William Marries Delia Carr 1870 - 1938
William M Cowan and Dellia Carr upon their wedding
Delia: born 1870 Melbourne, Ontario. died 1939 Granville, North Dakota
Delia’s family is from Melbourne, Ontario that is about 45 miles directly south of Seaforth so it is possible that Bill and Margaret knew Delia’s family from when they lived at Seaforth. Her parents homesteaded a farm at Shenford, Dakota Territory in 1880 when the post office was established there. The following is a record of Dell’s family.
Dell’s father was Andrew Carr. b. 1810. d. ____. Andrew was born in England and he married Margaret ____. Andrew and Margaret had three children. The 1861 Ontario census shows Andrew, married, P. Methodist and age 51 at Carradoc, Middlesex, Ontario. Andrew later married Hannah Ann Seaburn Cook, born 1829, of the state of New Yorkand later of Granville, North Dakota. Andrew and Hannah lived at Shenford, a small community near to Lisbon, and they had eight children including Dell.
The first three children listed are the children of Andrew and his first wife Margaret.
1. Mancie Carr b. ____ d. ____. Daughter of Margaret
2. Mary Elizabeth Carr (Betsy) b. ____ d. ____. Daughter of Margaret. Betsy Married James Mark, q.v.
3. _________? Third child
The next nine children listed are the children of Andrew and his second wife Hannah Cook.
4. Christine Carr b. ____ d. ____ Daughter of Hannah.
5. Anne Carr b. 1857. Anne lived in Canada and had eight sons and one daughter.
6. Andrew Carr b. 06/1859. Andrew married Belle Bonner 05/1869 and they had four children. The 1900 U.S. Census lists three of the children: Earl 05/1890, Perle 11/1892, Loyd 05/1896 and shows the family living at Shenford. Andrew and his brother Jack farmed E1/2-23 Shenford and this is where Andrew died in his horse barn. Andrew and Belle also had a house in Sheldon. Andrew died in 1910 and Belle died in 1934 and both are buried at Sb, heldon City Cemetery.
7. Robert Carr b. 1860.
8. Hannah Amy (called Amy) b. 1864 Amy first lived 1 ½ miles south of Anselm, then moved to Sarnia, Ontario.
They had seven girls and one boy.
9. Esther Carr b. 1865 Esther married the brother of Amy’s husband and later took back the name of Carr.
10. Isabell (Belle) Carr b. 1867 Belle lived a few years of her youth at Prince Edward Island then came with her parents when they homesteaded near here.
11. John (Called Jack) Carr b. 1869 Jack married Ethel Rhinehart. Ethel Rhinehart was a school teacher in the Legg Schoolin Shenford. They moved to Buhl, Idaho and Jack was one of the first to get water rights at Buhl, paying $40 per acre for the water rights and $.50 per acre for the land.
12. Dell Carr b. 1870 (Mrs. Bill Cowan) Other records state that Dell was born in 1867. Dell was the youngest and, I would imagine, the 1870 date of birth is correct. In the 1930 census she is shown born in 1872 (when she was later married to George Griffin, b. 1868).
The Dakota Territorial Census of 1885 lists the family as Andrew Carr, Head age 75; Hannah, wife, age 56, John, son, age 16; and Dellia, daughter, age 15. The other nine children not listed are off on their own by then.
According to the Sheldon Press, Judge Allen at Lisbon married William and Dellia on December 27th, 1897. Lisbon is the County Seat of Ransom County. Dellia was from Shenford, a very small farm community. Apparently her parents had homesteaded a farm there in 1880 when the post office was established there. The village was renamed Anselm in 1892.
Certificate of Marriage
Ransom County
I hereby certify that the persons named on the foregoing
license were by me joined in marriage at the court room in Lisbon,
County of Ransom, State of North Dakota
on the 29th day of December, 1897.
In the presence of Herman Shirley, H. P. Grinager, witnesses.
Frank P. Allen, Judge of the County Court,
Ransom County, N.D.
Marriage License
County of Ransom, North Dakota.
Lisbon, N. D.
Dec. 29, 1897
To any person authorized by law to perform the marriage ceremony:
Greetings,
You are hereby Authorized to Join in Marriage
William M Cowan of Sheldon, N. D, aged fifty years and
Dellia Carr of Sheldon, N. D. aged twenty-seven years
and of this license and your certificate you will make due
return to my office within thirty days.
Frank P. Allen, Judge of the County Court.
Dell was 27 when they were married and Bill indicated for the license that he was 50
years of age. Based on his stated age of 50 he would have been born in 1847 within
the 12 month period before December 28th. The record of his previous marriage on
July 26, 1866 states however that he was then 25 and would thus have been born sometime
within the 12 months period prior to July 26, 1841. His death record states that he was born
September 22, 1842 which is another descrepancy. I believe his birthdate is indeed
September 22nd but in 1840 and that he carried this age fib all during his mariage to the
much younger Dellia.
The studio photograph shown above taken of Bill and Dell upon their marriage in 1897 shows Bill seated and Dellia standing at his side - - Both rather somber - - They are nicely dressed and Dellia is a handsome girl.
Nine months into their marriage, an article of September 30th, 1898 relates that
“Some children playing with matches started a fire in the stable in the rear of the
Cowan house in Sheldon last Wednesday. Owing to the direction of the wind and
the prompt assistance of the citizens, the fire was contained to the stable thus saving
the house and other buildings”. Who were these children? Of Bill’s grandchildren, t
he only small children at the time were Jim and Inga’s children: Mae (seven), Willie
(five), and Oliver (three). Six months earlier in April of the year, Jim and Inga had
moved from Sheldon to a farm a few miles to the south at Anselm. It’s easily
possible the kids were visiting at grandpa’s farm and were the culprits playing with
matches!
Eleven months into their marriage, a newspaper entry from the Enterprise of
November 18, 1898 states: “Born to Mr. and Mrs. William Cowan of Highland
Township November 15th, a son. The Enterprise is glad to note that the old-timers are
still doing something to sustain the population of the “Bonnie Highland.” This
child was Lee and Bill was about 58 years of age and Dell was 28.
The U. S. Census of June 20, 1900 shows William Cowan and his wife
Delia Cowan whom he married three years earlier in 1897 living at Shenford
Township. Both are from Canada with roots in England. Dellia’s father is
shown being from England. Residences in North Dakota include Rosemead,
Shenford & Sydna Townships, T.134-Ranges.53-54, Ransom, North
Dakota. The township of Syndais about twenty miles straight south of
Shenford on the opposite side of the Sheyenne National Grasslands.
The record also shows that Delia birthed three children and the two living
are Lynne, age ten and Lee, age one. There is no record of the third child except in
that 1900 census record notation that Delia had another child prior to that census.
It is interesting to note that their daughter Lynne was conceived in April of 1889
a month before her nineteenth birthday and was born apparently some months
before William’s wife Margaret died. I have heard that Dell was housekeeper in
the home and took care of the children Lee and Thomas (perhaps when Margaret
was ill). Census records of that period show that it was common for young girls
to take the position of servant in farmer’s homes. Dell and Bill married seven
years later just after Christmas of 1897. The record is as follows:
Twelvth Census of the US, 1900 Shenford Township, Ransom County, June 20, 1900
1. William Cowan, head of Household, born Sep 1843, now age 56 and married 3 years,
born in Canada, immigrated 18 years ago in 1882,farms and rents farm land, His father is
born in Canada. .
2. Delia who is his wife, born May 1870, born May 1870, now age 30 and married 3 years.
Born in Canada, her father was born in England.
3. Lynn, their daughter was born in December of 1889 and is age 10, She was born in
North Dakota and her father was born in Canada.
4. Thomas, son was born Jan. 1877 in Canada and is age 23. His father was born in Canada.
5. Lee, their son was born Nov 1898 is age one and was born in North Dakota.
6. Stanley, son was born Feb 1884 and is now age 16, born in ND.
By the time of the 1900 census all of the other children, Jim, Lizzie, Robert and Stanley have married and left home and are not recorded here. Daughter Lynn died a couple of years after the census at about age 13 in about 1902.
Thirteenth Census of the U.S., Owego Township of Ransom County, June, 1910
1. William Cowan, hoh, race white, born Feb 1843, married 12 years, both parents born in Scotland,
immigrated in 1881 30 yeas ago, farms and owns the farm.
2. Delia, wife, white, born Sept 1872, married 12 years, father born in England and mother born in
Canada, in the US 11 years, two births and two living children..
3. Thomas, son, white, born in June 1876 and is age 34, born in Canada as were his parents,
attended school 7 months.
4. Lee, son, white, born in June 1899 and is age 11, born in ND, parents born in Canada,
attended school 7 months.
Fourteenth Census of the U.S., Owego Township of Ransom County, June, 1920
The 14th census lists only Delia, widow and son Lee. Dell is age 48 and Lee is age 21.
Several comments can be made regarding the census reports of 1900, 1910, and 1920.
Lynne died as a young teen sometime after 1900 and her grave is located in the Sheldon
City Cemetery. Thomas died sometime after 1910 in his mid thirties. It is noted that he had
epilepsy. I have not been able to locate his grave in the area cemeteries. And also,
William died in 1918 and is not listed in the 1920 census. Delia is listed as a widow. It would
be interesting to know more about Bill and Delia and their life together over the years to
the time of Bill’s death and also about the circumstances of their marriage.
In 1915, the Owego Consolidated School student membership roster shows that William
is the father of Lee Cowan who is in the upper grades list. Based in his stated age of 25 at the
time of his first marriage in 1866, William is now about 74 years of age.
According to my conversation with Dudley Cowan back in 1972, Bill died two years later in
1917 and he is buried at Sheldon. He said that, “The folks at the mortuary at Wahpeton would
know where. The county seat is Lisbon, about 30 miles out of Wahpeton to the west. Enderlin
and Sheldon are both in Ransom County.” Also, Doris Randleman who is Bill’s granddaughter
by Lee also says that Bill died in 1917 at Sheldon. The ND Dept. of Health Public Death Index
however lists Bill’s death on June 4, 1918. The 1918 date must be correct. It also shows that
Bill was born Sep. 22, 1842 which must be two years off based on earlier records that place the
year at 1840.
So we have it - William was a farmer married to Margaret McMichael for 14 years and later
to Delia Carr for 21 years and died at the age of 77 in the community where he lived these
past 38 years.
Finding William’s gravesite took a little digging if you may pardon the pun. A survey of the
tombstones of Ransom County by the Fargo Genealogical Society conducted in 1976 shows
only one tombstone record of a William Cowan buried anywhere in the county - - and that
is of his grandson Willie. Willie is buried at the Enderlin city cemetery and his grave marker
reads, “William A.Cowan 1893 -1913.” After further search, Marie Boeder of box 36, Sheldon,
(701) 882-3405, who keeps the records for the Sheldon cemetery says that according to the
cemetery plot map which she has on the wall in her garage, a William Cowan is buried in
an unmarked grave at Sheldon cemetery, Block 12, lot 8 and there is no date of death recorded.
This is certainly his grave because the sites of his wife Margaret and daughter Lynne are nearby.
Perhaps someday a tombstone can be placed on his grave as it was for both his wife Margaret’s
and his daughter Lynne’s graves.
After Bill died, Delia married George Griffin, a widower who owned a farm at Granville.
George and Dellia farmed there at Granville for many years afterward. Delia’s granddaughter
Doris Randleman says that George is the only Grandpa she ever knew. Delia died Jan. 13, 1939
at age 69 at Granville and is buried there. May they each rest in God’s peace and may we honor
their memory for many generations to come.
Delia’s family is from Melbourne, Ontario that is about 45 miles directly south of Seaforth so it is possible that Bill and Margaret knew Delia’s family from when they lived at Seaforth. Her parents homesteaded a farm at Shenford, Dakota Territory in 1880 when the post office was established there. The following is a record of Dell’s family.
Dell’s father was Andrew Carr. b. 1810. d. ____. Andrew was born in England and he married Margaret ____. Andrew and Margaret had three children. The 1861 Ontario census shows Andrew, married, P. Methodist and age 51 at Carradoc, Middlesex, Ontario. Andrew later married Hannah Ann Seaburn Cook, born 1829, of the state of New Yorkand later of Granville, North Dakota. Andrew and Hannah lived at Shenford, a small community near to Lisbon, and they had eight children including Dell.
The first three children listed are the children of Andrew and his first wife Margaret.
1. Mancie Carr b. ____ d. ____. Daughter of Margaret
2. Mary Elizabeth Carr (Betsy) b. ____ d. ____. Daughter of Margaret. Betsy Married James Mark, q.v.
3. _________? Third child
The next nine children listed are the children of Andrew and his second wife Hannah Cook.
4. Christine Carr b. ____ d. ____ Daughter of Hannah.
5. Anne Carr b. 1857. Anne lived in Canada and had eight sons and one daughter.
6. Andrew Carr b. 06/1859. Andrew married Belle Bonner 05/1869 and they had four children. The 1900 U.S. Census lists three of the children: Earl 05/1890, Perle 11/1892, Loyd 05/1896 and shows the family living at Shenford. Andrew and his brother Jack farmed E1/2-23 Shenford and this is where Andrew died in his horse barn. Andrew and Belle also had a house in Sheldon. Andrew died in 1910 and Belle died in 1934 and both are buried at Sb, heldon City Cemetery.
7. Robert Carr b. 1860.
8. Hannah Amy (called Amy) b. 1864 Amy first lived 1 ½ miles south of Anselm, then moved to Sarnia, Ontario.
They had seven girls and one boy.
9. Esther Carr b. 1865 Esther married the brother of Amy’s husband and later took back the name of Carr.
10. Isabell (Belle) Carr b. 1867 Belle lived a few years of her youth at Prince Edward Island then came with her parents when they homesteaded near here.
11. John (Called Jack) Carr b. 1869 Jack married Ethel Rhinehart. Ethel Rhinehart was a school teacher in the Legg Schoolin Shenford. They moved to Buhl, Idaho and Jack was one of the first to get water rights at Buhl, paying $40 per acre for the water rights and $.50 per acre for the land.
12. Dell Carr b. 1870 (Mrs. Bill Cowan) Other records state that Dell was born in 1867. Dell was the youngest and, I would imagine, the 1870 date of birth is correct. In the 1930 census she is shown born in 1872 (when she was later married to George Griffin, b. 1868).
The Dakota Territorial Census of 1885 lists the family as Andrew Carr, Head age 75; Hannah, wife, age 56, John, son, age 16; and Dellia, daughter, age 15. The other nine children not listed are off on their own by then.
According to the Sheldon Press, Judge Allen at Lisbon married William and Dellia on December 27th, 1897. Lisbon is the County Seat of Ransom County. Dellia was from Shenford, a very small farm community. Apparently her parents had homesteaded a farm there in 1880 when the post office was established there. The village was renamed Anselm in 1892.
Certificate of Marriage
Ransom County
I hereby certify that the persons named on the foregoing
license were by me joined in marriage at the court room in Lisbon,
County of Ransom, State of North Dakota
on the 29th day of December, 1897.
In the presence of Herman Shirley, H. P. Grinager, witnesses.
Frank P. Allen, Judge of the County Court,
Ransom County, N.D.
Marriage License
County of Ransom, North Dakota.
Lisbon, N. D.
Dec. 29, 1897
To any person authorized by law to perform the marriage ceremony:
Greetings,
You are hereby Authorized to Join in Marriage
William M Cowan of Sheldon, N. D, aged fifty years and
Dellia Carr of Sheldon, N. D. aged twenty-seven years
and of this license and your certificate you will make due
return to my office within thirty days.
Frank P. Allen, Judge of the County Court.
Dell was 27 when they were married and Bill indicated for the license that he was 50
years of age. Based on his stated age of 50 he would have been born in 1847 within
the 12 month period before December 28th. The record of his previous marriage on
July 26, 1866 states however that he was then 25 and would thus have been born sometime
within the 12 months period prior to July 26, 1841. His death record states that he was born
September 22, 1842 which is another descrepancy. I believe his birthdate is indeed
September 22nd but in 1840 and that he carried this age fib all during his mariage to the
much younger Dellia.
The studio photograph shown above taken of Bill and Dell upon their marriage in 1897 shows Bill seated and Dellia standing at his side - - Both rather somber - - They are nicely dressed and Dellia is a handsome girl.
Nine months into their marriage, an article of September 30th, 1898 relates that
“Some children playing with matches started a fire in the stable in the rear of the
Cowan house in Sheldon last Wednesday. Owing to the direction of the wind and
the prompt assistance of the citizens, the fire was contained to the stable thus saving
the house and other buildings”. Who were these children? Of Bill’s grandchildren, t
he only small children at the time were Jim and Inga’s children: Mae (seven), Willie
(five), and Oliver (three). Six months earlier in April of the year, Jim and Inga had
moved from Sheldon to a farm a few miles to the south at Anselm. It’s easily
possible the kids were visiting at grandpa’s farm and were the culprits playing with
matches!
Eleven months into their marriage, a newspaper entry from the Enterprise of
November 18, 1898 states: “Born to Mr. and Mrs. William Cowan of Highland
Township November 15th, a son. The Enterprise is glad to note that the old-timers are
still doing something to sustain the population of the “Bonnie Highland.” This
child was Lee and Bill was about 58 years of age and Dell was 28.
The U. S. Census of June 20, 1900 shows William Cowan and his wife
Delia Cowan whom he married three years earlier in 1897 living at Shenford
Township. Both are from Canada with roots in England. Dellia’s father is
shown being from England. Residences in North Dakota include Rosemead,
Shenford & Sydna Townships, T.134-Ranges.53-54, Ransom, North
Dakota. The township of Syndais about twenty miles straight south of
Shenford on the opposite side of the Sheyenne National Grasslands.
The record also shows that Delia birthed three children and the two living
are Lynne, age ten and Lee, age one. There is no record of the third child except in
that 1900 census record notation that Delia had another child prior to that census.
It is interesting to note that their daughter Lynne was conceived in April of 1889
a month before her nineteenth birthday and was born apparently some months
before William’s wife Margaret died. I have heard that Dell was housekeeper in
the home and took care of the children Lee and Thomas (perhaps when Margaret
was ill). Census records of that period show that it was common for young girls
to take the position of servant in farmer’s homes. Dell and Bill married seven
years later just after Christmas of 1897. The record is as follows:
Twelvth Census of the US, 1900 Shenford Township, Ransom County, June 20, 1900
1. William Cowan, head of Household, born Sep 1843, now age 56 and married 3 years,
born in Canada, immigrated 18 years ago in 1882,farms and rents farm land, His father is
born in Canada. .
2. Delia who is his wife, born May 1870, born May 1870, now age 30 and married 3 years.
Born in Canada, her father was born in England.
3. Lynn, their daughter was born in December of 1889 and is age 10, She was born in
North Dakota and her father was born in Canada.
4. Thomas, son was born Jan. 1877 in Canada and is age 23. His father was born in Canada.
5. Lee, their son was born Nov 1898 is age one and was born in North Dakota.
6. Stanley, son was born Feb 1884 and is now age 16, born in ND.
By the time of the 1900 census all of the other children, Jim, Lizzie, Robert and Stanley have married and left home and are not recorded here. Daughter Lynn died a couple of years after the census at about age 13 in about 1902.
Thirteenth Census of the U.S., Owego Township of Ransom County, June, 1910
1. William Cowan, hoh, race white, born Feb 1843, married 12 years, both parents born in Scotland,
immigrated in 1881 30 yeas ago, farms and owns the farm.
2. Delia, wife, white, born Sept 1872, married 12 years, father born in England and mother born in
Canada, in the US 11 years, two births and two living children..
3. Thomas, son, white, born in June 1876 and is age 34, born in Canada as were his parents,
attended school 7 months.
4. Lee, son, white, born in June 1899 and is age 11, born in ND, parents born in Canada,
attended school 7 months.
Fourteenth Census of the U.S., Owego Township of Ransom County, June, 1920
The 14th census lists only Delia, widow and son Lee. Dell is age 48 and Lee is age 21.
Several comments can be made regarding the census reports of 1900, 1910, and 1920.
Lynne died as a young teen sometime after 1900 and her grave is located in the Sheldon
City Cemetery. Thomas died sometime after 1910 in his mid thirties. It is noted that he had
epilepsy. I have not been able to locate his grave in the area cemeteries. And also,
William died in 1918 and is not listed in the 1920 census. Delia is listed as a widow. It would
be interesting to know more about Bill and Delia and their life together over the years to
the time of Bill’s death and also about the circumstances of their marriage.
In 1915, the Owego Consolidated School student membership roster shows that William
is the father of Lee Cowan who is in the upper grades list. Based in his stated age of 25 at the
time of his first marriage in 1866, William is now about 74 years of age.
According to my conversation with Dudley Cowan back in 1972, Bill died two years later in
1917 and he is buried at Sheldon. He said that, “The folks at the mortuary at Wahpeton would
know where. The county seat is Lisbon, about 30 miles out of Wahpeton to the west. Enderlin
and Sheldon are both in Ransom County.” Also, Doris Randleman who is Bill’s granddaughter
by Lee also says that Bill died in 1917 at Sheldon. The ND Dept. of Health Public Death Index
however lists Bill’s death on June 4, 1918. The 1918 date must be correct. It also shows that
Bill was born Sep. 22, 1842 which must be two years off based on earlier records that place the
year at 1840.
So we have it - William was a farmer married to Margaret McMichael for 14 years and later
to Delia Carr for 21 years and died at the age of 77 in the community where he lived these
past 38 years.
Finding William’s gravesite took a little digging if you may pardon the pun. A survey of the
tombstones of Ransom County by the Fargo Genealogical Society conducted in 1976 shows
only one tombstone record of a William Cowan buried anywhere in the county - - and that
is of his grandson Willie. Willie is buried at the Enderlin city cemetery and his grave marker
reads, “William A.Cowan 1893 -1913.” After further search, Marie Boeder of box 36, Sheldon,
(701) 882-3405, who keeps the records for the Sheldon cemetery says that according to the
cemetery plot map which she has on the wall in her garage, a William Cowan is buried in
an unmarked grave at Sheldon cemetery, Block 12, lot 8 and there is no date of death recorded.
This is certainly his grave because the sites of his wife Margaret and daughter Lynne are nearby.
Perhaps someday a tombstone can be placed on his grave as it was for both his wife Margaret’s
and his daughter Lynne’s graves.
After Bill died, Delia married George Griffin, a widower who owned a farm at Granville.
George and Dellia farmed there at Granville for many years afterward. Delia’s granddaughter
Doris Randleman says that George is the only Grandpa she ever knew. Delia died Jan. 13, 1939
at age 69 at Granville and is buried there. May they each rest in God’s peace and may we honor
their memory for many generations to come.