1764 Report to the Pennsylvania Provincial Council states David is the Son of a long time Indian Trader |
I am back to researching my Owens family line. Back to banging my head against the wall trying to separate all the Johns, Georges, and Davids. I didn't do such a good job of recording and documenting my research last year. I'm going back over everything and will add source documentation as I have time.
Where everything stands now is we know that our ancestor James D. Owens is related to John Owens Indian Trader with a 99% probability according to DNA testing. We just don't have the documentation telling us how? The probability that James D. Owens is a direct descendant of John Owens Indian Trader is also around 99%.
Here are some things we can conclude from the present evidence:
John Owen's Jr's "aged mother" |
- John Owens Sr. was married to an Indian Woman according to the 1756 article in the Pennsylvania Gazette, and the fact that she was daughter of the Half King is supported by the fact he was given a great deal of credit as recorded in John's trading books.
- John Owens Sr. was likely married to Judith who is named in a 1781 Tax List
- John Owens Jr.'s aged mother was living with the family when he made his will April 1781 will I believe John Jr. was born in the late 1740's
- According to someone making a report to the Provincial Council in Pennsylvania in 1764 David Owens was the son of a long time Indian Trader, and we know from David's, son David Jr., that he was George's half brother
- Moving to James D. Owens we know he is described as James Owens Jr. in Bracken County, Ky records; which actually means he was a little younger than another James Owens who lived on Turtle Creek.
I tend to think James D. Owens is John Jr.'s son because he had a son Vincent and Daughter Hannah
So was John Sr. married to an Indian woman some called Maths and Judith at the same time? He did live in many places, and could have had more than one wife at a time? The fact that George and David were half brother's would suggest this also.
In 1840 David Owens Jr. describes his father David as George's half brother |
Here are some family groups based on the records we have:
First Generation
John Owens and Judith/Maths?
- Son John Owens Jr. b. abt. 1745 (I base this on the fact John Owen Jr. owned land near John Owens Sr. in the 1760's)
- Son David Owens b. abt. 1750
- Son George Owens b. abt. 1755?
- Daughter Susannah
Second Generation:
John Owens Jr. b. about 1745 and Susannah
Pennsylvania Orphans Court record |
- David (from will)
- John (from will)
- Vincent
- George
- Mary
- James
David Owens and unknown Jones?
- David Owens Jr. abt. 1770? based on 1840 letter
George Owens and Charity Casteel
6 comments:
I was so thrilled to find that letter and sent off for it from Louisville. It proved that David Owens Sr had at least one son, but read he had two, that I believe to be John Owens of Clark County Indiana and David Owens Jr (then Sr) also of Clark County. Two early settlers of Clarksville.
please contact judithkays@aol.com I am a descended tested dna hope we match
I am related to these people as well. Judith was John's first wife. A separate person from Maths. He may have only had kids with Maths and never actually married her.
John Owens, "The Indian Trader" was born abt. 1727 in Prince George's County, MD, s/o Robert Owens & Rachel Hook. Many of the families from this area went to Ft. Jackson, PA, where David Owens owned land. "The Indian Trader," married Maths,(Martha) 1745, in a "Blanket Ceremony Marriage Seneca: Nundawaono,, "Great Hill People," "Keepers of Western Door." John Owens is recognized by Benjamin Franklin in his newspaper, Pennsylvania Gazzette. He states that John Owens, The Fur Trader, was married to the Half King's daughter. In Indian history books, Judith is the daughter of John Owens, II (b. 1747) and Susannah who was the youngest sister of Maths. He married his Aunt. John Owens II was the son of "The Indian Trader." Their is no mention of Judith in any family stories, local history books, or documents connecting Judith as a wife of John. Judith is only recognized as his granddaughter.
Aged Mother at Aughwick. This would be Maths. She was not living with John Owens II and Susannah when her son,John II was killed by Indians in April 6, 1781. Aughwick was one of the homes of Alliquippi. She traveled with Tanacharrison, the Half King to Ft. Necessity and his family to Harrisburg where Tanacharrison died Oct. 1754.
When Maths left the Ft. they all went up the Susquehanna River to an Indian village near Sunbury. My Musgrave family lived across the river from this village. This same family's descendants married John Owens III. Jesse Martin mentioned in what has been referred to as John & Mary deeds was my Uncle. He "took Booths lands" which were bordering John Owens I, "The Indian Trader's" lands in Boothsville. William Martin, my grandfather, the brother of this Jesse Martin took another part of John Owens lands. John Thomas's lands bordered Owens and Booths. Triangle--Thomas, Booth, & Owens. John Thomas was also my grandfather who was killed by Indians along with most of his family, the year bef. John Owen II's death. Please visit my tree on ancestry. My work is extensive & ongoing. Some of my books were "Now and Long Ago," by Glenn Lough, "History of Harrison County," by Luther Haymond. You will need to click on children and go back several generations as all lines made connections for many years. Ad I find new information I always weigh it with what I have. I am sure there may be some changes to come.
I am a descendant of Agnes Owens, wife of Samuel Sroufe. Genealogy research I have done indicates Agnes is the daughter of John Owens and Maths. Do you have any information that would support that?
Agnes Sroufe Owens is my great x(etc) grandmother
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