Owen Family News

OWEN FAMILY NEWS

Volume 22, Issue 1 Published by Owen Family Association March 2007 Page 1 htpp//www.geocities.com/~owenfamily

Bi-Annual Owen Family Association Reunion Will be held in Ashville, NC

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Our Feature Article: Feature Article: DescendantsOwen DNA of William Project and Drucilla Echols Owen—Part 4 Update and Table C. Owen Johnson by Whit Athey Page 52 Pages 4-8 Our bi-annual reunion will be September 29th and 30th in Ashville, NC. Reuben Pickett Owen Carol and Bob Owens of Bakersville, NC have kindly agreed to be our host andObadiah His Descendants: Owens, a and hostess. They are busy making plans for your participation. Details DescendantAdrian Boone of Richard Owen will be available in the June issue of the Owen Family News. OwenJody of HalifaxMoeller andCo. VA by JosephineLee Gentemenn Moeller Page 55 Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western Pages 4 & 10 IN FUTURE ISSUES North Carolina, Asheville is perhaps best known as the loca- All Those Owens Named tion of George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate and the home of - MarchBrackett Feature Part Article II - major American novelist, Thomas Wolfe. Asheville is also a Descendants of William and by Jane Hillard thriving and eclectic city, dubbed the “Paris of the South” in Drucilla Echols Owen—Part 5 the early 1900’s for establishing itself as an artisan city with by C. Owen Johnson unique style and architectural talent. The Owens≈ of Texas Established in 1797 as the trading center and seat of DescendantsPart 4 of Reubenby Hugh Pickett Goodman, Owen—Part 4 the newly created Buncombe County, Asheville grew stead- by JosephinePage 3Moeller ily through the 19th century. Following the arrival of a rail- ≈ road connection in 1880, Asheville became increasingly MosesA David Grigg’s Franklin Father Owen cosmopolitan and grew rapidly as a tourist destination NarrativePart II known for its beautiful natural setting and cool mountain by HughDan WhartonGoodman air, a pleasant contrast to the unbearable summer heat of the Page≈ 9 lowlands. The clean mountain air was also believed to have Descendancy of healing qualities benefiting sufferers of consumption and Henry “Buck” Owen An Owen-Montgomery other respiratory diseases, and numerous health retreats By Marshall Thomas were established. Asheville's growing reputation promoted Tragedy;≈ Stoddard, the development of luxury inns, resorts and cottages. MissouriEwing Elmer 1875-1907, Fidler Story Part 3 by ArvanBy Louis D. OwenReese II Page 10 For more information and to take a virtual tour of the Asheville area, visit Owen Histories www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/asheville/statichome.htm from which the above Chris Hanlin information was provided.

March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 2 Editorial Staff The President’s Message of the from Owen Family News PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE - Did you make a New Editor & Officer Year’s resolution? If so, I hope it included your family Karen Grubaugh history and the Owen Family Association. Tradition- 111 Stonegate North ally, the beginning of each new year is the time to assess accomplish- Boerne TX 78006 ments during the past year, things left undone and plans for the new (830) 249-3487 year. [email protected] A review of 2006, shows the Association financially sound, the

number of active members is steady increasing and membership partici- Publisher & Officer pation encouraging. Volunteers have provided their time and talents Margaret Owen Parsons 10300-142 Kings River Rd. when needed thus resulting in creating more interest in the Association. Reedley, CA 93654 This past year, 99% of inquiries and application requests were handled (559) 638-0025 via the electronic media (E-Mail) which is much more efficient. Many [email protected] members currently receive the Owen Family News electronically, sav- ing postage and printing costs. Due to overwhelming participation in Contributing Editors: the DNA project, we continue to receive praise for sponsoring this pro- Jane Owen Hillard gram. While all this is good, much more needs to be done. 4135 East Village Dr. 2007 promises to be a very active year. The Association’s Bian- Mason, OH 45040 th th 513-398-7255 nual Reunion is scheduled for September 29 and 30 in Asheville, Kimberly Ayn Owen North Carolina. Our hosts, Carol and Bob Owens, are planing a memo- 8006 Cottesmore Ct. rable event. All members and guests should mark their calendars accord- Richmond, VA 23228 ingly and start making plans to attend. You’ll love the mountains in Sep- [email protected] tember! C. Owen Johnson If the Association is to continue as a viable organization, volun- Crystal Plaza #809 So. teers must step forward to help in running the day to day operations and 2111 Jeff Davis Hwy. Arlington, VA 22202 perform the necessary tasks for which we were founded. We need more (703) 415-1473 people with genealogy experience to help others with their research William P. Owen, III questions. Also, volunteers with computer skills are needed for the P O Box 24165 newsletter and the web site. There are plenty of jobs to go around. I Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307 urge everyone to get involved, run for office, write articles, assist in im- [email protected] proving the organization and if possible attend the Biannual Reunions. There is much to be done. Typist At the Biannual Reunion, time will be set aside for a business Jan Jordan Rosenberger P O Box 631 meeting and the election of officers. Candidates are needed for the of- North Troy VT 05859 fices of President, Vice President, Secretary/Historian , [email protected] Treasurer, Genealogist, Editor and Publisher. Prior to that meeting, every effort will be made to assure a full slate of officers. Jane Owen Publication Dates Hillard has volunteered to chair the nominating committee. You may be March, June, September & December Deadlines are the 1st day of the contacted and asked to run. Nominations can be made from the floor at month preceding publication. the meeting. If you are interested in serving as an officer, please let it be known by contacting Jane Hillard at 513-398-7255. We have plenty of Submission of lineages, biographies, talent to fill all these positions, so volunteer and become a part of the photographs, historical and genealogical future of this great organization. data about any Owen anywhere is encour- aged! Your ideas for the newsletter are also solicited, just contact the editor. See you in Asheville this fall! March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 3 The Owens of Texas By Hugh Goodman

(Continued from the December 2006 issue) That’s 1,765 miles and by adding another 200 to the final destination, the trip totaled approximately 2,000 miles. Considering the average day covered 20 miles and there were numerous stops to rest, the ab- solute minimum travel time would have been five months. The George Counts family left home on March 23, 1849 and arrived on November 29, 1849. Nelson was already in California in May, 1851. Therefore he probably left soon after the 1850 census was taken in August, 1850. Ironically, the Cathey family was living within 40 households of Nelson on the 1860 census. What was it like to be traveling to California in a wagon train? Andrew Cathey gave the following account of their 1851 trip,

“A trip journal shows that they traveled to Fort Smith, Arkansas where they re-grouped and purchased supplies for the trip that began on April 2nd. As the wagon train moved across the land, more people joined them. Special duties were assigned to everyone. When they reached the Rio Grande, the wagon beds had to be taken apart and all bolt holes were tightly plugged with wooden pegs. The cracks were caulked with what they had available. To- gether, they formed a ferry-like raft to transport their families, their livestock, and household goods across the river. The Geary’s had started out with the Oatman family but left them to join the Cathey wagon train. The Oatmans had been warned the Indians were on the warpath but proceeded. Later, the Cathey wagon train came upon the remains of the Oat- man wagon train. Upon seeing the burned wagons and recognizing Mrs. Oatman’s clothing, Mrs. Geary was overcome with grief. The Cathey’s never encountered any hostility by the Indians.”

Frank Bowles’ writing in Frontier Times recalled his journey to the gold fields, “Along the way cholera broke out leaving seven dead. While suffering for water at Howard’s Well, the Indians had killed a mule to pollute the water. The caravan was comprised of 95 wagons and stretched out for 3 miles with a front & rear guard. At night, the wagons were circled and the livestock was driven into the “wagon corral” after grazing. The average distance covered each day was about 20 miles. Travel would commence at sunup and continue until about 3 P.M.” Cholera was a common occurrence during the journey likely caused by toilet pits dug near water sources. Nelson and his son Addison made it to California, but Sarah died along the way. As 9 of 10 deaths were caused by disease, some illness probably claimed Sarah. Within the five year gold rush period, 300,000 people, mostly men, crowded into the Sierra Nevada mountains. One in six of these emigrants died. Yosemite National Park is located in Mariposa County so the beauty of the land is undeniable. How- ever, as Leroy Radanovich noted in AN OVERVIEW OF MARIPOSA COUNTY HISTORY, “It was a lawless place and time, where English Law was established and distorted. Justice was swift and perma- nent. No jails were evidenced at first, so the most expedient method of punishment was the noose.” Little is known of Nelson’s life in California, but in June, 1860 he is listed as a miner living near Hornitos with a net worth of about $1,000. Almost everyone listed in this section of the census is listed as a miner. Living nearby in the household of Julia Herndon is Nelson’s son, Addison. Needless to say, as I do not live on old family money, Nelson did not hit it rich. While Nelson was making his fortune in California, his father, David had moved to Llano County in 1857 and was residing there in 1860 working as a wheelwright. Byrd had accompanied his father to Llano, but D. J. had moved back to Bastrop County before moving to Llano County later in 1860. Between 1850- 1860, David lost William in 1852 and Mary in 1856. Of the ten children David had with Sarah Burd, five were now dead. (Continued in June 2007 issue.) March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 4

Update: The Owen DNA Project By Whit Athey

The total number of people with results listed in the DNA project has grown to 80! 13 of these people have not actually joined the project, but their results were extracted from the database of the Sorenson Molecular Genetics Foundation. Nine new participants joined the project since the last newsletter dead- line. Since this issue of the newsletter is the Spring issue, we are including the full results table in the body of the newsletter. A new Owen Group 16 has been started and it has grown quickly to four members. A fifth participant with a paper trail suggesting membership should have his results reported any time now. Four of this group apparently descend from Harden Owen (b 1796 in VA). The fifth participant may descend from a brother of Harden Owen. It will be interesting to see the results for this latest participant when they are returned, probably in early March. It is somewhat surprising that there have been no new participants in several months whose results put them in the two largest of the Owen groups, Owen Group 1 and Owen Group 2. These two groups are stuck at 10 and 8 members, respectively. I have had a few inquiries about what it means when participants are shown to be members of different haplogroups. A haplogroup is a large family of Y chromosomes, all descended from a common patrilineal ancestor. You could think of a haplogroup as being similar to one of our Owen Groups, but on a whole population scale with each haplogroup having millions of members. Most of the major haplogroups determined by FTDNA have been separate for thousands of years, so two people in different haplogroups cannot share a common patrilineal ancestor in a meaningful time frame. Even within the same haplogroup such as Haplogroup R1b, the common ancestor of two R1b participants may well have lived a few thousand years ago, and this is probably true of participants who are shown in different Owen groups in the results table. We expect that within an Owen group, the participants will probably share an ancestor in the last few hundred years, which would be of genealogical interest. Because it is difficult to include all of the results for participants who have tested 67 or more markers, I am only including a maximum of 37 markers in the results table in this issue. Also, there are rela- tively few participants who have tested as many as 67 markers, so there isn’t much yet available for com- parison. However, you can see all of the results right away as they come in at our project web site: http:// home.comcast.net/~whitathey/indexo.htm Please contact me if you wish to join the project as a participant (or sponsor of a participant). To be useful in providing information on your Owen line, the person tested must be a male Owen. However, anyone can “participate” by sponsoring a male Owen cousin. The cousin doesn’t have to be interested in genealogy or genetics—his DNA will be the same whether he knows anything or not! Contact me at [email protected]. Obadiah Owens a descendant of Richard Owen of Halifax Co., VA By Josephine Moeller, Owen Family Association Genealogist

James G. Owens of Louisville, KY descended from an Obadiah Owens of Warren Co., KY. In doing research he found a large family of Owen/Owens in Warren Co. and presumed he descended from them; they were descended from John Owen of Prince Edward Co.,VA. Then he had a DNA sample analyzed and found out that he matched the DNA of Richard Owen of Halifax Co., VA. In the records Obadiah is spelled both with an a and with an e, I have used the a with this report. His Obadiah Owens in Warren Co. KY had 8 sons per the 1820, 1830, 1840 and 1850 censuses. These sons were Abraham, Thomas, John, William, Coleman, Allen, Pharrow, and one unidentified. (continued on page 10) March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 5 March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 6 March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 7

Correction to Owen Group 17: The ancestor for N6985 should be James Owens (1763 VA) m. Elizabeth Marrs. March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 8

All Those Owens Named Brackett—Part 2 By Jane Hillard

In tracking some of the Discrepancies published by Tyler Owen in the September issue of this newsletter, our investigations clarified the parentage of “the first” Brackett Owen of Shelby County, Kentucky. Now our search will lead us into the thorny thicket, wherein we’ll try to locate the ancestry of “John Owen of Prince Edward County.” Many – perhaps most – researchers have linked “John Owen of Prince Edward County, who started life in Henrico with Thomas Owen and Joanna Brookes of that county. They point out that Thomas’ brother, William, married a sister of Joanna Brookes. The father (Thomas) left a will, dated October 13, 1741, naming sons William and John. It seems to me, an outsider, that most of these researchers have put forward pretty convincing evidence that this line of descent is correct. Brackett to John to Thomas . . . But which Tho- mas of Henrico County? Records place Thomas, John and William – brothers or not brothers – all over the vast area then comprising Henrico. A big question looms: Why can’t we trace Prince Edward’s John Owen’s forebears more definitively, once and for all? Allow me to put forward my conclusions. (And remember, they’re one person’s conclusions; you can agree or not.) Well, the very earliest records were not con- cerned with 20th or 21st century interests. They were for “here and now,” and they did not often quantify family relations. Take the list of survivors of the Mas- sacre of 1622, for instance, when the small settlements of English were nearly completely wiped out. The leaders who survived simply went about ascertaining just who was left living after the horrendous raids, simply listing the names with no family delineations, no family ties, no ages, nothing to identify them further. Earliest arrivals, of course, were men, but once the idea of colony took hold, women and children began to arrive to populate the farms and villages. In- deed, it was when the settlers started spreading out and claiming lands that records of various kinds started being kept – and they are numerous! They included land transactions, both acquired through headrights or March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 9 purchase, court records, and some church records. Alas, very few marriage records for the early days survive. Luckily, there are wills aplenty, thanks to English law. Regrettably, however, so many of them have yet to be discovered. Readers will recall that in the December issue of this newsletter, it was noted that various researchers – all careful, cautious family genealogists – have traced this line, variously, to early immigrants Bartholomew/William/Thomas, each of whom arrived in the early 1600s. While most researchers opt for Thomas or William, there certainly was a Bartholomew arriving in the 1600s. [See Greer’s list.] Each of the researchers believes he has found the right progenitor, causing a dilemma for us: Which one was our quarry? It is notable that three names, Thomas, William and John, came down in the many generations of this lineage. (One can point to some large families whose first three sons are given those names. This writer has not come across any succeeding generations using the name Bar- tholomew, but that does not mean they’re not there!) All good family researchers know the methodology we must use to get at truth, but sometimes we set up different “what ifs” to get there. What if the two early Owen immigrants, Thomas and Wil- liam, who came to Virginia at slightly different dates on different ships, what if . . .? What Mr. Owen has discovered, for sure, is that he is the scion of a much-honored, deservedly acclaimed early American family. He knows, as we do, that one cannot always take what one sees on websites or in the pages of genealogical books without checking the data provided and verifying the primary sources. We can do this easily if the authors provide sources of their information. If he/she provides no sources, watch out! As we say in this newsletter, “Verify, verify, verify.” President Reagan said it best (of the Soviet Union): “Trust but verify,” if your informants do not provide their sources, “trust” may be too strong a word. Moses Grigg’s Father—Part II By Dan Wharton (continued from December 2006 issue) William’s wife is identified as “Sarah” when she relin- quishes her dower right on 22 December 1763 but this is six years after the death of Sarah Ann Pin- son’s father in which she is not mentioned and presumed deceased. The five known children of Wil- liam and Sarah Grigg were bound out by order of the Amelia County Court to Nottoway Parish Church wardens “As William Grigg was unable to care for them.” However, an estrangement of the Pinsons and the Griggs over Moses Grigg’s paternity issue might have led to the Pinsons’ guardian- ship while simultaneously inhibiting any association of the Griggs with the Pinsons and Moses. Meanwhile, there is a 1768 reference to a “baseborn” apprentice named Moses Grigg in Prince Wil- liam County. If he is Moses Grigg of Lunenburg/Mecklenburg County, he was back in that area by 1769 when he marries Martha Hurst. There are no other references to Moses Grigg of Prince Wil- liam County before or after 1768. William Grigg’s first cousin, Lewis Grigg (abt 1718-1787) of Dinwiddie County, VA also married a “Sarah”(maiden name unknown) in about 1750. This Sarah is known to have lived until 1796 or later. Again, survival past 1757 does not necessarily exclude this Sarah from being Sarah Ann Pinson. In both cases, the naming pattern of the Grigg children follow names common to this extended Grigg family, while Pinson names such as Eleanor, Thomas, Joseph and Aaron are absent. To summarize, it is clear that Moses Grigg’s father was an Owen and most likely his mother’s family neighbor, Edward Owen. Given that it would have been unconventional for Moses to have acquired the Grigg name in some arbitrary fashion, we might continue to assume – as we have all along - that before or shortly after his birth in 1748, his mother married a Grigg, . Interestingly, Moses Grigg’s descendants can be found with the three common variations of this surname Grigg, Gregg, and Griggs. Moses himself was literate and always signed his name “Moses Grigg.”

March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 10 An Owen-Montgomery Tragedy By Arvan D. Reese, II (Continued from December 2006 issue) Presumably with the assistance of her two sisters-in-laws, Lucille was able to remain in the area for nineteen months (through April, 1909), during which period she gave birth to their second daughter, whom she named after her husband, Reuben, and testified at Crow’s two trials, both of which resulted in mistrials. Shortly thereafter, local support exhausted with no means of livelihood in Stoddard County and dismayed with the local judicial processes, she re- moved herself and the children to Kansas City where she took refuge at the Odd Fellows Home, Liberty Township, Clay County, Missouri, wherein they were enumerated in the 1910 census. In 1911 the children were adopted by Mr. William Tell and Cora Garst of Kansas City, during which proceedings Reuben's name was changed to Ruth. Their mother stayed in touch with the Garst family and her daughters until her death in 1937. EPILOGUE The Circuit Court’s judicial records of the State of Missouri vs. Greenfield Crow covering the period April, 1908 through November, 1910 are extracted in Part II. Fascinating, they cover the first two mistrials and the final dismissal of all charges against Crow. In summary: after Crow’s March 1909 mistrial, further prosecution of the case was abated until Lucille, the State’s only witness, had left the area. It resumed only with the 1910 September Term. Dur- ing this period, with a newly elected prosecuting attorney and sheriff, Henry Cain and Oscar McNiel, respectively, any interest in further prosecuting this case evaporated. With the prosecuting attorney terminating the case by filing a nolle pros, Crow walked free and the State paid court costs of $1,559.70. On November 18th, 1911, on an appointment by Sheriff McNiel, Crow was sworn in as deputy sheriff of Stoddard County. Greenfield Crow died in 1934 and was buried in the Dexter cemetery.

Obadiah Owen (Continued from page 4) Our first search was the tax lists of Warren and Allen Cos. KY. In Warren Co. starting in 1803 we do find Edy Owen, and David, John, Hezekiah, Obadiah W., plus others always on tax list #1 through 1825; this is the group that descends from a William Owen a descendant of John of Prince Edward Co. They are together on one side of the county. Then in 1819 an Obe Owens shows up on tax list #2 and is just there through 1824. They are close to the line when Allen Co. was formed. So we go to the Allen Co. tax lists and find in 1825 Obadiah and Faro Owens. Obadiah remains on the Allen Co. tax lists through 1847 along with his various sons as they come of age: Abraham, Thomas, John, William, Colman, Pharo. The microfilm reel ended with 1847 but they probably remained there or in Warren Co. The 1850 census showed most of these sons and Abraham, Thomas, and John were born in Virginia, John being born 1818, then William b. 1820 in KY and the rest of the sons born in KY. And Obadiah was born ca 1785 in VA. Obadiah moved between 1818 and 1820 from VA to KY. So then we move to the tax lists of Halifax Co. VA which is where we should find these descendants of Richard Owen. In Halifax there are many many Owen men listed on every tax list; its very difficult to sort out family groups. Searching the film of tax lists 1813-1821, we find an Obadiah Owen listed 1813- 1819, but not in 1820-21. These tax lists don’t prove that it is our Obadiah, but does give an indication since he disappears in 1820. But luck was with us. In the Owen Source Book by Charles Owen Johnson, there is a will by an Obadiah Owen who died in September 1802 in Halifax Co.,VA, and he lists daughter Patsy and sons Abraham Womack, Herbert, and Obadiah who is not of age 21. In 1802 the Obadiah in Warren Co. KY would have been 17. We are pretty sure this is our Obadiah. Going back to earlier tax lists luck is with us again for the Halifax Co., VA tax list of 1788 shows a William Owen with an Obadiah Owen >21 living with him, making him born at least prior to 1767. So we can postulate that William Owen who was the son of Richard Owen (per Richard’s will of 1756) is the father of Obadiah who died in 1802, and grandfather of the Obadiah who died in Warren Co., KY. Searching needs to be done in the marriage, court and probate records of Halifax Co. VA. But we have at least tentatively connected up with the Owen group in Halifax to agree with the DNA results for James G. Owen. March 2007 Volume 22, Issue 1 Owen Family News Page 11 Welcome New Members If you have information about these Owen(s) lines, please contact our new member(s).

Judith Spence, (#392), 7897 S. University Way, Centennial, CO 80122, 720-840-6471, [email protected]. Earliest known Owen ancestor: Washington Owens b. 1780 NC, now Washington Co., TN, d. 1840 KY. Roe Wilkins Linzee (#393) 48 Elm AV, Fairhaven MA 02719, 508-991-8483, [email protected]. Earliest known Owen ancestor: Josiah Owen, b. 6 Mar 1803, Halifax VA, daughter b. 1837, Como TN. Scott S. Felgenhauer (#394) 1917 W Dickens ST, Chicago IL 60614, 773-235-5292, [email protected]. Earliest known Owen ancestor: Lewis Owen, b. 1500, Dolgelley, Wales; in US John Owen b. 1650, New Castle Paand Hugh Owen b. 1680, Prince Geroge MD. Juanita Martinez (#395) 2809 Carlisle RD, Birmingham AL 35213-3417, 205-933-2334, jmart- [email protected]. Earliest known Owen ancestor: Jesse Owens, b. ca. 1774/84 d. ca 1840s, NC, m. Sarah Pat- terson. Carolee Moncur, PhD (#396) 266 Greenbrier DR, Heyburn ID 83336, 209-679-1796, [email protected]. Earliest known Owen ancestor: Thomas Owen b. 1776 d. 1859, Halifax Co., VA m. Sarah (Sallie) Stewart. Rayvenia L. Puckett (#397), 364 Eveningside AV, Henderson NV 89012, 702-656-4768, Poker- [email protected]. Earliest known Owen ancestor: Bartholomew Owen 1620-1677, England, m. Johanna; in US Robert Owen 1688-1717, Surry Co., VA m. Katherine.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION For information or an application for membership, please e-mail [email protected] or write to: Owen Family Association c/o Arnold Owen P.O. Box 692, Westtown, PA 19395 after March 31, 2007.

CD ORDER FORM Name ______

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Description of CD [Adobe PDF format] *Amount x Qty = Total Owen Source Book $10.00 ______Book 1 Owen Family Newsletters [Vol 1-8] $10.00 ______Book 2 Owen Family Newsletters [Vol 9-12] $10.00 ______Book 3 Owen Family Newsletters [Vol 13-16] $10.00 ______Book 4 Owen Family Newsletters [Vol 17-20] $10.00 ______A complete set of all five CD’s $35.00 ______Total (*includes shipping & handling) $ ______** **Send this amount by check or money order payable to Owen Family Association, c/o A. C. Owen, PO Box 692, Westtown, PA 19395-0692 (Please include a copy of this form with your order) These CD’s are in Adobe PDF format and can be read on your computer by Adobe Reader software. If this software is not installed on your computer, it’s free from Adobe.com. Owen Family News 1st class postage “Owen, a name worth knowing”

Owen Family Association Margaret Owen Parsons, Publisher 10300-142 Kings River Road Reedley CA 93654

Association Officers

Arnold C. Owen, President P.O. Box 692 Westtown, PA 19395—610-399-0146 [email protected]

M. Fred Owen, Vice President Owen Family Association P.O. Box 4805 Horseshoe Bay, The Owen Family Association was organized in 1981. TX 78657—(830) 598-6545 [email protected] The objectives of the association are: ▪ To establish and document as complete a list of descendants of Owen Jane Owen, Secretary Historian and allied families as possible. 4190 Hurricane Shores Dr. Benton AR 72015 501-794-1751 ▪ To collect a narrative history of individual family lines of descent . [email protected] ▪ To compile and maintain a listing of cemeteries, homes and other buildings and sites associated with Owen and allied families. George Shirley, Treasurer ▪ To publish and distribute a periodic newsletter. 508 Arbor Dr. Madison, MS ▪ To bring members of the family association together for periodic reunions. 39110 (601) 856-9041 ▪ To aid association members to establish their family line and assist them in [email protected] joining hereditary and patriotic societies, if they so desire. ▪ To ultimately produce a volume documenting the verified family histories. Josephine Moeller, Genealogist ▪ To provide publications to Genealogy Libraries in order to assist Owen 401 S 14th St., St. Charles IL 60174 630-513-6808 researchers. [email protected] Annual dues of $10.00 are payable January 1st . The Owen Newsletter is published quarterly and is subject to copyright. Board of Directors Robert McCrary George Shirley C. Owen Johnson September 2007 Volume 22, Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 2 Editorial Staff of the The President’s Message Owen Family News from Arnie Owen

Editor & Officer One of the Association‘s objectives is to bring mem- Karen Grubaugh bers of the family association together for periodic re- 111 Stonegate North unions. A Reunion can be defined as a social gathering of people who Boerne TX 78006 (830) 249-3487 have not seen each other for some time or have never met but have a [email protected] common interest. The Owen Family Association‘s Biennual Reunion is an excellent opportunity to get acquainted or reacquainted with people Publisher & Officer who have a common interest in Owen(s) family history. Experts, in both traditional genealogy research and DNA will be there to answer Margaret Owen Parsons your questions. Hopefully, the event will be a learning experience, as 10300-142 Kings River Rd. well as an enjoyable weekend. I am looking forward to meeting every- Reedley, CA 93654 one at our gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, on September 28, 29 (559) 638-0025 and 30. Mary and I plan to arrive Friday evening. Remember, this is the [email protected] vacation season down there or up there as the case may be, so don‘t

forget to call ahead for lodging reservations and register with hosts, Contributing Editors Carol and Bob Owens.

Jane Owen Hillard As is the custom, time will be set aside for a business meeting on Satur- Kimberly Ayn Owen day to elect officers and to handle other matters of interest to the Asso- C. Owen Johnson ciation. The future of the organization depends on your continued sup- William P. Owen, III port. Hopefully, more members taking an active leadership role will lead to continued growth and improved service. Run for Office! Proofreading Committee Please take a moment to refresh your memory as to the association‘s Margaret Owen Parsons objectives by reading the objectives of the association, which are found Michael Patrick Owen on the back mailing page of this newsletter. We have only begun to Alan D. Smith fulfill these objectives and there are many tasks remaining i.e.. (1) col- Carolee Moncur, PhD lecting narratives of Owen(s) family histories (2) compiling lists of Raye Puckett Owen(s) and cemeteries (3) assisting the Editor by writing for our quar- Marsha Carmack Owen terly publication (4) helping others with their genealogy research. Your Sue Owen talents are needed!

Typist Another area is our web site which badly needs a make-over. Options Volunteer Needed could include visual appeal, ease in navigation, expanded links to other

Publication Dates web sites, space for additional data and making application available March, June, September & December for downloading. Today, most correspondence and applications are Deadlines are the 1st day of the now handled electronically. Someone with Web design experience, month preceding publication. could be of great help in improving our current site. Providing new and better ideas is the sure way to a successful association. Perhaps you Submission of lineages, biographies, photographs, historical and genealogical will volunteer. Thank you. data about any Owen anywhere is encour- aged! Your ideas for the newsletter are See you in Asheville. also solicited, please contact the editor. September 2007 Volume 22, Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 3

Update: The Owen DNA Project By Whit Athey

Eight new members have joined the project since the last newsletter and 10 participants have had first-time results posted in the same time period. Five existing members have received additional results. We now have approximately 98 members who have joined through FTDNA or the Genographic Project, plus a cou- ple who tested with other labs, along with a dozen other Owen haplotypes extracted from SMGF database. The results table will be included with this newsletter as an Appendix (pdf file) for email recipients. Hard copies of the full table will be provided with the June issue each year for those who receive their newsletters by U S Postal Service.

Grouping of participants‘s haplotypes (a haplotype is a set of marker values from one person) into the various ―Owen Groups‖ is a real challenge. Many of these Owen Groups need to be considered as tentative. Since the last newsletter, I had to eliminate the Owen Group 12b and move its members elsewhere. A few other haplotypes have moved either to another group or to the ―Unmatched Owens.‖ I hope this doesn‘t cause too much concern as additional results come in, both from new members and from upgrades for old members, it sometimes becomes clear that the original groupings were not correct. In a very few cases, the discordant values of one haplotype with the others in the group are being ignored because of strong paper trails suggesting that a relationship should exist. That is, the genetics in these few cases do not predict a relationship, but also do not rule out a relationship, so the discordant haplotype has tentatively been left in.

As a result of new members matching previously unmatched participants, we now have two new Owen Groups, which I have named ―Owen Group 18‖ and ―Owen Group 19.‖

We have our first Owen participant who is a member of Haplogroup I1b1b in the project. This haplogroup is rather rare in most of Europe, but makes up nearly half the population of Sardinia, and with significant concentrations in Corsica and Orkney Island (off the northern coast of Scotland). Some ―genetic anthro- pologists‖ think that this haplogroup may have spread with seagoing commerce along the north Atlantic coast of Europe during the last few thousand years.

A question that comes up rather frequently goes something like this: ―My results differ from Joe‘s on two markers, while they differ from Bill‘s on just one marker. Doesn‘t that prove that I am more closely related to Joe than to Bill?‖ The answer—―not necessarily‖—seems counter-intuitive. However, consider an example of a branch of the family where there have been no mutations for a few generations, so that all of the cousins out to second or third cousins match exactly on all markers. Now consider what happens when a mutation occurs. Suddenly the person with the mutation differs from his own brothers by one unit, while those brothers continue to match their first, second, and third cousins exactly. You can‘t get any closer in relationship as the person with the mutation and his brothers, yet the DNA results for the brothers (those without the mutation) and their cousins will be closer (they still exactly match). So, you can only use the genetic distance as a general guideline for relatedness—genetic distance and relatedness are certainly correlated, but they are not precise indicators of each other. This issue also may lead to mistakes in the groupings on the results pages, but it is sometimes possible to find some unusual characteristic of a group of haplotypes that almost assures that they are all related.

Between newsletters, you may always find the most current results on our project web site at: http://home.comcast.net/~whitathey/indexo.htm

September 2007 Volume 22, Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 4 JOHN OWEN‘S JOURNAL OF HIS REMOVAL FROM VIRGINIA TO ALABAMA IN 1818 Edited by THOMAS MCADORY OWEN [From Publications of the Southern History Association, April 1897] Baltimore, MD (Reproduced here as originally written by John Owen without editor‘s footnotes.)

The student of the Western migrations will find in this brief journal much of interest. In its brief form and rough jottings of daily events, consisting of hardships and vexations, a more graphic picture is presented than could be realized from mere description. John Owen, born in Person County, N.C., Feb. 12, 1786, was one of seven children of Richardson Owen [b. in Henrico Co., VA; d. at Tuscaloosa, Ala.,] and his wife Sarah Duty [b. in Warren Co., N.C.; d. at Tuscaloosa AL] He received an ―old field school‖ education. On March 1, 1805, at a session of the Va. Conference, M. E. Church at Edmund Taylor‘s, Caswell Circuit, North Carolina, he was ordained deacon and in 1809, an elder. In Feb. 1812, he located, and never again entered into active connection with the conference. On Sept. 9, 1813, in Norfolk, or Princess Anne County, Va., he married Ann Keeling Silvester, b. March 10, 1797, the daut. of David Silvester [b.April 25, 1767; d. March 20, 1797] and his wife Frances Bar- tee [b. Feb. 20, 1774; m/ Sept. 23, 1790; d. Jan. 15, 1833.] Frances [Bartee] Silvester, referred to as Mother in this Journal, on the death of her husband became, Aug. 25, 1801, the wife of Joseph Nimmo [d. Jan. 22, 1816.] At the date of this journey, she was the second time a widow. She was the daut. of Thomas Bartee [b. Feb. 19, 1739, son of Robert and Elizabeth [-----] Bartee] and his wife Anna Keeling [b. Mary 23, 1741; m. Oct. 4, 1767, daut. of William and Amy [-----] Keeling.] The Keelings, Nimmos, Bartees and Silvesters were all early and prominent settlers in Norfolk and Princess Anne Counties. At the time of the breaking up of his home, for this journey to the far west, John Owen lived near the Great Bridge, in Norfolk Co., Va. Those accompanying him were his wife, two small children, his mother-in -law, and three or four slaves. On reaching Tuscaloosa, Ala., he acquired lands and added to his slave prop- erty. He became a practicing physician, and rose in importance locally. He was at different times a State Bank Agent, State Bank Director, and Mayor of Tuscaloosa. He was ever a devoted Methodist, being a lib- eral contributor, and preaching when occasion demanded. He was a useful and honored citizen. He d. Feb. 7, 1848, and his wife d. June 30, 1861, and both are buried at Tuscaloosa. They had five children: I. Sarah Frances Owen, b. Jan. 27, 1815; m. Thomas J. Burke, [both dead] --- -- issue I. Edmond Burke, d. unm.; 2 Malcome Clayton Burke, m. Annie Ida Inge [dead], issue: i. Mary Kate Burke, ii. Robert, iii. Edward, iv. William, v. Malcolm, ------all at Montgomery, Ala.; 3. Mary Kate Burke [dead] m. Hon. Richard H. Clark, M.C. 1st Ala. Cong. Dist.-----issue: i. Wlliam E. d. young; ii. Mabel Rad- ford Clarke, unm; iii. Kathleen Clarke [dead], m. J. Manley Foster, Tuscaloosa, Ala., issue: (I) Richard Clark Foster; iv. Nary Clifton, d. young; II. Joseph Richardson Nimmo Owen b. Feb 28, 1818, unm., a practicing physician at Eureka, Nev. III. Anne Keeling Owen, d. young. IV. Robert Silvester Owen, unm., resides at East Lake, Ala. V. Virginia Owen, m. Rev. Thomas F. Greene; they reside at Montgomery-----issue: i. An- nie Findley Greene, m. Eugene LeVert Brown, they reside at Athens, Ga.-----issue: i. Eugene, ii. Mary; 2. John Owen Greene, d. young; 3. Kate Silvester Greene, d. young; 4. Robert Harvey Greene; 5. Mary Vir- ginia Greene; 6. Frances Nimmo Greene---numbers 4, 5, and 6 reside at Montgomery, Ala. Two large folio journals kept by John Owen, 1813-1848, from one of which the extract below is taken, are in the possession of his descendants.

JOURNAL., Oct. 20 [1818]. Sale of all my goods. 24. Started to the West about 12 oclock & got within 1 mile of Deep creek [a branch of the Elizabeth river, into which the north end of the Dismal Swamp Canal empties.] where we encampd. September 2007 Volume 22, Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 5

25. Movd forward at half past 8 am At 10 Cart broke down & stopd to fix it All well good weather and in high spirits Am sick at night & campd in church yard 26. Good weather bought cart wheals-----repard & started forward At night Campd 1 mile above Suffolk----- Suffolk 34 [miles]-----B Water B 22 [miles] 27. Mr Stewart left us At 9 movd forward All poorly at one stopd to feed. 28. Movd forward at 9 am bad sailing encamped nigh Black Water Bridge [Over Black Water river, a considerable stream, dividing the countries of Surry and Isle of Wight on the north from Southampton and Sussex on the south.] where I set up all night apprehensive of Robbers. 29. [Erased in the orginal, leaving one day unnumbered.] Start at half past 7 and & traveld slow & encampd at the piny old field 29. Movd forward at 7 and campd that night at Capt. Bisils at 12 this day the Bolt of the fore Bolster broke loose and detained us. We could this day get no corn or fodder till night so that our horses f—ted all tolerably well. 30. Started at nine & got one mile above Petersburg. [There were two roads from Suffolk to Petersburg, the more direct one lying along the James. The other, taken in this case, was much longer and after passing Black Water extended northwesterly up to Nottoway.] 31. Started at 9 & got 20 miles on our way to Lynch Burg the roads bad & all well Except Mother Campd in a piny old field The wind to the south & warm. Nov. 1. Started at ½ past 8. Roads hilly no accident but old mair fell down and broke chair bo[a]rd at campd at a oke Thicket all well but self unwell with Rheumatism wind to South & warm. 2. Started 20 Minutes Before 9 Roads tolerable got to Prince Edward [County] & encampd nigh Millers Tavern at a good place all well wind to South & warm 3. Pasd Prince Edward CH & at Night campd at Buffalo Rd [In Prince Edward Company] 2 miles above Hamden Sid- ney College where J. Nimmo came & tarried all night with us 4. Staid to wash at 12 at Morgans Branch 5. Started at 9 Mother sick bad Roads Cart turned over no damage of consequence only shaff Broke-----Low spirited in consequence of Mothers indisposition campd nigh Thompsons on the Buckingham Road Frid. 6. Rain the fore part of the day got into the stage Road Campd nigh Long mountain nigh Lynchburg. Weather cleard up cool All well But Mother & she on the mend. Good Roads to day. Sat. 7. Movd forward at 9 bad roads weather Cloudy windy & cold got nigh New London [In Campbell County, VA.] where we had a tolerable encampment. All Well. 8. Movd forward at 7 Very cold good roads tho hilly encampd night Liberty All well tho in the dumps. 9. Pasd through Liberty [County Seat of Bedford Co., Va. Now called Bedford City.] & reachd within 3 miles of Beaufords Gap roads hilly and Rocky incampd on a hill side All well 10. Crosd the Ridge at Beaufords Gap the road bad tho not worse than we expected Got to the limestone watter which is disagreeable to the taste makes bad Coffee & operates on the bowels-----rain commencd at 3 PM and continued the night All tolerably well bought a horse at $90.00 that does not work well encampd in the mountains on the Western side of the foot of the Ridge 11. Continued there the old Mair strayd off Nelly strayd off also The Devil turnd loose in good earnest-----all well but Lucy & Sam who have the limestone fever-----the old Mair & Nelly came in toward night 12, Pasd through Salem [Then in Botetourt, but now county seat of Roanoke County, Va.] good weather & roads All well Camped nigh a mill pond on Roanoke in the Alegany Mountains 13. Crosd the Alegany Mountain roads bad rocky & hilly Crosd Roanoke creek 7 times pasd through the turn pike & campd nigh Christians Burg the Capital of Montgomery County All well & in tolerable spirits 14. Pasd Montgomery County Court house, a contemptible looking place. Cart tire came loose got a man to mend it who half done it & chargd double price. Have thought no one too big a fool for a Black Smith but find my mistake, Crost New River roads bad no fodder to be had nor Eggs Mother poorly rest well but Powel & Winny camp d nigh New River Weather warm & like for rain 15. Movd forward & fell in with negro traders met several droves of hogs intolerable roads the people very poor can get nothing to eat incampd within 14 miles of Wythe All well 16. Started Early pasd the most infernal Roads that we ever saw can get nothing for ourselves or horses but can buy Whisky & fat Meat the people poor Begarly & mean pour days march Campd nigh Wyth C All well but self sick with Rheumatism

September 2007 Volume 22, Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 6

17. Started Early roads something better Cart turned over no damage done no chance of getting anything to Eat All well incampd in an enclosed place on a damp spot. 18. Started late clouded up in night & Rained & Snowd till 10am cleard off cold & windy Roads worst we have had yet hilly stony and Muddy got fresh meat for the first time campd on a handsome spot All well but self 19. Bad roads worst I ever saw cold weather Campd 12 ms from Abington All well 20. Started Early about 10 AM wagon came uncoupled & one of the hames & tongue broke Repard them in 3 hours & got within one Mile of Abington Weather cold roads a little better Mother very unwell Lucy unwell very low spirited & envy the Bruit creation their freedom from care & anxiety of mind. 21. Movd tolerably early and made a short stop in Abington to law in stores got meat meal & several other articles. No coffee in town nor Bread A sorry looking place & a poor set got 12 or 15 miles above roads muddy and full of holes Campd in a new ground All well except Mother & she better 22. Started early bad roads Old mair fell down carriage run back very much alarmd Mother & Ann Coupling Bolt broke detaind much distrssd & low spirited almost wish I was dead or that fate had bloted the day in which I was born out of the calendar & left a perfect Blank; mended Bolt Roads continue bad Crost the Tenessee line [It had taken thirty days to make the trip through Va. What special reasons determined the selection of this longer and more circuitous route, rather than that through the Carolinas, do not appear. Doubtless, however, it was because of his fa- miliarity with this road, and because travel on an old established highway was less liable to accidents and needful supplies could be more easily secured.] people poor & Rough. Swapd the sorel mair the new one don‘t work well----- campd on a hill. All well But Mother & self----- 23. Have gone back alarmd Mother & Ann horse Runaway with cart broke it all to pieces & alarm us all very much My mind in a state of distraction on her account and Anns-----my wife more fortitude than myself ashamd of it Mr Ray very cleaver and kind left the old wheals & body and movd forward roads Bad Campd nigh Boat landing. 24. Started late pasd & crosd the N. fork of Holston [ed. note: in Sullivan Co., Tenn., in foreks of Holston. ]where ax- ele tree gave way in the river & scarcely got to shore made a new one which detaind us 3 hours pour days march campd on a high hill nigh the Mill No cleaver people all shifting and mean weather continues good roads hilly & Rocky All well except self & Mother, in some better spirits. 25. Roads Bad met with no disaster which is a wonder pasd through Rogersville [In Sullivan Co., Tenn., in the forks of the Holston] and Campd one mile below the people in better Circumstances. All well as common But Nelly & De- lila Campd at a Brick yard 26. Started Early Bad roads little better in the Evening Campd nigh Beans Station [In Grainger County, Tenn.] at one Johnstons who is a hermit in principle & practice Came on to rain in the night tent fell down all got wet 27. Rainy morning all in better spirits than I expected started late roads muddy pasd through Rutlage [County seat of Grainger] Bought all their Bacon & porke which was very little Campd nigh Rutlage in a vally All little better----- weather cleard 28. Started late fell in with many families Roads Bad campd 12 miles below Knoxville raind hard in night all wet Pestered with travelers & negro drivers 29. Started late rainy & disagreeable roads intolerable pasd through Knoxville a poor Contemptible looking place. No meat to be had in it campd nigh on the Hill lost dog all well as could be expected 30. Started late got the dog got no meat in Knoxville Roads little Better met Bro H [Hopson Owen] All well except mother Decem 1. Started late Roads Bad Mother very unwell No milk Butter Chickens or Eggs to be had-----campd 8 Mls from Kingston All low spirited 2. Started late Roads Bad pas‘d through Kingston & crosd Clinch R drove late campd nigh the fork of the Road in a Bad place 3. Roads continue Bad Bro H left us Took Sequatchee Road Campd nigh a Branch people poor no greens milk chickens or Eggs Mother better Tony sick self Better 4. Started late roads better provisions scarce Campd nigh Walter Beanses-----came on to rain in the night & raind all night----- 5. Rainy in the morning & snowd all the fore noon Started late and got only 4½ miles rented room of Mr Dickens a free Black man, the night windy & Blustering in the Extreme All unwell & low spirited 6. Started late roads Bad Mother litte Better Clouded up toward night like for snow but cleard off, campd at Mr Bensons September 2007 Volume 22, Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 7

7. Started late roads Bad entered the Cherokee Nation [The route through the Cherokee Nation left the main, or Sequatchee road, at or near Washington, Rhea Co., Tenn.] felt bad wife more fortitude than my self. Bought meat of Mr Paterson 8. Started late from Patersons and movd on through the wilderness roads Bad Banks of Creeks steep & rocky Some good land Got nigh James Browns Mother sick all low spirited 9. Roads Bad got to Browns ferry & crosd But stald on the other Bank which is very Bad 10. Got up the Bank of Tennessee Nelly run away detained us till 1 oclock PM Started & got 4 or 5 Mls over Bad roads Campd nigh Choats on the Georgia road All tolerable health except Mother and she Better 11. Started late rainy all day roads very bad stald several times wagon tongue Broke mended it Campd on an emi- nence in the Cherokee Nation All in common health 12. Fine fair weather roads Bad wagon turned over no harm done Mother sick Campd at an old camping ground in the Nation 13. Started by sunrise roads tolerably good No provisions to be had for horse feed gives out in the middle of the wilderness at a loss to know what course to pursue mind such distresd Our trust is yet in God whose mercy is over us and we yet think he will send us deliverance in some way Campd near a creek the bank very steep. 14. Started by sunrise good roads made a good days drive lost our road Campd nigh a creek where we got in the right way 15. Started early Campd on a bad hill horses got away had to walk 6 miles to look for them in the wilderness found them at an Indian house Much distressd 16. Started late Bad roads Got no provisions for self or horses did not like the conduct of the Indians Campd nigh Walkers Indian drunk came to Mr Harrises tent & plagued us all night horses get away & detain us----- 17. Found horses late Indian tried to shoot us Mr Harris & family very kind and assist us Made a tolerable days drive & campd nigh the line far from Ratclifts-----got corn & fodder 18. Crosd the line into the Alabamma Terytory [Created by Act of Congress, Mar 3, 1817----in force Aug 13, 1817 when the Constitution of Miss. Was formed. See Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 61-63 for full abstract of governmental history] very glad on the occasion. Mr Harrises wagon breaks down Stopd to assist him Campd nigh Leaths 19. Roads bad weather good Bolts Broke Smiths Lazy No meal to be had 20. Started Early got a little meal every thing very high people poor rough & roads little Better very unwell----- 21. Started late roads good provisions high But more plenty nothing remarkable All well--- 22. Raind all night Started late, mists, rain all day roads Bad Enterd Joneses Vally [Named for ―Devil‖ John Jones. He and three companions, Andre McLaughlin, Moses and Isaac Fields, came from Tenn. in the spring of 1815 and made a small crop of corn that year near the present city of Bessemer, Jefferson County, AL. In the fall they brought their families. Each succeeding year brought numbers of settlers so that by 1818 the valley was quite populous.] Good land corn & fodder high All well 23. 23. Roads bad fell in with hog drivers bought porke Campd at the Mill 24. Roads little Better corn high people Shuffling 25. Roads little Better Christmas Day 26. Past Broken Roads & got to Tuscaloosa [Settled 1815] & feel thankful to kind Heaven that after 9 weeks traveling & exposd to Every danger that we arrivd safe and in good health.

Owens in Film From the The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints

Courtesy of Julie who is researching the Lehue family. LDS film 2167844

Ministers‘ returns 1772-1877 Shenandoah County (Virginia) Clerk of the County Court. 0879-0880 – 14 Mar 1787 – Robert ROLES to Every OWENS, bondsman James OWENS 0958-0960 – 20 June 1787 – Robert PIERCE to Levia HACKNEY, James OWENS, bondsman, Francis LEHUE September 2007 Volume 22, Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 8

The Owens of Texas—Conclusion by Hugh Goodman

Editors Note: As you may recall, Hugh Owens was to be the keynote speaker at the 2005 Owen Family Biennial Reunion. Upon my request, Hugh wrote his talk as an article, which has been published as a series. We learned recently that Hugh passed away on December 11, 2006. Hugh will be greatly missed by the many Texas Owen cousins whose ancestors he helped to find. Hugh and I discovered we were cousins due to the Owen DNA Project, both of us descend from Burd Owen, DNA Owen Group 2.

[Continued from June issue] Nelson remained in service until the end of the Civil War when he was furloughed out on April 1, 1865. Apparently Nelson was not with his company full time, because my great-grandmother, Emma Louisa Owen, was born March 17, 1865 in Comal County.

In 1870, David F. Owen was living along San Fernando Creek in view of Pack Saddle and Smooth Mountains. Ernest Tubiville described the area as, ―a wild place covered with cedar brush, the retreat of outlaw horses, cat- tle and men. The mountain was so named from its resemblance to the shape of a pack saddle. It was the scene of the last Indian battle in that section...." Daughter, Adaline Owen, had married Sampson Coulter and both were dead by 1865 leaving four children. Two of those children, Susan & Thomas, were living with their grandfather in 1870. Living next door was son, David James, and living down the road was Nelson. Nelson‘s son Addison was living in the household and working as a ―cowdriver‖. Byrd Owen died before 1870 further reducing the children of David‘s first famiy. Remaining alive were Nelson, Mary Owen Sessom, and David.

Addison married the girl next door in 1875 and the following account was given by Mildred Vest McWilliams, ―Aunt Malinda was a midwife for the German settlement....she also delivered her own grandchild, Malinda, daughter of Ludie, (Ludie refers to Mary A. Lange Owen, wife of Addison L. Owen) the next night. There was a blizzard that night and Ludie ‗overlaid‘ and smothered her new baby. She is buried in Owen cemetery [a tombstone in the Owen cemetery lists a Malinda Owen with one date, April 14, 1888]. Ludie lost her mind and tried to kill members of her own family. Therefore, men of the community had to set up nights with her for months afterward. There were no mental institutions or welfare organizations in those days, so the family was cared for by neighbors.‖

At the time of these babies' births, the Owen family lived north of the Vest homestead on San Fernando Creek. There were six adults and at least three children in one room when the neighbors were having to sit with Ludie. Bob's father, Britton Vest, had his first bad breakdown while setting up to watch Ludie and was never able to do hard work again. Therefore, the ten Vest children had to work a little harder. Nelson Owen only notarized and surveyed and never did manual labor. As neither Nelson or his sons did not do manual labor, the family like some others was considered a sore on the neighborhood.‖ Addison eventually left Llano County and moved to Pecos in far west Texas where he continued to work as a cowboy and later died in an accident. His wife, Ludie, recovered from her nervous breakdown, had other children, and lived to be 97 years old.

Dave Burns gave an account of the Llano country from this experience in 1876, ―Boy and I returned from stray hunting, late in the afternoon, and found his wife and 3 month old child gone and signs showed the [work?] of Indians. We went to his brother's cabin and found Bad's wife and 5 month old child gone. Then half mile up the creek we came to the cabin where Mrs Carwell lived with her two grandchildren. Klick and Mary Carwell, both children were in their teens and the [?] of them were gone. All of the homes had been ramsacked and things de- stroyed. Babs Johnson high-tailed it to notify other cowmen, while Boy and I started on the trail of the skunks. It was not long until we were joined by a good crowd, including Captain Robinson and Arron Moss, with a bunch of rangers. September 2007 Volume 22 Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 9

We trailed them and got a good number of the bunch before they reached the [Pecos?] and there, what was left of them, escaped. We found Boy's child at the edge of the cedar break, laying at the side of a rock with its head crushed. On the rock was a spatter of blood, which indicated that they had taken the child by the heel and swung it‘s head against the rock, ... threw it down. The child of Bab's was found a short way farther on with its head cut open, and his wife was found at the far end of the break with an arrow in her breast. The arrow was broken off which showed that she had tried to work the arrow out and it broke off from the twisting she gave it. Mrs. Boy Johnson was not found, but we saw small pieces of her apron scattered along the trail, which showed that she was giving us signs of the trail by tearing of bits of her apron, dropping those as she traveled.,,, They split into several bunches and so did we. It was a running fight, the Indians were trying to get away and it was necessary to hunt and chase after them. At Pack Saddle Mountain we jumped 16 of them, there were only 8 of us in that bunch, but we made short work of them..... There were a few scratches taken by a few of us, but we had better guns and were the best shots..... The Klick boy turned up at home a few years later. He got the Indi- ans‘ confidence and they made a brave out of him and at the first chance he high-tailed for home. He came home riding a yellow hoss. Mrs. Carwell was bought from her captives, a few months later by an Indian trader. He paid her out with a red dress and she was returned to her people. I tried to chin about the matter with her after she returned, but she just did not want to talk about it.‖

Old age accomplished what wars, disease, or perilous times could not and David Franklin Owen died on Janu- ary 31, 1873 and is buried in the Valley Spring Cemetery. Buried to one side is his second wife Sarah Sessom Owen and on the other is his daughter Elizabeth Owen Sessom. I can envision David‘s sons and daughter, each a pioneer of early Texas, at the funeral giving final homage to a man who helped build a Republic and then the State that survives today. Of David‘s 14 children, 4 were living at his death; testimony to harsh conditions we can only imagine. Three of the surviving children, David James, Elizabeth Sessom, & Sarah Phillips are also buried in the Valley Spring Cemetery. Nelson was buried in a small family cemetery located near his homestead. Sarah was the final surviving member of the family.

Revolutionary War Service of William Owen, Fauquier County, Virginia

Courtesy of Julie: From NARA film M-804, film # 1856, #0876 & 0877 From a typed letter, April 5, 1940 to a Mrs. Lula Reed Boss in Mayaville, KY; BA-J/ILL—William Owens—S. 16500

Dear Madam: Reference is made to your letter in which you request the Revolutionary War record of William Owens, pension claim, S. 16500. The data which follow were found in the papers on file in that claim for pension based upon service of William Owens in the Revolutionary War. William Owens resided in Fauquier County, Virginia at the time of the Revolutionary War. He enlisted about February 1, 1781, served as private in Captain John O‘Bannon‘s company, Colonel Armstead Churchill‘s Virginia regiment and was discharged about May 1, 1781. He enlisted in August 1781 and served three months as private to Captain James Winn‘s company, Colonel Elias Edmunds‘ Virginia regiment, during which he was in the siege of Yorktown. William Owens was allowed pension on account of his service in the Revolutionary War on his application exe- cuted December 17, 1832. He was aged then sixty-nine years: the date and place of his birth and the names of his parents were not given. This soldier resided then in Mason County, Kentucky; his application for pension was exe- cuted in Bracken County, Kentucky, not far from Mason County. William Owens made no reference to wife or children. He stated that he had received land from the State of Vir- ginia on account of his service in the Revolutionary War. In order to obtain the date of last payment of pension, . . . William Owens Certificate #5804 Issued Feb- ruary 18, 1833 Rate $20 per annum Commenced March 4, 1831 Act of June 7, 1832 Kentucky Agency Very truly yours, A.D. HILLER, Executive Assistant to the Administrator September 2007 Volume 22, Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 10 Queries, We want Queries!

Edgar Owen seeks information about John Thomas Owen b. abt 1820, d. abt. 1880 who married Elizabeth Conner in Halifax Co. VA, Sept. 8, 1840. Have little information about him. He was a witness at the marriage of Elizabeth Owen and William Watts; Elizabeeth Owen‘s mother was Edith [Edy] Owen. Also looking for the parents of Zahariah Owen b. abt 1815 KY/TN, m. Lacy Winston of NC. Contact Edgar Owen at 434-822-0691or [email protected]

Rayvenia “Raye” Puckett seeks more information about her Owen lineage. An early publication of this newsletter by Ed/pub. C. Owen Johnson, reprinted in Owen Connections by Mary Sue Mathys, mentions her ancestor Philander L. Owen, Jr. Raye also seeks information about Philander‘s wife, Catherine H., whose maiden name is unknown. Not printed in the above mentioned book is Philander‘s descendants which include Marshall Albert Owen b. Sep 23 1879, Ft. Smith, AR, m. Della Caddell b. Oct 25 1883, De- catur TX abt. 1899. Issue: Worth (Harry) b. 1899, Greenwood TX; Velma B. b. Nov 9 1901 in Holder, Oklahoma Territory, d. Aug 12 1998; Harmon b. 1903 Bridgeport, TX; Druie b. 1905 Greenwood TX; Mar- shall b. Dec 12, 1912 living in Palm Desert, CA. Contact Raye at [email protected].

R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M Owen Family Association Biennial Meeting

No. Attend- Cost Per Person Total En- Event(s) ing closed Meeting/Workshop Registration (includes Saturday breakfast) $15.00 $ After August 28th cost is $20 Or $20.00 Banquet & Installation of Officers (Saturday evening) $33.00 $ Attendance at Sunday Worship Service No Charge –Info. for seat- (Sunday morning) ing purposes only -0- TOTAL ENCLOSED $

Name(s): ______

Street Address: ______

City State and Zip Code______

Phone: (_____)______Email: ______

Please indicate number selecting: _____ Beef _____ Chicken _____ Vegetarian for Banquet Meal

COMPLETE and MAIL with check payable to Owen Family Association to Carol and Bob Owens, 327 Rebels Creek Road, Bakersville, NC 28705. Registration is needed immediately.

September 2007 Volume 22, Issue 3 Owen Family News Page 11

Welcome New Members

Members, if you have information about these Owen(s) lines, please contact our new member(s).

Rellen Owen (#402) 3106 Silva St., Lakewood, CA 90712; 562-634-9427; [email protected]. Rellen‘s earliest known Owen ancestor is Joshua Owen, b. 1802 NC/TN d. aft. 1860 in Hickory Co., MO, m. Sarah Harrison Butcher ca 1824 in Calhoun, McMinn Co., TN; raised 12 children.

Peggy L. Gartner, (#403) 209 Hillcrest Street, Poteau, OK 74953; 918-647-4401; [email protected]. Peggy‘s earliest known Owen ancestor is James W. Owen, b. ca 1808 KY, d. 4 May 1873, Wright Co., MO, m. Martha Ann McCaskil; they had four children. He was a Methodist minister in MO.

Martha Bullock (#404) 540 Oak Knoll Rd, Ranger GA 30734; 706-334-2562; [email protected]. Earliest known Owen ancestor is William L. Owen, b. 24 Jan 1826 in VA, d. 20 Jul 1898 in GA, m. Mary F. Craig. Their con was James D. Owen.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION For information or an application for membership, please e-mail [email protected] or write to: Owen Family Association c/o Arnold Owen P.O. Box 692, Westtown, PA 19395.

CD ORDER FORM Name ______

Address______

State ______Zip______

Owen Family Association Margaret Owen Parsons, Publisher 10300-142 Kings River Road Reedley CA 93654

Association Officers

Arnold C. Owen, President P.O. Box 692 Westtown, PA 19395 (610) 399-0146 [email protected]

M. Fred Owen, Vice President Owen Family Association P.O. Box 4805 Horseshoe Bay, The Owen Family Association was organized in 1981. TX 78657—(830) 598-6545 [email protected] The objectives of the association are: ▪ To establish and document as complete a list of descendants of Owen Jane Owen, Secretary Historian and allied families as possible. 4190 Hurricane Shores Dr. Benton AR 72015 (501)794-1751 ▪ To collect a narrative history of individual family lines of descent . [email protected] ▪ To compile and maintain a listing of cemeteries, homes and other buildings and sites associated with Owen and allied families. George Shirley, Treasurer ▪ To publish and distribute a periodic newsletter. 508 Arbor Dr. Madison, MS ▪ To bring members of the family association together for periodic reunions. 39110 (601) 856-9041 ▪ To aid association members to establish their family line and assist them in [email protected] joining hereditary and patriotic societies, if they so desire. ▪ To ultimately produce a volume documenting the verified family histories. Josephine Moeller, Genealogist ▪ To provide publications to Genealogy Libraries in order to assist Owen 401 S 14th St., St. Charles IL 60174 (630) 513-6808 researchers. [email protected] Annual dues of $10.00 are payable January 1st . The Owen Newsletter is published quarterly and is subject to copyright. Board of Directors Robert McCrary George Shirley C. Owen Johnson OWEN FAMILY NEWS

Volume 22, Issue 4 Published by Owen Family Association December 2007 Page 1 http//www.geocities.com/~owenfamily

11th Annual Biennial Reunion Report

The 11th Biennial Reunion of the Owen Family Association went off without a hitch. As noted in the printed program which informed participants of a full agenda, we were treated to a dissertation by our DNA Coordinator Whit Athey. As everyone knows, Dr. Athey is a physicist-molecular biologist of note. As our fea- tured speaker, he explained the use of 25-37 markers on the Y-chromosome (out of 50,000 plus which we each carry) which inform us of our linkage to a common an- INSIDE THIS ISSUE cestor. We note that it does not link us with a particular individual as ancestor but does denote a family group to which we belong. Our Feature Article: In a separate afternoon workshop, Whit went a step further and spoke of the INSIDEDescendants THIS of William ISSUE and migration patterns of our ancient ancestry (as opposed to the 400 year span of our Drucilla Echols Owen—Part 4 various family groupings). Using our family groups which had been placed before Letter from our New President C. Owen Johnson each seated participant, he was able to link the POSSIBLE geographic site of our Thomas Evan Owen Page 52 primitive ancestry. For example, Group 5: most of the people of that family group

Page 2 probably were descendants of people who originally came from the Basque regions. Reuben Pickett Owen and His Descendants: He told one group – the ones who carry a value of 14 on marker 448 (no Owen DNA Update other Owen group anywhere carries that 14) that they may have, like the early major- AdrianBy Whit Boone Athey Owen Jody Moeller and ity of that group, emerge from the Highlands of Scotland. Those members have been Page 3 Lee Gentemenn thinking Wales, but may have descended from the Picts. To another group of the 19 groups covered by participation is the Owen DNA Project, he suggested a definite Page 55 West Coast Owen Family Scandinavian linkage. And so on. Very enlightening! IN FUTUREReunion ISSUES And everyone is certainly aware of our good luck in having so learned a per- Page 3 son who gives so generously of his time. Thanks, Whit! - March Feature Article - In the Business Meeting, two new officers were elected, all other officers Descendants of William and Biographies of New Officers having previously agreed to continue their duties in there respective offices. Our Drucilla Echols Owen—Part 5 new president: Thomas Evan Owen of Marietta, Georgia. His biography is found in Page 4 by C. Owen Johnson this issue. Our new editor of the Newsletter: Carla Owen Grune of Virginia Beach, ≈ VA. Her biography is in this issue too. CaptainDescendants Richard Owingsof In the new president’s brief acceptance remarks, he stated: “In the brief time Reuben PickettPage Owen—Part 5 4 I’ve spent with Arnie today, I have been aware of how hard he has worked to keep by Josephine Moeller the Association on track. That he has held the office for ten years is a remarkable In Memoriam,≈ feat. We all owe him a great debt of gratitude.” Everyone present and the greater MaryA David Ann Franklin Owen Grisby,Owen number of members who were not in attendance can heartily applaud that. Thank HaroldNarrative C. Owen you for your unstinting efforts on our behalf, Arnie! by HughPages Goodman 6-7 At the close of the meeting, it was decided that the Twelfth Biennial Reunion ≈ will be held in Atlanta, Georgia in 2009. Our hosts will be the new president, Tho- Descendancy of Owen(s) Genealogy on the mas Evan Owen and his lovely wife, Heidi. Hope to see you all there! Henry “Buck” Owen Our thanks to Carol and Bob Owens for their planning and hard work to in- Internet By Marshall Thomas sure a successful Eleventh Reunion. Pages≈ 8-9 We heard so many participants expressing satisfaction with what they had Ewing Elmer Fidler Story learned (and that delicious dinner!). Noted, too, by many was the fact that we had IN FUTUREBy Louis Owen ISSUES more than usual representation of younger people. This is always the aim: We need to enlist an ever-growing membership of younger enthusiasts because they will be Owen Histories the ones to carry on the tradition. Owen Lineages Chris Hanlin Our new president is a person who delegates. If anyone would be able to serve on committees, speak up. There’s plenty to do to keep our association going! December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 2 Editorial Staff of the The President’s Message Owen Family News from Thomas E. Owen

Editor & Officer The Owen Family Association (OFA) held their biannual meet- Carla Grune ing this past September in beautiful Asheville, NC. Arnie Owen, Presi- 784 S. Villier Ct. Virginia Beach, VA 23452 dent, for many years decided it was time to step down and spend more (757) 570-7079 time with family and pursue other personal interests and goals. We all [email protected] want to thank Arnie for his strong leadership to the OFA. I must also thank Carol and Bob Owen for hosting the meeting, and to all the oth- Publisher & Officer ers who did so much behind the scenes to make it successful.

Margaret Owen Parsons Let me introduce myself as the new president. My family has 10300-142 Kings River Rd. lived in the Atlanta, GA area for the last eighteen years. Heidi and I Reedly, CA 93654 have five grown children. All are married, we have six beautiful grand- (559) 638-0025 children. We spent twenty years in the Air Force traveling from the [email protected] west coast to the east coast, with one year spent in South Korea. For

the last eleven years I have been employed by an aircraft manufacturer Contributing Editors in Marietta, GA.

Jane Owen Hillard My Owen ancestors came directly from Wales in the late 1800’s Kimberly Ayn Owen and settled in Utah. Utah is where I was raised and attended college. I C. Owen Johnson met my best friend Heidi at Utah State where we were both students. William P. Owen, III I have always taken great pride in the Owen name and respect Proofreading Committee it, as I am sure you do. When I came across the OFA website, I knew right away it was an organization I wanted to join. While I take no Margaret Owen Parsons claim in being a great genealogist, I do have a desire to learn more Michael Patrick Owen about my extended family. We have some true genealogy experts who Alan D. Smith are willing to help trace family lines. Carolee Moncur, PhD Raye Puckett My number one objective is to increase the membership of the Marsha Carmack Owen Owen Family Association. Your suggestions as to how to bring this Sue Owen about will certainly be welcome. I took great joy in being in Asheville I enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people all, of whom I had some- Typist thing in common….. the name OWEN! Volunteer Needed

Publication Dates Tom Owen March, June, September & December [email protected] Deadlines are the 1st day of the month preceding publication.

Submission of lineages, biographies, photographs, historical and genealogical data about any Owen anywhere is encour- aged! Your ideas for the newsletter are also solicited, please contact the editor.

December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 3

Update: The Owen DNA Project By Whit Athey

It was very nice to meet several participants in the Owen DNA Project at the recent meeting in Asheville. We had two people join the project at the meeting (I took some sample kits with me—just in case). The project continues to grow as five new participants have directly joined in the last quarter, and two new members have transferred their results to us from the Genegraphic Project. First-time results have been posted for five additional participants since the last newsletter, adding new members to Owen Groups 1, 5, and 14, with two new members being added to the currently “Unmatched” group. This brings us up to about 103 members, with results currently posted for 99. The results table will be included with this newsletter as an Appendix (pdf file) for those who receive the newletter by e-mail.

Another new haplogroup has made its first appearance in the project. A new participant who transferred his results from the Genographic Project is a member of Haplogroup J1.

Family Tree DNA (our main testing company) is again offering holiday discounts for new project members (sorry—upgrades for existing members were not included). Our Owen project has six coupons, two each for (1) $30 off a 37-marker Y order, (2) $15 off a 25-marker Y order, and (3) $15 off an mtDNA order. If you have been considering joining the project, here is a good opportunity to do so. These will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact me at [email protected] or (301-570-0923) if you would like to use one of the coupons and join the project.

Between newsletters, you may always find the most current results on our project web site at: http://home.comcast.net/~whitathey/indexo.htm

West Coast Owen Family Reunion Dallas, Oregon July 14, 2007 By: Arvan Reese

This annual reunion was held at the recreation center of the Greenway Mobile Park in Dallas, OR and attended by sixty-six descendants of Benjamin Franklin Owen (1828-1917). B. F. Owen was the oldest grandson of Reuben Pickett Owen through his son William W. Owen (1801-1863) and Matilda Borland. B. F. Owen traveled to the Oregon territory in 1853 and married Jane Curry McClure on September 1, 1859, she being seventeen and he thirty-one. They had fifteen children, only one of which, Clarence O. Owen, died at birth in 1886.

Organized by Grant and Lois Gibson and hosted by Paul and Myra Moore, the attendees included multi- generation descendants of Benjamin's children: Robert Vester Owen, Thomas Albert Owen, and Virginia Pearl Owen Chamberlain. Richard T. Owen of Bellevue, WA, son of Thomas Albert and Edna Owen, presented his monograph "Some Persons, Places and Practice in the Life of Benjamin Franklin Owen." All attendees were from the Oregon-Washington area except Richard and Linda Giberson and family who came up from Grapevine, TX. Also attending was Arvan Reese of Bremerton, WA., a descendant of Reuben Pickett Owen's son Reuben Pickett Owen Jr. (1814-1891), brother of William W. Owen.

December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 4

Biographies of New Officers

About our New OFA President:

Born and raised in Brigham City, Utah, a small farming community in northern Utah, Thomas Evan Owen is the son of Ezra Benson Owen and Phyllis Margaret Kirkham. Tom was named after his two grandfathers, Thomas F. Kirkham and Evan R. Owen. He has two older sisters, Kathleen and Margaret, and one younger brother, William. They all live in Utah.

Tom served a two year mission for his church in the central states, graduating from Utah State University in 1974 and going into the Air Force. His Air Force career started in North Dakota, spanning ten different state side locations with one year in South Korea. He was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Air Force and served until 1994. While in the Air Force her earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration. Currently, he works for Lockheed Martin in Marietta, GA.

He and Heidi married in the fall of 1973 and have been married thirty-four years. They have five married children and six grandchildren.

Tom’s hobbies are biking, swimming and fly fishing. He is a novice at genealogy but he is working on it.

About our New OFA Editor:

Carla Owen Grune was born August 2, 1958 in Lexington, NC to Nelda Wood Owen and Dale Stephan Owen, a descendant of Richard and Betty Rowland Owen. She has 2 younger sisters, Amanda Owen, who lives in High Point, NC, and Kellie Owen Comer, who lives in Stafford VA. Carla graduated from West Davidson High School in 1976.

She attended Pfeiffer College, where she graduated cum-laude with a BA in Mathemat- ics in 1980 and played collegiate basketball for 4 years. She continued with her graduate studies in Mathematics at North Carolina State University and received her Masters of Sci- ence degree in Applied Mathematics/Operations Research in 1984. She was employed at NCSU as an algebra and calculus instructor, while attending graduate school. She was employed by IBM for 12 years as a software developer, and started her own software consulting business, which she runs today.

On Oct. 14, 1984, she married Dr. Guerry Grune. They have 2 wonderful daughters, Stephanie, born 6/5/89 who is a freshman at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA and Gabriella, born 3/7/92 who is a sophomore at First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach. Carla has a loving golden retriever, BJ and cat, Rita. Carla and her family enjoy living in Virginia Beach where they relax at the beach, and enjoy the wonderful history in the Hamp- ton Roads area. December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 5

Captain Richard Owings By David Owings

My Owen/Owings "brick wall" ancestors are Capt. Richard Owen (abt. 1662-1716) and Rachel Robert (abt. 1663-1729). They are said to be Welsh Quakers but this has never been proven despite cogent data. Family lore is very strong with them being Welsh and indeed one of the early family farms in Baltimore County is named Plinlimmon (various spellings) which is a mountain in Montgomeryshire, Wales. Dr. Donnell MacClure Owings was the leading researcher on Richard and Rachel until his death in 1966. Dr. Owings believed that Richard Owen was the son of Owen Humphrey of Llwyn du farm, Merioneth, Wales. His theory has been so ingrained in historical and family history writings that it has taken on a "factual" life of it's own. But it is a theory he never had the chance to prove or disprove, or anyone subsequently.

Richard and Rachel Owings lives are fairly well documented in America. If they were in the Welsh Tract in Pennsylvania they did not stay long and were soon found in Anne Arundel County, Maryland and finally Baltimore County, Maryland where they died. I have been working with Dr. Richard Allen of the University of Wales - he is a Welsh Quaker scholar. He believes that if Capt. Richard Owings was a Quaker, this would have been at odds with Quaker beliefs in holding title as Richard was a Captain in the Potomac Rangers beginning in 1697. We do know from such first hand Quaker narratives, as Edward Foul- kes, that some Welsh left with the Quakers not being Quakers, some became Quakers during the long voy- age and others left the beliefs upon arrival in America.

The etymology of the Owings name and it's many variations is a bit of a mystery. Capt. Richard Owen experimented with seven spelling variations before settling on "Owings". We believed that he had coined this particular spelling - as it turns out, he did not. I first find the spelling in England in 1595 and it continues on through the 16th century till today. There are never many records to be found of Owings and it's close variations - even today, it is estimated only about 5,000 individuals are living in England with this surname. There are no demographic clues as to this surname as it can be found throughout much of Eng- land in the past and now. However, the largest concentration of this surname is around Liverpool. English Owings can be found in the U.S. census with no apparent link to Richard and Rachel. Interestingly enough, some 19th and early 20th century passenger lists do show Owings going to such destinations as Owings Mills, Baltimore County, Maryland and Owings, Laurens County, South Carolina. I can see from English census records that some Owens shift the spelling to Owings between generations for no apparent reason. Conversely, we also know that at least one American Owings if not more, went back to England to live from the census and in this case to Liverpool.

If anyone can help shed light on any relationship between Owen/Owings in America and England I am very interested ([email protected]).

December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 6 In Memoriam Mary Ann Owen Grigsby

One of the founders of the Owen Family Association Mary Ann Owen Grigsby (OFA #3) died recently in San Antonio, Texas. Mary Ann Owen Grigsby was born in New Orleans, LA, on February 24, 1932, the only child of Alfred March Owen and Emma Knight Owen. Mary Ann grew up in New Orleans and graduated from Isidore Newman School. She married Charles “Chuck” Vennum Grigsby in 1958 and they were together until his death in 1984.

Mary Ann loved New Orleans and the French Quarter and was passionate about genealogy. She was enticed by her cousin and lifelong friend C. Owen Johnson into the toils of genealogy. Owen Johnson, Mary Ann Grigsby and other cousins formed the Owen Family As- sociation in 1985. Mary Ann served first as secretary, later as publisher of the Newsletter – in the days when there were no personal computers to make the work faster. In addition, she was a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the National Society Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims, the Daughters of the American Revolution and many other Heritage Organizations. She was a past president of the Huguenot Society and also a Genealogist for the Group.

When Mary Ann and Chuck were married, they started a hotel management consulting business. One of the hotels they helped to open was the Royal Orleans. Mary Ann became the first female General Manager of a French Quarter hotel when she was named General Man- ager of the Dauphine Orleans Hotel. She was very influential in the Hotel industry and had the honor of being named Innkeeper of the Year in 1990 by Hospitality International.

Mary Ann served on the Board of French Quarter Festivals, Inc. and the French Quarter Busi- ness Women’s Network and was involved with numerous other organizations. She taught the Jazzy Cabbie Program for UNO and along with others composed the Program and Facts about New Orleans that became the Professional Driver's Guide, or "Where Y'AT" course. She also taught courses at Delgado Community College for women who were interested in jobs in the Hotel Industry.

She is survived by cousins, nieces, nephews and many friends who will miss her keen intelli- gence and quick wit. For those who met Mary Ann, she will be remembered as a warm, very witty and engaging person.

December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 7

In Memoriam Harold C. Owen

Harold C. Owen, age 91, of French Lick, Ind., formerly of the Elon area, died Sunday, Au- gust 26, 2007, at 10:35 AM at Medco Health & Rehabilitation Center in French Lick, Ind.

Harold was born on March 25, 1916 to the late Clyde Owen and the late Estie (Clements) Owen. He married Jessie B. Wilson on December 22, 1938 and she preceded him in death on December 2, 1997.

He was retired from the Orange County Highway Department and as a farmer. He had also worked on the Purdue Farm.

Harold was a member of Nicholson Valley Christian Church and attended Moores Ridge United Methodist Church. He was also a member of the Orange County Farm Bureau. Harold was a history buff and had spent much time researching the Buffalo Trace here in Southern Indiana.

He is survived by his two daughters: Janet (Owen) Stevens (John) of French Lick, Ind., and Pamela (Owen) McBride of Indianapolis, Ind. one son: Michael Owen (Carol) of French Lick, Ind., one sister, Thelma Derringer of Muncie, Ind., and one brother, Arnold Owen of Westown, Pa., eleven grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, several nieces, nephews, and great nieces and great nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife; 2 brothers, Hollis and Robert Dale Owen; 3 sisters, Elva Carpenter, Erna Jones, & Bernice Pitt.

The OFA past president, Arnie Owen, is the brother to Harold Owen. We extend our sympa- thy to the family.

December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 8

Owen(s) Genealogy on The Internet

Notes on Owen Genealogy http://maxpages.com/clayton/Notes_on_Owen_Genealogy Owen Family as it relates to Clayton Family. Allied families include: Allen, Barnett, Clark, Clayton, Looney, Mcmann, McIlroy, Owen Postings about Owens in KY, IL, OH, Randolph Co. AR - transcribed census, court and land records included.

R.K. Owen Genealogy http://owen.sj.ca.us/rkowen/rkowen/ged2html/ This is R.K.Owen's genealogy, with respect to his direct line along with siblings of his direct ancestors. The purpose for this exercise is to have these names indexed so that anyone else searching for a common ancestor will contact R.K. Owen and, perhaps, extend his ancestral line.

Arthur Owen's Genealogy Site http://members.tripod.com/~aowen/ This site presents a partial compilation of my genealogical research. In addition to searching my ancestors, I am working on compiling a record of all descendants of the emigrating ancestor of the family name of my four grandparents. Descendants of Arthur and Elizabeth (LEE) OWEN of Prince Edward Island, Canada (as of 2 Aug 2004) Arthur Owen was christened on 8 Jul 1756 in Topsham, , Devonshire, England. He was born on 23 Jul 1756 in , , Devon, England. He, according to another source, may also have been born on 28 Jul 1756,.1 He died on 8 Jun 1823 in Shipyards, Lot 49, PE.2 He was buried on 11 Jun 1823 in University Ave, Charlotte- town, PE. He was a Shipbuilder..2

(Kirk)-Owen Genealogy http://www.antonymaitland.com/owen0001.htm HENRY OWEN (1) The father of Henry Owen2 PR: born 23/6/1792 of Thomas Owen of Duke St, Gent. Parents: Thomas & Mary Owen. DiedDC: 20/12/1845, 121 Great Howard St, Liverpool, a miller aged 56, of Typhus. Informant Margaret Leighton.

My CinnamonToast® Genealogy http://www.mycinnamontoast.com/perl/results.cgi?surname=OWEN OWEN Genealogy in All Regions Search criteria: All Regions, Surname OWEN

December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 9

Reports links to Owen genealogy sites as well as genealogy information sites.

Retracing Our Family Legacy A Genealogy Site Researching the Surnames Elliott, Fouts, Cessnun, Hardy, Hersey and Allied Families http://www.retracing-our-family-legacy.com/ The Walter O. OWEN and Joyce 'Joicy' BENNETT lineage.

Cousin Connect.com http://www.cousinconnect.com/p/a/0/s/OWEN OWEN Genealogy Queries

Northern OWENs N. America 1500-1800 http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnichols/owen.htm OUR GREAT MYSTERY is our 4th great-grandfather. In February, 1779, we first find Jonathan Morgan OWEN (JMO) enlisting as a Loyalist in DeLancey's Brigade at Long Island, NY at the age of approximately 27 years, 11 years older than the minimum enlistment age of 16, and several years after the war began. None of the military records found to date give any indication of his origins

The Owen Family http://www.watermelon-kid.com/family/bios/owen_family.htm By Steven R. Butler The Owen Family William Owen | Thomas Owen | Madison C. Owen The earliest known member of this family is William Owen, a man about whom very little is known with certainty. Unfortunately, nearly all that is known with certainty about William Owen is revealed in his will, dated February 15, 1808 in Smith County, Tennessee.

Happy 100th Birthday Thelma Owen Derringer

Thelma Owen Derringer, born October 14, 1907 in Dubois, Indiana, the oldest of eight children of Estie and Clyde Owen. Her late husband of 54 years, Irvin Derringer, passed away in 1974. When asked what she attributes to her longevity, she re- sponds, “ Clean living”. In later years, Thelma has resided at The Waters in Yorktown, Indiana but previously was a long time resident of Muncie, Indiana. Thelma & brother Arnie viewing her 1917 school picture Her 100th Birthday celebration at Yorktown, on Sunday, Octo- ber 14th, was attended by many of her family and friends. Thelma’s descendants included, her daughter, Shirley Pickell, five grandchildren, and two great-great grand children. Other family members celebrating the occasion with her included a, brother Arnold “Arnie” Owen, his wife and several nieces and nephews. December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 10

Queries, We want Queries!

Please send queries or information on queries to Carla Grune, [email protected] or mail to 784 S. Villier Ct. Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Carol Owen ([email protected]) seeks information on the Welsh poet, Gorowny Owen who settled in the Brunswick Co VA area? The last information she has is from William P. Owen, who had a son Robert, who had descendants (she thinks?). Has any of Gorowny’s line ever been tested in the DNA program?

Christy Owen ([email protected] ) seeks information on Samuel Owen and his wife Hopy (Hope) A. Owen? They settled possibly in the Northern US, possibly VA. His son was Morgan H. Owen born circa 1874?

Reminder: OFA annual dues are payable Jan. 1, 2008.

Owen Family News and Source Book Order Form

CD ORDER FORM Name ______

Address______

State ______Zip______

Description of CD [Adobe PDF format] *Amount x Qty = Total Owen Source Book $10.00 ______Book 1 Owen Family Newsletters [Vol 1-8] $10.00 ______Book 2 Owen Family Newsletters [Vol 9-12] $10.00 ______Book 3 Owen Family Newsletters [Vol 13-16] $10.00 ______Book 4 Owen Family Newsletters [Vol 17-20] $10.00 ______A complete set of all five CD’s $35.00 ______Total (*includes shipping & handling) $ ______** **Send this amount by check or money order payable to Owen Family Association, c/o Jane Owen 4190 Hurricane Shores Dr. Barton, AR 72015 (Please include a copy of this form with your order) These CD’s are in Adobe PDF format and can be read on your computer by Adobe Reader software. If this software is not installed on your computer, it’s free from Adobe.com. . December 2007 Volume 22, Issue 4 Owen Family News Page 11

Welcome New Members

Members, if you have information about these Owen(s) lines, please contact our new member(s).

Janice Barlow Murnan (#411) 615 Roma Rd., Venice, FL 34285 (941) 484-9478; [email protected]. Earliest ancestor: Eleanor Owen wife of Calder Haymond in Montgomery Co. MD; m. 1753 in Frederick Co., MD; other researchers suggest that she is the daughter of Edward Owen one of the sons of Rev. Robert Owen of St. George's Parish.

Marty Kulisch (#412) 3902 Five Mile Dr., Stockton, CA 95219 (209) 952-2504; [email protected]; Earliest ancestor: William Madison or Matthew Owen b. 1839 TN, d. 1934 Bald Knob AR, m. 1866 Laura Coffman; previous ancestors speculated to be Felix Owen of KY, William Owen of NC, and Thomas Owen of VA

Bonnie Cook (#413) 1393 Asbury Rd., Westfield, NC 27053-8109 (336) 351-4585; [email protected]; Earliest ancestor: Sir Peyton Owen b. 1816 NC, d. 1896 Surry Co., NC, m. Eliza Ann Marion 1844 Surry Co., NC, descended through son Jeremiah Nathaniel Owen.

Fred A. Rutledge (#414) 1208 Argonne Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218-1427 (410) 889-0035; does not have email; Earliest ancestor: William Owen 1635 Wales; through Thomas Owen 1650 Wales, through John Owen 1691 VA and wife Phoebe Brackett; through Dr. Thomas Owen 1730 VA-1805 GA m. Jane Glenn (I put all that in to really identify this line)

Cindi Rutledge (#415) 8754 Lackawanna Towson, MD 21234 (443) 844-7995 [email protected]; Earliest ancestor: same as above for her father.

Dorothy Nell Owen Kasper (#416) 2852 Guinevere Dr. Atlanta, GA 30345 (404) 325-7332 [email protected] Earliest ancestor: Sterling W. Owen m. Laureny or Lurana Brewer; through son Miles Owen 1810-1879 VA/MS/TN m. Martha Ann Foster (her brother is Ira Edwin Owen #51)

Cheryl Ann Kasper (#417) 4467 Oakdale Rd. Smerna, GA 30080 (404) 316-5474 [email protected]; Earliest ancestor: Sterling W. Owen m. Laureny or Lurana Brewer; through son Miles Owen 1810-1879 VA/MS/TN m. Martha Ann Foster. Her uncle is Ira Edwin Owen #51.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION For information or an application for membership, please e-mail [email protected] or write to: Owen Family Association c/o Josephine Moeller 401 S. 14th St., St. Charles, IL 60174.

Thank You to Arnie Owen and Karen Grubaugh

Many thanks to Arnie Owen and Karen Grubaugh for your dedication as the Owen Family Association’s President and Editor. Your enthusiasm, dedication, creativity, keen eye for articles and zest for Owen genealogy will be missed. We wish you well, enjoy your families and know you are welcome to contribute to the OFA anytime.

Owen Family News 1st class postage “Owen, a name worth knowing”

Owen Family Association Margaret Owen Parsons, Publisher 10300-142 Kings River Road Reedley CA 93654

Association Officers

Thomas E. Owen, President 1478 Dallas Circle Marietta, GA 30064 (770) 426-6647 [email protected]

M. Fred Owen, Vice President Owen Family Association P.O. Box 4805 Horseshoe Bay, The Owen Family Association was organized in 1981. TX 78657—(830) 598-6545 [email protected] The objectives of the association are: ▪ To establish and document as complete a list of descendants of Owen Jane Owen, Secretary Historian and allied families as possible. 4190 Hurricane Shores Dr. Benton AR 72015 (501)794-1751 ▪ To collect a narrative history of individual family lines of descent . [email protected] ▪ To compile and maintain a listing of cemeteries, homes and other buildings and sites associated with Owen and allied families. George Shirley, Treasurer ▪ To publish and distribute a periodic newsletter. 508 Arbor Dr. Madison, MS ▪ To bring members of the family association together for periodic reunions. 39110 (601) 856-9041 ▪ To aid association members to establish their family line and assist them in [email protected] joining hereditary and patriotic societies, if they so desire. ▪ To ultimately produce a volume documenting the verified family histories. Josephine Moeller, Genealogist ▪ To provide publications to Genealogy Libraries in order to assist Owen 401 S 14th St., St. Charles IL 60174 (630) 513-6808 researchers. [email protected] Annual dues of $10.00 are payable January 1st . The Owen Family News is published quarterly and is subject to copyright. Board of Directors Robert McCrary George Shirley C. Owen Johnson