A family letter from 1923

In 1923 a hand-written letter between two granddaughters of Joseph Gowin stated that they were told from family that the Gowin (Gowan) side of the family was from Glasgow Scotland and the Garret family was from Ireland (no county/location given).

Many Scots left Scotland through the port of Glasgow (The Broomielaw) during the 16th and 17th Centuries. Highlanders were known to arrive in Glasgow after being cleared from the Glen and receive sponsorship by those that had taken shelter earlier. Most would board a ship for the new colonies or remain in the lowlands. Since many were farmers and did not own land in Scotland, they were easily pushed out of their homes after a lowlander would purchase the land to use it for sheep.

The bridge over Argyll Street in Glasgow is still known as 'The Highland Man's Umbrella' as they would shelter there from the rain with all their goods waiting for a berth on a boat to the Americas. That was a time when Glasgow was the second biggest port in the world.

The early 18th Century in Scotland was also a time of the Jacobite Rising (1715 & 1745). Most Scots who supported this rising took shelter in the new colonies or were sent there after capture. The wars in America contributed to the destruction of many records when buildings and their contents were set to fire so it has been difficult, at best, to date for us to find any link to Scotland for our family. Perhaps additional Y-DNA testing and written records will unveil this knowledge soon.