Sections in this issue:
1) Moses Going, a Revolutionary soldier from Virginia – in Wilkes County, Georgia;
2) U.S. Military History Institute Catalogues Union Soldier Photos;
3) Melungeon Heritage Researchers To Gather at Wise July 9-12;
4) Dear Cousins;
5) U.S. Army Military History Institute Catalogues 27,000 Union Soldier Photographs;
6) From Debtors’ Prison . . . John Gowan Emerges Patriarch Of Family Growing Worldwide;
7) Lincoln Memorial University Established To Keep a Promise to the President;
8) Book Release: “The Melungeons: An Annotated Bibliography: References in Both Fiction and Non-Fiction”;
All Gowen Manuscript Pages and Newsletters: https://goyengoinggowengoyneandgone.com/gowen-research-foundation-pages-and-info/
GOWEN RESEARCH FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER
Volume 9, No. 9 May 1998
1) Moses Going, a Revolutionary soldier from Virginia – in Wilkes County, Georgia
By Anna J. Going Friedman
344 Planters Way, Somerset, Kentucky, 42503, 606/677-9607
It is easy to become frustrated in researching the Going family because of the repeated usage of the same given names in generation after generation. You can be up to your neck in multiple individuals named John, Thomas, William, Moses, Nancy, Elizabeth, etc. Sometimes it requires some digging and some skill to delineate between them For three years I have been trying to decipher the Going code in Livingston and Crittenden Counties, Kentucky and their earlier residence in Wilkes, Warren and Greene Counties, Georgia. Moses Going, a Revolutionary soldier from Virginia, [Newsletter, September 1994] is regarded as the patriarch of the Going indivuals of the Wilkes County area.
Moses Going, born about 1743, is identified as a “son of Agnes Gowen” in “Free African Americans in North Carolina and Virginia” written by Paul Heinegg. He suggests that he was born in January 1743 in Louisa County, Virginia. In 1760 Moses Going “soldier under Capt. William Christian in the regiment of Col. Byrd” received a Land Bounty Certificate.
Moses Going, a Revolutionary soldier, made an oath that he had also served “as a soldier under Capt. James Gunn in Col. Byrd’s regiment in 1760,” according to “Virginia Magazine of History and Biography.” Moses Going was married about 1762, wife’s name Agnes, the same as his mother.
On April 27, 1780, Moses Going was in Henry County, Virginia on the North Carolina border, according to “Virginia Colonial Militia, 1651-1776.” When the Revolutionary war ended, the state of Georgia was opened for intensive settlement, and generous land grants were offered to Revolutionary soldiers to induce them to pioneer there. Moses Going, accompanied by Jesse Going, regarded as his son, accepted the offer, traveling there about 1786. After inspecting the farmland of the area, Moses Going returned to Virginia for his family.
Agnes Going and the younger children remained in Virginia until preparation was made for them in Georgia. She removed to nearby Henrico County about 1786. She appeared on the tax rolls there the following year. She paid tax on “one tithe, two horses and six cattle, according to “The 1787 Census of Virginia.” “Aggy Gowin, parent” was a witness at the marriage of “Elizabeth Gowin” to John Douglas January 29, 1787, according to “Henrico County, Virginia Marriage Bonds, 1780-1851.” About 1789 Moses Going and Agnes Going moved their family to Wilkes County, Georgia.
Moses Going appeared as a taxpayer on 575 acres of second class land in Wilkes County in Capt. William Lucas’ District. He also paid tax on 684 acres of second class land in Franklin County, Georgia in 1790. Nearby residents were John Going, Reuben Going, Aaron Going and William Going. All except William Going were shown as “free mulatto.”
Moses Going owned a gristmill and a sawmill on the Ogeechee River which was mentioned in a 1795 deed from Eleazer Mobley to Francis Beck. The deed refers to the “road leading from Going’s Mill to Georgetown.” Moses Going appeared as a taxpayer on 350 acres of second class land in Wilkes County on the Ogeechee River in the 1800 tax list.
When Warren County was created, primarily with land from Wilkes County in 1793, “Moses Going, William Going and Jesse Going” who seemed to be closely associated were listed as taxpayers on the county’s first tax rolls in 1793 and 1794. Moses Going deeded 100 acres in Warren County to Warren Andrews July 21, 1793 which was “part of 780 acres originally granted to Ignatius Few in 1791,” according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 606. He received a Revolutionary land grant in Warren County in 1799. On October 16, 1800 he sold land “lying partly in Wilkes County and partly in Warren County on the Ogeechee River,” according to Warren County Deed Book B, page 14.
“Moses Going and his wife Agnes Going” gave a deed to James Cozart of Franklin County, Georgia to 648 acres of land May 29, 1795, according to Franklin County Deed Book M, page 132. Consideration was £100 sterling.
They gave a deed to William Stith, Jr. October 7, 1795 to 465 acres, “being the western portion of 750 acres granted in 1791 to Ignatius Few,” according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 365.
It is believed that Moses Going died about 1817 and that Agnes Going survived him. When the “free persons of color” were required to register in Georgia in 1819, she stated to the Columbia County Court clerk that she was 66 years old and had arrived in Georgia in 1787.
Other individuals of interest to Going/Gowen chroniclers also appeared in the “free persons of color” registration. The list of “free blacks,” compiled by W. L. Kennon, county court clerk, was printed in the “Augusta Chronicle & Gazette” in its edition of March 10, 1819:
Individual Born Arrived Age Profession
William Going VA 1777 50 Millwright
William Going GA 19 Farmer [son of William]
Sally Going VA 1790 52 Weaver
Polly Going GA 25 Weaver
Wyat Going GA 28 Blacksmith
Nancey Going GA 23 Weaver
Lucinda Going GA 21 Weaver
Sally Going GA 9
Agness Going VA 1787 66
Patsey Going GA 34 Weaver
[her children]
Thomas Going GA 4
John Going GA 2
Nancey Going GA 27 Weaver
Moses Going [Jr.] VA 1789 45 Farmer
Elizabeth Going GA 8
Sherwood Going GA 11
Children born to Moses Going and Agnes Going are believed to include:
Anne Going born about 1763
John Going born about 1765
Jesse Going born about 1767
James Going born about 1768
Elizabeth Going born about 1769
Mary Going born about 1770
Sherwood Going born about 1772
Moses Going, Jr. born about 1774
Frances “Fanny” Going born about 1785
Shortly after 1800, Livingston County was the destination for a number of people from the Wilkes County area of Georgia. Miles of hostile Indians, undeveloped territory and no roads lay between these two areas of the country. Men, women and children left friends, families and homes for an arduous journey to Kentucky in order to start over again. These were strong, independent, self-reliant people looking for a better life. Free persons of color, mulattos and Melungeons in Georgia had heard that they would be free from discrimination in Kentucky.
Crittenden County, Kentucky was organized in 1842 from Livingston, and that is where I first found my g-g-grandfather, John Levi “Jack” Going [Newsletter, March 1996]. He was a small boy [born in Georgia about 1796] when he was brought to Kentucky in 1806 by John Going whom I regard as his father.
“John Gowin” was immediately in court suing Holmes Sharp for unpaid wages in the amount of $8.60 on August 5, 1806, according to Livingston Court Court Order Book B. The court decided in his favor.
John Going was described as a very determined individual in an old account of him found in the Crittenden County Library in some loose papers:
“The Goens water mill on Brushy Fork near Ripton was one of the first mills in the county. It was owned by a negro [mulatto] whose name was Goens. He came from Georgia and had some property. He and a white woman went to the magistrate to get married, but the officer refused to marry them on account of them belonging to different races.
They went away, but a few days after, they returned for marriage. The woman swore that she had Negro blood in her, which she did. Just before they started, the man cut a vein, and she drank some of his blood. She had his blood in her.”
On July 7, 1801, Garland Going, Reuben Going and Aaron Going, all from Georgia and regarded as kinsmen of John Going, acquired contiguous land in Livingston County. “Garland Gowin” received Patent No. 136 for 400 acres on Crooked Creek. “Reuben Gowin” received Patent No. 137 for 400 acres on Crooked Creek. “Aaron Gowin” received Patent No. 139 for 400 acres on Crooked Creek.
Upon each of their deaths, John Going acquired their land. The last one to die was Garland Going, and John Going paid taxes on Garland Going’s land before his own death in 1819.
Part of the land of Garland Going, 102 acres, was received by Fanny Going, regarded as his daughter. She was married to another Georgian, Isaac Gaskin who paid taxes on the 102 acres until his death. Subsequently Fanny Going Gaskin paid taxes on the 102 acres and an additional 900 acres until her death in 1837. Then John Levi “Jack” Going paid taxes on over 1,000 acres.
John Going died in 1819, and his sons were still trying to settle his estate in 1829.
Children born to John Going include:
John Levi Going born about 1796
Hiram B. Going born about 1799
Abner A. Going born about 1803
Absalom Jefferson Going born about 1805
John Levi Going, son of John Going, was born about 1796 in Georgia. He was brought to Kentucky by his father about 1806. He was married to Rebecca Harris, a white woman, and then trouble began; they were harrassed continually. Minutes of the Crittenden County Court in 1837 and 1838 show that John Levi Going was twiced charged with assault, along with his brother, Abner A. Going. There were several land disputes with their neighbors and many threats. The charges, obviously harrassment, were always dropped before reaching the courtroom.
John Levi Going received a deed from his brothers to 235 acres from his father’s estate in a deed dated September 2, 1842, according to Crittenden County, Kentucky Deed Book A, page 94:
“Abner A. Going, Hiram Going and Jefferson Going, heirs of John Going, Sr, dec’d, to John L. Going, all of Crittenden County, $1 and for the further consideration of relinquishing to John L. all, claim, right, interest and title as heirs to the tract of land containing 235 acres on which John L. Going lives, including a saw and grist mill on Brushy fork of Crooked Creek. This land is a portion of a 400-acre tract granted to John Going, dec’d in his lifetime by patent July 27, 1819 and being the portion that fell to their father in a division between Mary Going, Lucy Going and Massy Going, his sisters and our aunts and being the portion by a division amongst the heirs set apart to John L. Going as a legal heir of their father, John Going, but which since his death been deeded.
Witnesses: Abner Going
Wm. H. Calvert Hiram [X] Going
S. Marble Jefferson Going”
In 1844, John Levi Going and his white wife, Rebecca Harris Going and Abner A. Going and his white wife, Matilda Jenk-ins Going were arrested for the crime of fornication! John and Rebecca removed to adjoining Union County, but their trou-bles followed them. Again their neighbors turned them in and had arrest warrants drawn up against them.
In 1847, it appears that nearly all of the Going clan in north-western Kentucky removed to Missouri and Arkansas where they were accepted and enumerated as white. There their trou-bles ceased and harrassment no longer plagued them.
==O==
There is much more research needed to complete the saga of the Going family in its trek from Virginia to Georgia, to Ken-tucky, to Missouri, to Arkansas and points west. future arti-cles will deal with how they overcame their adversities, be-coming successful and accepted. I wish to acknowledge the assistance of Brenda Joyce Jerome for her help with the Kentucky research and Mary Turpin McPhearson for her help with the Georgia research. –Anna Going Friedman
2) U.S. Military History Institute Catalogues Union Soldier Photos
Capt. George W. Gowen, an engineer in civilian life, had his full-length picture taken shortly after he was commissioned commanding officer of C Company in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. He was resplendent in his new blue uniform with all the gold trim and his sabre at his side. The photograph turned out so well that he had another made on his first leave after the victory in the siege of Ft. Macon, North Carolina.
These two photographs survive today, 133 years after the death of Capt. [later Colonel] Gowen, maintained by U.S. Army preservation specialists in a temperature and humidity controlled, acid-free environment. They are part of a collec-tion of 27,000 photographs of Union Civil War soldiers that have been catalogued and placed online by U.S. Army Military History Institute.
Capt. Gowen was cited October 1, 1963 for outstanding ability in building a military railroad in Kentucky and promoted to major. He was appointed to the staff of Maj-Gen. John G. Parke and moved to Tennessee. He was cited for “conspicuous and gallant conduct” in the Battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Courthouse, Bethesda Church and Petersburg, Virginia, according to “War Department Series,” Volumes 9, 30, 31, 42, 46 and 51.
He was named Assistant Engineer of the Army of the Ohio and made aide-de-camp to Gen. Parke who commanded the Ninth Army Corps. Lt. Col. Gowen participated in the stand-off Battle of Petersburg August 14, 1864. After his miners tunneled into the Confederate trenches and planted explosives, the stalemate was broken in one tremendous explosion. Gowen was promoted on the field to full colonel.
Three days after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, Col. Gowen died [perhaps of wounds] on April 12.
Other soldiers in the photography collection of interest to Foundation chroniclers include Sgt. David Gowen, Pvt. Ben-jamin C. Gowen, Pvt. Gowen Fowles and Pvt. Jacques Gow-ing, according to the Institute’s website. The portraits, some full length and some head-and-shoulders view, generally were taken by professional photographers and show the soldiers in their uniforms with military insignia and accoutrement.
Sgt. David Gowen, California Seventh Regiment, Volunteer Militia, had a seated, waist-up pose. He was wearing a dis-tinctive uniform with exaggerated wavy chevrons.
Pvt. Benjamin C. Gowen, Nevada Volunteer Cavalry, 1st Bat-talion, wearing a fancy uniform, was photographed in a pho-tographer’s studio before a painted backdrop.
Pvt. Gowen Fowles [Fowler?], Company H, 20th Maine Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, was shown in a bust view.
Pvt. Jacques Gowing, Company K, 36th Massachusetts Regi-ment, Volunteer Infantry, was shown in his uniform in a bust portrait. He was born in 1830 and is regarded as the grandson of Sarah Jacques Gowen, a Revolutionary pensioner. In 1861 he was a butcher in Winchenden, Massachusetts. He enlisted as a private in Company A, 21st Massachusetts Infantry Regi-ment August 12, 1861, according to Massachusetts military records. He later served in Company K, 36th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. He re-enlisted in Company D, 56th Mas-sachusetts Infantry Regiment January 1, 1864 and apparently served for the duration.
Smith was the most prevalent name in the 27,000 photographs with 406 individuals of that surname. In the Jones family, 130 soldiers were recorded.
The Institute advises that ultimately the data base will reflect the full range of its photograph collection, ranging from the periods of the Mexican War in the 1840s to recent operations such as those in Somalia and Bosnia. As the photos are scanned, the images will be available for downloading through the data base.
Researchers looking for ancestors or researching particular regiments or looking for authentic items worn or used by the soldiers, have a prime source in the collection.
The Website’s search engine allows a researcher to hunt for a specific ancestor or members of a particular regiment. Once located, a photocopy may be requested by supplying the cata-logue number of the particular photo to the Institute. After in-specting the photocopy, the historian can order a photographic copy of the portrait. Checks should be made payable to “MHI Fund.”
To check the catalogue, the MHI Website can be accessed at http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/PhotoDB.html. For ad-ditional information, historians may address E-mail to steinkel@carlisle-enh2.army.mil or write to U.S. Army Mili-tary History Institute, Attn: Special Collections, 22 Ashburn Drive, Carlisle, PA, 17013-5008, Pho. 717/245-3434.
3) Melungeon Heritage Researchers To Gather at Wise July 9-12
Dr. N. Brent Kennedy will again be the featured speaker at Second Union, a gathering of Melungeon Heritage researchers July 9-12 on the campus at Clinch Valley College in Wise, Virginia. The four-day conference, in addition to a slate of speakers, will include genealogical workshops, computer-based research, folklore and family history.
Registration at $10 per day will include a picnic on the campus lawn. For program details, visitors should contact Connie Clark at 540/523-0891, E-mail: cclark@compunet.net for registration; for accommodations, contact Debbie Short, Norton AAA, Box 597, Norton, VA, 24272, 800/671-2220; for program details, contact Bill Fields, Box 342, Alcoa, Tennessee, 37701, E-mail bfields@pop.usit.net. Registration is limited to 1,000 people.
Book Release:
“The Melungeons: An Annotated Bibliography: References in Both Fiction
and Non-Fiction”
By Barbara Tracy Langdon
Dogwood Press 1998
ISBN: 1-887745-10-6
$8.00 (add $2.00 for mail orders)
The Melungeons: An Annotated Bibliography: References in Both Fiction and Non-Fiction is a reading and research guide containing over 100 titles of books, articles, novels, short stories, and essays written either about Melungeons or about related topics. Each title is followed by a short description intended to assist readers looking for more information on the Melungeons.
Several of the works also include references to the name Goins, Goins, Gowen and Gowens. Langdon a descendent of the Reeves family of Grayson County, Virginia and the Spurlock family of Lee County, Virginia wrote the book as a result of both personal and academic interests. Prof. Langdon is current chair of Humanities at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, NE where she teaches writing and Native American Literature. She will speak at Second Union and be available for questions in one of the “Chat Tents.” Look for the book at local bookstores soon or order by mail:
Barbara Tracy Langdon P.O. Box 80081, Lincoln, NE 68501-0081.
bslangdo@sccm.cc.ne.us, Fax: 402-471-8804
4) Dear Cousins
Information is requested on the Goings/Goins family of Rockingham County, NC. My g-g-gf was Jim Goings, a truck driver who lived around Dillon, SC where he died in the early 1940s. He was a mixed Indian whose family came from NC. His daughter was Ella Clara Goings, my g-gm. Can you help? Melissa Earl, 40-15 12th St, Long Island City, NY, 11101.
==Dear Cousins==
I am very sad to tell you that my mother, Jessie Madge Howard, a Foundation member of Great Falls, MT, passed away very peacefully in her sleep on May 1. Even though my mother was 92, her death came as a surprise to the family. I spoke to her the night before, and we were reviewing some ge-nealogy research. As usual, she was telling me facts that were stored in her head. Her mind was very sharp up until the end, and she was a great family historian. Martha Heinrichs, 1407 Hamilton Way, San Jose, CA, 95125, ichs@eqrthlink.net
==Dear Cousins==
Seeking any information about Lucy Goins who married Charles Fox ca1870-73. Both were African-American [or Melungeon]. Lucy may have been born in VA in March 1848. It is possible that she was married in TN since her first son was born there in 1874, but by 1876 her next child was born in KY and can be found in the 1880 census in Maysville, Mason Co, KY. By 1900 they were living in Butler County, OH. Lucy’s father may have been Linn/Lynn Goins. Thanks for your assistance. Judy Place Maggiore, 473 Shultz Drive, Hamilton, OH, 45013-5106, missplaced@fuse.net.
==Dear Cousins==
I am seeking information on Mary McGowen and William Carithers [b1754] who were married about 1780. He died at Abbeville, SC March 23, 1855. Their son, William Carithers, [b1788] was married to Mary Ann Griffith. He died in Madi-son County, GA. Their son, James Yancy Carithers was born there March 16, 1821. He was married to Maryn Elizabeth Ball, and he died June 6, 1867 in NC.
Mary McGowan is identified as the daughter of James McGowen and Elizabeth Hagood McGowen. James Mc-Gowen operated McGowen’s Ferry on the upper Savannah River in Abbeville County.
William Carithers had brothers: Robert, b1744 Lancaster, PA, m. Mary Luckie; John, b1745, Baltimore, MD, Hugh, James and Samuel, all Revolutionary soldiers, received land grants at Abbeville. Jan McChesney, 125 Spinnaker Way, Portsmouth, NH, 03801, 603/430-2899, janottlc.net
GOWEN RESEARCH FOUNDATION ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
Volume 1, No. 5 May 30, 1998
5) U.S. Army Military History Institute Catalogues 27,000 Union Soldier Photographs
Capt. George W. Gowen, an engineer in civilian life, had his full-length
picture taken shortly after he was com-missioned commanding officer of C
Company in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.
He was resplendent in his new blue uniform with all the gold trim and
his sabre at his side. The photograph turned out so well that he had
another made on his first leave after the victory in the siege of Ft.
Macon, North Carolina.
These two photographs survive today, 133 years after the death of Capt.
[later Colonel] Gowen, maintained by U.S. Army preservation specialists
in a temperature and humidity controlled, acid-free environment. They
are part of a collection of 27,000 photographs of Union Civil War
soldiers that have been catalogued and placed online by U.S. Army
Military History Institute.
Capt. Gowen was cited October 1, 1963 for outstanding ability in
building a military railroad in Kentucky and promoted to major. He was
appointed to the staff of Maj-Gen. John G. Parke and moved to Tennessee.
He was cited for “conspicuous and gallant conduct” in the Battles of the
Wilderness, Spottsylvania Courthouse, Bethesda Church and Petersburg,
Virginia, according to “War Department Series,” Volumes 9, 30, 31, 42,
46 and 51..
He was named Assistant Engineer of the Army of the Ohio and made aide-
de-camp to Gen. Parke who commanded the Ninth Army Corps. Lt. Col.
Gowen participated in the stand-off Battle of Petersburg August 14,
1864. After his miners tunneled into the Confederate trenches and
planted explosives, the stalemate was broken in one tremendous
explosion. Gowen was promoted on the field to full colonel.
Three days after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at
Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, Col. Gowen died [perhaps of
wounds] on April 12. A statue of Col. Gowen was erected in Petersburg, Virginia
Other soldiers in the photography collection of interest to Foundation
chroniclers include Sgt. David Gowen, Pvt. Benjamin C. Gowen, Pvt. Gowen
Fowles and Pvt. Jacques Gowing, according to the Institute’s website.
The portraits, some full length and some head-and-shoulders view,
generally were taken by professional photographers and show the soldiers
in their uniforms with military insignia and accoutrement.
Sgt. David Gowen, California Seventh Regiment, Volunteer Militia, had a
seated, waist-up pose. He was wearing a distinctive uniform with
exaggerated wavy chevrons.
Pvt. Benjamin C. Gowen, Nevada Volunteer Cavalry, 1st Battalion, wearing
a fancy uniform, was photographed in a photographer’s studio before a
painted backdrop.
Pvt. Gowen Fowles [Fowler?], Company H, 20th Maine Regiment, Volunteer
Infantry, was shown in a bust view.
Pvt. Jacques Gowing, Company K, 36th Massachusetts Regiment, Volunteer
Infantry, was shown in his uniform in a bust portrait. He was born in
1830 and is regarded as the grandson of Sarah Jacques Gowen, a Rev-
olutionary pensioner. In 1861 he was a butcher in Winchenden,
Massachusetts. He enlisted as a private in Company A, 21st Massa-
chusetts Infantry Regiment August 12, 1861, according to Massachusetts
military records. He later served in Company K, 36th Massachusetts
Infantry Regiment. He re-enlisted in Company D, 56th Massachusetts
Infantry Regiment January 1, 1864 and apparently served for the
duration.
Smith was the most prevalent name in the 27,000 photographs with 406
individuals of that surname. In the Jones family, 130 soldiers were
recorded.
The Institute advises that ultimately the data base will reflect the
full range of its photograph collection, ranging from the periods of the
Mexican War in the 1840s to recent operations such as those in Somalia
and Bosnia. As the photos are scanned, the images will be available for
downloading through the data base.
Researchers looking for ancestors or researching particular regiments or
looking for authentic items worn or used by the soldiers, have a prime
source in the collection.
The Website’s search engine allows a researcher to hunt for a specific
ancestor or members of a particular regiment. Once located, a photocopy
may be requested by supplying the catalogue number of the particular
photo to the Institute. After inspecting the photocopy, the historian
can order a photographic copy of the portrait. Checks should be made
payable to “MHI Fund.”
To check the catalogue, the MHI Website can be accessed at
http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/PhotoDB.html. For additional
information, historians may address E-mail to steinkel@carlisle-
enh2.army.mil or write to U.S. Army Military History Institute, Attn:
Special Collections, 22 Ashburn Drive, Carlisle, PA, 17013-5008, Pho.
717/245-3434.
==O==
“There is no truth without proof.” [Motto of Southern California
Genealogical Society.]
==O==
6) From Debtors’ Prison . . . John Gowan Emerges Patriarch Of Family Growing Worldwide
By Phillip Alan Gowan
Foundation Boardmember
Box 2121, Myrtle Beach, SC, 29578, 803/626-6384
E-mail: tristandacunha@rocketmail.com
John Gowan was born about 1780 near Ashpole Swamp in Marion County,
South Carolina and was a son of John and Nancy Gowan. When the
border between South and North Carolina was altered, the Gowans found
themselves living in Columbus County, North Carolina. They had not
moved to North Carolina—North Carolina had moved to them.
Little is known of John Gowan, Sr. other than the fact that he made
his will at the turn of the century and probably died about 1800. His
wife survived him, but nothing more is known of her.
At a very young age John Gowan, Jr. was married to Edith Faulk, the
daughter of Richard Faulk and Sarah Hinnant Faulk. They remained in
Columbus County for most of their lives. The family owned a farm near
the present town of Cerro Gordo. John Gowan, Jr. was not a prosperous
man nor was he a good provider for his family, and early records of
Columbus County indicate that he was in “Debtor’s Jail” on more than
one occasion. When his wealthy father-in-law died about 1808, he left
Edith Faulk Gowan’s share of his estate to her children with the
stipulation that they not receive their shares until after their
parents were deceased. One presumes that this was done to prevent
their father from squandering the legacy of Richard Faulk.
John and Edith Faulk Gowan were parents of eight sons and a daughter.
These were, in order of birth, Elias, Garrett, Meredith, William,
Ada, Jesse, John M, Richard and Alexander. All lived to maturity, and
living descendants of all but Garrett, William and Jesse have been
located to date. In the 1820s the children began to scatter. Elias
Gowan went to Decatur County, Georgia where he was successful in the
Georgia gold lottery.
Garrett Gowan went to Horry County, South Carolina where he was
elected sheriff in the 1840s. Ada Gowan was married, husband’s name
Hill, and removed to Georgia. But it was Meredith Gowan’s move which
would most significantly influence the future of the family. About
1826 he set out alone for Mississippi and made his way to the
settlement of Westville in Simpson County. There he married Nancy
Powell, and they lived most of their life in Copiah County,
Mississippi. During the 1830s and 1840s most of the Gowans followed
Meredith to Mississippi. At one time or another, all except Garrett
Gowan and Elias Gowan lived in Simpson or Smith Counties.
In the late 1830s John and Edith Faulk Gowan also left North Carolina
and made their way to what would be their final home–Sylvarena,
Mississippi. John apparently died about 1841, and Edith died in 1842.
Later that year her children began to lay claim to the estate of
their Grandfather Faulk in North Carolina. All in Mississippi sold
their inheritance and none returned to their native state. Elias
Gowan had become a widower about the time of his parents’ deaths, and
he made the decision to return to Columbus County where he lived the
rest of his life. He has an enormous list of descendants still living
on and near the ancestral homeplace. Garrett Gowan died in Horry
County about 1845, after which his family returned to Columbus
County. Meredith Gowan died in 1838 in Copiah County, Mississippi.
William Gowan and Jesse Gowan were both enumerated in central
Mississippi in 1840, but disappear after that census.
When Ada Gowan Hill’s husband died in Georgia, she brought her family
to Sylvarena, Mississippi. Later she moved to Sallis, Mississippi and
finally to Nacogdoches, Texas where she died in the 1860s. John M.
Gowan changed his name to “Gowin,” and his descendants continue to
use this spelling to this day. He died in Sylvarena in 1864. Richard
Gowan left Mississippi after the Civil War and became a prosperous
cattleman in Navarro County, Texas where he died in 1890. Alexander
Gowan settled near Sallis in Attala County, Mississippi.
Today, descendants of this family live in at least 40 states and
several foreign countries with the largest numbers of descendants in
North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas. On the first Saturday of even
numbered years, descendants of all branches of this family gather in
reunion in Kosciusko, Mississippi.
==O==
7) Lincoln Memorial University Established To Keep a Promise to the President
By Warren Tyndale Faulkner
E-Mail: Wtnf@aol.com
13620 SW Rawhide Place, Beaverton, Oregon, 97008-7584
Lincoln Memorial University grew out of love and respect for Abra-
ham Lincoln and today honors his name, values, and spirit. In 1863
Lincoln suggested to Gen. O. O. Howard, a Union officer, that when
the Civil War ended he hoped Gen. Howard would organize a great uni-
versity for the people of northeastern Tennessee.
In the late 1800s, Colonel A. A. Arthur, an organizing agent of an
English company, purchased the area where Lincoln Memorial University
is located. His company built a hotel of 700 rooms called “The Four
Seasons,” as well as a hospital, an inn, a sanitarium, and other
smaller buildings. Roads were laid and the grounds planted with a
wide variety of shrubs and trees. In 1895 the company was forced to
abandon its project when a financial panic swept England.
Rev. A. A. Myers, a Congregationalist minister, came to the Cumber-
land Gap in 1888. He succeeded in opening the Harrow School, estab-
lished for the purpose of providing elementary education to moun-
tain youngsters. On a visit to the area to give a series of lectures
at the Harrow School, Gen. O. O. Howard remembered his commitment to
fulfill Lincoln’s request and he joined Rev. Myers, M. F. Overton,
C. F. Eager. A. B. Kesterson, and M. Arthur in establishing Lincoln
Memorial University. That group, along with Robert F. Patterson, a
Confederate veteran, became a board of directors and purchased the
Four Seasons property. In commemoration of Lincoln’s birthday, the
institution was chartered by the State of Tennessee on February 12,
1897, as Lincoln Memorial University at Harrogte, Tennessee.
Since that time, Lincoln Memorial University has sought to provide
educational opportunities, development of community leadership and
the expansion of economic and social forces within its region. More
than 700 alumni have entered medical or legal practice in Appalach-
ian communities. Another 3,000 have become professional educators,
serving in positions ranging from elementary school teaching to uni-
versity presidencies. Twenty-five graduates have published widely
recognized books, dramas, and musical compositions. Jesse Stuart is
one such author; his various works have been translated into seven
languages.
==O==
8) Book Release: “The Melungeons: An Annotated Bibliography: References in Both Fiction and Non-Fiction”
By Barbara Tracy Langdon
Dogwood Press 1998
ISBN: 1-887745-10-6
$8.00 (add $2.00 for mail orders)
The Melungeons: An Annotated Bibliography: References in Both Fiction
and Non-Fiction is a reading and research guide containing over 100
titles of books, articles, novels, short stories, and essays written
either about Melungeons or about related topics. Each title is followed
by a short description intended to assist readers looking for more
information on the Melungeons. Several of the works also include
references to the name Goins, Goins, Gowen and Gowens. Langdon a
descendent of the Reeves family of Grayson County, Virginia and the
Spurlock family of Lee County, Virginia wrote the book as a result of
both personal and academic interests. Prof. Langdon is current chair of
Humanities at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, NE where she
teaches writing and Native American Literature. She will speak at
Second Union and be available for questions in one of the “Chat Tents.”
Look for the book at local bookstores soon or order by mail:
Barbara Tracy Langdon P.O. Box 80081, Lincoln, NE 68501-0081.
bslangdo@sccm.cc.ne.us, Fax: 402-471-8804
==O==
“No man is himself–he is the sum of his past. There is no
such thing as “was” because the past “is.” It is a part of
every man and every moment. All of his ancestry is a part of him at any
moment.” –William Faulkner, 1957.
___________________________________________________________
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.
Goyen Family Tree 