Charles was born in Legaginny, Ballintemple, Cavan abt 1864 to John COWAN and Fanny WEIR. He was one of 8 siblings: William, Jennie, Elizabeth, Margaret, Fannie, Isabella and Hannah. This photo is from abt 1900, Staten Island, N. Y. To his left is his wife Lily COWAN, maiden name JANES. Their daughter, Mary Jane (May) COWAN, (my grandmother) is the little girl with all the long ringlets. Charles' mother-in-law, sitting, is Mary Jane JANES. I don't know who the 2 others are, but I suspect the woman is one of Charles' sisters and her daughter.
Charles immigrated in 1882, joining his sisters on Staten Island. By 1887 Charles was part of a group of 8 men who formed a volunteer fire department. One of those men was the son of Mary Jane JANES, William Henry Janes who is Lily's brother.
I believe Charles' only sister to not emigrate was Isabella and I don't have any further information about her. Actually in 2019 I found out that Charles' had a brother William whom I did not know about. William took over the lease for the land after their father died. In the 1901 Ireland census, Isabella is living with William and his family. I was able to learn about William from the Land Valuation Books, his marriage record showing who his father was, and the Census.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Cowan - American Fireman certif of membership 19 Apr 1887.pdf (1014.73 KB) | 1014.73 KB |
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1864 (circa) | |
| Date of Death | 2nd Aug 1942 | |
| Father (First Name/s and Surname) | John Cowan | |
| Mother (First Name/s and Maiden) | Fanny Weir | |
| Spouse (First Name/s and Maiden/Surname) | Lily Janes | |
I believe we may connect, as we have Cowans from County Cavan in my Hislop (sometimes Heaslip) Line. Our Hislops were from Coolnacarrig County Cavan. I can look at my tree to look up the exact name of my Cowan ancestors.
If you are on Gedmatch, perhaps we could compare Kit #'s :)
Jean, My apologies. Can you tell I was taking a break from my research? Here is the kit # on Gedmatch if you are still interested: T689361.
Looking at the Griffith's map your Townland is just up the old railroad track from my Cowans who lived adjacent to Arva Road. Arva Rd is just southwest of Ballinagh.
Again, Jean I am sorry this was such a slow response to your message.
Fern in Minnesota
