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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Perthshire => Topic started by: DaughteredOut on Sunday 15 February 15 18:15 GMT (UK)
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i'm beginning to get the general geography, but have much to still understand. thanks to all who helped. but what is a moss? like a moor? with moss? i'm a yank remember; i live in new england; can't go there; feel free to assume i have no clue to what it's like on the edge of the highlands. i'm trying to form a picture of the place. which leads me to the real question: who knows something of the McGOWANS of Kincardine-by-Doune?
i've read many messages posted here. i see that at least a few of you have info on my line. many of the conversations are quite dated, so i thought i'd start fresh.
the generation who emigrated from Scotland (abt 1774) were from Kincardine-by-Doune. James McGOWAN, parish Kincardine was married to Margaret CLARK, parish Kilmadock. They settle in New York State. there they have a son, William, my ancestor. it would appear from user-contributed info that back from James is James, then John and his father another John. info is pretty vague and missing a great deal and, often, just carried over from another person's contribution without any legit sources. any help would truly be appreciated.
if you have the McGOWANs as part of your ancestry i'd be glad to try to fill gaps states-side. THANK YOU ALL!
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Moss is the Scottish word for moor. It's where they dug the peat, which they used for fires.
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thank you JM. i think the term moss makes a whole lot more sense than moor. it's peat after all. moor is probably tied to anglo-saxon or norman or something. what is it; etymology that looks at word derivation? thank you!
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Hi,
This will probably sound really daft but this is what I'd do to get a feel of the McGowans in one place...go to FamilySearch and find all the McGowans born say between 1700 and 1810 in Kincardine-by-Doune there's only about 40. Print them out and cut them up then shuffle them about to get them into family groups. You might start to see patterns...then I'd go back to the 1841 census and see where those McGowans still living Kincardine-by-Doune fit into the picture.
Jen
Edit:you'll want to add in the 9 records from Kilmadock to get a better picture....
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thanks Jenny. just lost the message i was writing to you, ARRRRGH! try again. idea not crazy at all; started as soon as i read it. took eldest males, looked to birth patterns and naming trends. you know; the way families keep naming their offspring with the same names. i know i didn't get them all correctly, but i'd bet i'm close. how to incorporate the Kilmadock + also, females is a little more problematic. my 5Xgrtgrdmother was supposedly christened in Kilmadock parish; Margaret CLARK, abt. 1753. i'm always looking for ways to keep the hunt fun, though it's still addictive.
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I had a go too ;D the George's had me flummoxed but I think one married twice - children's births don't overlap...means the George on the census was born in 1754 to John and Janet. The statistical account of the late 1700s indicates most births were registered in the parish so you should get a fairly good picture always the odd one out though.
Jen
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thanks again Jenny. i felt the same about the Georges. Walters seem to belong to John grouping. Roberts everywhere. Alexanders mostly unique. Grizal should be easy. You should see it when they come stateside! would families swap out parishes? like my Margaret CLARK/Kilmadock marries James McGOWAN/Kincardine; any brand loyalty?
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Don't know about parish brand loyalty - do you mean would people prefer to say they were from one parish rather than the other? Or are you talking about marrying across parishes? I don't know the statistics on the latter (someone will) but in my family I'd say there are more marriages (when they bother to marry ;)) where the banns have been called twice.
Jen
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thanks Jen. thinking along the lines of wanting to be with mum for the glorious event (in say, Kilmadock), then can't travel, want child christened, Kilmadock Parish is the convenient choice. i actually just hit pay dirt on a hunch i had. now i have one more piece of my puzzle.
it's weird with the 5 hour time difference.
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You might want to add Blair Drummond to your list of places - it was Henry Home, Lord Kames of Blair Drummond who had the moss (which was part of his estate) drained in the late 1700's.
Blair Drummond is now-a-days mostly known for it's Safari Park, but also has the 'ancestral pile' right in the middle of the estate.
On part of the estate, there is a tiny old churchyard (sometimes known as Kincardine-on-Menteith as well as Blair Drummond) and there are (or were) a few McGowan's listed on gravestones there. The MI's are contained in 'Pre-1855 Monumental Inscriptions, South Perthshire'.
I have a copy of the above publication and there are 4 McGowan MI's listed:
1.
George McGowan, late farmer in Coldoch, died 24th October 1795 age 66 and on the same stone, George McGowan, writer in Stirling, died 8th May 1836 age 35 (probably his son).
2.
1857 George McGowan, late farmer in Balenton died 9th July 1845 age 80 and his wife Janet Finlayson died 25th October 1845 age 80.
3.
Robert McGowan died 23rd December 1846 age 85 and his wife Margaret McKinlay died 19th March 1837 age 73.
4.
R. M. I. (or J.) D. 1808
Robert McGowan, late tenant Coldoch died 23rd August 1806 age 51
His widow Jean Dawson died 26th March, interred 30th March 1840
Jane McGowan or Dow died 1st January 1881 age 78 (probably their daughter, married name Dow)
I know these are all after you ancestors left Scotland, but maybe some of these are the ones left behind?
Anne :)
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thank you Anne. i do have a number of some of those names in my line. there seems to be a distinct break between the name McGOWAN and McGOUN. whether just time, bad feelings, or a different family entirely, currently remains a mystery.
and i have to say i was transfixed by your graphic tree.
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Hi
I have McGowan ancestors from Kincardine by Doune/aka Kincardine in Menteith - some in Blair Drummond itself which is of course in that parish. I've traced back to John McGowan born 1635. His will is in the Dunblane Commissary Commissary Court.
I wouldn't get hung up on the different spellings of the name - it very much depended on what the Clerk chose to write down! You might be interested in this
"McGowan is a Scottish and Irish Patronymic name from the Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Gobhann (Scottish) and MacGabhann (Irish) both from occupational nicknames for the village smith. It is also occasionally derived in Scotland from MacOwein , a patronymic form of the given name Owen or Ewen. Variations include McGowing, McGowen, McGoune, Magowan, McAgown, McEgown, McIroine , and Gowans."
Also , this http://www.chuckspeed.com/balquhidder/history/The%20Moss%20Lairds.htm exp[lains why it was called Blair Drummond Moss.