1990 – 07 July Newsletter – GRF

Sections in this issue:

1) Melungeon Gowens Plant The Family in Kentucky;
2) Phillip Goins, Choctaw Evaded the Reservation;
3) Dear Cousins;
4) GRF Library Receives Volume On Pioneer Alabama Church

All Gowen Manuscript Pages and Newsletters:   https://goyengoinggowengoyneandgone.com/gowen-research-foundation-pages-and-info/

GOWEN RESEARCH FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER
Volume 1, No. 11 July 1990

1)  Melungeon Gowens Plant
The Family in Kentucky

Frederick Gowen and Jonathan Henry Gowen, regarded as
kinsmen, perhaps brothers, were born in the Patrick County,
Virginia area and became patriarchs of Kentucky families
that, in two centuries, have spread throughout the nation.
Frederick Gowen was enumerated as “free colored” in
Virginia, but was reported as “white” in the Kentucky
census. Jonathan Henry Gowen was the father of 13
children. This genetic influence is apparent in 1990 in the
descendants of both men–even eight generations later.
Frederick Gowen is regarded by some researchers as a
Melungeon [a recent appellation preferred by some whose
ancestors were labeled “Mulatto”] because census
enumerator recorded him as a “free colored male.” In many
enumerations in the area individuals were listed as
“mulatto,” “colored,” or “Indian” by the censustakers who
had no other latitude in recording a dark-skinned person.
He was born about 1797 in Virginia, according to the federal
census of 1850. It has been suggested that he was a grandson
of John F[rederick?] Gowen, Jr. of Stafford County, Virginia
and Granville County, North Carolina.
Jonathan H. Gowen was a son of William Gowen and Betsey
Moss Gowen, according to the research of Clara Jean Grider
Fry, a descendant of Cave City, Kentucky.
“Frederick Going” was married December 10, 1818, to
Nancy Coomer [Comer?] in adjoining Surry County, North
Carolina, according to “Surry County, North Carolina
Marriage Bonds, 1780-1868.” “William Going” thought to
be his father, was the bondsman. Nancy Coomer Gowen
was born in North Carolina about 1798, according to the
1850 census. Their first child was born in Patrick County
about 1819.
A son was born to them there about 1822, and was followed
by a daughter about 1824. “Frederick Going” appeared as
the head of a “free colored” household in the 1830 census of
Patrick County, page 154.
“Going, Frederick free colored male 24-36
free colored female 24-36
free colored male 0-10
free colored female 0-10
free colored male 0-10”
They continued in Patrick County about 1831 when another
son was born to them there. About 1833, they lived in Lee
County, Virginia, in the extreme western tip of the state,
where their fifth child was born.
About 1835, Frederick Gowen was living near Somerset, Kentucky
in Pulaski County. No members of the Gowen [nor
spelling variations] family were recorded in the 1830 census
of Pulaski County which showed a population of 9,521 at that
time. Frederick Gowen purchased land in Pulaski County for
$225 in 1838, according to the research of Steve Gowen. He
sold his property March 2, 1848 for $150, according to Pulaski
County Deed Book 13, page 520. On October 1, 1849 he was
paid “$1 for work on road,” according to Adair County Court
Order Book H, page 9.
In 1850, the household of Frederick Gowen was recorded in
Adair County, First Civil District, Household 603-603:
“Gowen, Frederick 53, born in Virginia, farmer, $200
real estate
Nancy 52, born in North Carolina, illiterate
Allen 20, born in Virginia, illiterate
Larkin 18, born in Virginia, illiterate, farmer
Elizabeth 15, born in Kentucky
Frederick 8, born in Kentucky
Hignight, Mary 40, born in Virginia”
The fact that he named a son “Allen” suggests a relationship to
other branches of the family who used the name “Allen” as
well. Mary Hignight was possibly related to the householders.
Frederick Gowen reappeared in the 1860 census of Adair
County in the First Civil District as the head of Household
242-242:
“Going, Fredrick 62, farmer, $600 real estate, $540
personal property, born in
Patrick County, VA
Nancy 61, housekeeping, born in Stokes
County, NC
Elizabeth 22, housekeeping, born in Pulaski
County, KY
Fredrick 18, farmer, born in Pulaski County,
KY”
Adjoining were the households of “William Going,” his son,
No. 243-243; “Allan Going,” a son, Household No. 244-244
and William Chadowick [Chadwick?] and Mary “Polly”
Gowen Chadowick, his daughter, Household No. 245-245.
He removed shortly afterward to Gibson County, Indiana
where his son, Larkin Gowen had located. “He died intestate,
but did leave a treasure trove of information in Gibson County
Court records when his heirs divided the estate,” according to
a letter written by August 13, 1990 by Steve Gowen, a
descendant of Lexington, Kentucky.
Children born to Frederick Gowen and Nancy Coomer Gowen
include:
William R. Gowen born about 1819
Polly Gowen born about 1824
Allen Gowen born about 1830
Larkin Gowen born about 1833
Elizabeth G. Gowen born about 1835
Frederick Gowen born October 9, 1841
Jonathan H. Gowen was a son of William Gowen and Betsey
Moss Gowen, according to the research of Clara Jean Grider
Sexton Fry. It is suggested that he was a kinsman of Frederick
Gowen because he appears to be closely associated with him.
Melungeon characteristics are also found among his descendants.
He was born in 1822 in Patrick County, Virginia,
according to the 1860 census of Adair County, Kentucky. He
was born in 1827, according to the research of Jessie Gowen
Thompson. On February 6, 1846 “Jonathan Goen” was married
to Hannah J. Beasley, according to “Surry County,
North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1780-1868.” Clara Jean
Grider Sexton Fry who has researched the family for many
years reports that Hannah J. Beasley was a half-Cherokee,
“and she is the source of the dark complexioned genetics in
our family.”
She was also born in Patrick County about 1826, and both of
her parents were born in Virginia, according to the census
enumeration. She was born August 15, 1829, according to the
research of Jessie Gowen Thompson. J. Allen Berryman was
the bondsman for the marriage. Later that year “James Goen”
was married to Elizabeth Beasley, according to the Surry
County volume. Eli Crouk was bondsman. “Morgan Goin”
was married April 5, 1862 to Sally Beasley by J. Gray, J.P.
William Gilmer was bondsman.
Jonathan H. Gowen and Hannah J. Beasley Gowen were enumerated
in the 1850 census of Stokes County, North Carolina,
along with “James Going and Betsy [Beasley?] Going and
their children next door, with a Beasley household between
them and John Going, his wife, Margaret and a 15-year-old
boy, LeRoy Going,” according to the research of Steve
Gowen.
From 1844 until 1855 Jonathan H. Gowen lived in Stokes
County, just across the state line from Patrick County. By
1857, he had removed to join Frederick Gowen in Adair
County. A photograph of Jonathan H. Gowen indicates him to
be a tall, lean, stern man with a full growth of neck whiskers.
He was a hunting dog fancier, and descendants “swore that he
loved his dogs more than his children.” Consequently, none of
his children would tolerate a dog on his homestead after he
was grown.
His household appeared in the 1860 census of Adair County.
Fortunately for genealogists, the enumerator saw fit to include
the county of birth for each individual:
“Going, Jonathan 38, born in Patrick Co, VA,
farmer
Hannah 34, born in Patrick Co, VA
Mary F. 15, born in Stokes Co, NC
Sarah J. 13, born in Stokes Co, NC
John 11, born in Stokes Co, NC
Fanny 9, born in Stokes Co, NC
Thomas J. [twin] 5, born in Stokes Co, NC
Henry C. [twin] 5, born in Stokes Co, NC
Susan E. 3, born in Adair Co, KY
Frederick 3/12, born in Adair Co, KY”
He served as a private during the Civil War in Co. G, Thirtyseventh
Kentucky Infantry Regiment. His household reappeared
June 22, 1870 located seven miles west of Columbia,
Kentucky as Household 119-119:
“Gowen, Jonathan 46, born in VA, farmer, $300 per
sonal prop, $3,000 real estate
Hannah 44, born in VA
Andrew J. 18, born in NC, farmer
Thomas J. 14, born in NC, farmer
Henry C. 14, born in NC, farmer
Susan E. 12, born in KY
Jonathan 10, born in KY
Nancy M. 8, born in KY
Martha A. 6, born in KY
Cornelius 3, born in KY
Emily 2/12, born in KY
On June 10, 1880 the household of Jonathan H. Gowen appeared
in Adair County at Gradyville, Kentucky, Civil District
5, Enumeration District 4, page 19:
Gowen, Jonathan 55, born in VA, father born in
[blank], mother born in NC,
farmer
Hannah 53, born in VA, father born in VA,
mother born in VA, wife
Elizabeth 21, born in KY, father born in VA,
mother born in VA, daughter
Nancy M. 17, born in KY, father born in VA,
mother born in VA, daughter
Cornelius 15, born in KY, father born in VA,
mother born in VA, son, farmer
Emley 9, born in KY, father born in VA
mother born in VA, daughter”
According to the family bible owned in 1972 by Martha Ann
Gowen McGrath, a descendant of Louisville, Kentucky, children
born to them include:
Mary Frances Gowen born January 23,
1848
Sarah Jane Gowen born May 4, 1849
John Gowen born in 1850
Andrew Jackson Gowen born February 2, 1851
Fanny Gowen born February 2, 1853
Thomas Jefferson Gowen born June 12, 1855
Henry Clay Gowen born June 12, 1855
Susan Elizabeth Gowen born in 1858
Jonathan Frederick Gowen born January 10, 1859
Nancy M. Gowen born April 20, 1962
Martha Alice Gowen born in 1864
Cornelius C. Gowen born February 14,
1867
Emily Gowen born in April 1870

2)  Phillip Goins, Choctaw
Evanded the Reservation

Prepared from research developed
By Della Ford Nash
(Continued from June issue)

Jeremiah Goins, son of Phillip Goins and Oti Goins, was born
in Choctaw Nation [Mississippi] in 1798. He was probably
the third “free colored person” enumerated in the 1810 census
of his father’s household in St. Landry Parish. He was married
about 1820 to Sarafina Drake, probably age 14. They continued
to live in Louisiana until 1834 when they emigrated to
Coahuila y Tejas where they became citizens of Spain.
They settled in Bevil Municipal District, named for John R.
Bevil, located between the Neches and Sabine Rivers in what
was later Newton and Jasper Counties. Bevil Fort was located
at a bend in the Neches River just south of present-day Zavala,
Texas. There were 23 municipal districts in Texas at the time
of the Declaration of Independence. On March 17, 1836, two
weeks afterward, each became one of the original 23 Texas
counties.
The household of Jeremiah Goins was enumerated in the
Spanish census of Bevil District in 1835. The census was
compiled by Marion Day Mullins and published by the National
Genealogical Society as “First Census of Texas 1829-
1836.” They were recorded as:
“Goin, Jerry 37, farmer
Drake, Sarafina 28, wife
Goin, Henry 13
Ransom 11
Eveline 9
Sybrant 7
Caroline 5
Robert 3
James 1”
Fortunately for genealogists, it was the custom of Spanish
enumerators to record married women by their maiden names.
There is no record of military service on the part of Jeremiah
Goins in the Texas Revolution which was to erupt in the following
spring. However, Gen. Sam Houston had exempted
Melungeon William Goyen of Nacogdoches from military service
so he could be a liaison and an interpreter with the Texas
Indians to keep them on friendly terms with the Anglos.
Dawes Commission records show that Jeremiah Goins had
also acted as an interpreter, and it possible that he had
rendered such a service for Texas in its struggle for independence.
In a small, aging book in the office of the County Clerk of Jefferson
County are found the names and the dates of arrival in
Texas of the population of the Beaumont area in 1838 who applied
for land grants. It was written with pen and ink primarily
in the handwriting of Col. Henry Millard, one of the
heroes of the Battle of San Jacinto. Col. Millard, one of Gen.
Houston’s staff, named the town of Beaumont and the county
of Jefferson for his brother-in-law Jefferson Beaumont of
Natchez.
In 1838 Jeremiah Goins made an application to the Board of
Land Commissioners of Jefferson County, Texas for a land
grant which was accepted and forwarded to the State Land
Office in Austin where the originals on crisp, yellowing old
paper may be found today. The application read:
“I do solemnly swear that I was a resident of Texas at
the date of the Declaration of Independence, that I did
not leave the country during the campaign of the spring
of 1836 to avoid a participation in the struggle, that I
did not refuse to participate in the war and that I did
not aid or assist the enemy, that I have not previously
received a title to my quantity of land and that I conceive
myself justly entitled under the constitution and
laws to the quantity of land for which I now apply.
Jeremiah [X] Going”
Anglo citizens were entitled to “a league and a labor,” 4,605
acres, if they could sign the above oath. Free Negros, mulattos,
Melungeons and Indians were generally passed over.
Jeremiah Goins may have received his land grant and sold his
patent. In any event, when he appeared in Limestone County,
Texas in 1850, he was not recorded as a land owner.
In 1896, David Reynolds, 78 years old and a resident of Atascosa
County, Texas gave an affidavit to the Dawes Commission,
“I was present when he [Jeremiah Goins] proved himself
by white men and Indians that he was a Choctaw Indian at
Nacogdoches County in 1848 in the latter part of August.”
On October 16, 1850 his household was enumerated in Limestone
County in the federal census, page 759 as Household
163-163:
“Goins, Jeremiah 58, born in Mississippi, farmer,
illiterate, mulatto
Charity 58, born in Louisiana
Ransom 24, born in Louisiana
Sebern 22, born in Louisiana
Caroline 20, born in Louisiana
Robert 19, born in Louisiana
James 16, born in Texas
Robert 14, born in Texas
Reuben 13, born in Texas
Adaline 15, born in Texas
Emily 9, born in Texas
Jeremiah 5, born in Texas
Mary 2, born in Texas”
In an adjoining household, No. 164-164, was enumerated the
family of Henry Goins, son of Jeremiah Goins.
From the two census returns, it is believed that Sarafina Drake
Goins was the first wife of Jeremiah Goins and Charity Goins
was his second. It is suggested that Sarafina Drake Goins was
the mother of Henry Goins, Ransom Goins, Evaline Goins,
Seaborn Goins, Caroline Goins, Robert Goins, James Goins
and Adeline Goins. It is believed that Charity Goins was the
mother of the second Robert Goins, Reuben Goins, Emily
Goins, Jeremiah Goins and Mary Goins. The second Robert
Goins and Reuben Goins may have been foster children of
Jeremiah Goins. It is believed that Emily Goins, Jeremiah
Goins and Mary Goins were the children of Jeremiah Goins
and Charity Goins.
Jeremiah Goins was a resident of San Saba County, Texas
May 21, 1857 when his daughter Adeline Goins was married
to Lewis A. Mulkey.
Jeremiah Goins does not appear as the head of a household in
the index of the 1860 census of Texas compiled by Accelerated
Indexing Systems. “Jerry Goins, Sr.” was enumerated as
the head of a household in the 1870 census of Atascosa
County, page 171, living near Pleasanton, Texas. Other Goins
households in the 1870 census of Atascosa County included R.
G. Goins, page 171; Ransom Goins, page 194; Sarah Goins,
page 202; Rayborn Goins, page 204; Hardinia Goins, page
199; James Goins, page 204 and Josephine Goins, page 194.
“Jeremiah Goens of Hays County, Texas” received a deed
from Robert Mays of Hays County to 535 acres lying in Hays
and Burnet Counties, according to Travis County, Texas Deed
Book L, page 419.
It is believed that Jeremiah Goins and Charity Goins removed
to San Antonio, Texas about 1873. “Jerry” Goins received a
deed to Lots 37, 38, 39 and 40 in San Antonio from Juan Jose
Flores September 18, 1873 for $1,500, according to Bexar
County Deed Book 1, page 116.
Jeremiah Goins appeared as the head of a household in the
1880 census of Bexar County, Enumeration District 22, page
17 on June 11, 1880:
“Goins, Johan 80, born in MS, father born in MS,
mother born in MS, mulatto,
farmer
Charity 70, born in MS, father born in MS,
mother born in MS, wife
Morris, Lisie 16, born in TX, father born in
TX, mother born in TX, niece”
The household of Lewis A. Mulkey, his son-in-law, was also
enumerated nearby June 10, 1880 in Enumeration District 22,
page 16. Charity Goins died May 31, 1881 at Pleasanton,
Texas and was buried in San Jose Cemetery near San Antonio
“on property which they owned,” according to Howard Goins.
Jeremiah Goins died August 18, 1883, according to Howard
Goins, however “Jeremiah Goins, Sr.” [probably his estate] received
a deed February 12, 1884 to 160 acres in Survey 14, located
on Atascosa Creek 19 miles southeast of San Antonio
for $140 from Lewis A. Mulkey and Adeline Goins Mulkey,
his daughter, according to Bexar County Deed Book 33, page
149.
The will of Jeremiah Goins, written November 2, 1882 and
was filed for probate August 14, 1883 and was recorded in
Bexar County Probate Book J, pages 176-178. The document
has been transferred to the archives of the Bexar County
Clerk’s office.
A deed and a release dated June 30, 1886 signed by Jeremiah
Goins, Jr. “son of Jerry Goins” and Alice Goins, his wife,
recorded in Bexar County Deed Book 48, page 380 mentions
that “my mother and father are buried here.” Consideration of
the 160 acres of land was $800. Apparently this was the land
purchased from the Mulkeys in 1884. This burial ground in
1992 was known as Oakley Cemetery. The descendants of
Jeremiah Goins and Sarafina Goins gathered there June 27,
1992 for a family reunion.
Early day range men in Texas classified three kinds of soil in
the state–Bowie soil which would support 20 cows to the acre,
Travis soil which would support 10 cows to the acre and
Gowen soil which would support only five cows per acre. It is
speculated that since Jeremiah Goins was the only member of
the family contemporary with Travis and Bowie in Texas,
Gowen soil was named for him. [Col. William Barrett Travis
and Col. Jim Bowie died in the Battle of the Alamo.]
On September 9, 1896 evidence was introduced in United
States Citizenship Court in Indian Territory that the names of
Henry Goins, William Goins and James Goins together with
their children [unnamed] appeared on the 1874 census roll of
Kiamitia County, Indian Territory. An application was made
for the enrollment as Choctaws by blood “Robert Goins and
99 others, all claiming to be children and grandchildren of
Jeremiah Goins, a half-blood Choctaw and a recognized
member of the Choctaw Nation in Mississippi” was filed with
the Dawes Commission and evidence in support thereof, consisting
of numerous affidavits, submitted. The record shows:
“Jeremiah Goins was a mixed-blood Choctaw, possessing
somewhere between one-half and seven-eighths
Choctaw blood; that his father was Philip Goins, his
mother Oti. Philip Goins was about three-quarters
Choctaw, while Oti was a full blood. Jeremiah Goins
and his family were members of the Choctaw Nation in
Mississippi. The record shows that he was one of the
frontiersmen alternating between the Choctaw Nation
and Texas; that he was always acknowledged by those
who knew him to be a Choctaw Indian; that he acted as
an interpreter in proceedings in which Choctaws
appeared.”
The Dawes Commission on December 1, 1896 denied the request
of the applicants stating that “a Choctaw Indian, to be
entitled to enrollment should have at some time prior to the act
of 1898 established a residence in the Choctaw Nation.”
Additionally the Commission stated that the names of the descendants
of Jeremiah Goins did not appear on the tribal rolls.
The family appealed the decision. On December 1, 1896 its
attorneys presented the appeal to the United States Court for
the Southern District, Indian Territory at Ardmore, Oklahoma
for the family members to be admitted to the Choctaw rolls.
The attorneys introduced over 50 pages of typewritten
material in evidence of blood, residence and tribal affiliation.
They were successful on this occasion:
“Decree entered admitting the following persons:
Robert Goins, Elizabeth Goins, Seaborn Goins, Calvin
Goins, Caroline Goins, John Goins, Elizabeth Goins,
Minereva Goins, William Henry Goins, Samantha
Goins, James Goins, James Goins, Jr, Randolph Goins,
Lizzie Goins, Rayborn Goins, Thomas L. Goins,
William Goins, Collin Goins, Eli Goins, Rayborn
Goins, Campbell Goins, Martha Margaret Goins, Missouri
E. Goins, Amanda May Goins, Dinkey Goins,
Reuben Goins, Mary Goins, Cordelia Goins, Jeremiah
Goins, Jr, Monroe Goins, William Goins, Frank Goins,
Leonard Goins, Mrs. Evaline Paddieo [Padier], Reuben
Paddieo, John Paddieo, Evaline Paddieo, Martha
Paddieo, W. C. Tasso Paddieo, James Paddieo,
Amanda Paddieo, Jerry M. Morris, G. W. Morris,
Spencer W. Morris, Jr, Sarah Morris, Kansas Morris,
Mrs. Emily Perrice [Perez], G. W. Nevils, Ike Perice,
Josephine Perrice, Josephine Perrice, Mary Perrice,
Anna Perrice, Alonza Perrice, Caroline Perrice, Mrs.
Mary Southward, W. C. Southward, William Southward,
Elizabeth Southward, John F. Southward, James
Marion Southward, Jessie Myrtle Southward, Maggie
May Southward, James Melton Gardner, Margaret
Lugene Gardner, Manda Eldora Gardner, Cora Lee
Gardner, J. M. Gardner, Ebenezer S. Morris, Gertrude
E. Morris, Jesse W. Morris, Jesse Coleman Morris,
Augusta B. Morris, Wilmuth Morris, Nora Lee Morris,
Mollie Morris, Cora May Morris, Kansas Viola Morris,
Frank C. Jones, James Jones, Jesse Jones, Gypsie
Jones, Frank C. Jones, Ignathia Marjories, Susie Marjories,
Reams Marjories, Joe Perrice, Ignathia Perez, Jr.
Eugene Dias, Albert Dias, Clara Androda [Andrade],
Christoval Androda, Mrs. Josephine Priest, Adella
Taylor, Pearline Taylor, Anzo Taylor, William Martin
Taylor, Josephine Taylor and Clara Taylor.”
A judgment was rendered in favor of the family December 21,
1897:
“In the United States court in the Indian Territory,
Southern District at a term begun and held at Ardmore,
in the Indian Territory, on the 15th day of November,
A.D. 1897. The Hon. Hosea Topwnsend, judge. The
following order was made and entered of record, to
wit:
Robert Goins et al vs. The Choctaw Nation, No. 127
Judgement
At this time came on to be heard the report of the
master in chancery, filed herein June 23, 1897, and at
the same time came the applicants by their attorneys;
and it appearing to the court that the applicants herein
through their attorneys have excepted to the report of
said Master in chancery, wherein he recommends that
those of the applicants who are nonresidents of the Indian
Territory be denied the right to have their names
enrolled as members of the tribe of Choctaw Indians,
and the court, after hearing said exceptions and being
fully advised in the premises, is of the opinion that said
exceptions be, and the same are hereby, sustained; and
it appearing to the court from the report of said master
and from the evidence filed herein that all of the applicants
are members of the tribe of Choctaw Indians:
It is therefore considered, adjudged and decreed by the
court that Robert Goins and his wife, Elizabeth Goins
and Seaborn Goins, Calvin Goins, Caroline Goins,
John Goins, Elizabeth Goins, Minerva Goins, William
Henry Goins and Samontha Goins, the children of
Henry Goins, deceased and James Goins and his children,
James Goins, Jr. and Randolph Goins and Lizzie
Goins; and Rayborn Goins and children, Thomas L.
Goins, William Goins, Collin Goins, Eli Goins, Rayborn
Goins, Campbell Goins, Martha Margaret Goins,
Missouri E. Goins, Amanda May Goins and Dinkey
Goins; and Reuben Goins and children, Mary Goins
land Cordelia Goins; and Jeremiah Goins, Jr. and children,
Monroe Goins, William Goins, Frank Goins, and
Leonard Goins; and Mrs. Evaline Paddieo [Padier] and
her children, Reuben Paddieo, Tasso Paddieo, John
Paddieo, Evaline Paddieo, Martha Paddieo, James
Paddieo and Amanda Paddieo; and the children of
Caroline Morris whose name was Caroline Goins, to
wit: Jerry M. Morris, G. W. Morris, Spencer W. Morris,
Jr. Sarah Morris and Kansas Morris; and Mrs.
Emily Perrice [Perez] and G. W. Nevils, her son by her
first husband, William M. Nevils, and her children by
her second husband, Antonio Perrice, to wit, Ike Perrice,
Josephine Perrice, Mary Perrice, Anna Perrice,
Alzona Perrice, and Caroline Perrice; and Mrs. Mary
Southward and her husband, W. C. Southward and
their children, William M. Southward, Elizabeth
Southward, John F. Southward, James Marion Southward,
Jessie Myrtle Southward, and Maggie May
Southward; and the children of Sallie Goins who married
J. M. Gardner, viz. James Melton Gardner, Margaret
Lugene Gardner, Manda Eldora Gardner and
Cora Lee Gardner, and the said J. M. Gardner; and the
children of J. M. Morris, who was a son of Caroline
Morris, viz, Ebenezer S. Morris, Gertrude E. Morris,
Jesse W. Morris, Jesse Coleman Morris and Augusta B.
Morris; and the children of G. W. Morris, viz, Wilmuth
Morris, Nora Lee Morris, Mollie Morris, Cora May
Morris and Kansas Viola Morris; and the children of
Sallie Morris who married Frank C. Jones, viz, Frank
C. Jones, James Jones, Jesse Jones and Gypsie Jones
and the said Frank C. Jones; and the children of
Josephine Marjories, who was a daughter of the said
Emily Perrice, viz, Ignathia Marjories, Susie Marjories
and Reams Marjories; and the children of Ike Perrice,
who was son of Emily Perrice, viz, Joe Perrice and Ignatia
Perrice, Jr; and the children of Mary Dias, who
was a daughter of Emily Perrice, to wit, Eugene Dias
and Albert Dias; and the children of Anna Androda
[Andrade], a daughter of Emily Perrice, to wit: Clara
Androda and Christoval Androda; and the grandchildren
of Jeremiah Goins, to wit, Mrs. Josephine Priest
and her children by her former husband, namely,
Adella Taylor, Pearline Taylor, Anzo Taylor, William
Martin Taylor, Josephine Taylor and Clara Taylor are
all members of the Choctaw Tribe of Indians and as
such are entitled to have their names enrolled as members
of said tribe of Choctaw Indians by blood, except
as to the said W. C. Southward, who is a member of
said tribe by intermarriage, and Elizabeth Goins, the
wife of Robert Goins, who is a member of said tribe by
intermarriage.
It is further considered, adjudged and decreed by the
court that the Choctaw Nation, the defendant, pay all
costs in this behalf expended and incurred, for which
execution may issue.
It is further considered, adjudged and decreed by the
court that the clerk of this court certify this judgment to
the Commission of the United States to the Five Civilized
Tribes for its observance. To which judgment of
the court the defendant, the Choctaw Nation, in open
court duly excepted.”
Mary Harmon Wallace of Ratliff City, Oklahoma, a
descendant of Jeremiah Goins and a member of the Editorial
Board of Gowen Research Foundation, wrote an explanation
of the difficulty that faced the Choctaw Goins individuals in
being enrolled as members of the tribe in Oklahoma:
“A question often asked, ‘If Jeremiah Goins was half or
more Choctaw Indian, why wasn’t the Goins family admitted
to the Choctaw Indian Rolls?’
The general public has never understood and most do
not now understand that Indian descent, Indian blood
of any tribe, no matter how well authenticated, did not
entitle one to tribal citizenship.
During the enrollment period many applications were
presented by people claiming to have Indian blood,
others who had lived outside the Nation and had never
been recognized as citizen of any tribe. Having Indian
blood did not of itself confer citizenship. The claimants
continued, however to harass the Dawes Commission
until 1902, when Congress settled the matter by a law
stating that no application would be received from any
person who was not a recognized citizen of a tribe.
The Citizenship Court set up under the terms of the
compact in existence from 1902 to the end of 1904. It
rendered a decision the 17th day of December 1902, in
the case styled, The Choctaw and Chickasaw Nation of
Tribes vs J.T. Riddle, et al. Their decision was, that the
Federal Courts of the Indian Territory had not followed
the correct procedure, by allowing suit to be brought
against each tribe separately, and by trying the cases,
de nove, instead of admitting only the evidence
submitted to the Dawes Commission.
This ruling gave the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nation
the desired opportunity for rehearing of their cases
before the Citizenship Court, and they secured an
almost complete reversal, the claims of about 3,400
persons for citizenship in the five tribes were rejected
and about 156 were sustained. (Ref. Report Select
Commission, I, Report of Commission of Indian
Affairs, 1903, Commission of the Five Civilized Tribes
annual paper, 1904, and in Angie Debo’s “The Rise
and Fall of the Choctaw Republic” University of
Oklahoma, Norman: 1961.)
In the case of Robert Goins et al. #127 vs The Choctaw
Nation, Robert Goins listed 98 other Goins family
members, the judgement dated 21st day of December
1897, stated the listed members ‘were members of the
Tribe of Choctaws.’
On the 17th day of December 1902, the decree of the
United States Court was ‘vacated’ by a decree of the
Citizenship Court, (by the above 1902 ruling,). On 3
March 1903, the family was to get a new trial, then on
29 July 1904 a decree was entered denying all
claimants. In September 1904, 47 children’s application
was denied by the commission
The case was closed 15 September 1904. The case was
reviewed the 22nd day of April 1909. The matter was
terminated 3 June 1909. ‘The Indian Office Secretary
could find no evidence that the family had established
residence in the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory.’
Robert Goins and some family members were awarded
land in the vicinity of Ada, Indian Territory, but had to
give the land up in 1904. Caroline (Callie) had land at
Ireton (Alex), Indian Territory.
Ransom and Reuben Goins were the smart ones, they
just married full blood Indians and became members of
the tribe by intermarriage. (Ref. Court Records from
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Muskogee, Oklahoma,
Records of The Citizenship Courts at Tishomingo,
Oklahoma).”
On December 17, 1902 the decree of the United States Court
was “vacated” by a decree of the Citizenship Court in a “test
case.” On March 3, 1903 it was announced that the family
was to get a new trial. On July 29, 1904 a decree was entered
denying all claimants.
In September 1904 applications for enrollment of children
listed below was denied by the Commission. One of the
opinions read:
“The right of the applicants’ father, John H. Goins, to
citizenship in the Choctaw Nation having been
adversely determined by a decree of the Choctaw and
Chickasaw citizenship court, it is hereby ordered that
the application for enrollment as citizens by blood of
the Choctaw Nation be dismissed:
Leroy Goins, Albert Goins, Georgia Goins, Paul Goins,
Minneola Goins, Henry Goins, Jewel Goins, Starley
May Goins, Jesse Goins, Tomer A. Goins, Henry A.
Goins, William B. Goins, Allie May Goins, General
Jackson Hinkle, Bessie M. Jones, Flora Leona Jones,
Buel Bradford Jones, Frank Delmer Jones, James I.
Paddieo, John L. S. Cox, Eva Paddieo, Josie Paddieo,
William Adolphus Ramsey, Effie S. Southward, Susan
Southward, Edith Southward, William W. Morris, Lula
Mamie Morris, Andrew J. Dorn, Tommy O. Dorn,
Robert A. Dorn, Lenora May Laxton, Maggie Edwards,
Roy Edwards, Elizabeth Martinez, Alzina Martinez,
Ida Padier, Seborn Goins, Nellie Marjories, Manuel
Marjories, Jr, Fred Lee Marjories, Ida Goins, Ruby
Viola Goins, Joseph Goins, Conception Perrice [Perez],
Ella Perrice and Stella Perrice.”
The case was closed September 15, 1904. The Indian Office
reviewed the case April 22, 1909. The matter was finally laid
to rest June 3, 1909. The Indian Office Secretary could find
no evidence that the family had established residence in
Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. Eighty-one years later
genealogists are just as hard-pressed to find evidence of residence.
It is believed that children born to Jeremiah Goins and his two
wives include:
Henry Goins born in 1824
Ranson Goins born in 1825
Evaline Goins born in 1826
Seaborn Goins born in 1828
Caroline Goins born in 1830
Robert Goins born in 1831
James C. Goins born in 1834
Adeline Goins born in 1835
Robert Goins born in 1836
Reuben A. Goins born in 1837
Emily Goins born in 1841
Jeremiah Goins, Jr. born in 1845
Mary Goins born in 1848
William Gowen Killed by Blow
From Kinsman in Fistfight
William Gowan and John Lewis were involved in a fistfight
which resulted in the death of William Gowan, according to
a newspaper article in “The Carolina Spartan” in its
edition of Wednesday, December 15, 1880. The article was
reproduced in “Old Spartanburg District Genealogy,”
Vol. 2, through the courtesy of Dr. James L. Reid of
Campobello, South Carolina, according to the research of
Beverly Turner Smith of Smyrna, Georgia. The article read:
“Sunday evening the 6th instant, William Gowan, near
Inman, and John Lewis, the husband of his grand-
daughter got into a quarrel, both being excited by
whiskey, and Lewis, about 25 years old, struck Gowan,
who is about 69, over the head with his fist. The
females then ran out of the house and do not know
what took place afterwards. Monday, Gowan was
walking about in a sort of delirious condition.
Thursday evening he went to bed and remained in a
comatose condition until Friday night when he died.
Saturday, Drs. Dean and Chapman made a post mortem
examination and made oath Sunday at the Coroner’s
inquest that Gowan’s skull was fractured and that
congestion of the brain took place. Sunday, Coroner
Ezell held an inquest, but the verdict has not been
published. Lewis has not been arrested. He is a native
of Georgia. Gowan moved from Union County to
Spartanburg County.”

3) Dear Cousins

We went to the National Central Library in Seoul last
Friday. I took along a roll of microfilm of American
Revolutionary War files and actually forgot I wasn’t at home
in Dallas while reading them. I hesitate to go back on the train
here without more practice. Seoul is a 40-minute ride from
Puchon, and it has 10,000,000 people. Only 1 in 10 of them
owns an automobile. That means the other 9,000,000 are on
the train! Chan Edmondson, New Prince Hotel, Puchon,
Korea.
==Dear Cousins==
Enclosed are copies of some of the Melungeons who were
in Hancock County, Tennessee as early as 1780. For some
reason or another, some of these families would have a child
born in North Carolina, the next one born in Tennessee, the
next one back in North Carolina, or possibly in Kentucky.
They came and went, so to speak.
We have to remember that the earlier writers, such as
[Gov. John] Sevier was mystified about their origin and stated
that they were not white, black or Indian. One thing for
certain, the Melungeons are some of the most beautiful people
in the world! Ruth Johnson, 3705 Bloomingdale Road,
Kingsport, TN, 37660
==Dear Cousins==
I am enclosing “Hastain’s Index to Choctaw and
Chickasaw Deeds and Allotments” from Oklahoma State
Archives. You will note among the Choctaws who received
tribal land between 1904 and 1910 that 69 family members by
the names of Goin/Goins/Going/Goings/Goen were included
as grantees. Dawes Commission records show that a majority
of these 69 individuals are related to each other. Della Nash
Ford, 2515 N.W. 26th, Oklahoma City, OK, 73107.
==Dear Cousins==
Thanks for the proofs of manuscript pages 3901-14 dealing
with my ancestor Charles Gowens [Revolutionary sharpshooter]
of Henry County, Virginia and descendants. Enclosed
is a copy of the family birth record of James Blair
Gowens, his youngest son, from the bible of Mary Frances
Turner Dosh, granddaughter of James Blair Gowens. You will
note the bible specifies month, day and year of the births of
James Blair Gowens, his two wives who were sisters and their
nine children. Please include these in your next update. Greg
A. Bennatt, Box 1716, Newport, OR, 97365.
==Dear Cousins==
Delighted to hear of the Foundation [membership
enclosed] and your kind offer to send back issues of the
Newsletter to new members.
Hopefully, someone knows of my Goins and Helton families.
Thomas Goins [b TN] and Orpha Helton Goins are in
Hamilton County, TN in the 1850 census and moved to
Bledsoe County, TN before the 1860 census. They raised
their family and died in Bledsoe County. My ggm Mary
Goins [b1876] married John Douglas in Bledsoe County and
died there in 1899. Have heard the Goins and Heltons may
have been Indian or Melungeon. Can anyone help? Kenny
Ann Wood, 8718 S. 68 E. Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 74133.
==Dear Cousins==
Thanks so much for the information on my ancestors
Thomas Goin and Jemima Sinness Goin. Their daughter,
Polly Goin was married to Jacob Coots. Their daughter,
Jestern Coots was my g-g-grandmother. She married John
George Castoe. My Goin, Coots and Sinness families are
Cherokee Indians. Do your records reflect this? Elaine C.
Eltgroth, Box 1220, Chester, CA, 96020.
==Dear Cousins==
It was a lucky day for me when I learned about the Gowen
Foundation and the Newsletter! The Goins family and the
Melungeons have been interests of mine for a long time. So it
is wonderful to be associated with a group of people who are
interested in the same thing. You know you are not wasting
stamps when you write to a member of the Foundation. I have
received so many wonderful letters from the Newsletter
readers and they have been so helpful to me.
Virginia Easley DeMarce wrote to suggest that I read
“The Misty Blue Hills, A History of Cocke County,
Tennessee” in connection with my Nancy Bibee Goins. I
replied that I would try to obtain it through Inter-Library Loan.
By return mail she sent me her copy of the book with a note to
keep it as long as I needed it. She’s a wonderful research
buddy who has been so helpful to me with valuable
suggestions. This is a wonderful spirit, and I find it
throughout the Gowen organization. Louise Goins
Richardson, 2207 E. Lake Street, Paragould, AR, 72450.
P.S. I found my Nancy Bibee Goins and her family in
Virginia’s book–right in the middle of the Cherokee Indians.

4)  GRF Library Receives Volume
On Pioneer Alabama Church

Kenneth L. Newman, Editorial Board Member of
Jacksonville, Alabama recently contributed a copy of a
pioneer Alabama church roll compiled by Mary Pope White, a
member of Gowen Research Foundation. He wrote:
“I am enclosing for the Library a copy of “Union
Grove Methodist Church Membership Roll,
1871-1960.” The church is located at Rock Run, Alabama
in Cherokee County. As you can see, the book is much
more than a membership roll. Mary Pope White has added
a great deal of genealogical data to the individual listings.
You will note the detailed information on my Gowens and
Pope ancestors. I appreciate receiving the new Gowens
information on Fairfield County, South Carolina. I will
not be able to study it until my return from Germany. At
that time I will provide the Foundation with a lot of North
Carolina marriage records of interest to Gowen
chroniclers. I have the Virginia 1784 census records and
will abstract Gowen enumerations for the Foundation.”
Family researchers are encouraged to continue to deposit
copies of their research in the Foundation Library. Holdings of
the Library will not be limited to books and publications.
Members are invited to forward copies of manuscripts,
an-cestor charts, newspaper clippings, bible records, reports of
anniversaries, reunions, vital statistics, obituaries, citations,
census reports, military records, pension applications and
every scrap of data that will help to tell the story of the
family.
When the material is published in a proposed series of
volumes, credit will be given to every contributor.
The Foundation Newsletter is mailed only to members who
have purchased memberships, plus the historical and
ge-nealogical libraries on our mailing list. Additionally sample
copies will be mailed to prospective members upon request.
If you wish to participate in the Foundation, you may clip [or
reproduce] the membership coupon below. Indicate the type
of membership you prefer, and Linda McNiel, Foundation
secretary, will issue your 1990 Membership Card.
The form below may also be used to request gift memberships
for members of your family. The Foundation will send Gift
Cards acknowledging your thoughtfulness, both to you and the
recipients.

Gowen Research Foundation Newsletter
Arlee Gowen, Editor
Linda McNiel, Circulation
Membership Application
Gowen Research Foundation
Phone: 806/795-8758 or 795-9694
5708 Gary Avenue
Lubbock, Texas, 79413
Fax: 806/795-9694
E-mail:gowen@llano.net
Internet: http://www.llano.net/gowen

___________________________________________________________

NOTE:  The above information produced by the Gowen Research Foundation (GRF), and parts of the “Gowen Manuscript” they worked on producing.  It has tons of information – much of it is correct, but be careful, some of it is not correct – so check their sources and logic.  I’ve copied some of their information in the past researching my own family, only to find out there were some clear mistakes.   So be sure to check the information to verify if it is right before citing the source and believing the person who researched it before was 100% correct.  Most of the information I found there seems to be correct, but some is not.

Their website is:  Internet: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gowenrf

There does not seem to be anyone “manning the ship” at the Gowen Research Foundation, or Gowen Manuscript site any longer, and there is no way to contact anyone about any errors.   The pages themselves don’t have a mechanism to leave a note for others to see any “new information” that you may have that shows when you find info that shows something is wrong, or when something has been verified.

Feel free to leave messages about any new information found, or errors in these pages, or information that has been verified that those who wrote these pages may not have known about.