Robert Cowan’s Revolutionary service
Robert Cowan is buried at the Cowan-Delaney Cemetery in Sullivan County. From careful research, it has been determined that he did not serve in this unit from Pennsylvania. The grave marker was placed by an unknown person about 1935, and it is incorrect.
Donna Atkinson has located what she believes to be proof of his service in North Carolina. It is entirely possible that Robert served in the 7th of the North Carolina Continental Line. That unit served at Brandywine and Germantown, wintered at Valley Forge, and was then released.
“The release time, the service time and the fact that Robert got land from North Carolina tied to his service leads me to believe this is his unit but I haven’t been able to prove it.
“When I went to Sullivan last year, the only information at either the Tennessee Archives or the Library in Blountville was from a Bennett Cowan who outlined the family. He states ‘as of this date’ there is no information on the parentage or origins of Robert Cowan.
“I find this amazingly puzzling. This man lived from 1782 to 1826 (my figures) in Sullivan (North Carolina). His land is where the Cowan-Delaney Cemetery is located. I have copies of all his land deeds and he had a considerable amount of land (including the Knobs) at the time of his death. His wife was a founding member of a Sullivan County church in 1824 and their children married into almost all the known names around the area – Dulaneys, Rutledges, Carmacks, Susongs – many Revolutionary War names, but when histories tell their stories they only say that Robert Cowan married Nancy Rutledge. Nothing else is said. The silence is deafening! I am working hard to find more information on this man.
“He is also supposed to have been a founding member of the Tinkling Springs (?) Church in Pennsylvania/Virginia but contact with the churches indicates this is not true either. They were also supposed to be involved in the Saltville Church but I haven’t seen evidence of that either, although other members of the family had businesses there.
“A hunt for the marriage in Augusta County (where other researchers said they were married) did not produce any documents for them, nor in Orange County. Sullivan, used by many people as their marriage place in 1780, would have been a new county and of course, those marriage records were lost.”
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
Donna Atkinson adonna70 (at) gmail.com
Donna: I don’t know anything about Cowan but I do know some things about Augusta Co VA marriage records & the Tinkling Springs Church. Many of the marriage records for Augusta Co are missing, not sure why, but either the records have been lost or the ministers didn’t record all of them. My Erwins lived there & married there, at least some of them, and there are no records of their marriages! Tinkling Springs is a presbyterian church and it was founded by the Scot-Irish. Many of the the Scot-Irish first settled in Pennsylvania and then later moved into the Shennodoah valley where Tinkling springs is located. The first presbyterian founded in Sullivan Co had its early records lost/destroyed so the only records for that church date from a decade or two after its founding. Cowan certainly sounds like it might be a Scottish-Irish name. You might find info in the Pennsylvania records. Good Luck! -Candace
Another thought: Chalkley’s Chronicles. There is a Robert Cowan listed, son of a James Cowan but I didn’t look at the records for him. If you haven’t checked there, you might want to take a look. – Candace
I think instead of Saltville church that should read Paperville, but C owan descendants had businesses in Saltville. I may have confused them but can’t check it out right now.
Thanks to the responders. I have checked all the sources listed and haven’t located the parents of Robert Cowan b. 1744.
If anyone has a story or comment, I would love to hear it. It is now 2020 and I don’t think I will ever find his parents:)
Donna Cowan Atkinson
I just noted that Robert Cowan’s birth year and death year are still shown incorrectly. He was born in 1744 and died either in 1824 or 1826. The dates shown on the Bronze Plaque (formerly called a DAR plaque which it is not) are the dates of his wife, Nancy Rutledge Cowan.
April 2020