ABRAHAM COWELL

Martha Cowell-Calloway’s Paternal Third Great-Grandfather

MY UNITED EMPIRE LOYALIST LINEAGE

UPDATED November 8, 2006

Even though much about ABRAHAM COWELL is still very much a mystery, research, family stories passed down through generations, the process of elimination, and informed conclusions have led me to believe that my Paternal Third Great Grandfather, ABRAHAM COWELL, born between 1753 and 1761 in New Jersey then removed as a young man to Greene County, Pennsylvania, was the first born son of CHRISTIAN COWELL (b. ABT 1730 New Jersey, USA d. 1815 Greene County, Pennsylvania, USA) and MARY HUFTY (b. ABT 1731 d. AFT 1815 Greene County, Pennsylvania, USA).

As the story was told to me by my Grandfather, RONALD BRADFORD COWELL, who along with my Grandmother, FRANCES PIERSON WILLIAMS COWELL, adopted me when I was 3 years old and raised me as their own child, when ABRAHAM COWELL, then enlisted as a Patriot Soldier with the Pennsylvania Militia during the American Revolution turned his loyalties to the Crown and Great Britain and became a Loyalist, the bond between son and father were forever fractured.  And, once ABRAHAM actually became a Loyalist and a Provincial Army Soldier, eventually leaving the United States and settling in New Brunswick, Canada, he and his father never spoke to one another again.

When reading the Last Will and Testament of CHRISTIAN COWELL executed in November of 1814, in Greene County, Pennsylvania, it certainly seems that ABRAHAM COWELL, is not held in the same esteem as his other brothers and sisters… as his inheritance is significantly different than most of his brothers and sisters and listed respectively as ten-shillings “heretofore advanced”. 

ABRAHAM'S brothers and sisters (Christiana, Elizabeth, Jacob, Catherine, Ann, Phoebe, Joseph, Christopher, Mary, Mathias, and Andrew) are all left something… but ABRAHAM seems to have only been mentioned so it would be known his “inheritance” or any claim he might make, if any in the future, on his father’s estate had been satisfied previously.  Maybe things were different back then… but this doesn’t sound like a father that was close to or on good-terms with this son.  ABRAHAM'S brother ISAAC COWELL is also listed in the Will with a pittance "heretofore advanced" and as the story goes... there was another brother that became a Loyalist as well.

Also, and I find quite interesting, after settling in Upper Canada in the late 1700’s and beginning his family in the early 1800’s, ABRAHAM COWELL named his children Charles ANDREW Cowell, JACOB Cowell, MARY Cowell, Sarah ANN Cowell, and ELIZABETH Cowell.  All of his children’s names coincide with the names of the other CHRISTIAN and MARY HUFTY COWELL siblings... ABRAHAM'S brothers and sisters. Coincidence?  Perhaps… but this is not the only coincidence.  There are many... and they all lead me back to the same family.

AS THE CHRISTIAN COWELL AND ABRAHAM COWELL CONNECTION IS NOT PROVEN THOUGH AND I DO NOT KNOW IF I WILL EVER UNCOVER EVIDENCE THAT WILL SHOW IT ABSOLUTELY… IF ANYONE HAS DOCUMENTATION TO SUPPORT MY THEORY’S VALIDITY OR INVALIDITY, I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU! 

MY EMAIL LINK IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. 

THANK YOU!

WHAT WE DO KNOW… AND WHAT CAN BE BACKED-UP WITH DOCUMENTATION

ABRAHAM COWELL arrived in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, via New Brunswick, Canada, from Pennsylvania before 1805, most probably between 1790 and 1800. 

In his United Empire Loyalist Land Petition, it is indicated that Abraham had become a Provincial Army Soldier and was living in New Brunswick by the year 1784.  He lived there, until his move to Upper Canada.

Interesting to note as well…  ABRAHAM COWELL had a connection to the ABRAHAM SMITH family, as Upper Canada Land Records show he acted as “Guarantor” on a piece of land in Windham Township, Norfolk County for ABRAHAM SMITH’S widow, RACHEL DECKER SMITH in 1809 (see below). 

I do know from family history records that my Great-Great-Great Grandfather, ABRAHAM COWELL, served as a Revolutionary War Soldier and at some point became a Loyalist eventually leaving the United States for Canada.  As the story was passed down… one or possibly even two of ABRAHAM’S brothers were also Loyalists and left the US for Canada as well.   These “loyalties” forever split the family along Patriot and Loyalist lines and from what I understand, after ABRAHAM left Pennsylvania he never saw or spoke to his Father and many of his brothers and sisters ever again. 

ABRAHAM COWELL’S last Revolutionary War Service Enlistment Record in Pennsylvania is dated September 22, 1781. The information on this record is “sparse” and other than his name and date of enlistment the only other piece of information included is “Active Duty” and “Eighteen Month Men”.

There is no other “paper-trail” documentation of ABRAHAM COWELL’S whereabouts until the filing of The UEL Petition, filed in the District of London in Upper Canada with 31 other Loyalist Officers and Soldiers on October 25, 1806.  Of these 31 other Loyalists, 22 of them are listed as original settlers at Long Point, AND I have found that all but 3 were granted Crown Lands and Inclusion on the U.E. List, despite the fact that their Petition wasn't filed until 1806.  My 3rd Great Grandfather, ABRAHAM COWELL, however, as far as I have found, was never granted lands or U.E. List inclusion.

We do know absolutely that by 1809 ABRAHAM COWELL was living in WINDHAM TOWNSHIP in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada (Long Point Settlement) as Land Records show he acted as “Guarantor” on a piece of land for Rachel Decker Smith, the widow of Abraham Smith, UEL.  He was also one of the witnesses on Abraham Smith's Last Will and Testament.

In an 1819 Windham Township Report submitted by the Township Council, one of the Council Members is listed as ABRAHAM COWELL, indicating that ABRAHAM was involved in the activities and business of Windham Township.  This is a bit perplexing as all of ABRAHAM COWELL’S children with the exception of SAMUEL COWELL (the eldest b. 1806 and possibly a stepson or adopted) have always been listed as born in Sherbrooke Township in Haldimand County.  So, if ABRAHAM COWELL’S family was still living in Windham Township in Norfolk County in 1819, it is possible that many, if not all of his children were born there.  Recently however, the discovery of Jacob Cowell's death certificate, listing his place of birth in 1818, as "Sugarloaf" which was near Port Colburne in Welland County, could add more to the case that the family for some length of time before 1820, resided in Welland County.  Even though Samuel Cowell was an adopted or stepson, he was born in Welland County in 1806, and as adults, Charles Andrew (Jacob's brother and my 2nd Great Grandfather) and his sister, Sarah, were both baptized at Stamford Presbysterian Church in Welland County.  Welland County borders Haldimand to the East, and Norfolk County borders Haldimand to the West.  And, several of the very first settlers to Sherbrooke Township in Haldimand County, where Abraham eventually settled, are listed as having come from "Sugarloaf" near Port Colburne in Welland County.

The ABRAHAM COWELL family does not show up again on “paper” until the Haldimand Grand River Census of 1828.

The Book Grand Heritage states that The Cowell Family settled in Sherbrooke Township in Haldimand County prior to 1820 even though the area had not been opened to settlement yet.  It would not have been unusual though, had the family "squatted" on land prior to it being opened for settlement.  

In 1828 at the time of the Haldimand County Grand River Census The ABRAHAM COWELL FAMILY still resided in Sherbrooke Township and had grown to ABRAHAM, his wife (still unnamed and probably a second after being widowed), sons, Charles Andrew Cowell, second son, Jacob Cowell, and daughters, Mary, Sarah, and Elizabeth Cowell.  In this census there is another girl listed as well, under the age of 16, but I am perplexed as to who she might be.

ABRAHAM COWELL is thought to have been widowed for a second time around 1836 in Haldimand County.  ABRAHAM himself, it is speculated, died around 1849, presumably as well, in Haldimand County.

 No records have ever been found of his birth in New Jersey, his death in Ontario or his burial.  Cemeteries have as well been searched to no avail.  ABRAHAM’S wives too, remain a mystery.

IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF ABRAHAM COWELL PLEASE EMAIL ME

THE CHARLES ANDREW COWELL FAMILY

Martha Cowell-Calloway’s Paternal Second-Great Grandfather

CHARLES ANDREW COWELL was the son of ABRAHAM COWELL, and along with his brother JACOB, relocated from Sherbrooke Township to Dunn Township on September 29, 1849, to begin their own farm.

CHARLES ANDREW COWELL was born on April 9, 1815, and brother JACOB COWELL followed in 1819.  Other brothers and sisters were Samuel Cowell (possibly adopted or a stepbrother b. 1806 in Stamford Township and married Catherine Dickhout and then Hannah King), Mary Cowell (b. 1812 and married James Grainger), Sarah Ann Cowell (b. 1816 and married John Prentice) and Elizabeth Cowell (b. 1825 and married Owen Fathers). 

Upon CHARLES ANDREW and JACOB COWELL'S arrival in Dunn Township, they purchased the first land in the Earl Tract. More specifically, lots 12, 13, and 14, which at the time was all brush-land.  The property (See Link Below to The Ontario Atlas Project to View Farm Plat or Property Owned by Your Ontario Ancestors in the Mid 1850’s!) consisted of 209 acres of high land and 36 acres of marsh-land. 

Charles Andrew and Jacob worked hard clearing the land and then cultivating fields for grain-crops, and within the first year of settling on the property a log home was erected.  Several years later the log home was replaced with a frame structure, and then around 1898, Charles Anderson Cowell, son of Charles Andrew Cowell, replaced the frame structure with a brick home. 

In 1954 the brick home still stood on the original site of the frame house, and a fourth generation Cowell descendant, George Anderson Cowell, son of Roy Aethel and Mabel Gracey Cowell, and his wife, Beverly Jean Stowe, called The Cowell Farm home. 

If I am not mistaken Cousin George Anderson and Beverly Jean still reside there, and I have very fond memories of Cousin George Anderson letting me ride on the Farm's Grain Thresher with him during summer visits to Dunnville when I was a little girl.

On September 14, 1852, Charles Andrew Cowell, married Margaret Smith.  Margaret was born in the United States on July 4, 1835, and was twenty-years younger than Charles Andrew.  Regardless of the age difference, the union yielded 9 children, Abraham James (b. 1853 and d. 1853), Elizabeth Ann, Henry Owen, Mary, Charles Anderson, Jacob Corneilius, George Francis, John Edward and Margaret. 

 Sadly, Margaret died giving birth to her last child, her namesake, Margaret, and then tragically, only seven days later on May 11, 1874, Charles Andrew, succumbed to pneumonia. 

With the death of both their parents, the children, all eight of them, the youngest only seven days old and the oldest only 19, were left on their own.  Thankfully, the children remained well cared for under the watchful eye of their oldest sisters, Elizabeth Ann and Mary, and their Uncle Jacob too, who was a bachelor, and lived nearby.

THE CHARLES ANDERSON COWELL FAMILY

Martha Cowell-Calloway’s Paternal Great-Grandfather

When CHARLES ANDERSON COWELL reached the age of 21 years in 1880, he purchased The Cowell Farm from The Court of Chancery in Ontario.  The Chancery Court had held the Farm in trust after the death of Charles Andrew and Margaret Smith Cowell in 1874.  If you view the Land Plat at the Atlas Project website you will see that some of the lands are marked "the children of Charles Cowell".

On January 20, 1886, CHARLES ANDERSON COWELL married FANNIE HILL BRADFORD.  Fannie was the daughter of William and Margaret Hill Bradford who were both born in Antrim, Ireland, and settled on land in Dunn Township near The Cowell Farm.  I believe that Fannie was the sister of Hugh and James Bradford.

Charles Anderson and Fannie Hill Bradford Cowell had seven children, Florence May, Colin McMechan, Roy Aethel, Stanley Jacob, Elizabeth, Neta Marilla and Martha Cowell-Calloway’s Paternal Grandfather, Ronald Bradford.

Fannie Hill Bradford Cowell died on May 18, 1922, at the age of 62, and Charles Anderson Cowell died on April 8, 1949.  Charles Anderson was 92 years of age at the time of his death, and he had lived his entire life on The Cowell Farm property.

THE RONALD BRADFORD COWELL FAMILY

Martha Cowell-Calloway’s Paternal Grandfather

Ronald Bradford Cowell, son of Charles Anderson and Fannie Cowell, unlike most of his brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles, had a longing in his heart for the "big city".  As a young girl I remember my Pop-Pop's delight in sharing his stories and wonderful adventures of life on a farm at the edge of the Canadian wilderness. I remember too though, his accounts of how difficult a life it was for a young boy.  Life on a working farm was hard, and even for a child once a certain age, it was a full-time job.  Because of this, my Grandfather's schooling didn't go beyond the 6th grade. 

Much to the dismay of his father, my Grandfather readily admitted that he "just wasn't cut-out for life on the farm" and from what I understand, they had their differences about it.  Pop-Pop was a very hard-worker, but he wanted to work hard at something else, somewhere else.  So not long after his mother passed-away, he left the Farm and Canada altogether, and headed for the bright lights and excitement of New York City. 

In the 1930's, through my Grandfather's Aunt's sister, my Grandfather was introduced to my Grandmother.  In 1938 they were married and honeymooned at Niagara Falls.  Afterwards they settled in a little house in Oyster Bay on Long Island, New York.  My Grandfather worked with his Uncle John Edward Cowell (as he had before he was married) as a Superintendant at the Nassau County Water and Sewer Treatment Facility.  My Grandmother continued working as a Schoolteacher, teaching at Oyster Bay High School. 

In 1942 my Grandfather enlisted in the Army and served as a Private in WWII.  He was stationed in Alaska, even though he was trained for combat in the deserts of South Africa.  He often laughed when he told this story, and always added that it was fortunate he had been born in Ontario, and had lived through many a harsh Canadian winter there along the banks of Lake Erie and The Grand River.  Otherwise he said, he might not have faired so well in the often, miserable, arctic conditions. 

In 1944, My Grandfather and Grandmother had their first and only child, Bradford Pierson Cowell.  Born premature and with my Grandmother preclampsic, my Father was delivered by cesarean-section weighing barely two-pounds.  It was hard to imagine when I was told the story as a little girl, that my father had ever been tiny-enough to fit in a shoebox, but he was, and apparently with room to spare.  Both mother and baby required transfusions to save their lives, and for several days doctors weren't sure either would survive.  Both did though, and two years later, in 1946, my Grandfather moved the family South to Daytona Beach, Florida, hoping the warmer weather and fresh salt-air from the ocean would help my Grandmother better recover her health.

My Grandparents purchased a large home on Peninsula Drive in Daytona Beach, just south of Broadway (now International Speedway Boulevard) only a few blocks from the then “World’s Most Famous Beach”. They opened a "guest-home" and called it Cowell's Guest Home.  It was located just across the street from Cornelia Young Public Library where Vermont Avenue intersects with Peninsula Drive.  My Grandmother tended to the day to day operations of renting rooms to tourists and my Grandfather worked, first, at the Standard Oil Station on the corner of Broadway and Peninsula, and then next, at the Texaco Station on the opposite corner.  He worked for Bill Maddox, whose son, Ronnie Maddox, was a good friend of my father's, along with Jack Tamm.  They attended Seabreeze High School (which became Seabreeze Junior High after the new Seabreeze was built in Ormond Beach... now the building is gone altogether having made way for the new Ocean Center).

Cowell's Guest Home operated until my Grandfather's death in 1972 from a sudden heart-attack.  He was only 69 years old, and my Grandmother and I were devastated. My Grandmother never remarried and remained living in the family home on Peninsula Drive until her death in 1998 at the age of 92 years.  Right up until only months before her death, my Grandmother was still very active, walking almost everyday, doing what she could of her gardening, which had been a lifelong passion, and attending her beloved Church, Community United Methodist, where she had been a member for over 50 years. 

My Grandmother had many dear friends who watched out for her and I'm sure miss her as much as I do.  Among them, The Larned’s and Mickey (from Bagwell’s Flowers that was previously right next door), The Tamm’s, Mrs. Lew Hensler, Mrs. Hattie Coleman, Mrs. Shirley Vollmer, and Hubert “Hughey” Rigney (who sadly I've learned has also now passed-away).  Hughey lived in the Guest Cottage behind the main house, having become a regular guest of Cowell's Guest Home in the 1950's and eventually becoming a permanent part of the family.

SOME OTHER COWELL DESCENDANT HISTORY

Most all of the children of Abraham Cowell, Charles Andrew Cowell and Charles Anderson Cowell remained in Haldimand County all of their lives.  Many of the descendants of Abraham's son/stepson, Samuel Cowell, settled in and around Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  A large line of Cowell Family members grew out of that area and many descendants are currently researching their families.

 Elizabeth Ann and Mary Cowell, the first daughters of Charles Andrew Cowell and Margaret Smith Cowell, married brothers Peter Montrose and Levi Drake (descendants of the Montross/Montros/Montrose Family of New York dating back into the 1600's) and settled in Byng Township.  Elizabeth Ann and Peter had eight children and lived a long and happy life together.  Sadly, however, Mary, like her mother, died giving birth to her first son, George.  The baby did not survive either. 

The youngest son of Elizabeth Ann and Peter Montrose Drake, Peter L. Drake, served and gave his life "For King and Country" in The Great War (WWI). 

PLEASE CLICK ON THE CANADIAN 28^TH BATTALION CAPBADGE IN THE NAVIGATION TREE TO GO TO THE “FOR KING AND COUNTRY” PAGE AND MY MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO MY GREAT-COUSIN PETER L. DRAKE