Newly Found Possibility - William Gowen, the orphan

We may never know the story behind our William Gowin and why he was living in that portion of Lunenburg County, Virginia that later became Bedford County.  He must have fallen in love with this area because he lived there for nearly 50 years before moving further south to Kentucky. 

The land in this area was fertile for farming and tobacco was a major crop of the period.  The landscape around him must have been very beautiful with rolling hills, small streams and rivers, and an endless supply of land as far as the eye could see.  Many traveled to this lower portion of Virginia from Pennslyvania and Maryland.  Some were seeking opportunity, others freedom of religion, and some were just wanting to escape the English rule that continued to follow them from their homeland and may have been the reason they arrived in the colonies in the first place.

A few months back, after talking to a family researcher and professional genealogist, it was concluded that our William may have been an orphan, which in those days was the name applied to a child when their father died and regardless of whether the mother was still alive.  Up until recently, I had not found any GOWEN/GOWIN/GOWAN or variants that were orphan or otherwise and who not aligned to the GOWEN clan who is known to be from Haplogroup E1b1a (African) and that descend from Mihil.  There are many GOWEN's from the mulatto or African side that were living in Virginia and especially in Stafford County, VA in the early 1700s.  However, some have been misaligned just because their surname is a variant.  This was the case with my GOWIN/GOWAN family until Y-DNA proved otherwise and allowed us to sort through some of the written recordings. 

Stafford County (later Prince William and Fairfax) for some was the first stopping point in Virginia from the surrounding states before many migrated to other counties.  In the early 1700's it was the county that George Washington's father resided in and where he attended church. 

While going through records recently, I came upon a WILLIAM GOWEN listed within a parish record of Prince William County, VA as a ten year old "orphan" in 1737 where the vestry of the parish were assigning John Straughan as caretaker of young William until he reached the age of twenty-one. 

What is significant about this find is that this William Gowen does not appear to be aligned to the GOWEN mulatto clan of Virginia.  In fact, I reached out to a very prominent researcher of that family who sent me a response to my enquiry that he was not aware of this William at all.  Is there a possibility that this ten year old Willam Gowen is our William?   I have posted that we know that our William was no younger than 18 when first recorded as a tithable of William Callaway in June 1752 in Lunenburg County, VA.  This is known because he sold a wolf head in 1754 and was required to be a free man (not indentured) above 21 years of age to receive payment for doing so. 

The William Gowen recorded in Prince William County as ten years old in 1737 would be slightly younger than what we had originally thought for our William, but it is not unreasonable to think that it could still be a possibility.  We know that our William died sometime before or around 1806.  If our William were born in 1727, as the orphan William Gowen, then he would have been close to 79 years of age at the time of his birth.  Again, not unrealistic, but that would be very good under the circumstances of that period of time. 

Additional research will be required to either support or deny the possibility that the William Gowen of Prince William County, VA recorded as an orphan in 1737 is the same as our William Gowin later recorded in 1752 in Lunenburg County, VA.  A will from his father or a notice that his mother remarried as the "wife of the late ....Gowen" would greatly assist our search.  Because many of the records of this period were destroyed, we may continue to wonder the possibility.  Until then, here is the text of the actual images within the Parish of Truro in Prince William County, VA:

"This indenture made the twenty-fifth day of August in the Eleventh year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. Annoque Domini MDCCXXXVii Between Jeremiah Bronaugh and Thomas Lewis, Church Wardens of Truro Parish in the county of Prince William of the one part, and John Straughan of the same Parish and County of the other part Witnesseth That the said Jeremian Bronaugh and Thomas Lewis in obedience to an order of the Court of the County of Prince William aforesd. dated the 23rd day of October MDCCXXVii do bind & put William Gowen, an Orphan child aged ten years, a Servant and Apprentice unto the said John Straughan, to serve him the said John Straughan in all such Lawfull business as he shall have occasion to employ him about, from the date of the date of these presents until he shall arrive at the age of twenty one years. He the said John Straughan finding and providing for the said William Gowen during the term aforesaid such convenient Meat Drink Apparell Washing and Lodging as is Suitable and necessary for a person of his condiditon. And using his best endeavor to learn him the Art and Mistery of a Tanner, and also to read English, and to pay and allow him at the expiration of the said Term such freedom Due as by the Laws of this Colony is allowed to Servants imported here without wages. In Witness whereof the parties to these presents have hereunto interchangeably set their hands and Seales the day month and Year first above written.


Signed Sealed & Delivered John [X] Straughan



In Presence of

Robert Jones

Edward Barry, Clerk of the Vestry."