cowan paper

Stephen Cowen of Acworth: His Family and Descendants through Three Generations

Todd B. D. Frary

HIST 3325 – Introduction to Public History

Spring 2006

1

NOTES ON RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Initial genealogical research on the Cowen family was pursued in the opposite manner in

which genealogists’ typically work (starting with the most recent known generation and working

backwards). This particular course of action was necessitated by the nature and scope of this

project and the desire to locate the descendants of Stephen D. Cowen (1823-1900), the first owner

of what is now known as Cowen House. Due to the limitations of time and available resources

(Federal Census information is sealed for 74 years leaving the 1930 Federal Census as the most

recent one available) the ability to identify and trace 20th Century descendents was profoundly

limited. Complicating matters further was Georgia made no provisions for registering births or

deaths until 1919 making it more difficult to obtain exact dates of birth for many of the early 20th

Century descendants, which turn complicates tracking them and confirming potential dates of

death via the Social Security Death Index.

The majority of the research was also completed prior to positively identifying Steve Cowen’s

mother Jane Cowen Clark, and as a result little time remained to pursue researching her in Hall

and Jackson Counties and trying to locate information on Stephen Cowen’s father. A check of

male Cowens and Cowans marrying a bride with the first name of Jane in Georgia Marriages to

18501 failed to turn up a positive match which indicates they may have married elsewhere.

Considering later censuses indicate Jane Cowen Clark was born in South Carolina that state may

be where the marriage occurred. Gone to Georgia2 makes mention that two Cowans, Robert and

John, moved to Jackson County from South Carolina and these may be either the father of

Stephen Cowen or perhaps their grandfathers. A more complete check of Hall and Jackson

County records could prove beneficial to either clarifying relationships or ruling them out.

This paper is not intended to repeat information on the Cowens and Cowen House that has

been compiled elsewhere, specifically in The Cowen House National Register Nomination3 or

The Cowen House: A Reflection of Acworth4; this work is geared primarily to focus on the

descendents of Stephen Cowen rather than to tell the history of Cowen House or to reiterate what

has been expounded upon elsewhere.

Turning to Acworth, there had been speculation that Stephen D. Cowen may have been related

to John F. Cowan (1818-1900) or Frank N. Cowan (1838-1903)5 but a close familial relation

could not be proved. Cobb County Probate records include a probate file for John Cowan6 but it

lists F. N. Cowan as his sole heir (no relationship is given) and makes no mention of Stephen

Cowen or any of his descendants. Stephen Cowen’s probate file likewise makes no mention of F.

N. Cowen.7 Jane Cowen Clark’s will make no mention of any heirs other than Stephen D. and his

brother E. A. Cowen. This would indicate she was not the mother of either John Cowan or F. N.

Cowan. According to a newspaper account of John Cowan’s death he had lived in Acworth for

34 years, putting his arrival there at 1866, a full decade after Stephen Cowen’s arrival.8 Further

cementing the relationship between John and F. N. Cowan, both are buried in the same plot at

1 Jordan Dodd, “Georgia Marriages to 1850,” www.ancestry.com.

2 William C. Stewart, ed., Gone to Georgia: Jackson and Gwinnett Counties and their Neighbors in the

Western Migration, (Washington DC: National Genealogical Society, 1965, reprinted 1979), 44.

3 Alice Jung and Sallie Ellison Loy, The Cowen House National Register Nomination, (Kennesaw State

University, 2000).

4 Alice Jung, The Cowen House: A Reflection of Acworth, (Senior Seminar, Kennesaw State University,

May 2001).

5 Sarah Blackwell Gober Temple, The First Hundred Years: A Short History of Cobb County in

Georgia, (Atlanta: Cherokee Publishing Company, 1980), 772.

6 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Estate #702, Petition Minutes Book E, pages 478

and 545.

7 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Estate #703.

8 Marietta Journal, 12 March 1900.

2

Liberty Hill Cemetery in Acworth9 (yet ironically close to Stephen Cowen’s plot) and on the

1900 Federal Census F. N. Cowan lists his occupation as gold miner.10 Nearly 40 years earlier

John Cowan had been prospecting for gold out west and was one of the “Four Georgians” who

discovered gold at the Last Chance Gulch in what is now Helena, Montana and in later years he

would be joined by Frank Cowan, a nephew.11

No research has been conducted on the Kemp family who purchased Cowen House in 1918

and owned it for roughly 35 years. While the focus of the research has been on the Cowen family

the Cowan House may benefit from including information on the Kemps for interpretive purposes

and other later owners to help illustrate how the home’s usage changed and evolved over the

years along with the city of Acworth.

The layout of the paper follows generally established National Genealogical Society and

Association of Professional Genealogists guidelines for charting descent regarding numeration.

Each individual is assigned an Arabic numeral in order of precedence of birth (the oldest child is

assigned the lowest number) that corresponds to each succeeding generation (eldest child of the

previous generation’s children are numerated first). The children for a particular couple are

assigned a lower case Roman numeral by order of birth (first child begins with Roman numeral i).

Those children who in turn had progeny are prefaced by a + sign; the absence of a + sign

indicates that child had no documented or known offspring.

Research on the Cowen family is far from complete or exhaustive. Surprisingly a search of

the Georgia Room at the Marietta Main Library, the Atlanta History Center, and the Georgia

Archives failed to turn up any meaningful genealogical files on the Cowen family or Cowen

House. A check of other online genealogical sources similarly failed to turn up any researchers

working on this line of the Cowen family.

9 Temple, 772.

10 1900 Federal Census for Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia, Microfilm Series T623 Roll 188,

Enumeration District 32, page 2B.

11 Montana Department of Environmental Quality Helena Mining District,

http://deq.mt.gov/AbandonedMines/linkdocs/techdocs/98tech.asp. (accessed 02/27/2006).

3

ORIGINS OF THE COWENS IN GEORGIA

The story of the Cowen family is similar to those of countless other Georgian families of the

antebellum era as families began to move westward into the Cherokee Land Lottery area. Prior to

moving to Acworth the family of Stephen D. Cowen (1823-1900) had resided in Jackson County

Georgia, appearing there for the 1850 Federal Census and his widowed mother Jane had

remarried in next-door Hall County in 1840. A number of other Cowen families resided in both

Hall and Jackson Counties at the time of the 1850 Federal Census (see Table 1); the largest

concentration of Cowan’s in Georgia, indicating a possible relationship between Stephen Cowen

and these other families. A research of available Jackson County resources failed to show a

relationship between these Cowan families.

TABLE 112

VISIT NUMBER NAME GENDER AGE PLACE OF BIRTH

#89 George Cowan

Marjory Cowan

William Cowan

Male

Female

Male

86

80

55

NC

NC

GA

#110 Middleton Cowan

Eliza Cowan

Male

Female

53

38

GA

GA

#783 Stephen Cowan

James Cowan

Edward Cowan

John Cowan

Elijah Cowan

Jane Cowan

Juda Cowan

Stephen Cowan

William Cowan

Julia Cowan

Male

Male

Male

Male

Male

Female

Male

Male

Male

Female

56

19

17

15

13

11

09

05

03

21

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

#1079 Stephen D. Cowen

Eliza A. Cowen

Indiana B. Cowen

Ann E. Cowen

Edward C. Cowen

Male

Female

Female

Female

Male

26

25

03

02

01

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

From Gone to Georgia we learn that Middleton Cowan (shown at #110) was the son of

George Cowan (shown at #89). It further indicates they could prove no relation between Stephen

Cowan (shown at #783) to George Cowan.13 Further, this Stephen Cowan already has a son

named Stephen which rules out Stephen D. Cowen as a son. There is a Thomas Cowan who

married a Polly Williamson on 28 August 1808 in Jackson County14, which is intriguing since

Stephen D. Cowan’s first wife’s maiden name is Williamson. Stephen Cowen likely chose to live

in Jackson County as it was the home of his wife’s parents and the two families are enumerated

on the same page for the 1850 Federal Census.15

12 1850 Federal Census for Subdivision 45, Jackson County, Georgia, Microfilm Series M432 Roll 74,

pages 6, 8, 73, and 74.

13 Stewart, 44.



pages 6, 8, 73, and 74.

4

A search of Georgia marriages failed to turn up the records of Stephen Cowen’s mother’s

marriage to his father prior to her remarriage to John Clark in Hall County on 28 January 1840.16

The limited availability of information on the 1840 and prior Federal Censuses restricts the

amount of information that can be gathered on Stephen Cowen’s father. A check of limited

number of resources specific to both Hall and Jackson Counties17 failed to turn up probate or deed

information that would helped determine Stephen Cowen’s father. A physical search of the

public records in both counties may provide additional information on the Cowen family.

Of Stephen Cowen’s twelve known children (Generation Two) only six are known to have had

children, the rest either died young, were unmarried or childless, or nothing is known of them.

The third generation of descents had only grown to 26 in number. The fourth generation of

Cowen descendents is a meager 13 individuals, but this is likely due to the lack of information

available from early 20th Century public records in Georgia. There is some difference of the

spelling of the last name alternately as Cowen and Cowan. The spellings within reflect the

spellings that individual used during most of their life based off of existing records.

By 1918 the Cowen heirs had sold the family home and within 50 years the last of the Cowen

descendants would pass from the scene in Acworth. The story of the Cowens and Cowen House

are the history of Acworth and Georgia in microcosm. Drawn by the lure of available land in the

former Cherokee Territory the Cowens moved west to settle. Acworth grw as other families

joined and in the process the town grew and prospered. In the early years of the 20th Century city

life began to lure people from rural communities like Acworth with the promise of more stable

and financially lucrative jobs and many of the Cowens would move to Atlanta and other cities.

The growing postwar prosperity in the South brought the growth of the suburbs changing the face

of Acworth yet again as city dwellers moved to further out suburbs. That Cowen House still

stands today is testament to how well it was constructed and how it has remained a lynchpin in

the community for 150 years. As the times have changed in Acworth Cowen House has changed

with it.


17 Robert H. and Barbara E. McDonald, ed., Wills and Deeds of Hall County Georgia, Court of Ordinary

Will Book A 1837-1867 & 1868-1890, Will Book A-1 1890-1907 (Wolfe Publishing: 2002); Sybil Wood

McRay, ed., Tombstone Inscriptions of Hall County Georgia, (by the author: 1971); Faye Stone Poss, ed.,

Jackson county, Georgia Will Abstracts, Books A & B 1803-1888 (Wolfe Publishing: 1995); Faye Stone

Poss, ed., Jackson County, Georgia Deed Abstracts, Books E-G, 1808-1822 (F. S. Poss: 2000); Faye Stone

Poss, ed., Jackson County, Georgia Early Court Records 1796-1831 (F. S. Poss: 1994).

5

GENERATION ONE

1. Stephen D. Cowen, born 10 December 1823 in Georgia; died at Acworth, Cobb County,

Georgia on 19 November 1900.18 His first marriage was to Eliza Anntinett Williamson on 25

May 1845 in Hall County, Georgia.19 Eliza Williamson was born circa 1820 in Georgia to Adam

and Elizabeth (Horton) Williamson. Her parents had married in Jackson County, Georgia on 18

January 181020 and remained in the area. Adam Williamson was born in 1787 in Virginia and

Elizabeth Horton was born in 1794 in Georgia.21

The Cowens remained in the area following their marriage and appear in Jackson County for

the 1850 Federal Census.22 The couple’s five known children were likely born in Jackson County

as follows:

+ 2 i. India Cowen, born 25 September 184623, married Robert Montgomery on 11

November 1866 in Cobb County24, died on 1 February 187425 in Acworth

3 ii. Anna E. Cowen, born circa 1848, nothing further

4 iii. Edward W. Cowen, born circa 1849, died on 20 January 188126 at Acworth,

Cobb County, Georgia apparently without issue

5 iv. Arch B. Cowen, born 15 April 1850, died on 20 October 187427 at Acworth,

Cobb County, Georgia apparently without issue

6 v. Stephen S. Cowen, born circa 185228, nothing further

On 5 April 1854 Stephen Cowen purchased the properties in Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia

that would become the site of his future home29 and would relocate there from Jackson County.

Eliza (Williamson) Cowen’s parents would move from Jackson County to Gwinnett County30

during this same period and in later years her widowed mother would settle in Acworth. A year

after purchasing the Acworth properties and the likely beginning of construction of the Cowen

House Stephen Cowen’s first wife Eliza Cowen would die on 11 March 1855.

Stephen Cowen would remarry the following year to Elizabeth Ann Tanner on 19

November 1856 in Cobb County. Elizabeth Tanner was born on 26 January 1837 in Hall County,

18 Elizabeth L. Parker, ed., Cobb County, Georgia Cemeteries Volume II Districts 18, 19 and 20, (Cobb

County Genealogical Society: 1991), 172.




page 74.


page 74.

23 Parker, 172.

24 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Marriages Book A, page 94.

25 Parker, 172.

26 Temple, 772.

27 Ibid.

28 1860 Federal Census for District 20, Cobb County, Georgia, Microfilm Series M653 Roll 117, page

130.

29 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Superior Court, Deed Book A, page 410.

30 1860 Federal Census Place for District 550, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Microfilm Series M653 Roll

125, page 645.

6

Georgia to David and Elizabeth (Chamblee) Tanner. David Tanner was a farmer in Hall County31

and it is possible the Tanner and Cowen families knew each other from their time in the area.

The couple’s six children were born in Acworth as follows:

7 i. T. R. Cowen (male), born circa 185732, nothing further

+ 8 ii. Ella Cowen, born 27 December 1858, married John Westbrooks on 23 December

1875 in Cobb County, Georgia, died on 28 June 1883 at Acworth

+ 9 iii. Henry Burdine Cowan, born 29 January 1867, married Luddie M. Ross in 1889

in Cobb County, died on 17 March 195433 in Marietta

+ 10 iv. Gertrude Cowen, born on 30 April 1869, married George I. Reece on 9 January

1895 in Cobb County, died on 3 March 191134

+ 11 v. William Reid Cowan, born circa 1871, married Elizabeth Johnson circa 1901,

died on 29 December 1940 in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia

+ 12 vi. Cora Cowen, born September 1874, married John Oscar Hilley on 4 May 1890 in

Cobb County, died on 22 November 192035 in Acworth

The Cowen family appears in Acworth for the 1860 Federal Census comprised as shown in

Table 236:

TABLE 2

NAME AGE GENDER PLACE OF BIRTH

S. D. Cowen

E. A. Cowen

I. G. Cowen

A. E. Cowen

E. W. Cowen

A. B. Cowen

S. C. Cowen

T. R. Cowen

Ella Cowen

36

23

13

12

11

9

8

2

1

Male

Female

Female

Female

Male

Male

Male

Male

Female

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

During the Civil War Stephen D. Cowen and his son Edward W. Cowen served as privates in

Company C of Cobb’s Legion. Cobb’s Legion contained at least three other Cowens: :Private

Edward W. Cowen (possibly his son Edward), Private John H. Cowen, and Corporal Elijah

Cowen, who had reached the rank of 2nd Lieutenant by the end of his service.37 A review of the

compiled service records may provide confirmation that the Stephen D. Cowen and Edward W.

Cowen listed there are indeed from this family.

31 Sybil Wood McRay, This ‘N That History of Hall County, Georgia, Volume I, (by the author, 1973),

84.


130.

33 Parker, 172.

34 Ibid.

35 Ibid.


130.

37 National Archives Record Group 109 Microfilm Series M253; Georgia Confederate Soldiers 1861-

1865, Name Roster Volume I A-J, (Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1998), 183.

7

Elizabeth (Tanner) Cowen died on 8 September 1874, likely either during childbirth or

from complications following thereafter. Stephen Cowen would marry for a third time to Mary

Elizabeth Davenport, doing so on 1 August 1876 in Cobb County38. Mary Davenport was born

on 12 November 1842 in Georgia and was the daughter of Thomas Davenport. Thomas

Davenport was born in South Carolina and like Stephen Cowen had come to Acworth in the

1850s. The couple would have three known children, all born in Acworth as follows:

13 i. James Luther Cowen, born 27 March 1879, died 16 August 190539 in Acworth

without issue40

+ 14 ii. Emery L. Cowan, born September 1880

+ 15 iii. Clara Jane Cowen, born 8 May 1884, married Ernest A. Brown on 14 December

1904 in Cobb County, died on 28 January 1968

Stephen Cowen’s family on the 1880 Federal Census was enumerated as shown in Table 341:

TABLE 3


Steve Cowen

Mary E. Cowen

Henry B. Cowen

Gertie B. Cowen

William Cowen

Cora Cowen

Luther Cowen

Jane Clark

56

37

13

11

09

06

01

81

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

GA

Jane Clark, Stephen Cowen’s twice widowed mother, would die on 05 August 1884.42

Stephen Cowen served as executor of her estate which was apportioned between Stephen Cowen

and a brother, E. A. Cowen. 43 By the time of the 1900 Federal Census the Cowen household was

considerably emptier as shown on Table 444:

TABLE 4


Stephen D. Cowen

Mary E. Cowen

75

57

Male

Female

GA

GA

38 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Marriages Book B July 1873-May 1882,

certificate #387.

39 Parker, 172.

40 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Partition Minutes Book I, page 441.

41 1880 Federal Census for Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia, Microfilm Series T9, Roll 141,

Enumeration District 27, page 11.

42 Parker, 131.

43 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Will Book 2A, Estate #599, page 212; Cobb

County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court Partition Minutes Book B, page 423.


Enumeration District 32, Page 10B.

8

James L. Cowen

Emery S. Cowen

Clara J. Cowen

21

19

16

Male

Male

Female

GA

GA

GA

Stephen Cowen would die on 19 November 190045 in Acworth and was buried at the Liberty

Hill Cemetery. By the time of the 1910 Federal census the Cowen household was down to the

widowed Mary (Davenport) Cowen, her son Emery Cowen, his wife Hetty Cowen, and their three

children.46 Mary (Davenport) Cowen would die on 12 September 191247 in Acworth.

GENERATION TWO

2. India Cowen, born 25 September 1846 presumably in Jackson County, Georgia, died on 1

February 1874 in Acworth. India appears as Indiana Cowen on the 1850 Federal Census with her

parents and it is unclear which of the two names is indeed correct. Her name appears more often

as India so that form is used here. India Cowen married Robert A. Montgomery on 11 November

1866 in Cobb Co., GA.48 Not much is known about Robert Montgomery as he does not appear

with India or his children on the 1870 Federal Census49. The couple had two known children,

presumably born at Acworth as follows:

16 i. Eugene Montgomery, born circa 1867, nothing further

17 ii. Roberta Montgomery, born 1869, nothing further

India Montgomery would die on 1 February 187450 in Acworth and was buried in the Cowen

Family Cemetery near the home. Her children do not appear with any of the Cowens in Acworth

for the 1880 Federal Census or for subsequent Federal Censuses so what became of them or their

father remains unknown.

8. Ella Cowen, born 27 December 1858 at Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia, died on 28 June

1883 at Acworth. Ella Cowen would marry John Westbrooks on 23 December 1875 in Cobb

County.51 John Westbrooks was born on 23 Jun 1858 in South Carolina, but little else is known

about him or his ancestry. The couple’s children were born at Acworth as follows:

18 i. William F. Westbrooks, born circa 1876, nothing further

19 ii. Georgia E. Westbrooks, born circa 1878, nothing further

20 iii. Birdy Westbrooks, born 7 October 1882, died 28 June 1883 at Acworth

45 Parker, 172.


Enumeration District 35, page 253B, Part 1, Line 19.

47 Parker, 172.

48 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Marriages, Book A, page 94.

49 1870 Federal Census for Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia, Microfilm Series M593 Roll 144, Page

224.

50 Parker, 172.

51 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Marriages, Book B, page 159.

9

The information on the two older children comes from the 1880 Federal Census52 for the

family. Ella (Cowen) Westbrooks would die on 28 June 1883, the same day as her youngest child

Birdy and it remains unknown if there was a connection between the two events. John

Westbrooks would die on 16 March 1905.

9. Henry Burdine Cowan, born 29 January 1867 at Acworth, died 17 March 195453 at Marietta.

Henry Cowan would marry Ludie M. Ross in 1889 in Cobb County. Ludie Ross was born on 8

September 186954 in Georgia. Their three children were all born at Acworth as follows55:

+ 21 i. Ida Merl Cowan, born 7 December 1890, married Thaddeus Olan Smith circa

1905 in Cobb County

+ 22 ii. Clyde Stephen Cowan, born 3 December 1893, married Georgia Chastain on 3

December 1916 in Cobb County, died on 12 January 1948 in Atlanta, Fulton

County, Georgia

+ 23 iii. Mattie Inez Cowan, born 7 March 1897, married James Andrew Merritt, died 12

July 1968 in Cobb County

Henry Cowan was engaged in farming all of his life as was his father. The Cowan family

were lifelong residents of Acworth and were enumerated there for the 190056, 191057, 192058, and

193059 Federal Censuses.

Luddie (Ross) Cowan would die on 10 March 1953.60 Henry Cowan would die on 17 March

1954 at the Marietta home of his daughter Inez (Cowan) Merritt. Henry Cowan’s obituary in the

Marietta Daily Journal mentions that his other daughter, Mrs. T. O. Smith, was living in Atlanta.61

Both Henry and Ludie Cowan are buried at Liberty Hill Cemetery in Acworth.

10. Gertrude Cowen, born on 30 April 1869 in Acworth, died on 3 March 191162 in Acworth.

Gertrude Cowen would marry George I. Reece on 9 January 1895 in Cobb County.63 George

Reece was born on 14 July 186964 in Georgia, however little is known of his ancestry. The

couple would have two known children born in Acworth as follows:

24 i. Stephen Cowan Reece, born September 1896, nothing further

52 1880 Federal Census Place for Old Twentieth, Paulding County, Georgia, Microfilm Series T9 Roll

160, Enumeration District 156, page 391.

53 Parker, 178.

54 Ibid.

55 Photocopy of the Cowan Family Bible in the possession of Hugh Cowan of Atlanta, Georgia.


Enumeration District 32, B.


Enumeration District 35, Page 253A, Part 1, Line 8.



59 1930 Federal Census for Militia District 851, Cobb County, Georgia, Roll 347, Enumeration District

6, Page 14A.

60 Parker, 178.

61 Marietta Daily Journal, 22 March 1954.

62 Parker, 177.

63 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Marriages, Book D, page 268.

64 Parker, 177.

10

25 ii. Clara Helen Reece, born November 1899, nothing further

At the time of the 1900 Federal Census65 George Reece was engaged in farming in Acworth,

but by the 191066 Federal Censuses he had transitioned to working as a salesman in a grocery

store. Shortly after the 1910 Federal Census Gertrude (Cowen) Reece would die. By the time of

the 1920 Federal Census67 George Reece had moved to Atlanta and was now engaged in selling

insurance. George Reece would die on 14 January 1948 and was buried at Liberty Hill Cemetery

in Acworth beside his late wife.68

11. William Reid Cowan, born in 1871 in Acworth, died on 29 December 1940 in Atlanta,

Fulton County, Georgia. William Cowan married Elizabeth Johnson circa 1901, presumably in

Georgia. The couple had four children, the first three born in Acworth, the youngest in Rome as

follows:

26 i. William Henry Cowan, born 25 July 1903, died 14 November 1981 at Daytona

Beach, Volusia County, Florida69

27 ii. Ludia Ophelia Cowan, born 1 October 1905, married R. Glenn Salmon, died 29

August 1979 in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia70

28 iii. Elizabeth Cowan, born circa 1910, married C. W. Courtaway, nothing further

29 iv. Stephen D. Cowan, born 26 July 1923, died 1 October 1965 at Marin County,

California71

On the 1910 Federal Census Will Cowan72 indicated he was working as a mechanic and

engineer in a cotton mill. The family moved from Acworth to Rome in Floyd County at some

point between then and the 1920 Federal Census.73 On the census Will Cowan was now working

as a machinist in a foundry. Will Cowan was still engaged in this line of work by the time of the

1930 Federal Census74 and by this time all of his children with the exception of son Stephen were

no longer with their parents.

Will Cowan died on 29 December 1940 in Atlanta and was buried at Liberty Hill Cemetery in

Acworth75. According to his obituary his son W. H. Cowan was by this time was living in Villa


Enumeration District 32, A.


Enumeration District 36, Page 269B, Part 1, Line 25.

67 1920 Federal Census for Atlanta Ward 2, Fulton County, Georgia, Microfilm Series T625, Roll 251,

Enumeration District 52, Page 4A.

68 Parker, 177.

69 Florida Death Index, 1877-1998, Florida Health Department, Office of Vital Records, 1998,

www.ancestry.com.

70 Georgia Death Index 1919-1998, www.ancestry.com; Social Security Death Index,

www.ancestry.com.

71 California Death Index 1940-1997, www.ancestry.com.


Enumeration District 36, Page 269A, Part 1, Line 10.

73 1920 Federal Census for Rome Ward 1, Floyd County, Georgia, Microfilm Series T625, Roll 256,


74 1930 Federal Census for Rome, Floyd County, Georgia, Roll 356, Enumeration District: 14, Page

14B.

75 Cobb County, Georgia Cemeteries Volume II, p. 178

11

Park, Illinois.76 His widow Elizabeth Cowan would die on 11 July 1959 in Atlanta and was

buried beside her late husband at Liberty Hill Cemetery.77 By this point son William H. Cowan

was residing in Daytona Beach, Florida and son Stephen Cowan was in San Rafael, California.

Her two daughters are listed by their husband’s names making it virtually impossible to tell which

is which: Mrs. R. Glenn (Ophelia) Salmon of Atlanta and Mrs. C. W. (Elizabeth) Courtaway of

Minneapolis, Minnesota.78 The obituary for Ophelia (Cowan) Salmon listed only her brother

William Cowan as a survivor along with a number of nieces and nephews so it appears that her

sister Elizabeth (Cowan) Courtaway had died prior to 1979.

12. Cora Cowen, born September 1874, died on 22 November 192079 in Acworth. Cora Cowen

would marry John Oscar Hilley on 4 May 1890 in Cobb County.80 John Hilley was born in

August of 1867 to John and Mary Hilley. The couple had three children, born in Acworth as

follows:

+ 30 i. Howard Stevens Hilley, born 18 September 1892, married Maggie Tucker on 26

June 1918 at Conyers, Georgia, died 18 May 1963 in Forsyth County, North

Carolina

31 ii. Maude Hilley, born 10 October 1894, died July 1986 in Decatur, DeKalb County,

Georgia, unmarried, no issue

+ 32 iii. Robert Hilley, 10 October 1897, married Irene Benner, died on 11 December

1976 in Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia

John Hilley worked as a passenger conductor on the Dixie Limited, the deluxe passenger train

of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad.81 His father, John R. Hilley (1837-1912) was

a locomotive engineer for the Western & Atlantic Railroad and rendered service in that capacity

to the Confederacy during the Civil War. At the time of the 1900 Federal Census John Hilley

was working as a railroad brakeman82 and by the time of the 1910 Federal Census had worked his

way up to freight conductor.83 John Hilley could not be located on the 1920 Federal Census, the

same year his wife Cora died, but by the time of the 1930 Federal Census he had retired from

railroading and was living in Atlanta with his daughter Maude who was working as an

administrator with Emory University.84 John Hilley’s obituary indicated he retired from the N. C.

& St. L in 1928 after 40 years of service.85

76 Atlanta Journal, 31 December 1940, page 6.

77 Parker, 178.

78 Atlanta Journal, 12 July 1959, page 6.

79 Parker, 176.

80 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Marriages, Book C, page 562.

81 Charles Crossfield Ware, A History of Atlantic Christian College, (Wilson, NC: Atlantic Christian

College, 1956), 130.

82 1900 Federal Census for Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia, Microfilm Series T623, Roll 188;




84 1930 Federal Census for Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, Roll 364, Enumeration District 124, Page

16B.

85 Atlanta Journal, 17 October 1932, page 20.

12

14. Emery L. Cowan, born September 1880 in Acworth. Emery Cowan married Hettie E. (___)

circa 1900 to 1902, presumably in Georgia. The couple had five known children born in Georgia

as follows:

33 i. Ruth M. Cowan, born 1903 in Georgia, nothing further

34 ii. John D. Cowan, born 1905 in Georgia, nothing further

35 iii. Essie E. Cowan, born 1907 in Georgia, nothing further

36 iv. Charles H. Cowan, born 1910 in Georgia, nothing further

37 v. Emery S. Cowan, Jr., born 1916 in Georgia, nothing further

The Cowan family appears with Emery’s widowed mother in Acworth for the 1910 Federal

Census.86 A few years later Emery’s mother would die and the family would relocated to Terrell

County, Georgia where they appear for the 1920 Federal Census.87 According to an interview

with Hugh Cowan his uncle Emery Cowan was a policeman in Albany and eventually reached the

rank of Police Chief.88 Efforts to locate the family on the subsequent 1930 Federal Census were

unsuccessful. Due to the limited information on the dates of birth for the children they could not

be located on the Social Security Death Index.

15. Clara Jane Cowen, born 8 May 1884 in Acworth, died on 28 January 196889 in Acworth.

Clara Cowen married Ernest A. Brown on 14 December 1904 in Cobb County.90 Ernest A.

Brown was born on 8 September 1879 in Georgia. The Brown family were longtime residents of

Acworth and their six children were born there as follows:

38 i. Stephen D. Brown, born 1905, nothing further

39 ii. William Brown, born 1906, nothing further

40 iii. Louise Brown, born 1911, nothing further

41 iv. Grace Brown, born 1912, nothing further

42 v. Paul Brown, born 1915, nothing further

43 vi. Henry Brown, born 1918, nothing further

Ernest Brown was a farmer and the couple appears in Acworth for both the 191091 and 192092

Federal Censuses with all of the children residing with them. By the time of the 1930 Federal

Census Stephen and William Brown had moved out from their parents’ home but the remaining

four children were still living with them.93 Ernest Brown would die on 11 July 1966 and was

buried at Liberty Hill Cemetery beside his late wife.94 Due to the lack of exact dates of birth for

the children locating them on the Social Security Death Index would be inconclusive at best. A



87 1920 Federal Census for Terrell County, Georgia, Microfilm Series T625 Roll 279, Enumeration

District 123, Page 1A.

88 Hugh Cowan, interviewed by Dr. Thomas A. Scott, 16 February 2006.

89 Parker, page 191.

90 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Marriages, Book E, page 254.


Enumeration District 35, Page 253B, Part 1, Line 17.



93 1930 Federal Census for Militia District 851, Cobb County, Georgia, Roll 347, Enumeration District

6, Page 11A.

94 Parker, 191.

13

check of obituaries for the Marietta Daily Journal for Ernest and Clara (Cowen) Brown failed to

turn up any as the newspaper at that time rarely ran obituaries or funeral notices.

THIRD GENERATION

21. Ida Merle Cowan, born 7 December 189095 at Acworth, died in 2 March 1973 at Merritt

Island, Brevard County, Florida.96 Merle Cowan married Thaddeus Olan Smith circa 1905 in

Cobb County. Thaddeus Smith was born 9 April 1883 in Georgia. The couple had four known

children born as follows97:

44 i. Joseph Henry Smith, born 16 September 1906, died 1933, buried at Liberty Hill

Cemetery in Acworth98 (possible date of death 22 May 1933)

45 ii. Dorothy Mae Smith, born 16 November 1908, married George B. Allen, died on

25 November 1984 at Volusia County, Florida99

46 iii. Sulu Jeneve Smith, born 12 August 1911, married Charles B. Turner, died 11

March 1987 at Brevard County, Florida100

47 iv. Ola Benson Smith, born 11 November 1913, apparently died prior to 1958,

nothing further

Thaddeus Smith was a farmer and his family was enumerated in Acworth for the 1910 Federal

Census,101 appearing on the same page as Merle (Cowan) Smith’s parents.

The 1954 obituary of Merle (Cowan) Smith’s father, Henry Cowan, indicated that she was

residing in Atlanta. Thaddeus Smith would die on 2 June 1958 in Atlanta, Fulton County,

Georgia and was buried at Liberty Hill Cemetery.102 According to his obituary he was survived

by his wife and daughters Mrs. George (Dorothy) Allen of Miami, Florida, and Mrs. Charles

(Sulu) Turner of Charleston, South Carolina.103 Ida Smith would die on 2 March 1973 at Merritt

Island, Florida and was returned to Acworth for burial at Liberty Hill Cemetery. Ida Smith’s

obituary lists only two of her daughters as survivors; Mrs. George S. (Dorothy) Allen and Mrs.

Charles B. (Sulu) Turner, both of Merritt Island.104 This would indicate that Ola Benson Smith

had died at some point prior to 1973. The family cannot be located on the 1920, or 1930 Federal

Censuses.

22. Clyde Stephen Cowan, born 3 December 1893 at Acworth, died on 12 January 1948 in

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. Clyde Cowan married Georgia Chastain on 3 December 1916

95 Parker, 186.

96 Social Security Death Index, www.ancestry.com; Parker, page 186; Florida Death Index, 1877-1998,

Florida Health Department, Office of Vital Records, 1998, www.ancestry.com.

97 Photocopy of the Cowan Family Bible, in the possession of Hugh Cowan of Atlanta, Georgia.

98 Parker, 186.

99 Florida Death Index, 1877-1998.

100 Ibid.


Enumeration District 35, Page 253A, Part 1, Line 9. 102 Parker, 186.

103 Atlanta Constitution, 6 June 1958, page 41.

104 Atlanta Constitution, 4 March 1973, page 18C.

14

in Cobb County.105 Georgia Chastain was born on 9 May 1897106 to Margues and Mattie

Chastain.107 The coupe had three children born as follows108:

+ 48 i. Robert Hugh Cowan, born 30 September 1918

49 ii. Mary Clyde Cowan, born 17 March 1928, married John Kennedy, nothing further

50 iii.Malinda Ann Cowan, born 26 January 1935

The enumeration for the Cowan family appears on the same 1920 Federal Census page as that

of Ernest Brown’s family.109 According to an interview with Hugh Cowan his father moved the

family to Atlanta during the 1920s as there were more jobs there and his father secured a job with

the Ford Motor Company factory on Ponce de Leon.110 The family appears in Atlanta for the

1930 Federal Census.111

Following Clyde Cowan’s death in 1948 the family remained in Atlanta. Georgia (Chastain)

Cowan would die on 23 January 1987.112 Hugh Cowan currently resides in Atlanta and was

interviewed in conjunction with this project.

23. Mattie Inez Cowan, born 7 March 1897 in Acworth, died 12 July 1968 in Cobb County.113

Inez Cowan married James Andrew Merritt on 10 January 1915 in Cobb County.114 J. Andrew

Merritt was born on 15 July 1885 in Georgia.115 The couple had one child born in Acworth as

follows:

51 i. Julius Andrew Merritt, born 1918, nothing further

Andrew Merritt worked as a farmer and his family is enumerated on the same page of the 1920

Federal Census as his wife’s parents.116 Son Julius Merritt would enlist in the U.S. Army at

Atlanta’s Fort McPherson on 20 November 1942 at the rank of Private.117 J. Andrew Merritt

would die on 09 June 1961 in Cobb County and was buried at Liberty Hill Cemetery in

Acworth.118 Inez (Cowan) Merritt would die on 12 July 1968 and was buried beside her late

husband at Liberty Hill.119

105 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Marriages, Book G, page 319.


107 1900 Federal Census for Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia, Microfilm Series T623, Roll 188;




Enumeration District 40, page 15A.

110 Hugh Cowan, interviewed by Dr. Thomas A. Scott, 16 February 2006.


15A.

112 Atlanta Constitution, 24 January 1987, Page 5E.

113 Parker, 189.

114 Cobb County, Georgia, Clerk of the Probate Court, Marriages, Book G, page 203

115 Parker, 189.

116 1920 Federal Census for Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia, Microfilm Series T625 Roll 244,

Enumeration District 40, B.

117 World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records

Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD,

www.ancestry.com.

118 Parker, 189.

119 Ibid.

15

30. Howard Stevens Hilley, Sr., born 18 September 1892120 at Acworth. Howard Hilley married

Maggie Tucker on 28 June 1918 at Conyers, Georgia. Maggie Hilley was born 10 December

1897 in Georgia to Richard W. and Maggie (Alamand) Tucker and had attended Agnes Scott

College in Decatur.121 Howard Hilley graduated Acworth High School in 1907 and received his

A.B. at Transylvania, Lexington, Kentucky. He remained at Transylvania for his graduate level

courses and was selected as Kentucky’s Rhodes Scholar in 1914, going on to Oxford University.

At Oxford he received his B.A. in Theology in 1917 as well as his M.A.122 During 1916 to 1917

he served as an orderly in a French Military Hospital.

Returning to America Howard Hilley was hired by Southeastern Christian College in Auburn,

Georgia as a professor of History and Languages.123 The following year he was hired as director

of vocational guidance for the Atlanta Public School System. The couple had three known

children all born in North Carolina as follows:

52 i. Mary E. Hilley, born 1919

53 ii. Howard Stevens Hilley, Jr., born 22 November 1921, died April 1984 at Fairfax,

Fairfax County, Virginia

54 iii. Jean Hilley, born 1924

The couple moved to Wilson, North Carolina when Howard Hilley was hired as a Professor of

Ancient and Modern Languages at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College).124 The

family appears there for the 1930 Federal Census125 and from it we learn that Howard Hilley by

this time had become the President of Atlantic Christian College. Howard Hilley would serve as

President of Atlantic Christian College from 1920 to 1949.126 His tenure as President at Atlantic

Christian College was particularly successful as when he first took over the school had a total of

127 students and by the end of his tenure there were 940. During this same period the number of

buildings tripled from 2 to 6, the size of the campus grounds doubled, and instead of an operating

deficit, the school was solidly in the black and begun developing and endowment fund.127

Howard Hilley would die on May 18 1963 in Forsyth County, North Carolina.128 Three years

later in 1966 Hilley Hall, a dormitory on the campus, would be named in his honor.129 His

widow, Maggie Hilley, would die on 16December 1984 at Nashville, Nash County, North

Carolina.130

120 North Carolina Archives and Records Section, North Carolina County Records, 1908-1967, North

Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina, www.ancestry.com; Social Security Death Index,

www.ancestry.com.

121 Ware, page 131.

122 Ibid.

123 Ibid.

124 Ware, page 130.

125 1930 Federal Census for Wilson, Wilson County, North Carolina, Roll 1729, Enumeration District

28, Page 26A.

126 Ware, page 234.

127 Ware, page 186.

128 North Carolina Archives and Records Section, North Carolina County Records, 1908-1967, North

Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina, www.ancestry.com; Social Security Death Index,

www.ancestry.com.

129 http://www.barton.edu/campustour/Hilley.htm, accessed 04/02/2006.

130 North Carolina County Records, 1908-1967; Social Security Death Index.

16

32. Robert D. Hilley, Sr., born on 10 October 1897, died 11 December 1976131 at Decatur,

DeKalb County, Georgia. Robert Hilley married Irene Benner. Irene Benner was born on 24

October 1901 in Pennsylvania. The couple had two known children, born in Georgia as

follows132:

+ 55 i. Mary Elizabeth Hilley, born 1926, married Gould B. Hagler

+ 56 ii. Robert D. Hilley, Jr., born 1929

Hilley was a 1920 graduate of Georgia Tech and would work as an electrical engineer with

General Electric for a number of years. Hilley would serve in the U.S. Navy during World War

II. The obituary for Robert Hilley mentions that he was buried at Liberty Hill Cemetery in

Acworth and was survived by his son, Robert D. Hilley, Jr. of Birmingham, Alabama and his

daughter, Mrs. Gould B. Hagler of Augusta, Georgia, as well as his wife.133 Hilley’s widowed

wife Irene (Benner) Hilley would die on 5 November 2004 in Augusta, Richmond County,

Georgia.134 Both Mary (Hilley) Hagler and Robert Hilley, Jr. have a number of children.

131 Parker, 176.


17B

133 Atlanta Constitution, 12 December 1976, page 9C.

134 Social Security Death Index.

cowan paper

Documents