3. Robert Alfred Cowan 1879 - 1957
Christmas 1887 - Robert is on the right.
Canada, Births and Baptisms, 1661-1959, "Robert Alfred Cowan" (1879):
Robert Alfred Cowan b. 21, April 1879 at Hullett Twp., Huron, Ontario to Parents William M Cowan and Margaret McMichael
Robert Alfred Cowan was.born April 21, 1879 at Seaforth, Ontario, third child of William and Margaret (McMichael) Cowan. Robert died on March 4, 1955 at Minneapolis. Robert was named after his grandfather, Robert Cowan who came from Scotland in likely early 1800's. Robert was the third of the children born at Seaforth. The first was William James b. 1874, and the second was Thomas born between 1875 and 1877.
In March of 1880, when Robert was just eleven months old, William and Margaret moved with their family to Owego Twp. Near Sheldon, in the Dakota Territory. At that time, William was 41, Margaret was 36, and of the children, Lizzie was, I’m guessing, about eight and Jim was six. Thomas must have been about two or three, and Robert was just under a year (eleven months). As the years went by, Robert attended school at Owego.
The U.S. Census of June 26, 1900 shows Robert, age 21, living in the city of Enderlin at the hotel of Peter and Mary Callahan together with nine other male boarders and the Callahan’s six children. The other borders are listed as laborers but Robert is shown as a driver in a livery barn in town. The boarding house is shown to be on Third Ave on the North side of Enderlin, 4th Ward. The census taker (enumerator) is P. H. Callahan (apparently owner of boarding house).
The next summer on July 24, 1901 Robert, now 22, married Anna Donovan of Lisbon, ND. They were married in the Catholic Church at Lisbon. That was the same year that his sister Lizzie’s daughter, Grace was born.
Robert had set up a livery stable in Lisbon and Anna was working as a waitress in town at the time. From Lisbon, they apparently moved to Norwich, N.D. which is near Granville. In 1905, they filed a homestead claim three miles south of Douglas. Robert began carrying mail in 1908. The 1910 U.S. Census of Douglas township at McLean County lists Robert, now 31 and Anna 27 living together with their children Evelyn M., age 7 and Lawrence W., age 5. In 1915, they moved from the farm into Douglas. Robert and Anna continued to live in town at Douglas and he worked as a mail carrier until his retirement in 1949. Lawrence has been the source of much of the early Cowan history for me.
The US census of 1920 lists the family of Robert A. Cowan age 40 and spouse Anna Cowan age 36 living at Douglas in Ward County, N.D. Their children are Evelyn now age 17, Lance 15, Stanley 8 and Margaret 3 years and 5 months. Daughter Virginia isn’t listed as she died two years before the census. Lance is Lawrence William and Stanley is John Stanley.
Over the years Robert and Anna had five children, Evelyn, Virginia, Lawrence, Robert, and Margaret. Virginia, their second child, died at age 15 in 1918 (about the same time as her grandfather William died). Robert died in 1957 at age 78 while in Minneapolis. Funeral services were held on March 6that the Malone - Heinrichs Funeral Home, 902 West Broadway, The clergyman was Rev. William Barr. After Robert’s death, Anna lived with her son, Lawrence for a number of years, then with her daughter, Evelyn. After the death of Evelyn, Anna lived in a retirement home in Minneapolis.
Anna was born January 18, 1883 and died at age 90 at a nursing home in Fridley, Minnesota on January 15, 1973. She was visited often at the nursing home by her nephew Walter Cowan and and his wife Esther and their daughter Mary Ann Jordan. Robert and Anna are buried at Minot, N.D.
Esther Cowan says that Bob used to write some very nice poetry.
My Cross
By Robert A. Cowan
His cross was but a common thing of cypress wood upon a tired hill.
Desolate, it stood, and yet its arms have reached from sea to sea,
Arms so strong it has set man free and love so bright, burning long ago,
Changed the cross to gold with its glow.
My Cross, sometimes is a weary thing too hard to bear.
A tiny ugly thing, it floods my life in helpless care,
But with his love, I, Too, will make that cross of gold,
And pour the dark, tear stained wood into his mold.
My cross can never stretch its arms from sea to sea,
But it can raise my heart to God and set me free.
The Children and their Families
1. Evelyn born Aug 27, 1902 d, Jan. ___, 1973 at age 61.
2. Virginia, born 1903 d. 1918 at age 15
3. Lawrence William, b. Aug 4, 1904 d. Apr 5, 1978 at age 74
4. John Stanley b. Jan 29, 1911 d.Oct. 25, 1988 at age 76.
5. Margaret b. Jan 1918(?) d. (?)
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