City in 1759, they fortified the city to
prevent invasion by the sea. As the years passed, however, they grew concerned about
invasion by land, so in 1815 the British government offered free passage and land to
English citizens with the idea that they would settle the land to the north and south of
the city and thus provide further protection from possible invaders. I suspect that one or
the other of these possibilities related to Quebec is the reason that our ancestors emigrated.
10. 1830’s Quebec City Population Estimate:
According to the W. H. Parker "Québec City in the 1830’s" noted above, it is estimated that
tourists, immigrants and sailors together numbered between 5,000 and 10,000. Although a
majority of the resident population was French Canadians, there were a large minority of
British extractions. The closest population records for Quebec City were from the period of 1844.
French Canadians 19,386
British Canadians 5,560
English immigrants 1,347
Irish Immigrants 5,432
Scotch immigrants 700
Group Total: 13,039 13,039
Other immigrants 239
Americans 112
Total population 32,876
Where might be the roots of Robert and Eliza in the british Isles?
Their son William reports in the 1910 U. S. Census that the nativity of both of his parents, Robert and Eliza, is Scotland. He also reports, however, that their nativity is Canada in the 1900 census. Based on this and other information I am certain that Robert and Eliza hailed from Scotland. It is possible that Eliza’s family originally came from England. I must add as part of this story that family lore among some of the children of William James says that that we had French Canadian blood in us and that there was some Indian blood in us as well. I doubt the part about about Native American heritage but the French Canadian part is surely a reference to their residence in Quebec City where perhaps everyone was considered French Canadian.
The Gunston or Gunson surname represents a smaller family group in Dumfriesshire, perhaps at Lockerbie, and may be fairly easy to trace. It was common for entire groups of families to emigrate together so it is possible that Robert and his wife came over with brothers and sisters and possibly parents. Dumfriesshire today is equivalent to a county of about 30,000 people and is located in the vicinity of Glasgow in Southwestern Scotland in the lowlands.
In searching the Mormon genealogical files for parish birth records of England for the period of 1807 - 1825 (the assumed period during which Robert and Eliza were born), ten persons named Elizabeth Gunson and one person named Eliza Gunson are found recorded. While some Gunson and Gunston surnames are found in Scotland, this surname may be English origin. I will continue to search Scottish parish records for the births and marriage of Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston. It is possible that Eliza "Gunson" in the record following is William’s mother.
The record is as follows:
“Eliza Gunson. Child of Richard and Francis Gunson, Christened 6 September, 1819, Barrow Upon Humber, in Lincolnshire County, England.” Barrow Upon Humber is on the coast of a large inlet from the North Sea and is about 150 miles to the southeast across land from Dumfries, Scotland. The children listed are Charles Gunson, b.1806; Maria Gunson, b.1807; Ann Gunson, b.1813; Dorothy Gunson, b.1816; Eliza, b.1819; and Mary Barkworth Gunson, b.1822. If this is indeed her, it is possible that Robert Cowan and Eliza Gunston were married at a Presbyterian or Church of England parish in the vicinity of Barrow Upon Humber sometime during the period of the late 1830’s to 1840. This Eliza Gunston would have been about 21 years of age at the time that William was born in Quebec. Later research suggests that it is unlikely that the person named here is the Eliza Gunstone who married Robert Cowan.
Mormon records show many Guns[t]on marriages in England for the period up to 1845 but none, however, are found to a Cowan. It is possible that the marriage may be found in the parish records of Scotland and these should be searched. Indeed, It is found that our ancestors Eliza Gunstone and Robert Cowan were married at Quebec in 1833.
Although the name of Cowan is of Scottish origin and it is a common surname there, specifically in Dumfriesshire; no direct evidence other than family lore to suggest that Robert and Eliza came from this place. One reference to their nativity is an 1871 Hullett County Canadian census in which their son William states that his origin is England. It is of course likely, however, that Robert’s ancestral lineage is Scottish. Perhaps he or his parents came to England where he lived for a time and married Eliza. They may then have gone back to Scotland and thence to Quebec where William was born.
As you may observe in the following pages, it was common among the Cowan and McMichael clans to name children after their forebears and similar names show up among several generations. The name “Stanley”, however, shows up several times in later generations but does not seem to have an earlier counterpart. Could this have been Robert’s father’s name?
Several ships’ entries show a “Robert Cowan” and it would take further research to identify the right person. Such research would likely lead to specific roots in the British Isles.
Many Scots were moving away from what they felt was a stifling religious and political environment at that time. Canada was a British Commonwealth and the British Parliament was making recommendations for numerous reforms in its administration. In political matters, it made a strong case for Canadian self - government in which an elected assembly would assume virtual control over all domestic affairs. In 1840 the northern and southern sections of Canada joined as one country and parliamentary government began independent of Great Britain and of Queen Victoria.Canadaseemed to many a Scot as a new economic opportunity and for those with courage and a heart for adventure, it became their new home.
I have wondered why it was that Robert and Eliza Cowan immigrated to Canada. Was it freedom and opportunity for a courageous young family? It is not likely that they came to Canada during the Potato Famine of 1845-1846, but they came earlier around 1840 or earlier (according to Dudley Cowan). Many people left Ireland and Scotland during that period and came to Canada, a new country, and to new opportunity. Interestingly, many families from eastern counties of Scotland settled in Hullett Township of Huron County in Ontario during the mid 1800’s and many of these same people then moved on to Ransom County in the Dakota Territory around 1880 when the new towns opened up!
The trip by sailing ship from Britain to Quebec usually took about six to ten weeks and ships often carried more than a hundred passengers, often with several births and deaths aboard ship.
An 1848 Assessment (p.65) and 1850 census (p.71) lists a Robert Cowan at Clarke Townshipin Durham County. An 1840 assessment (p.130) lists a Robert Cowan at Murray Townshipin Northumberland County. MurrayTownship is about 110 miles to the east of Seaforth and near Toronto.
An 1850 census entry is shown (p.131) for a Robert James Cowan in Durham Countyat Clarke township. Although the specific location of their homestead is not known, there is a possibility that they eventually settled on a farm in Hullett Township just a couple of miles to the north of the McMichael’s farm.
An historic 1879 Plot Map of Hullett Township identifies the location of these farms and shows William as the owner of a farm just north of the McMichael’s.
Surrogate court records of 1795-1858 show a Robert Cowan who died in Walton County in 1857. If, indeed, this is him and he came to Canada in his mid-twenties, this would place his death at about age 50 or 60 or so and would be good reason that finding records is difficult.
The following two entries in A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to USA Before the Confederation are possibilities:
1) Cowan, Robert from Aberdeen.
Son of William C., saddler, and Sarah Watts. To N.Y. before 1851. (S.H.)* Entry #1144.
*Services of Heirs, Bicentennial Index to, Vol. 1-4 1700-1859 Edinburgh 1863-1891.
2) Cowan, Robert Burns, 15 Aug. 1822 - 9
Mar, 1865. From Glasgowto U.S. probably N. Y. before 1844 (D.C., 23 May, 1962)* *Dictionary Correspondence, Letters to the Editor Regarding Scottish Emigrants, Scottish Genealogical Society Library.
The birth records of the United States as found in Mormon genealogical files show a Robert H. Cowan and his wife Eliza who had children born to them during the middle 1840’s to early 1850’s in North Carolina. The record shows three children christened at the St. James Episcopal Church, Wilmington, New Hanover, North Carolina. The children are Robert Cowan, christened 24 May, 1847; Jane Dickinson Cowan, christened 7 September, 1848; and Cornelia Frothington Cowan, christened 17 May, 1851. The dates are very good. Did Robert and Eliza come to Canada and stay at Quebec where William was born and then move south to North Carolinaw here the other children were born? Birth or baptism records of these children may show Eliza’s maiden name. If, indeed, it is Gunston or Gunson - -Eureka! This is, however, not likely them.
William’s granddaughter, Doris Randleman of Toledo, Oregon says that William was born at Seaforth. Also, William’s marriage record states that he was living at Seaforth before he was married. These suggest that his family was at Seaforth and a name search in that area could be successful.