JAMES MCGOWAN (b. abt. 1784) and wife Mary Hart (b. abt. 1810) apparently left
Coney Island bound for the US on the 'Britannia' around 1833-34 with their son Patrick.
Two additional sons, JAMES and JOHN were born in New York City where the family lived
until after 1850. When he opened an account with the Immigrant Bank in New York in 1852,
Patrick named his parents and, also, recorded a brother, THOMAS, in addition to his
younger brothers, James and John all of New York. This record is the only primary source
of parentage and birth place which has surfaced. PATRICK listed his birthplace as 'Doverin
Island, 2 miles from Sligo', Ire. alias, Dorran's Island better known as Coney Island The
island was owned by George Dorran in 1788 and, though he gave it as his daughter's dowry,
it was known as Dorran's Island in the 1800's. McGowan's still reside on Coney Island and,
it is believed, share ancestors with these McGowan lines.
By 1854, James and Mary Hart McGowan had left the bustling city of New York and were residing on a quarter section of rolling hill farmland in Audrain County, Missouri. They, undoubtedly, experienced periodic homesickness for Ireland's abundant rainfall which produced the emerald greenery as they dwelt amid the wind swept dry prairies grasses more often dusty brown than even a yellow-green.
Mary died in 1860 at age 50; James lived to an age of 95. They are both buried in Faddis Cemetery under the Missouri grass in Audrain County. PATRICK put his hand to whatever job was available. He was employed as a printer in New York. The census of 1860 lists him as working as a farm hand for D. M. Sanders in Missouri. From May 1863 to September, 1865, Patrick served as a Private in Co. M, 2nd Missouri Regiment Cavalry known as Merrill's Horse Company. The company saw action against General Sterling Price in the western war theater of the War Between the States. PATRICK bought 100 acres of farmland in 1864 for $1100. Two years later, he married Mary Nancy Elizabeth Charlton, daughter of an early settler of Monroe Co. MO. They made their home on the farm raising dry land crops and five children. Deeds reveal that Patrick bought and sold various tracts of Missouri land. Mary died in 1883 and in 1887, Patrick and family moved to Custer County in central Nebraska, an area of similar grassland terrain . Their eldest child, SARAH ELLEN married Levert House. When she died in 1894, Levert married her sister, HESTER, who raised Sarah's family, Pearl, Bradford, (killed in threshing accident in 1912), and Dora, as well as their son, Earl. HESTER lived in Haxtum, Colorado until her death at 95 yrs. of age in 1972.
MARY married Elmer Boyd; their children, John and Mary, both married and lived in Custer County, NE. Their descendants still live in Nebraska. JOHN C McGowan married Eva Herbert. He worked on the railroad crossing northern Nebraska. He was a Nebraska State Senator at the time of his death in 1935. JAMES Thomas McGowan and his wife, 'Della' lived on a farm near Ansley, Custer County, NE. During the drought of 1893-1894 they moved to Wellington, Kansas. Their daughter Ella Mae was born there. Their son, Guy, who became a pharmacist in Marshalltown IA, and his sister Floreine were born in Nebraska. During his later years James lost his sight but continued to live on his farm. MATTHEW WILLIAM CARTER McGowan, the youngest of Patrick and Mary's family, and HESTER were in the care of their guardian, C. S. Elison, after their father's death in 1890. MATTHEW married Ada Ritenour and they raised a family of five children on a farm near Ansley, NE.; all of whom married and resided in Nebraska. CLARENCE, known as "Kelly", and TOM were meat cutters for small grocery stores in the era preceding prepackaged meats. ELLA married Alfred Brumbaugh and GRACE married Robert Phillips. The eldest, GEORGE EDWARD McGowan was a cattle rancher in western Nebraska. He > had one of the first successful open heart surgeries in Denver, Colorado in 1955. Ed and wife, Helen had eight children, JACKIE, PAT, JUDY, and DICK stayed in the mid-west states. JIM returned to Nebraska after an around the world Air Force career. The family of ROGER (deceased), LYNORA Van Winkle and WARD McGowan reside in British Columbia, Canada. However, all grew up on ranching range and most prefer small communities to large city life. The next generation, whether by preference or employment opportunity has diversified into a variety of lifestyles and are located from shore to shore. Almost one hundred and fifty years after James and Mary arrived in New York these McGowan lines have transmigrated across the continental US to the west Coast and north and south from Florida to Canada.
An interesting family fact: MITCHELL McGowan, son of Ward McGowan, and a Washington State resident, earned his Master of Philosophy in Irish Theater Studies from Trinity College, Dublin in 1997. JAMES, son of James McGowan, the immigrant, married Mary Milsap. They farmed the family homestead in Missouri. His three sons, EMMET HART, JAMES RICHARD, and THOMAS BENTON all attended business college. The youngest son, (born 1892) THOMAS BENTON McGowan married Mary Mildred Potts and had two sons and a daughter. They lived in Montana for many years. He is buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery at Paris, Missouri. Both of their sons served in the armed services but did not make it a career. One is buried in a military cemetery in Tacoma, WA. The other is buried in LA. Their daughter, Jean, lives in Yakima. EMMET HART raised wheat, corn and cattle in Audrain County. although he owned land in Montana. He never married; he and his mother lived the family farm. After Emmet's death his brother, James Richard and his wife Mary lived on that farm.
Of the children of JAMES RICHARD and Mary Vandlandingham Rowe, the daughters, Mildred Hortense and Mary Elizabeth married and stayed in the west. Lucy served in the Army nurse Corps with a tour of duty in Korea. Their three sons were W.W.II soldiers. ALFRED WENDELL served in the Army for one enlistment then returned to MO to farm with his parents. JAMES THOMAS and JOHN RICHARD, entered service at the same time when their National Guard Unit was mobilized to Federal duty in November 1940. After the war JAMES THOMAS flew planes in Venezuela then returned to active duty with the Air Force. While ferrying planes from the US to Europe, his plane crashed on takeoff in Scotland. He is buried in the military cemetery in Jefferson City, Missouri. JOHN RICHARD made the Army his career. His tours of duty included the Pacific in 1944 and 45 returning to the US from the occupation of Korea in 1945. From 1946-1949 he was stationed in Europe. He spent a year in Korea and one in Panama. He was assigned to Alaska when it became the 49th State in 1958. He received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross [he was temporally assigned to the Air Force during Korea) the Purple Heart with several Oak Leaf clusters, and the Air Medal for his service.
JOHN McGowan, son of James McGowan and Mary Hart, was born in New York in 1844. He lived in Eureka, Kansas and worked on the MKT Railroad, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, known as the Katy. This railway won the race initiated by the government's policy: the first company to lay tracks > to the Indian territory shall have the right to build across the Indian land. John died in 1906 and is buried in Faddis Cemetery, Audrain Co. Missouri.
Material prepared by Dorothy McGowan and Karen McGowan, Jan. 2000.