Dear Cousins
January 1994 - October 1996
The article by Jack Harold
Goins on his ancestor Zephaniah Goins in the November Newsletter was great!
This is just the kind of detailed, specific research in hard-to-find original
sources that the family needs. Virginia Easley DeMarce, 5636 25th Road N,
Arlington, VA, 22207.
==Dear Cousins==
I wanted to tell you how much I
enjoyed the article about James Presley "Pres" Goen of the Pitchfork Ranch who
started the Goen Ranch with "one dollar and one pony." I once worked for the
neighboring Matador Ranch in the Texas Panhandle back in 1949. I rode with a
vaquero named Blackwell. Do you sup-pose he is still around?
I am preparing an article on my
experiences for the Founda-tion manuscript which will include my cowboying days
in Texas. Raymond D. Gowen, Star Rt. 1, Box 84, Hudson, KY, 40145.
==Dear Cousins==
The year of 1993 had some ups and
very big downs for me. I became acquainted with Jack Goins of Rogersville,
Tennessee and gained a lot of information about my family. On the down side,
both my Mother and Father passed away. My parents re-ally enjoyed the
Newsletters that I would show them. Unfortu-nately the information that Jack
Goins had collected, which doc-umented our Goins family came about three weeks
after my Fa-ther passed away.
I am extremely thankful for the
association with Ruth John-son and Jack Goins whose insights and assistance have
not only been helpful personally, but have lent more emphasis to my own desires
to really know my family. Since it's inception, I have also been an avid user
of the Electronic Library.
In July of this year I will be
retiring from the U.S. Navy, my actual retirement ceremony will be on 10 June
1994. Any of my cousins who would like to attend are more than welcome. I hope
to then put more time into my own research, with the ulti-mate goal being a book
to present to my family with as much family background and in-formation that I
can give them.
I wish to heartily thank the
Foundation for all the assistance and the association with so many wonderful
cousins. If there is anything I can do to help out, please let me know. I would
be more than willing to help with any research and editing that I can do. Larry
K. Goins, 231 Savannah Round, Summerville, SC, 29485
==Dear Cousins==
My grandmother was born Sarah
Isabelle Goins. Her father was John Goins, born in Bledsoe County, TN. His
father was Thomas Goins, born in Grainger County, TN. The mother of Sarah
Isabelle Goins was also a Goins. Julia Ann Goins was her maiden name. She was
the daughter of Tilman Goins, born in Cherokee County, North Carolina. His
father was Laborn Goins, born in Patrick County, VA. The sister of Tilman Goins,
Marilla Goins was born in Patrick County also. His brothers were Preston Goins,
Harbard Goins and Shadrack Goins.
My grandmother, Sarah Isabelle
Goins was married to my grandfather, Columbus Scott November 28, 1883 at
Smithville, TN in DeKalb County. His brother, James Scott was his bondsman. I
believe that the mother of Columbus and James Scott was a Goins also. Both were
listed as Indian in the 1880 census of DeKalb County. My grandmother had
cousins in Grainger County by the names of Granville Goins and Sanford Goins.
I have information on other Goins
relatives in upper East Tennessee and southwest Virginia. I would like to hear
from re-searchers working on this line. Melton E. "Gene" Scott, Rt. 2, Box
202D, Trenton, GA, 30752, 706/657-7818.
February 1994
Ever since you published in
March 1993 that "Horrible Gowan Family Event Recorded in Salem, Kentucky"
article, something had been nagging around the fringes of my mind. I finally
got around to looking it up.
For any of your readers who are
interested in get-ting the "real scoop" and the real names of this event, they
should read the following book: Boynton Mer-rill, Jr. "Jefferson's Nephews: A
Frontier Tragedy", Princeton, NJ, Princeton Uni-versity Press, 1986.
The two brothers were named
Lilburne and Isham Lewis. They were, in fact, nephews of Pres. Thomas Jefferson
and were cousins of the explorer Meri-wether Lewis. The book is an ex-cellent
historical study of the circumstances leading up to the crime. I can't imagine
why anyone would have changed the names to write it up; it was certainly quite
widely known when it happened. Virginia Easley De-Marce, 5635 N. 25th Road,
Arlington, VA, 22207
==Dear Cousins==
I have just finished reading your
most intriguing article on the "Mysterious Melungeons."
I am trying to document the
ancestors of Susannah Inman and her brothers, Abednego Inman and Shadrack
Inman. Susan-nah Inman was married about 1773 in Burke County, NC to Daniel
Goans. Abed-nego Inman was married to Mary Richey.
Two possibilities exist for their
parents; Ezekiel Inman [son of Robert Inman] and Hannah Hardee Inman or John
Inman and Hannah Hardin Inman.
In a letter written March 30, 1906
by Lavinia Goans Ed-wards, she stated that she was a great-granddaughter of
Daniel Goans AND ALSO Shadrack Inman. This statement, although unproved,
appears credible. Lavinia is documented as a daugh-ter of Hamilton B. Goans who
was a son of Daniel Goans, Jr. Can you provide documentation of her de-scent
from Shadrack Inman and identify his parents?
Children born to Daniel Goans and
Susannah In-man Goans include Daniel Goans, Jr, Ezekiel Goans, William Goans,
Han-nah Goans, Sarah Goans, Shadrack Goans, Meshack Goans and Abednego Gowans.
Ib Jensen, 6147 Sunset Haven, San An-tonio, TX, 78249, 210/691-1354.
==Dear Cousins==
I am helping a granddaughter
research her family history. For her it is a school project. For me it is a
fascinating pursuit. Our family is Thomas Goin, bc1755 Greensville Co, VA; Levi
Goin, bc1778 Washington Co, NC; Elijah Goin, bc1814 Clai-borne Co, TN; William
Preston Goin, b1849 Claiborne Co, TN; Della May Goin b1890, Claiborne Co, TN.
I am looking forward to
corresponding and ex-changing in-formation with many of our cousins. Anything
you have or know about our ancestors that you are willing to share would be
important. Richard Glenn Bonds, Box 5124, Midland, TX, 79704, 915/687-6211.
==Dear Cousins==
I was very much interested in the
mention of Drs. James Daniel Gowen and Charles Richard Gowen of the Gowen
Sani-tarium in Shreveport. I got to know them quite well when I lived in
Shreveport from 1928 to 1933 and worked at the Jordon Street Sandwich Shop.
Since I had had experience with tuber-culosis and knew how to take precautions
against it, I was elected to make the food deliveries to the sanitarium.
I made almost daily deliveries of
food ordered by the pa-tients and got to know them quite well. The patients,
about 20, all adults, were housed in separate screened-in bungalows. They were
pleased to be able to release their families from the con-stant threat of in-fection.
They were glad to be in a situation where they were free of the fear of
infecting others with this then-deadly disease.
We visited through the screens at
length. Most people avoided them like lepers, but I immensely en-joyed my
visits with them. I had to go to the doctors' office after each delivery to be
paid and established quite a friendship with them. They called me "cousin," but
we never made any attempt to figure out a family relationship.
Maybe a family member can write
for the Foun-dation the type of tribute that the Doctors Gowen de-serve in their
fight against this then-unstoppable dis-ease. I look forward to reading more of
writings of Linda Lou Fisher McDowell and Louise Gowan Fisher. Forrest Bruce
Gowan, 240 Wallace Road, Jackson, TN, 38301, 901/668-5324.
==Dear Cousins==
I would like to establish links
with my heritage cousins in the USA and elsewhere. I am interested in
generating a business and travel network world-wide. My ambition is to create
links based on mutually ac-ceptable criteria to enable reciprocal visits to
occur.
That is, if a fellow Gowen is in
Australia, he can feel free to contact other members of our extended family to
arrange travel, accommodations, sight-see-ing, business, etc. An example of
this might be the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Interested travellers might like
to make arrange-ments with Australian Gowens, and the reverse case could apply
for Aussie Gowens visiting elsewhere in the world. I am more than happy to
correspond with any "cousins" that might be interested. Jef-frey Goyen, c/o
5/1A Dickens St, Elwood, Victoria, 3184, Aus-tralia.
==Dear Cousins==
I am researching my Goins family.
The line goes back to Joseph Anderson Goins, Sr. and his wife, Martha
[Lipscomb?] Goins with ties to Grainger County, TN. Their son, Joseph An-derson
Goins, Jr. was born August 15, 1848, probably in Green County. He was married
to Susan Perkey in 1868.
They and their 12 children removed
to Anderson County, TN. If anyone has any information on this branch of the
Goins family, I would appre-ciate hearing from you. My Internet E-mail address
is daket-ner@suncube.ccs.ortn.edu. Doris Ann Goins Ketner, 131 Valley Lane,
Clinton, TN, 37716,
March 1994
I was born January 10, 1926 in
Wichita, Kansas, the son of Fred Gowan and Eva Peebles Gowan and was named
William Fred Gowan. I was put up for adoption in 1928 and was adopted by Calvin
F. Troupe II and Margaret E. Troupe of Kansas City, Missouri in 1930. My name
was changed to Calvin F. Troupe III at that time by the court.
I had two older brothers, Bob
Gowan and Don Gowan, from whom I was then separated. I learned that Don Gowan
served in the U.S. Army in World War II and that he had four children--Jean,
Donna, Chuck and Debbie. I have searched for my brother for years with no
luck. I earnestly desire to locate Don Gowan and would sincerely appreciate the
help of the Foundation in this endeavor. Calvin F. Troupe III, 1487 E. 37th St,
Apt. E-4, Brooklyn, NY, 11234, 718/377-1995.
==O==
My search continues, with little
success, for the family of Jessica Goings [c1776-1836], my g-g-grandmother. She
was married to William Purvine c1796 near Chattanooga when it was still Indian
territory. Some time after 1815, when my g-grandfather Charles Purvine was born
near Chattanooga, they moved to Illinois where they lived, died and were buried
in Morgan County.
Nothing else is known about
Jessica, although a Purvine fam-ily genealogist suggests that she was a young
widow. There is a family tradition, however, that as an infant William Purvine
was rescued by his mother from an Indian attack on their farm-stead which
resulted in the death of his father, Charles Purviance and five other children.
This is thought to have occurred on the Tennessee frontier about 1778. Whatever
happened to his mother and how William got to Chattanooga is unknown. It is
thought that he was raised by an uncle, David Purviance in Cabarrus County,
N.C. Suggestions, anyone? Bradley B. Gar-retson, 105 Danza Ct, Orinda, CA,
94563.
April 1994
Does anyone know of a Patsy
Gowen/Guion/Guynes who c1805 was married in TN to Elijah Richardson? Patsy, my
g-g-gm, had a brother, Will Gowen who got a schoolteacher "in trouble" and had
to flee to Louisiana. This information was re-called in the 1930s by Aunt Janie
Keene, then in her 90s. She was a granddaughter of Patsy. Before 1820, the
Elijah Richard-son family removed to southwestern Mississippi, near the Louis-iana
line. Since Patsy was a nickname for "Martha" at that time, she may have been
recorded under either name. Your help is so-licited. Granville W. Hough,
3438-B Bahia Blanca West, La-guna Hills, CA, 92653.
==Dear Cousins==
Foundation members will be
interested to know how Abra-ham Lincoln dealt with the Melungeon issue.
Published in the February issue of "American Bar Association Journal" is an
article by Janet Key summarizing Lincoln's 24-year legal prac-tice in
Springfield, Illinois. The article is based on the research of the Illinois
Historical Preservation Agency which is recon-structing from courthouse records
across the state the 5,000 cases that Lincoln handled. An excerpt from the
article read:
"As the result of a family dispute
over William Dungey's marriage to Joseph Spencer's sister, Spencer claimed that
his brother-in-law, "Black Bill"--actually a dark-skinned man of Portuguese
descent--was a Negro.
Because Illinois had passed
so-called "Black Laws" in 1853 that denied free blacks the right to settle in
the state, Dungey faced losing not only is reputation, but his mar-riage,
property and right to stay in Illinois if Spencer's claims stuck.
Lincoln filed suit against Spencer
for slander and during the trial managed to not only demolish his oppo-nent's
reputation and the credibility of his witnesses, but to win the case for his
client. For teaching Spencer an expensive lesson in domestic relations and
saving Dungey's entire livelihood Lincoln collected a $25 fee."
See you in Houston. Virginia
Easley DeMarce, 5635 N. 25th Road, Arlington, VA, 22207-1403.
==Dear Cousins==
I am researching the family of
Garrett Gowan/Gowen/Gowin bc1790 who lived on the NC-SC border in the early to
mid-1800s. In the 1820s "Garet Gowen" was a constable in Colum-bus County, NC,
but in the early 1840s he was just across the line in Horry County where he was
elected to the SC House of Representatives. According to their records, he died
in 1845, and a special election was called to fill his position.
In 1850, his wife, Nancy Ann Terry
Gowan and their chil-dren, Catherine, Benjamin, James and Henry were back in
Columbus County, NC.
Garrett Gowan was the son of John
Gowan, Jr. and Edith Faulk Gowan of Columbus Co, NC. John Gowan, Jr. was the
son of John Gowan of Robeson County, NC, just to the west. His will was dated
1800, but I don't think he died until after 1810. I would be interested in
hearing from any Foundation mem-bers who are researching this family. John B.
McGowan, 209 McLean Street, Laurinburg, NC, 28352
May 1994
Dear Friends of Choctaw Blood:
My wife is a descendant of Noahtimah, a Choctaw Indian woman. Her daughter Mary
Josey Moran Ladnier lived in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area. They were of the
Natchez branch of the Choctaw tribe. Noatimah died at Biloxi and was buried in
the Old Moran Burying Grounds on the Back Bay of Biloxi. Any suggestions or
assis-tance you can give would be deeply apreciated. Jim Harper, 501 S.
Greenville Ave, Suite 214, Allen, TX, 75002, 800/725-2445.
==Dear Cousins==
I have received a great deal of
research help from some of the Foun-dation members--particularly Louise Goins
Richardson of Paragould, AR. She had led me to the family of Shadrack Gowin/Going
of Patrick County, Virginia, his three wifes and their 21 children. It is
possi-ble that my Jessica Goings was one of his older children.
Recently Louise sent me copies of
three Newsletters con-taining arti-cles on Shadrack Gowin written by Donna Gowin
Johnston. Is there more material available on him and his de-scendants?
Bradley B. Garretson, 105 Danza Court, Orinda, CA, 94563.
==Dear Cousins==
I have writing in the hope that
one of your researchers might have some information on our branch of the
family. We are de-scended from William Henry Gowens and wife Annie Sprig Gowens
from the Carolinas.
My father is Elmer Happy Gowens,
and he will be 78 July 21. He has a long-lost sister by the name of Alma Gowens
Hen-derson. She would be in her 80s, if still living. She had a daughter whose
nickname was "Giddy Mae." I would appreciate any help. Sharon Gowens Gabel,
7304 Bayswater Road, Amarillo, TX, 79109
==Dear Cousins==
I am enclosing my lineage chart
for the Foundation Library showing descent from Samuel Goings, b1780-dp1860
Nelson Co, VA and Paulus R. Goings, b1830, mc1861 Lucy Patterson b1832. I would
like to correspond with anyone researching this line. Cubert T. Wood, 1410
Towson Drive, Columbia, TN, 38401, 615/381-5934.
June 1994
There is a mountain story of a
peddler named Goins that re-lates to my Boggs family. Goins, a trader, used to
pass through the present Big Stone Gap-Appalachia section of southwest Vir-ginia.
He was murdered near Stonega, Virginia, and supposedly my g-g-grandfather, Ely
Boggs played a part in the mat-ter. An old mountain ballad enti-tled "Poor
Goins" was written about the incident. "Poor Goins" was buried on the Boggs
farm near Stonega. I have searched for the grave, but I am uncertain that I
found it. If I turn up more, I will advise you. V. N. "Bud" Phillips, 214
Johnson St, Bristol, VA, 24201.
==Dear Cousins==
My family is descended from
William Gowen [1705-1759] subject of article in the May 1994 Newsletter "William
Gowen, Scout at 17, Fought the French & Indians, through his son, James. I
believe there were some errors in the article.
Based on information in "Gowen
Family Genealogy," compiled by Yvonne Gowen in 1986, William Gowen married Mary
Davis Chick June 26, 1723 after the death of his first wife, Jane. Contrary to
your article, William had two children with Mary: James, born February 18, 1753
and Elizabeth, born Au-gust 8, 1755. There is also no record of William having
a daughter named Sarah.
There was a great deal of
confusion about this generation when the genealogy was put together, however we
feel that the above information is correct. If you have any information to the
contrary, please send it along. David Gowen, 907 Duck Pond Road, Westbrook, ME,
04092.
==Dear Cousins==
I wanted to write that I logged on
to your Elec-tronic Library and left a message regarding my g-grandmother
Mariah/Maria Goins/Goens born November 4, 1856 in Illinois. She was mar-ried
about 1875 to William Jennings Dial in Leavenworth Co, KS. She died January 8,
1917. possibly in state hospital at Os-owatomie, KS, and burial was in
Leaven-worth, KS.
In 1870 census "Mariah Goins, 19"
was shown as a house-keeper in the household of Mary Lempesley/Joseph Walter in
Leavenworth County. In 1900 and 1910 census returns Mariah Goins reported that
her father was born in Kentucky and her mother in Ohio. Most grateful for any
help on Mariah Goins.
Thanks for providing this
genealogy service. My Founda-tion membership is enclosed. If any members need
research done in Miami County, OH, I'll be glad to assist. Terry D. Wright, 645
W. North St, Piqua, OH, 45356, 513/773-9378.
==Dear Cousins==
Thank you for your prompt response
following our phone conversation and for the packet of Newsletters and family
his-tory you sent. I'm fortunate to be able to access the complete University
Library System and its holdings right from my desk via the modem. You can
imagine my surprise when, as a whim, I typed in the computer: "GOWEN" and the
following appeared.
"Gowen Family Periodicals,
Newsletter,
Gowen Research Foundation,
Lubbock, TX, 1989--
Center for American History,
Read in Library Only."
After staring at the computer
screen in disbelief, I announced to my staff that they could reach me at the
Center for American History. After reading as many of the Newsletters as I
could, I returned to my office and called your phone number to see if you really
existed. And sure enough, you do . . . . we do.
My check for membership is
enclosed along with copies of Revolutionary enlistments of Gowen men from
Pennsylvania [my home state] in "The Irish Contribution to American
In-dependence" by Thomas Hobbs Maginniss, Jr.
If I can serve as your contact
here at the University of Texas at Austin, I hereby offer my services to the
Gowen family. Thank you for your excellent work in behalf of the Gowen fam-ily.
You have devoted yourselves to something very special to all of us. Richard F.
Gowen, The Texas Union, University of Texas, Box 7338, Austin, TX, 78713.
==Dear Cousins==
I enjoyed the lecture and
documentary film presented by Dr. Brent Kennedy at the Houston conference very
much. I had heard the term "Melungeon" and had read about the work of your
research team, but I had no idea of the immensity of the subject. My
Riddle/Ridley family intermarried with the Gowen/Going/Goins family in the
Rockingham, North Car-olina. Jesse Gowen paid £50 to Thomas Crawley of
adjoining Stokes County for land located "on Dalton's Creek and on Hick-ory
Creek and on the Stokes County Line" October 27, 1797, ac-cording to Rockingham
Deed Book E, page 209. On the same day, John Riddle/Ridley paid Crawley £25 for
land adjoining Jesse Gowen. I regard the men as brothers-in-law, Jesse having
married the sister of John in adjoining Henry County, Virginia, I believe.
Nancy L. Going was married c1839
to William Riley Ridley, "mulatto," according to Rockingham County records.
They were last found there in the 1860 census of Rockingham County, page 99.
Children born to William Riley Ridley and Nancy L. Going Ridley include William
Ridley, bc1840; Mary Ann Rid-ley, bc1842 and James Pinkney Ridley, bc1844. Mary
Ann Ri-dley was married February 22, 1863 to William P. Going.
Henrietta Goins was married
October 26, 1856 to James Austin Ridley, "mulatto," according to Rockingham
County records. He was the twelfth child of Randolph Rid-ley and Eliz-abeth
Gibson Ridley, bc1835. Later they removed to Hawkins County, Tennessee to join
members of the family.
I would like to hear from
researchers who can provide some details about any of the above. Edward M.
Riddle, 5419 Imo-gene, Houston, TX, 77096.
July 1994
I am seeking the ancestry of my
grandfather, Curtis Melvin Gowen who was born about 1910. He was married about
1930 to Edna Francis Henson. In 1934 they were living in Poinsett County, AR.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. She died in Newport, Arkansas
in 1984, and he died there in 1985. Children born to them include: Curtis
Melvin Gowen, Jr. and Dale Clayton Gowen. Any information would be most wel-come.
Ms. Dale Lynn Gowen, Box 128, Grubbs, AR, 72431.
==Dear Cousins==
My brother Don, sister Yvonne and
I have made a commit-ment this summer to complete a book about the ancestry of
our father, William Rufus Going. We are also committed to send to you some
articles for the Newsletter on our WWI veteran grand-father, our WWII veteran
father and Carnegie Medal for Hero-ism recipient brother.
Our ancestry stems from
Revolutionary soldier Drury Going, b1749, Isaac Going, b1775; William George
Washington Going, b1824; William Mack Going, b1850; James Leonard Going, b1891
and William Rufus Going, b1924. It's amazing to realize that there are only six
generations in my family from the Revo-lutionary War to World War II.
Your Newsletter has carried
research of many of these, and this has been immensely helpful to our research.
Additionally it has placed us in contact with many distant cousins and fellow
researchers. Thanks so much! My membership is enclosed. Martha E. Going
Thomas, 303 Conley Rd, Hapeville, GA, 30354, 404/361-4734.
==Dear Cousins==
Thanks very much for all the
material on my York County, ME branch of the family. I read it all very eagerly
in the hope of finding my ancestors. The transcribing of the manuscript you
sent is completed, and as soon as proofreading is finished, I will return my
assignment.
As soon as we are settled in
Massachusetts and I get a chance to look at census records, I may need a
diskette on the York County section of the Foundation Manuscript which you of-fered.
I am enclosing a check to help cover the copying and mailing costs incurred by
the Foundation.
I wrote to William Rodway Gowen in
Washington state and received a gracious letter in reply. He hopes to do some
addi-tional research this summer and may have some more informa-tion for us.
Susan B. Liedell, 148 Kate's Path, Yarmouth Port, MA, 02675
==Dear Cousins==
From all of us with National
Genealogical Society and Clayton Library Friends we express our appreciation for
your outstanding performances as program speakers at the 1994 Con-ference in the
States in Houston in June. Thank you for your contributions.
As soon as one Conference
concludes, there is another preparing to take "center stage." Of course, I am
referring to the 1995 Conference in the States to be held in San Diego,
Califor-nia on 3-6 May. The Conference site will accommodate atten-dees with
housing and support the program and exhibits--ev-erything centrally located on
the property. San Diego is in a beautiful region where people enjoy the climate
and tourist at-tractions. Carolyn J. Nell, President, NGS, 4527 17th St. N,
Arlington, VA, 22207.
==Dear Cousins==
There is a small Goins cemetery in
a corner of the Ft. Bragg military reservation which is being federally
maintained in Cumberland County, NC. The headstones in this family ceme-tery
have some strange engravings, and I have found no one here who can decipher
their meaning. I would be glad to hear from someone who can help solve this
mystery. Joe McDonald, Box 70, Hoffman, NC, 910/281-5271.
==Dear Cousins==
I am looking for the parents &/or
siblings of Euphemia P. Goins/Gowing/Gowen who was born about 1833 in AL/VA/TN.
She was married June 13, 1850 in Tuscaloosa Co, AL to Dennis Denmark Davis as
his second wife. They were enumerated in 1860 in Walker County, AL.
At the beginning of the Civil War,
they attempted to move to the North, but were caught in the middle of the Battle
of Town Creek in Lawrence County, AL. It was here that three of her step-sons
were conscripted into the Confederate Army. The Union Army escorted the
remainder of the family to Cairo, IL.
After the war they returned to
Colbert County, AL. Eu-phemia had brothers: Wesley Goins, bc1841 and James
Goins, bc1843. Tradition says the family had Indian blood. Can any-one help on
this? Beatrice Russell, Route 2, Box 381, Tus-cumbia, AL, 35674
==Dear Cousins==
I recently read a good book on the
Melungeons and was de-lighted to find several of my surnames listed as possible
Melun-geon names. Since most of them were in areas that had Melun-geon
populations, it seems a pretty good chance that at least one of these families
might BE Melungeon.
This would solve a personal
mystery for me at last should it prove to be true. I have straight, fine hair
that will not hold a curl. After years of permanents and sleeping with
curlers--and still having straight hair--a beautician told me that my hair was
flat--literally with sides and not round as hair usually is in the Caucasian
race.
She told me--and it has since been
confirmed by my doctor--that the only way you can have flat hair is to be of
Asian or Na-tive American heritage. Since my cheekbones are high and I have
somewhat of an olive complexion that tans easily, I thought it was as simple as
finding a Creek or Cherokee ances-tor.
After years of searching, I have
not found a trace of a Native American in my family tree. So, finding the
Clemmons, Gibson, Atkins, Hendrix, Dyess and Mullins names in the Melungeon book
made me think that my weird hair comes from a Melun-geon ancestor who was part
Native American.
I am enclosing my ancestor chart
in hopes that someone among your researchers might be able to shed some light on
my mystery. If you think there is a chance that I might indeed share the
fascinating Melungeon heritage--I would very much like to join your
organization. Elizabeth Palmer Gay, DTJ, FSA Scot, Rt. 3, Box 439, Moultrie,
GA, 31768
August 1994
I am excited to find that there
is a research organization de-voted to our name in all the various spellings and
look forward to reading the Newsletter. I am enclosing my check for mem-bership
and would like to receive any back issues and informa-tion on the family that is
available.
I would also like to ask for help
in locating the parents of my g-g-grandfather John Henry Gowan, bc1870 in GA or
TN, d1951. He had a brother, Willie Gowan and a sister Margaret who married
Charlie Birch/Burch. His parents moved away when he was 13, and he was left
with "Granny Green." He was married to Tecoa Vaughn May 21, 1900. Their
children were Charles Eugene [my g-grandfather], Abbie, Monnie, Burton, Robert
and William Gowan. I am a new family tracker and have hit a wall already.
Angela Gowan, Box 221, Mason, TN, 38049, 901/294-2334.
==Dear Cousins==
My g-g-grandmother, Martha "Patsy"
Goings/Goins was born in Choctaw Nation [Mississippi] about 1812. She was
married there about 1832 to Eli Crowder. Sometime after 1845 they removed to
Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. Two broth-ers, Jim Going and Gibson Going
accompanied them, and all settled near the present-day Boswell, Oklahoma in
Choctaw County.
She was a Choctaw by blood, and
her husband was not. She and all her children went on the Choctaw rolls. I'm
enclosing a print-out of her chart for the Foundation Library. I would like to
correspond with any Choctaw researcher who can tell me more about my
g-g-grandmother's family. My Foundation member-ship is enclosed. Carlotta
Earlene Hollis Bates, 301 Berkeley Park Blvd, Kensington, CA, 94707
==Dear Cousins==
I'm sure you have heard this
before, but WOW, what a won-derful surprise when I received all those back
issues of the Newsletter! In my lifetime I could never duplicate the hours of
research that the Foundation is doing.
I live in the foothills of
Virginia and have access to several counties only a short distance away. I
would be willing to help anyone with their Virginia research. Just let me
know!!!
My search for Goins [as we
currently spell our surname] is the line of William Gowens who was married to
Rebecca Jones December 12, 1850 in Surry County, NC. The 1860 census of Stokes
County, NC reflects one child, W. A, age 10 [William Albert Gowen.] He was
married to Elizabeth Johnson October 29, 1868 in Surry County. Can anyone help
with this line? Cindy Goins Young, Box 3791, Martinsville, VA, 24115.
==Dear Cousins==
In addition to the Gowens family,
we have researched the families of Harlan, Polk, Pollock, Dee and Stewart. If
any members of the Foundation are in pursuit of any of these lines, we'll be
glad to donate a copy of our research to them.
Additionally we have recently
installed a CDROM and have disks on VA, TN, NC, SC, AL, GA, IL, IN, OH and MD.
These are primarily marriage records and other county records. We'll be glad to
do searches for GRF members at no charge. A SASE and two 29c stamps is
requested with each name search. Walt & Margaret Turner, 611 East 600 South,
Orem, UT, 84058
==Dear Cousins==
I seek information on James
[Samuel] Going, bc1820 Amherst County or Albemarle County, VA. He was married
in 1843 in Amherst County to Gabriella Skinner, daughter of Tali-ferro Skinner.
They were enumerated in the 1850 census of Nel-son County, Virginia adjoining
the households of his father, Samuel Going and his brother, Robert A. Going.
Gabriella continued to bear
children until 1867, but in the 1860, 1870 and 1880 enumerations, she appeared
as the head of a household, and no husband was recorded. Surely nineteenth
century rural Virginia mores prevented the conclusion we would draw today. Can
anyone help with this family? Rozier Ded-wylder, 198 Newgate Rd, Hamilton, GA,
31811.
==Dear Cousins==
I am hoping to get further
information on a family I believe I am connected to--Shadrack Going/Gowen in
Patrick County, Virginia. He possibly may lead back to Thomas Going/Gowen who
came to Virginia in the 1600s. My ancestor is Isaac Gowen in Vermillion County,
IL 1840, 1850, 1860. Any information on either or all three will be
appreciated. Helen Ledford, Rt. 1, Novinger, MO, 63559.
==Dear Cousins==
I'm researching the family history
of Joel W. Goings and George W. Goings, sons of Jason Goings of Jefferson
County, Virginia [later West Virginia]. The two brothers and their father moved
into Ohio in in the late 1820s, locating in Guernsey County. Joel W. Goings was
married there to Elizabeth Cole November 15, 1831.
Joel W. Goings and Elizabeth Cole
Gowens had 11 children, 10 were born in Guernsey County and one was born in
Shelby County, Ohio where they moved about 1850. Any further in-formation you
may have on this Goings line would be deeply appreciated. Rosemary Dunne, Box
687, Amherst, VA, 24521.
==Dear Cousins==
I am a descendant of Jinny [Jane]
Goen/Goin/Goings of St. Landry Parish, LA. Jinny Goen was my g-g-g-grandmother,
and I believe she was born c1795 in SC. She was married March 12, 1814 in St.
Landry Parish to Jordan Perkins who was, born c1793 in Aiken, SC.
I do not know who her parents
were, but Louisiana census records show them living near Phillip Goen/Goins.
There was also a Thomas Goins who was included in my family line.
They were enumerated in 1840 in
Calcasieu Parish, LA, in 1850 in Houston Co, TX and in 1860 in Bee Co, TX.
Their children were: Jacob, bc1815; Carlotta, bc1816; Jesse, bc1817; Hader,
bc1827; Joshua, bc1828; Washington, bc1835 and Olive bc1839.
I have been told that your
Foundation has been very active in assisting Choctaw descendants in all spelling
versions of the surname. I would welcome correspondence from other re-searchers
of this family, and I would like to join your Founda-tion. Sandra M. Loridans,
Apartado 844, 45900, Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico.
==Dear Cousins==
We were glad to learn of the
Foundation and the great work you are doing. We our enclosing $100 for our
Sustaining Mem-bership. We are seeking information about our
great-grand-mother, Julia Ann Goins Tabler whose death certificate is
en-closed. She was the daughter of Joshua Goins and was born February 24, 1859
in Albemarle County or Augusta County Virginia. She died September 7, 1920 in
Athens County, Ohio on the West Virginia line.
Her oldest granddaughter is still
alive and says that Julia Ann claimed Indian ancestry. She always wore her hair
in a long braid in the back and had an olive complexion. Her family was closely
associated the Ailstock family. We would like to learn her mother's maiden name
and any additional information about her ancestry that the Foundation and your
researchers might have. Gary & Okeema Traugh, 1400 Staunton Ave, Parkersburg,
WV, 26101, 304/428-3842 or 304/428-8468.
September 1994
We have heard forever that our
Ivy/Ivey/Ivie family is Choctaw. Several older people say our great-grandfather
Isaiah Ivey, Jr. knew our Choctaw lineage and knew how to prove it. He was born
in February 1822 in Wayne County, MS and died in November 1905 in Lampasas
County, TX. An older man in the family states that Isaiah Ivy, Sr. was one-half
Choctaw.
Isaiah Ivy, Jr, in his old age,
wouldn't reveal his Choctaw lineage to his children and grandchildren because he
did not want them moving away to Oklahoma to receive tribal land in 1902.
Isaiah Ivy, Sr. was a son of James & Mourning Ivy, and their children were born
in South Carolina. They applied for land as Mississippi Choctaws and were
denied.
Can the Foundation or any of your
Choctaw researchers sug-gest a way to find our Choctaw roots? Ann Wallace, 537
Misty Ridge Lane, Weatherford, TX, 817/596-8297.
==Dear Cousins==
I am having difficulty locating
the parents of my great-grandmother, Mariah Goins. She was born in 1851,
according to the 1870 Kansas census. According to her enumeration, her fa-ther
was born in Kentucky and her mother in Ohio. I would ap-preciate any help you
can give. Terry D. Wright, 645 W. North St, Piqua, OH, 45356
==Dear Cousins==
I cannot express to you how
exciting it was to receive your letter and the packet of Goins data. I had
written with little ex-pectation of any immediate results. You will share a
joy, I am sure. when I tell you that the 4th paragraph of the Foundation
Manuscript, page 4202 contained the names of the parents of my
g-g-g-grandmother, Virginia "Jenny" Goins, which I had not previously known.
I had never heard of a "Turkish
Melungeon," but the Ash-worth family who were associated with the Goins family
in Louisiana claimed to be of Moorish-Turkish descent.
I was very familiar with the Gowen
Sanitarium in Shreveport during my early childhood there. It was nice to read
the remarks about the Sanitarium of Linda McDowell in "Dear Cousins." I would
never have dreamed any relation to this family. We all stay pretty close to
that home base. don't we. Sandra M. Lori-dans, Apdo. Postal 844, 45900 Chapala,
Jalisco, Mexico.
==Dear Cousins==
Thank you very much for the back
issues of the Newsletter--my husband and I are enjoying reading about all the
Gowens, Goings, Goins, and on and on with the spelling variations. What a
surprise to learn that David Goings of Orlando is working on my Goins family of
Lincoln County, NC. It will be several weeks before I complete compiling the
history of Phillip Pinkney Goins, but the first copy will be directed to the
Foun-dation Library. Madge W. Philbeck, 716 Georgia Ave, Statesville, NC,
28677.
October 1994
I am researching the George
Forrest Goins family. I believe he was from NC. He was married in 1872 in
Lawrence County, MS to Ann Alma Carr. He may be as-sociated with the Goins
family of Medford, OR. Can anyone help? Sue Dorman, 507 W. Minnesota,
Brookhaven, MS, 39601.
==Dear Cousins==
I am seeking the parents of my
g-grandmother Mariah/Maria Goins/Goens born November 4, 1856 in Illinois. She
was mar-ried about 1875 to William Jennings Dial in Leavenworth Co, KS. She
died January 8, 1917.
In 1870 census "Mariah Goins, 19"
was shown as a house-keeper in the household of Mary Lempesley/Joseph Walter in
Leavenworth County. In 1900 and 1910 census returns Mariah Goins reported that
her father was born in Kentucky and her mother in Ohio. Most grateful for any
help on Mariah Goins. If any members need research done in Miami County, OH,
I'll be glad to assist. Terry D. Wright, 645 W. North St, Piqua, OH, 45356,
513/773-9378.
==Dear Cousins==
I have heard wonderful things
about your organization and its success in finding missing ancestors. I am
enclosing our membership application and our ancestor chart back to Claude
[originally Comfort] Goings whom we regard as a son of Com-phort Goings and
Elizabeth Starbird Goings of Shirley, MA.
Claude Goings changed his name
from Comfort Goings during the Civil War. He served in the 8th New Hampshire
In-fantry Regiment and was a prolific letter writer.
Many of his letters appeared in
"New Hampshire Fights the Civil War." He was born February 7, 1836 in
Thorndike, ME and was married in New London, NH September 1857 to Eliza-beth
Starbird. He died November 17, 1913 in New London. We regard Claude Goings as
a g-grandson of Ebenezer and Abigail Gowing of Shirley, MA. Can anyone help tie
all this together? Jean Kimball, 34 Meadowlake Drive, Mexico, MO, 65365.
==Dear Cousins==
While doing research on my family
history, I discovered that I have a Gowin branch in my family tree. I was
"lurking" on the computer bulletin board when I "overheard" one person telling
another that your Foundation has the largest collection of Gowin records
anywhere. I am enclosing the records of my branch of the family for your
collection also.
My first Gowin ancestor was Mary
Ann Gowin, born April 1, 1832 in KY. She was married in 1850 in IN to John
Hopson. She died in Jefferson County, MO May 19, 1912. She was the daughter of
James Gowin, born in 1801 in VA, and Jane True, also born in VA. I would
appreciate any information the Foun-dation and its members can provide on my
family. Diane M. Howard, 18201 E. Park Dr, Cleveland, OH, 44119.
==Dear Cousins==
I am seeking information on my
g-gm Margaret Goins who was born in 1822, place and parents unknown, She was
married about 1840 to Lewis W. Bryant who was born in 1820. He died in 1864,
and she died January 9, 1903 in Crenshaw County, AL and was buried there in
Panola Methodist Church Cemetery. Children born to them include: Mary Ann
Bryant, born April 30, 1857. She was married about 1876 to William Henry Davis,
born February 22, 1851 to Franklin Wesley Davis and Mary Tabitha Schofield Davis
who were married March 9, 1848 in Pike County, Alabama. Mary Ann Bryant Davis
died September 26, 1920, and he died July 18, 1934. Rex Addison, Rt. 2, Box
277-D, Altha, FL, 32421.
November 1994
One week after we talked on the
phone, my granddaughter, April Mitchell Howerton, age 15 and her best friend,
also age 15 were killed in an automobile accident by a drunk driver. She was
our first granddaughter, and you can imagine the heartaches we have carried
during the intervening weeks. She was so beautiful, and she was the only one of
present generation that showed the Melungeon/Choctaw characteristics with her
olive skin, bark hair and those beautiful dark eyes.
This is in explanation for the
delay in expressing our appre-ciation for your letter and the print-out of the
lives of Thomas D. and Nancy Goins/Gowen of Atascosita District, Coahuila y Te-jas
[later Liberty County, Texas] and descendants. They were my
g-g-g-g-grandparents. I was not aware that they received a Texas land grant of
4,606 acres or that their heirs spent 70 years wrangling over it in court. I am
enclosing a run-down of my lineage back to them to add to Section 124 of the
Foundation Manuscript along with my 1995 membership. Thanks so much for the
back issues of the Newsletter. Sherry M. Chitty, Box 1892, Onalaska, TX, 77360,
409/646-3390.
==Dear Cousins==
I am forwarding "Six Decade Index
of Henry County, Vir-ginia, 1790-1840" by Anne V. Miller for the Foundation Li-brary.
Using federal census returns and county tax lists, the compiler has assembled a
comprehensive list of the citizens of early Henry County.
You will notice that there were 12
families of interest to Gowen chroniclers in 1790, headed by: Benjamin Gowing,
Charles Gowing, Claborn Gowing, David Gowing, Isaac Gow-ing, John Gowing [on
Berry Branch], John Gowing [on Russel Creek], Laban Gowing, Nathan Gowing,
Shadrack Gowing and William Gowing. During the decade most removed to Ten-nessee.
In 1800 only John Going remained
in Henry County. In 1810 Berry Going, Elizabeth Going and Simon Going were
recorded there. No Gowen families were enumerated there in 1820 and 1830. The
1840 census listed only Claiborn Going and John P. Going in Henry County.
Granville W. Hough, 3438 Bahia Blanca W, Apt. B, Laguna Hills, CA, 92653.
December 1994
Wow! I am impressed! Before I
even knew that you had published my letter of inquiry in the Newsletter, I began
to re-ceive responses. Now I have found yet other cousins with whom I can
share. And now we can pool our energies and perhaps meet with lots of success.
Enclosed is my membership applica-tion. I am looking forward to future
Newsletters. Diane M. Howard, 18201 E. Park Dr, Cleveland, OH, 44119.
==Dear Cousins==
I read your story of the John F.
Gowen farm [Newsletter, October 1994] with keen interest. Having done extensive
re-search in this line, I was familiar with most of the documents men-tioned,
but I have not found any documents that reveal the mid-dle initial of William,
John or Mary Keife Gowen.
The only member of this family who
signed his name in Stafford County, VA was Ambrose Gowen. Each of the others
made his mark using the initial letter of his first name with the exception of
John who used the initial letter of his first and last names joined together.
At first glance, this ligature
resembles an "F." Mary's "M" on one document resembles a "W," but on closer
inspection, it is an "M." These unique marks prove that they were the same
peo-ple later in Lunenburg County, VA who sold their land in Fair-fax County.
Photostats of the signature marks are enclosed.
I regard "William, Ambrose and
Thomas Goings" recorded in the records of Granville County, NC to be sons of
William & Catherine Gowen of Stafford County, VA. I also believe "David Goins"
of Henry County, VA was the son of Ambrose Gowen. "John Goins" who was born on
the Flatt River in Granville County, NC in 1750 had a long, close relationship
with John Riddle. Both appear in Fincastle County, VA and Montgomery County, VA
records during 1777-1780s. They are living next to each other in Stokes County,
NC during the 1790s. One re-searcher suggested they were brothers-in-law. Jack
Goins, Rt, 2, Box 275, Rogersville, TN, 37857. Thanks, Jack for catch-ing our
"initial errors." Researchers note corrections.
==Dear Cousins==
I am seeking information on my
great-grandparents, Alex Clark and Mary Ann Goin Clark who were married January
15, 1860 in Hamilton County, TN. Can anyone supply the names of their parents
and their places and dates of birth. Elroy Kirk-patrick, Box 983, Diamond
Springs, CA, 95619.
==Dear Cousins==
After several years of research
[and much frustra-tion], I have finally completed my search to prove that I am a
direct descen-dant of William Alexander Gowen of York County, ME [Newsletter,
April 1990]. This came from a handwritten manuscript, unpublished, by Angevine
Wesley Gowen [Newsletter, March 1992] entitled "Cider Hill Annals."
I live within five miles of the
old Gowen home-stead and vis-ited the Gowen Cemetery last year. The last time I
saw Angevine in the early twenties; he was surveying in York Beach, and I was on
a school bus coming home. As a child, I was taken by my mother by
horse-and-buggy to visit Angie and my Great Aunt Julia. While there, Angie
played his violin for me. Memo-ries, memories! Flora Woodford, 1324 US Rt. 1,
Cape Ned-dick, ME, 03702,
==Dear Cousins==
My g-gm was named Margaret
Robertson Gowans and was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland November 24, 1856. She
was married to John Cross who brought his family to the U.S. about 1878. She
died October 3, 1907 in Allegheny County, MD. She was the daughter of James
Gowans and Janet Robertson. James Gowans parents were Alexander Gowans and
Elizabeth Gilmore. Does the Foundation or anyone have anything helpful on this
family? Joseph Shirley, RD3, Box 31, Meyersdale, PA, 15552.
==Dear Cousins==
Thanks for the large package of
Newsletter back issues . . . I think. I sat up until 6:20 a.m. and read every
last one of them!
I have just returned from a
7,500-mile research trip, trying to re-trace the steps of my ancestors--Goins,
Perkins, Willis, Sweat and Johnston as they headed west. I have covered
courthouses in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
It seems that my 5th g-gf Jacob
Willis may have been the leader of the trek into Spanish Louisiana. He was the
first Protestant minister west of the Missis-sippi and planted the early Baptist
churches in south-western Louisiana. He, a half-Chero-kee, spoke sev-eral
Indian dialects and was known as the "Apostle to the Opelousas."
I gathered much Goins data in the
8-state sojourn which I will pass along to the Foundation as soon as I have had
time to process it. I learned of a Spanish census of the Choctaw Nation taken
long before the Louisiana Purchase. At the first opportu-nity, I will scan it
for Goins individuals among the tribesmen for the Foundation. Sandra M.
Loridans, Apartado Postal 844, 45900 Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico.
January 1995
I have just read "C.S.S.
Alabama, Avenging An-gel of the Confederacy" by Max Guerout in the De-cember
issue of the "National Geographic." This warship sunk, burned or cap-tured 64
Union vessels during a 22-month rampage through three oceans. However, she met
her nemesis in the U.S.S. Kearsarge, Yankee cruiser off Cherbourg, France in
June 1864 in the English Channel.
In the sea battle, in which the
Alabama was sunk, the Kearsarge lost only one man--Seaman William Gowin
[Newsletter, December 1990] of New York. Has any Foundation researcher come up
with addi-tional information on this William Gowen? George William Gowan, 1128
Eastbrook, Webster Groves, MO, 63110, 314/962-9744. Your inquiry prompted the
Foundation to request the naval record of William Gowin from the National
Archives. More on Seaman Gowin when the re-ply is received.
==Dear Cousins==
We were really excited when Donna
Gowin John-ston of Casper, WY told us about the Foundation. We logged onto the
Electronic Library, and it was fun, can't wait to get full access. We
downloaded the membership application form, and our two member-ships are
enclosed. We will be proud to be members of the Foundation. Steve W. Sowers,
Box 56, Bethany, IL, 61914 and Melody Doss, 313 N. Mc-Clellan, #3, Sullivan, IL,
61951.
==Dear Cousins==
It was intriguing to read of
Richard A. Gowan of Smith County, MS where I was born, and where my ancestor,
Patsy Gowen/Guyon Richardson died as wife of Elijah Richardson? Could you
publish an ar-ticle on John Gowan, father of Richard A. Gowan? This John Gowan
might be a sibling of my ancestor. Please give me the names and addresses of
all the re-searchers working on this branch of the family. Prof. Granville W.
Hough, 3438 Bahia Blanca W, Apt. B, Laguna Hills, CA, 92653. John Gowan was the
sub-ject of an article by Phillip Alan Gowan [Newsletter, December 1989]
==Dear Cousins==
Our branch [Margaret Tate, Barbara
Clements and I] have had difficulty getting our lineage back beyond Ezekial
Gowen [1773-1869] and his parents Ezekial Gowen and Sally Gowen. There's no
doubt that we descend from the Scottish prisoner-of-war William Gowen. My
opinion is that he was not, as some records suggest, a Scottish Highlander,
rather a Lowland Scot since he spoke English, was a Protestant and could read
and write. His signature appears frequently in the early-day York Court
documents which he witnessed. Apparently most of the setters in that period
were illiterate."
It was fascinating to hear of some
researchers making a break-through to William Gowen with Angevine Gowen's "Cider
Hill Annals." Keep us posted on news about this manuscript. Mary Ellen Gowen
Waugh, 6401 Auburn Ave, Riverdale, MD, 20737.
==Dear Cousins==
Do you have any information in the
computer files on a Lewis Gowen who had a son, Ezekiel Gowen born May 9, 1739 in
Kittery, ME, married September 17, 1771, d1817 at Sanford, ME? This Ezekiel
Gowen might be the father of my Ezekiel Gowen, b1773/74. Margaret Pearson Tate,
34 Washington St, Exeter, NH, 03833.
==Dear Cousins==
Need information on John Going,
bc1749 to Shadrack Going of Patrick County, VA. I regard John Going as the
father of my Thomas Going, b1795 in VA. Children of Thomas Going have the same
names as children of Shadrack Going. Can anyone confirm? Help and exchanges
appreciated. Anna G. Dunkley, Rt. 2, Box 234, Westfield, NC, 27053.
==Dear Cousins==
I am seeking information on my
grandparents, George Washington Goings and Eugenia Elizabeth Driggers Goings who
lived in Berkley County, SC in the late 1800s. I have every Newsletter which
you have published, and you have carried many articles referring to men named
George Washington Go-ings, however none of them appeared to be connected to my
grandfather. He died about 1915, and my grandmother died some time before.
Their children were Grover
Cleveland, Vermell, Viola, Becky, Daisy, Kathleen, Philip, Rachel and Mary.
Rachel Go-ings, my mother was born October 14, 1898 and died January 23. 1970.
My parents removed to Virginia when they were mar-ried, and I remember that my
mother received letters from her sisters, and sometimes she visited them. At
present, I do not know how to communicate with any of their children. Can the
Foundation members assist me to find my family? Virginia H. Borum, 839 Ellen
St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034.
==Dear Cousins==
My earliest known ancestor is
James Goyne, Sr, [Newsletter, October 1990] born May 10, 1755 in Lunenburg
[later Meck-lenburg] County, VA. He was married about 1775, wife's name Mary,
probably in Cam-den, Kershaw Co, SC and later fought in the American Revolu-tion.
After the war, he lived in Georgia and Louisiana, finally settling in Kemper
County, MS where he died.
Do you have a record of any
brothers and sisters of James Goyne, Sr? What is known about other Goyne/Goius
families who may be related? Casey L. Stafford, 600½ S. Silver, Deming, NM,
88030.
February 1995
Thank you for the Newsletters
and the information you re-cently sent to me regarding the various Gowans
families of La-narkshire, Scotland. I am impressed with the level of effort
that has gone into the Newsletters and the organization of the Foun-dation.
This the best I have seen of any family organiza-tion. Along with my membership
application I am enclosing some print-outs of the information I have on my
Gowans an-cestors and their descendants. I would be glad to exchange Gowans
data with anyone in pursuit of the Lanarkshire family. Joseph Shirley, Rt. 3,
Box 31, Meyersdale, PA, 15552.
==Dear Cousins==
I am searching for the ancestors
of my great-grandparents, Crawford H. Goin, born October 1847 and Mary Virginia
Price Goin, born in April 1845, who were enumerated in the 1900 census of
Appomattox County, VA in Clover Hill Dis-trict near Pamplin, VA. Crawford H.
Goin had five brothers; Charles L. Goin and Jerry T. Goin of Salem, VA; Glenn A.
Goin, Norfolk, VA; Harry L. Goin, Middle River, MD and Emmett H. Goin,
Baltimore. He also had a sister, Florence Goin who was married to J. B.
McFaddin.
Also in the Clover Hill District
was Powhatan B. Goin and his sister Elizabeth A. Goin enumerated together in
1900. He was born in Virginia in February 1848, and she was born there in May
1849. The Elijah P. Fore family, located nearby, ap-peared to be closely
associated with the Goins. I have a large collec-tion of Goin family data which
I would be glad to ex-change with Foundation researchers. Janice Farrington
Samuelson, 210 Winding Way, Salisbury, NC, 28147.
==Dear Cousins==
It is encouraging to hear that
break-thrus do occur in our William Alexander Gowen branch of the family.
Thanks for the revised draft of the York County, ME section of the Foun-dation
manuscript. I am reading and re-reading Sections .078 and .080 and making
charts to show where my Benjamin Gowen "hooks on." Alas, so far, still a dead
end. I am also constructing a time-line chart for him. Maybe the computer will
reveal something I've been missing. Any suggestions?
Enclosed is my Sustaining
Membership and a gift member-ship for my daughter in New York. Since the next
generation may have to solve some of these Gowen family puzzles, it's time to
get them involved. Susan B. Liedell, 148 Kate's Path, Yarmouth Port, MA, 02675.
==Dear Cousins==
My sister, Bessie Dean Dent and I,
had the sad privilege of attending the funerals of two of our first cousins
recently. James Vernon Gowen, Jr. and his brother Guy Albert Gowen, both of
Charlton County, were g-g-g-grandsons of Lt. James Gowen, Revolutionary soldier
of Beaufort District, South Car-olina. James died November 10 at age 77, and
Albert died De-cember 18. I am enclosing obituary information on both so that
you may add it to their files in the Foundation Library. They were also cousins
to Charles Latimer Gowen of Atlanta, Barney Alexander Gowen of Woodbine and
Miller A. Gowen of Geneva, Switzerland.
I appreciate the work the
Foundation is doing to chronicle all the branches of the family. My membership
for 1995 is en-closed. Hazel Dean Overstreet, 5175 Odum Hwy, Odum, GA, 31555.
==Dear Cousins==
Need information on John Going
b1824 in VA. I regard him as a brother of my Jonathan Going, b1822 in VA.
John's wife, Betsy Beasley. b1823. may be a sister to Jonathan's wife, Han-nah
Beasley, b1826. Both couples were married in 1846 in Surry County, NC. Jean
Grider, 1734 Salem Church Rd, Cave City, KY, 42127.
==Dear Cousins==
In regard to William Gowen, Jr.
and Jamima "Jimminy" Burns Gowen [Newsletter November 1994], while searching for
my Garrets, I came across two references to them in the Bedford County. VA court
minutes [photostats enclosed]. These docu-ments show that they were married
about seven years earlier that previously thought. In the minutes for 1777,
page 135, appears:
"Jamima Going, wife of William
Gowin, a soldier in the service of the United States all'd [al[owed] £10 in the
hands of William Leftwich, Gent. Ordered to be cert'd [certified] to treasurer,"
The court minutes of Bedford County
dated July 27, 1778 read:
"Jamima Going, wife of William
Going, Jr, all'd £8 for the support of herself and Family for Six Months in the
absence of her Husband, a soldier in the service of the United States in the
hands of William Leftwich, Gent. which is ordered to be Cert."
Their sons, James Burns Gowen
[Newsletter March 1990] and Dr. William Davis Gowen [Newsletter April 1992] were
born to them after the Revolutionary war. These documents also tend to prove
that William Gowen, Jr. was a Revolutionary sol-dier. I wonder why Jamima did
not apply for a pension on her husband's service. Maybe she did, and it has
just not yet sur-faced. June A. Smith, Box 85, Belfair, WA, 98528.
==Dear Cousins==
I am saddened to forward the news
on to you of the sudden death of Rev. Richard Goins of Ottumwa, IA [Foundation
Ed-itorial Boardmember]. Enclosed is an obituary sent to me by Richard's wife,
Marietta. He died shortly after being involved in an automobile accident near
his home. Marietta was seriously injured, but is recovering.
The Goins were such a nice
couple. We became acquainted though the Foundation [Newsletter May 1993] in our
Goins family research. They visited us in California carrying a box of photos
of our common relatives. This was so typical of Richard . . . always ready to
share any genealogical information or books that he had. Jeraldine M. Webb,
1318 Domador, San Clemente, CA, 92673.
March 1995
We need to add another child to
the family of William Gowan and Anastasia Sullivan Gowan of Goochland and
Bed-ford Counties, Virginia and Madison County, Kentucky. Insert Sally Gowan,
born about 1792, as their umpteenth child. Please see photostats of Madison
County marriage bond record dated January 22, 1808 enclosed.
Anastasia Sullivan Gowan wrote a
note on that date to the Madison county clerk requesting that he "please issue a
marriage license to Thomas Sanders and my daughter, Sally Goan." A bond of £50
was posted by Thomas Sanders and Joseph Gowan/Going, brother of Sally Gowan.
"Joseph [X] Goan," the Revolutionary soldier and his son, Francis [X] Goan"
witnessed the signature of "Annaster Goan, widow."
When I visited the courthouse
there, I found these misfiled documents without realizing that they had been so
badly kept. They were all in neat little boxes like they had spent the whole
time there. As in any old depository, we know that they change containers and
locations many times. June A. Smith, Box 85, Belfair, WA, 98528.
==Dear Cousins==
The Mormons have just opened a
Family History Centre here, but much of the research material I need now is
found only in the major libraries. I am searching for a compatible re-searcher
in Cornwall where my Goyen/Gowen lineage has stalled. Any suggestions?
I have had a couple of letters
from Evelyn McKinley Orr of Omaha who shares my interest in the mysterious
Melungeons. There seems to be a gene for a dark skin even in my family with
Cornish ancestors. It is probably so diluted with white ancestry that it is
difficult to evaluate. It must be dominant. DNA testing is progressing so
rapidly that we will probably have some an-swers one day soon. Future
genealogists will probably use real genes in genealogy.
It is interesting to read about
the Turkish influence. The Turks were raiding the Cornish coast during the
1400s, plun-dering and stealing church items, plus women and children. Maybe
that's how we arrived there.
Have any of the American Gowens
traced their ancestry out of America yet? If so, I would like to contact them
to compare their discoveries with mine. Robert J. Goyen, 523 Sutton St,
Sebastopol 3356, Victoria, Australia.
==Dear Cousins==
We were glad to learn that you
have arranged with Jack Greene of Hilton Head, SC to research our Gowen/Greene
an-cestors of Beaufort and Colleton Districts, SC and also the mystery of the
Gowrie Conspiracy/Gowrie Tract in Camden Co, GA. I am enclosing some additional
Gowen family in-formation for the manuscript along with sustaining Member-ships
for our chil-dren in Switzerland and Hong Kong to add to the Founda-tion mailing
list. Maybe the genealogy bug will bite, and you will soon have three new Gowen
researchers. Although I don't seem to be travelling as much as I once did, I
hope to see my American cousins again soon. Miller Abbott "Bud" Gowen, P.O. Box
2389, 1211 Geneva [2], Switzer-land.
==Dear Cousins==
Thanks so much for remembering me
and my struggle against atomic poisoning. I am still struggling for myself and
all of the atomic veterans of World War II who entered the Japanese contaminated
areas of radiation without any warning from our government. My body has
steadily weakened since that fateful day in 1945 when we entered Hiroshima, and
my voice has be-come much weaker. But it is good to know that someone still
cares and that "my cousins" will add their strong voices to con-tinue to carry
my plea to our government. I hope that that someone in our government will
eventually admit its abandon-ment of its loyal soldiers. It exposed them to
radiation poison-ing 50 years ago and then denied any responsibility for
sen-tencing them to a slow death. Thank you, my cousins, for your kind
consideration of us and our plight. James M. Gowin, First Atomic Veteran and
son of a Civil War Veteran, 1075 Lovers Leap Road, Kingston Springs, TN, 37082
==Dear Cousins==
I am interested in corresponding
with anyone related to Wi-ley Williamson Goynes/Goings, b1799 GA, and his wife
Martha Brister Goynes/Goings, b1804/05 KY. I have a document from a newspaper
listing his father as James Goynes/Gaynes/Goings. Margaret F. Goynes Olson, 303
E. Hoffman Ave, Kingsville, TX, 78363.
==Dear Cousins==
Henri and I have just completed an
intensive Spanish course at the University of Guadalajara, and it was almost too
much for an "old lady." We had to get up at 5:30 a.m. every day, leave at 7:15
and be in our classroom at 8:00. With all that now behind us, I can resume my
family research and gladly undertake the Editorial Board assignment.
Soon I will send to you the Goins
material I gathered on our research trip thrugh the southern states in October
and Novem-ber. Family researchers will be interested to know that Jane Parker
McManus has moved back to Alexandria, LA to be closer to her research work. She
is presently working on a book on cemetery listings of Louisiana.
Enclosed is my Sustaining
Membership for 1995. Sandra M. Loridans, Apartado Postal 844, 45900 Chapala,
Jalisco, Mexico.
==Dear Cousins==
I am looking for information
regarding my g-gf James G. Goins, bc1867 AL, d1949 in Butler County, AL. He
lived most of his life in Crenshaw Co, AL. He was married to Laura Cry-sell,
and they had nine or ten children. I believe his mother was a Harrison. Any
information would be appreciated. Kenneth R. Jones, 8590 Lakeshore Drive,
Southaven, MS, 38671, 601/342-1577.
==Dear Cousins==
Sometime ago our Pensacola
newspaper genealogical col-umn carried a news article about your Foundation, and
I wa de-lighted to learn about it. I would like to know if any of your
re-searchers are investi-gating the history of Revolutionary Soldier Charles
Gowens/Goings of Henry County, VA and Gallatin County, KY. He was enumerated
there from 1820 to 1850. His daugh-ter, Sally is my g-g-g-g-grandmother. If
you have any informa-tion on this family or can direct me to sonemone who does,
I would be grateful. I have collected information on other Gowens/Goings in
this area and will share with anyone who writes. Last year I inserted a query
in "Bluegrass Roots" and received a reply which stated that the Goings, etc and
their Melungeon connections had been well researched by you. What can your
organization tell me about them? Bernice S. Ridge-way, 1314 Hound Chase Circle,
Pen-sacola, FL, 32514
April 1995
I am enclosing an article about
Pfc. Archie Goins, S/N 35132322 who served in the U.S. Army in World War II. He
volunteered for the First Ranger Battalion and served in North Africa, Sicily
and Italy. He was captured by the Nazis and in-terned in various stalags in
Germany.
The article, written by Ranger
Col. Clarence H. Meltesen, was published in the March 1995 edition of "Ex-POW
Bul-letin." The brutality and savagery that Archie Goins endured at the hands
of the S.S. troops and prison guards do not make pretty reading, but I thought
you would like to have a copy for the Foundation Library.
I, too, was a prisoner-of-war and
underwent similar treat-ment. Col. Meltesen has written a book and several
articles about prisoners-of-war in the European Theatre during WWII. If the
Foundation or any of its members can identify Archie Goins, please contact me
with any details you can provide about his life. I will forward it on to Col.
Meltesen who is anxious to contact him. Darrel A. Russell, Natchez Trace
Genealogical Society, Box 420, Florence, AL, 45631. Our mailing list re-veals
three men of that name, Archie D. Goins, Spiro, OK, 918/962-3574; Archie Goins,
LaFollette, TN, 615/562-3120 and Archie E. Goins, Richmond, IN, 317/935-2223.
Perhaps our members will know of more. Good Luck!
==Dear Cousins==
Thanks to all for the wonderful
and thrilling information in the March Newsletter about James Burns Gowen.
Would also guess that his son, William Price Gowen [1824-1873] is buried there
in a now unmarked grave. His wife, Sydney Floyd Gowen [1829-1896] is buried in
Old Flat Creek Cemetery, Flat Creek, Tennessee in Bedford County. Since she
died 23 years later, it does seem logical.
We do appreciate the family
newsletter. it is excellent. Elizabeth Hale Morfitt, 353 Westmoreland Drive,
Idaho Falls, ID, 83402.
==Dear Cousins==
Over this past weekend, a set of
your Newsletters was do-nated to our society for its research library. We have
the second largest historical and family history/genealogy library is Queens
County and sponsor the Queens Genealogy Workshop.
Your officers, directors and
contributing members are to be commended for a well-written, attractive and most
interesting Newsletter. George P. Miller, Executive Director, Greater Ridgewood
Historical Society, 1820 Flushing Ave, Ridge-wood, NY, 11385, 718/456-1776.
==Dear Cousins==
Thank you so much for the large
packet of information about William Gowen and son, James Burns Gowen. These are
in-triguing men. We will pass this information along to our chil-dren and
grandchildren. John & Maxine Gowan, 404 Old Athens Pike, Sweetwater, TN, 37874.
==Dear Cousins==
This package contains Section 154
of the Foundation Manuscript which we have proofread and attached corrections,
revisions, expansions, etc. Also, extended information is in-cluded on Jonathan
Frederick Gowen and Amanda Jane Sexton Gowen and their descendants. Jonathan
Frederick Gowen is identified as the son of Jonathan Henry Gowen and Hannah J.
Beasley Gowen of Patrick County, Virginia and Adair County, Kentucky.
Many descendants of Jonathan
Frederick Gowen and his older kinsman Frederick Gowen [also of Patrick and Adair
counties] exhibit dark complexions and other distinctive fea-tures. Some
researchers regard them as Melungeon.
As new research and information is
received, it will be passed along to the Foundation. Thank you for your
continued work and dedication. Barbara J. Ludwig, 9848 W. Gardner Rd,
Bloomington, IN, 47403.
==Dear Cousins==
I am looking for information on
the parents of Sarah Gowen, bc1695 in VA. She was mc1714 to Nathan Morgan who
dc1750 in Onslow Co, NC. Sarah Gowen Morgan dc1765 in NC. Their son Gowen
Morgan was born in 1742 and died in 1781 in On-slow County. He was married
about 1765 to Mary Thompson. Bryan Huneycutt, 25561 Novela Way, Valencia, CA,
91355.
==Dear Cousins==
I am interested in corresponding
with anyone related to John Gowen, son of Shadrack Gowen of Patrick County, VA,
[c1800]. Hoping that John Gowen connects to my William Gowen line. C. G.
Young, Box 3791, Martinsville, VA, 74115, 703/632-4711.
==Dear Cousins==
I am writing to inquire about any
data you may have linking Gowen/Goins to either Barnes/Barns or Cannon/Kennon in
any Southern state. In particular, I'm interested in South Carolina data, as
there are hints of links in records there to my Barnes and Cannon families.
John Barnes of Greenville Co, SC,
deed dated 25 Aug 1797 to John Swaffer, 7 Apr 1798, for £30 sterling, 50 acres
adjacent Mager Gowens Corner . . . John Barnes, Wit: William Blyth, Daniel Blyth.
Researcher Brent Holcomb states, "Mager
Gowen was Maj. John "Buck" Gowen, a well-known figure in upper Greenville County
near the Spartanburg line. I believe that the current community of Gowensville
was near his residence."]
From Greenville Co. Deed Book D,
pp. 534-535:
"Mary Barnes of Greenville
District, SC [possibly widow of John Barnes] deed dated 28 March 1819, to Thomas
Payne for $100, tract of 100 acres in Greenville District on a branch of the
mid-dle fork of Saluda River whereon the said Mary Barnes and Henry Deen now
live. Mary [X] Barns [LS], Wit: John Gowen, James Gowen. Proved by the oath of
John Gowen, Junr that he saw Molly Barnes sign the deed, 7 Feb 1820."
There was a Goins marriage into
the Carter Cannon family. Carter Cannon was the father-in-law of John S. Barns
[1813 AL-1853 TX]. Carter's daughter, Elizabeth, married William Goins in TX.
Carter Cannon [c1794 SC-April 1875 Tarrant Co, TX.] Cecilie Gaziano, 4511
Fremont Avenue So, Minneapo-lis, MN, 55409, 612-825-8887, Fax 612-825-8174,
E-mail: c.gaziano@genie.geis.com OR dnnm42a@prodigy.com.
==Dear Cousins==
I felt you would interested in an
Indian by the name of Gowane for whom landmarks in Brooklyn, New York were
named, according to "The Stone House at Gowanus," 1909 by Georgia Fraser:
"The first settlement by white
people within the boundaries of the present city of Brooklyn was made in I636,
just 27 years after Henry Hudson dropped anchor from the "Halve Maen" in what is
now New York Bay. In I636 "William Bennet and Jacques Bentyn pur-chased from
the Indians a tract of 930 acres of land at Gowanus, upon which, at some time
previous to the In-dian War of 1643-45~ a dwelling house was erected." This was
the beginning of the village of Gowanus, near Gowanus Bay; and the same name was
given to the re-gion bordering Gowanus Creek, afterward Gowanus Canal, and
extend-ing easterly to the wooded hills. The name, Gowanus, is an Indian one,
and was said to be the place where an In-dian, called Gowane, planted his corn."
I recall that the Iroquois
Confederacy, the fiercest and pre-dominant tribe in New York used to banish
other tribes of whom they became distrustful. The banished tribes, called
"squaws" by the Iroquois, were sent to the area which later became the states of
Virginia and the Carolinas.
A recent Newsletter article cited
the use of DNA testing to show a relationship between groups. This might add
some more diversity to the Melungeon mix. Another hypothesis suggests that
American Indians are the progeny of Asiatic travellers who crossed the Alaskan
land bridge. Genes of Ghengis Khan! Austin W. Gowan, Box 134, Wilmington, NY,
12997
May 1995
I descend from Shadrach Goings
bc1796 VA dc1885 Hardy Co, WV. Shadrach married twice: 1st to a Hester and 2nd
c1855 to Mary Webster in Hardy Co. Known children of Shadrach and Hester were
Hannah C, Mary Ann, Washington, Abraham, William H, Shadrach Jr, George, Isaac,
and Jacob [there are probable others judging from the gap in ages of the known
chil-dren].
Issue by Mary Webster were: Susan
T. Anna B. and Ella A. Shadrach Sr. owned and operated the only ferry across the
Po-tomac River outside of Moorefield, WV. I am interested in any information
the Foundation may have concerning this family and their ancestors. Also, I
would like to hear from anyone re-searching this family. Can you help? If I
can be of help in any way, please let me know. Joyce Hardy Cates, 4900 Pleasant
Ave, Fairfield, OH, 45014, 513/896-7897.
==Dear Cousins==
I am saddened to report the deaths
of two more Gowen cousins. I attended the funeral of Hazel Gowen Stapleton,
daughter of James Vernon Gowen and Agnes Dean Gowen, who was born November 23,
1912 and died February 8, 1995. She had eight brothers, but is survived only by
one, Harold Sidney Gowen. She was buried in Folkston Cemetery. Sheppard
An-drew Gowen, son of Andrew Greene Gowen, Jr. and Bertha Sheppard Grooms Gowen,
died January 29, 1995 at Waycross. He was buried at Traders Hill near the
graves of his parents and his grandparents. Hazel Dean Overstreet, 5175 Odum
High-way, Odum, GA, 31555.
==Dear Cousins==
I am searching for three brothers,
Abner Goins, Absalom Goins and Hirum Goins, all born in Georgia c1800, perhaps
Houston County. They reportedly removed to Missouri c1860. I regard them as
uncles of my James Elijah Goins. Would be pleased to hear from any researcher
with a lead. Jaymie Fred-erick, Box 361, Scobey, MT, 59063, 406/487-2738.
==Dear Cousins==
I recently had a visit from Sherry
Chitty. I was quite excited to meet her. My husband is a descendant of Thomas
D. Goins and Nancy Johnson Goins [Newsletter, February 1995]. His lineage is
through their daughter Sarah Goins. Sherry did not have any of the material
that I had. I will be happy to share what information I have with the
Foundation or any member. I am enclosing two memberships in the Foundation.
One is for Bell Cain Morrow of Houston, also a descendant of Thomas D. Goins,
and one is for me. Suzy Cain, 310 Commander Creek, Rt. 2, Galveston, TX, 77554,
409/935-8914.
==Dear Cousins==
Foundation members need to be
advised that the Foundation has no connection with the publication "Three
Centuries of Gowens" currently being offered for sale from Denver by "Gowen
Family News." The Editor.
==Dear Cousins==
In honor of Tennessee's
Bicentennial in 1996, the East Ten-nessee Historical Society is sponsoring a new
heritage program titled "First Families of Tennessee." The purpose of the
project is to identify and recognize all descendants of the first residents of
the state of Tennessee. Anyone who is directly descended from a person living
in Tennessee when the state was admitted to the Union in 1796, or before, is
eligible for membership in this permanent remembrance of his family history and
the Ten-nessee Bicentennial.
To qualify for membership in the First Families of Tennessee, the applicant must directly descend from an ancestor who settled in Tennessee prior to June 1, 1796. The applicant must be able to prove descent from the ancestor [male or female] by an ac-ceptable record or records for each generation, including proof for the applicant. Current Tennessee residence is not required.
Applicants who qualify and are admitted to membership in First Families of Tennessee will receive a handsomely designed cer-tificate issued by the East Tennessee Historical Society featuring the applicant's name and the name of the applicant's ancestor. In addition, members of First Families of Tennessee will receive invitations to members-only events and will have an opportunity to contribute to ETHS activities connected with the Bicentennial celebration in 1996.
The information furnished by applicants as proof of lineage will be placed in the McClung Historical Collection. There, as a re-source for other researchers and genealogists, it will serve as a valuable addition to the history of Tennessee and a source of in-formation and pride for future generations. For more informa-tion or for an application form, contact the East Tennessee His-torical Society, P.O. Box 1629, Knoxville, TN, 37901-1629 or call 615-544-5732.
June 1995
I am searching for the parents
and children of James W. Go-ings and Gabriella Skinner Goings who were married
in 1843 in Amherst County, VA. They had eight children that I am aware of:
Thomas, J, Louisa, Andrew Jackson [my gggf] Francis M, James H, Sanford W, Mary
James and Martha E.
Andrew Jackson Going was married
at age 23 to Nannie Elizabeth Nuckles May 9, 1871 at Lynchburg Virginia. Thanks
for any assistance. Nancy F. Byrd, 922 S. Coleman St, Tooele, UT, 84074,
801/882-2323
==Dear Cousins==
As you may remember, I have been
doing genealogy [free will] for the past 28 years. Would the Foundation or the
mem-bers be interested in Price genealogy? [Annie Price, daughter of Matthew
Price was married to James Burns Gowen.]
Linda Lou McDowell in "Dear
Cousins" [Newsletter, De-cember 1989] had a query on the connection with Robert
Burns. I am providing her with some Burns research which does not paint a
pretty picture of our ancestors on that side.
I am very proud of Sara Goins of
Dunlap, TN [Newsletter, July 1993]. She is a precious person and is one half of
the pair who does my book publishing.
I use my microfilm reader and a
film membership in Utah constantly to scan census returns for Gowen/Goin etc.
enumera-tions in various states. Would the Foundation Library be inter-ested a
copy of my research? Thanks for all the good things you have provided me in the
past. Mae Wilhelm, 183 Mathis Cir-cle, Estill Springs, TN, 37330.
==Dear Cousins==
Thanks very much for the
recognition and the honor that you gave to my father, James Madison Gowin, the
Civil War veteran and me in the Newsletter, May 1995. Our combined lifespans of
154 years on this earth may be some kind of a record here, but it's just a
twinkling in God's scheme of things. James Madison Gowin, Jr, First Atomic
Veteran, 1075 Lovers Leap Road, Kingston Springs, TN, 37082.
==Dear Cousins==
Thank you very much for the
Foundation Newsletters that you have been sending to our library. They are
enjoyed by many people among our patrons. I personally enjoyed the article on
the Melungeons. I believe my Clark Mize was a member of this ethnic group.
Roberta Padgett, Librarian, Kentucky Ge-nealogical Society Library, Box 153,
Frankfort, KY, 40602.
==Dear Cousins==
I am enclosing some notes on
Charles & Elizabeth "Betsy" Going/Gowens taken from Big Spring Baptist Church
minutes of Claiborne County, Tennessee. It appears that this Henry County,
Virginia couple worshipped here from June 1804 until they were dismissed in
April 1812. Apparently they removed from here to Harrison County, KY [where a
daughter was mar-ried in 1814] and later to Gallatin County, KY where they
died. They may have been related to James & Elizabeth Going and Hannah Going
who were also members of the Big Spring church at that time.
Also enclosed are some early land
records of Pittsylvania County, Virginia along with a map of the area. Note
that this land lay in Henry County when it was created in 1776. Later the land
lay in Patrick County when it was created in 1790. A large concentration of our
ancestors were in this area. Donna Gowin Johnston, 1513 Westridge Terrace,
Casper, WY, 82604.
==Dear Cousins==
I have been on a "genealogy high"
ever since receiving your letter and the Foundation manuscript print-outs
regarding my ancestor Samuel Gowin. This amazing break-through shows what can
be accomplished when researchers share and work to-gether. I am so grateful for
the work and generosity of Frances Fleming of Carthage, Missouri who started the
chain reaction.
This morning I was awakened at
5:30 a.m. by a call from Morgan Buglier of Phoenix. I had written to him about
his grandmother, Lula May Goins Champion Reece Francis. Mor-gan and I talked
for 2½ hours, and we concluded that his Robert Goins and my Samuel Gowin may
have been brothers. You will be hearing from him soon.
Please send me a revised print-out
on Samuel Gowin and de-scendants after you have moved him "upstream" in the
Manuscript from Garland County, AR to Jefferson County, AL. Peggy A. White, 109
Underwood, Hopkinsville, KY, 42240.
==Dear Cousins==
I am enclosing a photograph of an
inscription I took on a visit to Canterbury Cathedral. The inscription "I.
Goings, 1749" appears on a wall in a small chapel on the lower level. I
ne-glected to ask about it while there. Can anyone explain its sig-nificance?
Annette Miner, Box 455, Pharr, TX, 78577.
July 1995
A thrill went down my spine
when I first heard about Gowen Research Foundation! I had goosebumps when I
first logged on to the Electronic Library and found acres and acres of Gowens!
After spending countless hours in
various libraries, it was a Godsend! My membership is enclosed!
Charles Gowens is my 6th
great-grandfather. He was born in 1763 in Henry County, VA and served in the
Revolutionary War. My line married into the Rose and Furnish families. They go
from Kentucky to Indiana to Kansas to Idaho. Could Gal-loway Goins be a brother
to Charles Gowens? He was married to Betsy Rose July 27, 1813. What about
Charles' parents? An-gela McDonald, 2721 N. Christine, Boise, ID, 83704.
Greg A. Bennatt identifies
Galloway Gowens as the oldest son of Charles Gowens and Elizabeth Blair Gowens.
He was married to Betsy Rose in 1813 in Harrison County, KY. His sister Lu-cinda
was married to Charles Rose there in 1812 and his sister Hannah was married to
William Rose there in 1812. Another triple play for the Gowens family!
==Dear Cousins==
Family tradition states that our
Jesse Harrison Gowin was born c1840 in Knoxville, TN. In 1862 he lived in
Loudon County, TN where his son, Jesse Harrison Gowin, Jr. was born July 28,
1862. Jesse Harrison Gowin died in Confederate ser-vice, and his widow
remarried Robert R. Redpate who removed to Illinois about 1870.