Grandparents of Lynn McCarthy and others:
Starkey Smith Cowand 1849 – 1916 | his parents
& 1876 Rachel Vantilla Ruffin 1857 – 1930 | her parents
Of the Cowan Farm, Powellsville, NC
The way I see it today.
Starkey Smith CowandCowan was born 4 May 1849 on the family farm to Starkey Cowand and wife Mary Rice, daughter of David Rice and Penelope.
Rachel Vantilla Ruffin was born 30 Aug 1857 in Bertie Co. NC daughter of Joseph Blount Ruffin and wife, Mary Elizabeth Powell.
Starkey and Vantilla were married 8 Sept. 1876.
On the 1900 Census Vantilla had 11 children of whom 9 are living at the time of the census.
Starkey died 1 March 1916, and Vantilla died 14 June 1930.
Both were buried in the old Stark Cowan Family Cemetery;
They have both been re-interred in the Highland Memorial Gardens, at Stoney Creek.
They were members of Holly Grove Baptist Church.
Children of Starkey and Vantilla Cowand:
1. Carrie May Cowand May 1879 –
Married 26 Apr 1903 James J Tayloe ca 1881 –
a. Willie R Tayloe ca 1906 –
b. Hubert Tayloe 26 May 1910 – 18 Jan 1912 ts
c. Ora M Tayloe ca 1920 –
d. Arnie Tayloe ca 1924 –
2. Willis Smith Cowand Sept 1882 – 21 Apr 1961
3. Alfred Eason Cowand 27 Feb 1884 –
Married 26 Mar 1903 Bertie Co Rosa Nollie E. Holloman ca 1884 –
a. Darwood O. Cowan 12 Jan 1905 – 24 Feb 1906 ts
b. Alfred Carlyle Cowan 6 May 1906 – 10 June 1907 ts
c. Foy Margarette Cowan ca 1909 –
d. Carroll Vernon Cowan 20 Aug 1910 Wake Co NC – 13 June 1977 Richmond Co. VA
e. Nollie Faye Cowan ca 1914 –
f. John Stalk Cowan ca 1916 –
g. Kermit Abb Cowan ca 1918 –
h. Hartwell Cowan ca 1921 –
i. Barbara Hope Cowan ca 1925 –
4. Lillie Lee Cowand Apr 1887 – 2 Aug 1963
married J M Stallings
5. Mary ElizabethLizzie Cowand Mar 1888 –
Married 26 Dec 1907 George D. Mizell
a. Stark Ruffin Mizell 1 June 1913 – 14 Feb 1917 ts
6. NonieNona Josephine Cowan May 1889 –
7. Rachel Cowand 14 June 1891 – 13 July 1970
married Mr Wimbrow died bef 1970
8. JamesJim Stanley Cowan 9 May 1893 – 15 Mar 1950 [Peanut Buyer]
Married 30 Dec 1916 Susie Myrtle Myers 1895 – dec.
a. Robert L Cowan ca 1918 – dec.
b. James Allen Cowan 14 Dec 1919 – 27 Nov 2000 Powellsville NC
Cpl. USA WWII
married Katheryn Mitchell 24 Feb 1923 P. NC – 9 Nov 1990 Powellsville NC
Both buried Stoney Creek Cemetery
i. Martha Lou Cowan
married
c. Annie Laurie Cowan 21 Dec 1925 Powellsville – 24 Nov 2014 Wilson NC
grad. Powellsville HS [last class], Louisburg College, Atlantic Christian College. Taught in Askewville, Powellsville, Rock Ridge, and Gardner Elem. School in Wilson, NC. Named Teacher of the Year for Wilson County, 1975.
She retired in 1986.
Survived by five nephews and seven nieces
married Onnie Robert Cockrell Jr., dec
i. Patricia Ann Cockrell, dec.
d. Dr. Leon Kerr Cowan ca 1928 – dec.
e. Rupert Earl Cowan – dec.
f. Myrtle Old Cowan – dec.
9. David Edwin Cowand May 1897 – 1966
married Reba Long
a. David Edwin Cowan 5 June 1929 – 14 June 1935 ts
10. Lena Rosebud Cowand 30 Nov 1902 – 12 Mar 1996 Frankfort KY
married 20 Dec 1930 Com. John Linus McCarthy 5 May 1881 – 16 Oct 1940 widower, buried with his first wife Mary in the US Naval Academy Cemetery Annapolis MD
a. Jacqueline McCarthy Ransdell 1934 – 20022015
i. Jennifer Lynn Ransdell Adams
1. Shane Spencer Adams
2. Cade Conner Adams
ii. Jefferey Ernest Ransdell
b. Lynn McCarthy 18 March 1940 Panama City, Panama – 23 Oct 2015 Frankfort KY
She grew up in Norfolk, VA. She became a Social Worker
In 1962 Lynn and her mother, Rosebud moved to Frankfort KY
Retiring after 30 years, Lynn operated her own genealogical research business for 11 years.
John Linus McCarthy married 1st Mary
c. John Linus McCarthy Jr dec.
1954 These Powellsville ladies are grading tobacco
in the shed behind the Cowan home.
Susie Myrtle Myers (wife of James S. Cowan) is in the foreground. Ethel Hardin Wynns (wife of C.T., Sr.) is to the right rear of Myers, and Irene Overton McKeel is to the left.
Staff photographer, The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald
Powellsville H S Class of 1942 50th Reunion, Ahoskie, 1992
Left to right: Wallace McKeel, Ann Cowan Cockrell, Foye Leigh Pritchard, Audrey Phelps, Allie Mitchell Dilday, Lorraine Holloman, Mildred Tayloe, Margie Fields Dunlow, C D Hoggard, William Perry Barnes, Anna Sessoms Hudson, Lessie Mitchell.
Obituary of Lynn McCarthy
Lynn Cowan McCarthy, 75, passed away on Friday, October 23, 2015, in
Frankfort. She was the daughter of the late Commander John Linus McCarthy,
Sr., D.D.S., U.S. Navy Dental Corps and Lena Rosebud Cowan McCarthy. In
addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, John
Linus McCarthy, Jr. and her sister, Jacqueline McCarthy Ransdell. She is
survived by her niece, Jennifer Lynn Ransdell Adams of Fayetteville, North
Carolina; her nephew, Jefferey Ernest Ransdell of Raleigh, North Carolina;
two great-nephews, Shane Spencer Adams and Cade Conner Adams; and numerous cousins.
Born in Panama City, Panama on March 18, 1940, where her parents were on
duty, Lynn grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. She earned her B.A. degree in
Sociology from Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary
Washington) in 1961 and Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth
University in 1969. Before moving to Kentucky in 1962, she was a social
worker with the former Social Service Bureau in Norfolk. She later retired
a 30-year employee of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, serving in the former
Dept. of Child Welfare, Bureau of Social Services, Cabinet for Human
Resources, and the Kentucky Dept. for Libraries and Archives. In her
career, Lynn was a Public Assistance Worker; Child Welfare Worker;
statewide Training Specialist, Training Administrator, and Protective
Services Consultant; and Grants and Contracts Administrator. After her
retirement, she established her own genealogical research business that
she operated for 11 years.
Lynn was a member of Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington,
Kentucky. She was a Kentucky Colonel, listed in numerous Marquis Who’s Who
publications, and was a member of many historical and genealogical
societies and organizations. University of Kentucky basketball was her
passion; she loved to travel both worldwide and in the United States; and
she was an avid reader, bird-watcher, and gardener.
Internment will take place in the Highland Memorial Gardens, Hertford
County, North Carolina at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2015, with a
brief graveside service.
Lynn’s great grandparents
Starkey Cowand 1810 – 1898| his parents
& 1842 Mary Rice 1817 – 1892 | her parents
of Bertie County, NC
Starkey Cowand was born 13 July 1810, the son of George Cowan and wife Winefred Mitchell.
Mary Rice was born in 1817, the daughter of David Rice and Penelope.
Starkey and Mary married 22 December 1842. He was a farmer.
Children of Starkey Cowand and Mary Rice:
1. Winifred Ann Cowand 12 October 1843 – Dec. 1903
2. Alfred Eason Cowand 11 May 1845 – July 1846 d y
3. Margaret Laura Cowand 16 April 1848 – 1912
4. Joseph Octavious Cowand 6 May 1849 – 1887
married 10 Jan 1875 Teneritta Outlaw
daughter of Alex Outlaw and Effie Tucker
a. Arthur Cowand
b. Garey Cowand
c. James A. Cowand
d. Joseph John Cowand 1875 –
e. Raleigh Cowand 1878 –
f. Bettie Cowand 1876 –
g. Mary Rosa Evalina Cowand 3 March 1882 – 16 Feb 1943 Colerain NC
(the ceremony was in Mars Hill Baptist Church)
married 17 Dec 1902 Charlie Bell Joyner 25 Oct 1874 Nash Co NC – 25 Jan 1909
son of John Joyner and Ann Weaver
i. Ruby Frances Joyner 17 Sept 1903 Rocky Mount NC – 6 Dec 1997 Greenville NC
married 23 Aug 1923 Thomas Roy Boyette 1905 Wendell NC – 1 Oct 1971
ii. Charlie Vivian Joyner 4 June 1908 – 5 April 1989
5. Starkey Smith Cowand 4 May 1850 – 1 March 1916
6. David Watford Cowand 19 June 1851 – 25 Dec 1928
7. Winfield Scott Cowand 11 Aug 1852 – 22 April 1920
8. Charles Edward Cowand 22 Oct 1853 – Aug 1893
married ElizabethBettie Emily Wynns May 1861 – 30 April 1930
9. Celia Ann Cowand 19 Mar 1855 – 1860 d y
10. Sarah Elizabeth Cowand 11 May 1856 – 1 Mar 1929
11. George W Cowand 15 May 1857 – 1858 d y
12. Martha Cotton Cowand 15 Feb 1859 –
13. Gabrilla Alice Cowand 29 May 1861 – 1 May 1929
14. Florence Ella Cowand 24 Oct 1862 – 14 Aug 1939
15. James Rodwell Cowand 10 Aug 1864 – 1866 d y
Lynn’s two great grandparents;
George Cowand ca 1770 – 1836 | his parents
& 1791 Winefred Mitchell | her parents
of Cowan Farm, Bertie Co, NC
George Cowand was born say 1770 a son of William Cowand and wife Maybel Cake.
Winefred Mitchell was born say 1775 a daughter of John Mitchell and wife Sarah.
George Cowand and Winefred Mitchell married 21 September 1791.
They lived on the family homestead.
Children of George Cowand and Winefred Mitchell:
1.Alsey Cowand 22 Aug 1793 – 1854
2. Worley Cowand
3. George Cowand 1800 – 1866
4. Nathan Cowand ? – 1836
5. Deliah Cowand
6. Elizabeth Cowand
7. Starkey Cowand 1810 – 1898
Lynn’s three great grandparents
William Cowand ca 1700 – 178085 | his parents
& bef 1757 Maybe Cake |her parents
of the Cowan Farm, Bertie County, NC
William Cowand was the first Cowand to settle in Bertie County.
He married Maybe Cake, daughter of John Cake and Mary.
He is listed in 1757 owning land and next to his father-in-law John Cake.
William Cowand died between 1780 and 1785.
Children of William Cowand and Maybe Cake:
1. ColinCullen Cowand died 1827
2. John Cowand ca 1750 – 1816
3. Ephraim Cowand – 1817
4. George Cowand died 1836
5. Solomon Cowand died 1810
6. Jonathan Cowand
7. William Cowand II ca 1756 – 1843
8. James Cowand
9. David Cowand
10. Rachel Cowand
Lynn’s great-grandparents R
Joseph Blount Ruffin 19 June 1832 – 8 March 1895 | his parents
& 1854 Mary Elizabeth Powell 27 June 1827 – 14 Aug 1920 | her parents
of Bertie Co NCH
Joseph Ruffin and Mary Powell were married in Bertie County NC 16 March 1854 by J. L Britton.
Children of Joseph Blount Ruffin & Mary Elizabeth Powell:
1. Rachel Vantilla Ruffin 30 Aug 1857 – 14 June 1930
married 8 Sept Starkey Smith Cowan 4 May 1849 – 1 March 1916
2. Joseph V Ruffin ca 1869 – (was 7 months old 1970 census – not on 1880 census) dy
3. Charles Smallwood Ruffin 1872 – 14 April 1939
married Ella Mizelle
a. Thomas Eugene Ruffin 12 Nov 1897 – 21 Oct 1969
married Suffolk VA 24 Dec 1922 Edna Ethel Harrell ca 1902 –
i. Thomas J Ruffin 2 Oct 1926 – 15 Nov 2014
married Dorothy
ii. Herbert Harrell Ruffin ca 1936 –
married Peggy
b. Charles Smallwood Ruffin Jr 1 Nov 1900 – Feb 1987
married Mary Boyd
i. Ella Mae Ruffin 1934 – 2008
ii. sister aft 1940 –
4. Dr. Joseph Blount Ruffin 14 May 1878 – 15 Oct 1945 age 66
married Mary E Owens
a. Joseph O Ruffin ca 1902 –
b. Dr. Winston Ruffin ca 1904 –
c. Elizabeth Ruffin ca 1906 –
d. Dr. Jennings B. Ruffin ca 1908 –
married Iris
(she was my first-grade teacher at Powellsville)
e. Louise Ruffin ca 1910 –
married Gatling
i. Johnnie Gatling ca 1936 –
f. Carrie B. Ruffin ca 1911 –
married 1st Jacocks
i. Joe Jacocks ca 1930 –
married 2nd Odom
i. Richard Odom ca 1937 –
g. Guy S Ruffin ca 1914 –
1860 Census Bertie Co Mitchell twsp
Jos B Ruffin 25 m Farmer
Molly E ” 25 f
Rachel V ” 3 f
John Powell 13 m
Thos Ruffin 52 m
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Lynn McCarthy November 22, 2014, Garrett-Sykes Funeral Service website DATELINE: Ahoskie, NC Thomas Eugene Ruffin, Jr., 88, of Ahoskie, passed away on November 15, 2014 at the Three Rivers Health and Rehabilitation Center of Windsor, NC. He was a native of Bertie County, born on October 2, 1926 to the late Thomas and Edna Harrell Ruffin in Ahoskie, NC. Thomas was in the last graduating class of Powellsville High School, received his business degree from Norfolk Business School, and his master degree in business from East Carolina University. He was a Professor in the Business Department for Chowan College for over 30 years. Thomas was a faithful member of Holly Grove Baptist Church, where he served as Minister of Music, Sunday School Director and Deacon for many years. He served in the VA and the NC National Guard. Thomas is survived by his spouse Dorothy, three daughters, Edna Annie Walker of Rutherfordton, NC, Carolyn S. Ruffin of Princess Anne, MD, and Mary Elizabeth Stracchino and husband Phil of Gilford, NH, son, Thomas Eugene Ruffin III and wife Christine of Mechanicsville, VA, brother, Herbert Harrell Ruffin and wife Peggy of Chesapeake, VA, four granddaughters along with a host of nieces and nephews.