Daniel Gowens I (1)

In 1906 a short history was written by Nancy Lavenia Goans Edwards, the great granddaughter of Daniel Gowen I, which states "Daniel Guane was stolen from England and brought to America and bound to a man by the name of Doak and was made to learn the masons trade" (2)

The only proof we have of this actually happening is in the Augusta Co Virginia Court Records (3) dated 19 Aug 1747, Daniel Gawen, a servant boy of Samuel Doak, adjudged to be 12 years old. This Samuel Doak moved from Virginia to North Carolina and then on to Tennessee.

By about 1770 he is listed among the settlers on the Upper Catawba in Rowan Co North Carolina as Daniel Goin. (4) 5 Nov 1774 Daniel Goin is paid for a wolfscalp in Rowan Co NC. (5)

By 1778 he enters 150 acres of land on Paddys Crk branch of the Catawba River with Henry Wakefield. The name is spelled Gowing. (6) his land is near Nathan Burchfield, Henry Earnest and Patrick McKinney. (7).

In April of 1780 he is involved in a court case in Burke Co., NC in which Greenberry Wilson, Abrella Burchfield, John Baker, Jane Gowin and Thos White Sr all testify that a certain horse did belong to Daniel Gowin previously in a case involving Daniel Gowin vs James Murphy. (8)

In Oct 1782 Daniel Gowin is indicted as a torie along with Shadrach Inman, his brother-in-law and Charles McPeters, the father-in-law of Shadrach Inman. (9) This is an involved situation. Daniel Gowin was from England and really had no animosity toward the mother country. The taxes and problems that had convinced many Americans that independence was the only answer was not as apparent to the frontiersman that were faced with the problems of survival.

Daniel Gowin along with the Inmans soon left the Catawba country and bought land further inland probably around 1785. Leeper states that the Gowins family "lived on a boundary of land on Long Creek" (10) in Tennessee now Jefferson Co.

To refer again to the letter by Nancy Lavenia she says that "Daniel Goans and Anna Goans sons and daughters were Ezekiel, William, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednigo, Jane, Sarah & Daniel. We know of Shadrach and Francis as mentioned in the will of Susannah. (11)

Daniel Gowin's estate is administered by his wife Susannah Goin and the inventory returned 6 Sep 1810. (12) Thus Daniel died some time before that date.

Again, one can only conjecture as to the date of Daniel's birth. If the item is correct involving Samuel Doak then Daniel could have been born in 1735. Susannah's birth is only conjecture. We know her brother Shadrach was born 27 Jan 1747 and Abednego 1 July 1752. I would probably put Susannah's birth as about 1744. Daniel II is listed as the last child in Nancy Lavenia's letter.