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I am on quest to identify my great grandfather. All I know is his name was JOHN COWAN and he was a Mining Engineer plus a few other interesting facts...

My grandfather Frank (Cowan) Sutton was born in O'okiep, in the British Cape Colony (South Africa) in 1876. O'okiep was the site of the biggest copper mine in the world. Franks mother Sarah Eleanor Sutton gave birth without marrying Franks father but he was baptised in the local church with Sarah's sister and her father as witnesses. Frank is recorded on the baptism certificate as Frank Cowan, son of John Cowan, Mining Engineer.

He was always known as Frank Sutton and this is the only name we knew until I discovered the baptism record several years ago.

I have now found a photograph of a well known Australian identity Sir John Cowan and although he can't possibly be Franks father he bares a stricking resemblance. Sir John was the son of James Cowan of Belfast.

As my leads are few and far between I am prepared to follow the slightest clue at this point, and the photograph is so stunningly like my grandfather I am quite excited to think I now have a lead.

I am looking for anything that might lead me to our John Cowan, Mining Engineer working in O'okiep, Namaqualand in 1875/6.

My great grandmother Sarah Eleanor Sutton was born in 1856 so I am guessing John Cowan would have been a similar age but have nothing else to go on.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Judy Carroll

Preston Beach, Western Australia

Wednesday 2nd Jan 2013, 10:01AM

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  • Hi Judy I wish I could help you John the son of My John lived as far as I know in Belfast  Ireland  where he had 3 children bef 1973 .  I check my other 3 Cowan families Looks like they all Lived in Canada and died here . In the http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lewis-essington-7185 it talks about a James Cowan daughter

    "Lewis was 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) tall, broad shouldered and handsome. Fair-haired, he was dubbed 'Snowy' by the sporting press; to his friends he was 'Essie'. In spite of an already formidable independence he was generally regarded with affection and referred to as 'big-hearted'. He often played polo at the farm of fellow worker H. C. Warren where he met Warren's niece Gladys Rosalind, daughter of wealthy mining investor and grazier James Cowan and cousin of (Sir) John Cowan. They were married at St John's Church, Burnside, on 12 April 1910 and set up home at Port Pirie. Lewis demanded methodical housekeeping from his wife; at work his obsession with order and efficiency led to his appointment in 1913 as assistant manager of the smelters".

    by this Gladys Rosalind Cowan she the daughter of James Cowan  here a very interesting page for you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cowan_(South_Australian_politician)

    to bad they don't list all the children  of James  but say he had 7 son  and 1 daughter  this James was born in abt 1853 sio maybe John your looking for is a brother

     I check ancestry  here a tree with all the family http://trees.ancestry.ca/tree/8636989/person/6156790809 by

    Michael Coligan 

     

    good hunting

    Jane

    Wednesday 2nd Jan 2013, 03:38PM

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