The GOIN/ GOINS/ GOWEN/ GOING FAMILY
The Descendants of
JOHN (GEAWEEN) GOWEN
And
MARGARET CORNISH
of Ndongo, Angola
This genealogy was compiled by John L. Goin (b. 4/3/1943 Ft. Leavenworth, KS) during the last half of August 2017.
John (GEAWEEN) Gowen and Margaret Cornish and their descendants are the subjects of this genealogy.
John and Margaret were from the Kingdom of Ndongo located on the Malange Plateau in central Portuguese Angola. Portuguese General Luis Mendes de Vasconcelos overcame the Ndongo royal city of Kabasa in late 1618. He took thousands of prisoners to the West African coast in May 1619 and boarded 400 Ndongo men, women and children onto the Portuguese frigate, the St. John the Baptist, Captain Mendes de Acuna in command. The plan was to sell the captives to work in the Mexican silver mines. The Baptist’s voyage to Vera Cruz was intercepted by the pirate ships, White Lion and Treasurer, she was driven into the Bay of Campeche, disable and boarded on July 15, 1619. The pirates seized sixty of the Angolans from the Baptist. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 17 and 18.
In late August 1619 (five weeks later) the pirate corsair, White Lion, Captain John Colyn commanding, arrived in the Chesapeake Bay with a cargo of “20 and odd” Angolans selected from the Baptist to trade for victuals. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 18 and 19.
Angolans subsequently identified as belonging to the “20 and odd” were:
1. Anthony and Mary Johnson of Northampton County, Virginia. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 36
2. John Kecatan of Charles City County, Virginia. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 36
3. Paul and Hannah Carter of Little Plantation, Northampton County, Virginia. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 37
4. William Harmon, and perhaps, Emanuel Driggus, father of Jane Gussall, William Harmon’s wife. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 49
These families were commonly found in the Angolan malungu settlement on King’s Creek in Northampton County, Virginia. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 145 as well as the communities on Cherrystone Creek in Northampton, on Pungoteague Creek and in Accomack County and the John Gowen and John Pedro families in Lancaster County, Virginia. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 28
Two of these “20 and odd” Angolans; a man named Geaween (also rendered Graweere, and Grasheare) was subsequently known as John Gowen and a woman who was subsequently known as Margaret Cornish, were noted in a subsequent Jamestown census. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 18
John was hired as the servant of the planter William Evans. Margaret was enslaved by a neighboring planter, Robert Sheppard. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7
John and Margaret had a son they named Mihil Gowen in 1635. He is sometimes known, in subsequent records, as Michael Gowen. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 26 and 27
John Gowen appeared in a Virginia court order dated 31 March 1641 which stated, “John Geaween being a negro servant unto William Evans was permitted by his said master to keep hogs and make the best benefit thereof to himself provided that the said Evens might have half the increase….And whereas the said negro having a young child of a negro woman belonging to Lieut. Robert Sheppard….the said negro did for his said child purchase its freedom of Lieut. Robert Sheppard…the court hath therefore ordered that the child shall be free from the said Evans.” Source: Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to About 1820. Fifth Edition. Two Volumes Paul Heinegg pg 282
John then indentured Mihil to Christopher Stafford, to be freed at the age of twenty-one. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 27
John also had a son known as Philip Gowen, a mulatto, who was born about 1650. Philip’s mother was not Mary Cornish. Philip’s mother was likely English.
While a servant in the Stafford household Mihil had a son of a Kimbundu African slave named Pallassa (also known as Prossa). When released from indentureship Mihil was allowed to take his son, William Gowen with him. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 pg 27. Mihil purchased land in James City County and took a white woman as wife and they had three mulatto sons who they named: Daniel, Christopher and Thomas Gowen.
1 i. Michael1, born say 1635 and died before 11 September 1717.
ii. Philip1, born say 1650, was called "Phillip Cowen a Negro" when he petitioned the Governor and Council of State for his freedom. He was the servant of Amye Beazleye whose 9 April 1664 will stated that he was to be free and receive three barrels of corn and a suit of clothes after serving her cousin Humphrey Stafford for eight years. Stafford sold the remaining years of his indenture to Charles Lucas who forced Philip to acknowledge an indenture for twenty years before the Warwick County court [Colonial Papers, Library of Virginia microfilm, p.19, fol. 2]. On 16 June 1675 he was called "Philip Gowen negro Serving Mr. Jno Lucas" when the court ordered that his indenture in Warwick County was invalid, that Philip was free, and that he should be paid three barrels of corn according to Mrs. Amye Beazleye's will [McIlwaine, Minutes of the Council, 411]. John also had a son known as Philip Gowen, a mulatto, who was born about 1650. Philip’s mother was not Mary Cornish. Philip’s mother was likely English.
TRANSCRIPTION
Page 1 of 1
Phillip Gowen Was Freed, June 16, 1675
To the R:t Hon:ble S:r William Berkeley Kn:t Govern:r & Capt. Gen:ll Of Virg:a with the Hon:ble Councell of State:
The petition* of Phillip Gowen a Negro, In all humility Sheweth: That yor petr being a
serv:t to Mrs Amye Beazlye late of James Citty County Widdow decd the said Mrs Beazlye made her last will & testament in writeing under her hand & seale, beareing date the 9th day of Aprill An Dom. 1664: and amongst other things, did order, will, & appoint, that yor petr by the then name of Negro Boy Phillip, should serve her Cousin M:r Humphrey Stafford, the terme of Eight yeares then next ensueing, and then should enioy his freedome, & be paid three barrells of Corne & a sute of Clothes. As by the said will appeares, Soone after the makeing of which will, the said Mrs Beazlye depted this life, and yor petr did continue & abide with the said Mr. Stafford (with whome he was orderd by the said will to live.) some yeares, and then the said Mr. Stafford sold the remainder of yor petrs time, to one Mr. Charles Lucas, with whome yor petr alsoe continued, doeing true & faithfull Service, but the said Mr Lucas coveting yor petrs Service longer then of right itt was due, did not att the expiration of the said Eight yeares, discharge yor petr from his service, but compelled him to serve three yeares longer then the time sett by the said M:rs Beazleys will, and then not being willing yor petr should enioy his freedom, did contrary to all honesty & good conscience, with threts & a high hand, in the time of yor petrs service with him, and by his confedracy with some persons,** compell yor petr to sett his hand to a writeing, which the said Mr Lucas now saith, is an Indenture for twenty yeares, and forced yor petr to acknowledge the same in the County Court of Warwick. Now for that may itt please yor hon:rs yor petr was att the time of the makeing the said forct writeing, in the service of the said Mr Lucas and never discharged from the same, the said M:r Lucas alwaies uniustly pretending that yor petr was to serve him three yeares longer, by an order of Court, is untrue, which pretenses of the said Mr Lucas will appeare to yor honrs by t[he] testimony of persons of good creditt: YOR PETR therefore most humbly prayeth yor honrs to order that the said writeing soe forced from him be made void, and that the said Mr Luca[s] make him sattisfaction for the said three yeares service above his tim[e] and pay him Corne & Clothes with costs of Suite: And yor petr (as in duty bound) shall ever pray &c.
* A common abbreviation in seventeenth century writing for "tion" (the construction that sounds like "shun" in the words petition or plantation) was "con" with a tilde or a line over the omitted letters.
**Another common abbreviation in seventeenth century writing is the "tailed p" it often looks like a letter p with two descenders or with a crossed descender and it stands in for the letters per or par or pre and similar constructions as in the words percent or parent.
Citation: Virginia (Colony), Colonial Papers, Petition, 1675 June 16, Accession 36138, State
Government Records Collection, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
He may have been identical to Philip Gawen who was listed in the quit rent roll for James City County with 50 acres in 1704 [VMHB XXI:220].
1. 1. Michael1 Gowen, born say 1635, was the "negro" servant of Christopher Stafford who gave him his freedom by his 18 January 1654 York County will after four years of service. Accordingly, Stafford's sister Amie Barnehouse discharged "Mihill Gowen" from her service on 25 October 1657, and she gave him his child William, born of her "negro Prossa" [DWO 3:16]. Since nothing further is said of Prossa, she probably remained a slave. If she and Michael had any more children, they too would have been slaves. Perhaps Michael married a free woman - most likely white since most branches of the family were very light skinned. Also, there may not have been any eligible free African American women in York County at that time. “Most free African American families that originated in colonial Virginia and Maryland descended from white servant women who had children by slaves or free African Americans, and many descended from slaves who were freed before the 1723 Virginia law requiring legislative approval for manumissions. Source: Children of Perdition Melugeons and the Struggle of Mixed America Tim Hashaw 2006/7 Perhaps most intriguingly very few families that were free during the colonial period descended from white slave owners who had children by their slaves, perhaps as few as one percent of the total.” Source: Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to About 1820. Fifth Edition. Two Volumes Paul Heinegg
Michael1 Gowen patented "30 or 40 acres" in Merchants Hundred Parish in James City County on 8 February 1668 and died before 11 September 1717 when this land was mentioned again in James City County records:
It appears that Mihil Goen late of the said County of Jas. City dyed seized of 30 or 40 acres [Duvall, James City County, 42, 78].
Mihil’s children were
2 i. William1, born 25 August 1655.
3 ii. ?Daniel1, born say 1657.
4 iii. ?Christopher1, born say 1658.
5 iv. ?Thomas1, born 8/25/1655 Yorktown, York Co.,VA. Died 3/1/1726 Stafford, VA
2. William1 Gowen (Michael1), born 25 August 1655, son of Prossa, was baptized by Mr. Edward Johnson on 25 September 1655 [York County DWO 3:16]. He received a grant for land in Charles City County on 20 April 1687 [Patents 7:58]. He may have been the father of
6 i. Edward1, born say 1681.
3. Daniel1 Gowen (Michael1), born say 1657, received a patent for 100 acres in Kingston Parish, Gloucester County, adjoining his own land on 1 May 1679 and another 52 acres in Gloucester County adjoining Henry Preston, Ambrose Dudley, and Captain Ranson on 26 April 1698 [Patents 6:679; 9:147]. He may have been the ancestor of:
i. James3, born say 1728, taxable in Gloucester County in 1770. Perhaps his widow was Mary Gowen, taxable on 120 acres in 1784. He and his unnamed wife were the parents of Sarah Gowen, born 16 January 1759 [Mason, Records of Colonial Gloucester, 33, 95].
4. Christopher1 Gowen (Michael1), born say 1658, may have been named for Christopher Stafford, Michael1 Gowen's master. Christopher and his wife Anne Gowen were living in Abingdon Parish, Gloucester County, in January 1679 when their son Michael was born [Wynn, Abingdon Parish, Gloucester County, Register, 319]. Their children were:
7 i. Michael2, born in January 1679.
8 ii. ?Philip2, born say 1685.
iii. ?Christopher2, purchased 150 acres on the north side of the Roanoke River in Bertie County, North Carolina, on 25 March 1728 [DB C:23].
5. Thomas1 Gowen (Michael1), born 1655, was living in Westmoreland County between 1693 and 1702 when he was involved in several minor court cases, both as defendant and plaintiff, for debts. His wife was Winona (Winu-na) “Dakota” Cherakee born in 1656 in Cherakee, NC. She was considered to be Cherokee in origin. She died in Stafford, VA in 1740.
