Researching James Cowan
Explore the detail of James Cowan using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
![]() | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 6108 people with the Cowan surname? In that year Cowan was ranked number 687 for popularity in the UK. |

The name James means "one who supplants" and is of Hebrew origin.
Records of James Cowan on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of James Cowan in your family tree. A vast range of data is available to search ranging from census records, births, deaths and marriages, military records and immigration records to name but a few. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for James Cowan. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for James Cowan. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for James Cowan. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for James Cowan. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for James Cowan. |
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. If you are lucky then you may find some previously undiscovered Cowan ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Cowan Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for James Cowan and the Cowan Family Tree
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Cowan Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources below you will be able to find a birth record and, from that, a birth certificate can be ordered which lists the names of the mother and father, taking you back another generation in your tree. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Cowan family tree.
Look at Parish Records for James Cowan at Find My Past.
Explore for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of James Cowan using the FreeBMD database.
Investigate Genealogy Bank for James Cowan records.
Check out MyHeritage for James Cowan information.
Search the LDS Database for records about James Cowan.
Research the Cowan surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Cowan Military records.
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 10542 people with the Cowan surname in the UK? Cowan is now ranked number 547 for popularity in the UK. |
Cowan Family History Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Search the WikiTree database for user contributed records for James Cowan.
Study MyTrees for information on the Cowan family and people looking to contact living Cowan relations.
Study One Great Family for Cowan records submitted by people who are already researching the Cowan Family Tree.
Find James Cowan from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Cowan Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Cowan surname using Genealogy.com forums .
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 36459 people with the Cowan surname in the USA? Cowan is ranked number 145 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Cowan Databases
Investigate the Ellis Island Database for information on James Cowan. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called James Cowan
James Cowan (Scottish politician)
James Cowan (1816 – 24 November 1895) was a Liberal Party politician in Scotland.
He was the son of Alexander Cowan, papermaker and philanthropist. He was one of eleven children including Charles Cowan MP, and Sir John Cowan Bart..
He was Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1872 to 1874.
He was elected at the 1874 general election as a Member of Parliament for Edinburgh, and held the seat until he resigned from the House of Commons in 1882 by the procedural device of taking the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham.
He is buried with his family on the west side of the original cemetery in Grange Cemetery in Edinburgh.
Source: James Cowan (Scottish politician), Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaJames Cowan (Manitoba physician)
James Cowan (August 20, 1831 – September 2, 1910) was an Irish-born physician and political figure in Manitoba. He represented High Bluff from 1874 to 1878 and Portage la Prairie from 1879 to 1881 in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
He was born in County Tyrone, the son of Joseph Cowan, and came to Montreal in 1850. Cowan moved to Ontario the following year and taught school there for six years. At the same time, he studied medicine, receiving a degree from Victoria University in Toronto. Cowan then practised medicine in Harriston, Ontario for 11 years. He married Janet Broadfoot in 1868. In 1871, he moved to Portage la Prairie, practising medicine there for two years. Cowan then built a sawmill at Assiniboine. He retired from the practice of medicine in 1894. Cowan died in Portage la Prairie at the age of 79.
His grandson, also named James Cowan, also served in the Manitoba assembly.
Source: James Cowan (Manitoba physician), Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaOther names that sound a bit like Cowan
Family names can get corrupted over time, particularly where literacy was not as good. The following list contains some names that have similar sounds so you may want to also look at one or two of the more likely possibilites.
Caen Caghan Cagney Cahan Cahani Cahen Cahn Cahoon Cahoone Caime Caimi Cain Caine Cainey Cam Cambeau Cambo Camboia Came Camey Camm Camou Camuy Cana Cane Caneo Caney Cann Canna Cannaway Canney Cannoy Canny Cano Canoy Caughan Caughen Caumo Cayen Caynhooe Ceney Chaigne Chaim Chain Chainey Cham Chamney Chan Chaney Chaugham Cheaney Cheeney Cheine Chen Chenay Chenaye Chene Cheney Cheyenne Cheyne Cheyney Chiene Chin China Chine Chinn Chiono Choma Chowen Chown Chowne Chumney Chuney Chunn Chwenn Ciani Cianni Cigno Cima Cina Cino Cioni Coan Coen Cohan Cohane Cohani Cohen Cohn Com Comb Combe Combi Comboy Comby Come Comeau Comee Comi Commo Como Con Cona Conaghy Conahy Conaway Cone Coneau Conew Coney Conmee Conn Connah Connaway Conneau Connew Connow Connue Conway Cooknoe Coom Coomb Coombe Coome Coomo Coon Cooney Couen Coughan Coumbe Couwehowen Cowen Cowham Cowin Cowmbe Cown Cowne Coyne Cuen Cuene Cueni Cuiney Cumbe Cumbee Cumbie Cumbo Cumby Cumm Cumo Cunah Cuneio Cuneo Cunha Cunio Cunnah Cunney Cunnow Cunow Cuny Cuomo Cynowa Czene Tchayan





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