Una Bowman, who gave me so much help with the Brown family, has been similarly helpful with the Owens.
(We share a common ancestor in Mary Owen who married Moses Brown.)
I copied a lot of information from various family trees posted on Rootsweb:
Cal Owen's - The Owen Family
(He has traced them back to Edward Owen, father of Richard born 1595 in Shropshire.)
Randall Owen's - Owen/Brand database]
(His tree goes back to David Owen b 1320.)
One problem I have with these files - the name Owen is preserved all the way back, and I thought Welsh names were patronymics, and changed every generation, at least until recent times (in the 1700s or so). I must say that our particular Owens, once they arrived in America, did seem to keep the name Owen instead of changing each generation, but I wonder how far back that went.
Interestingly enough, another person raised just that point, and others, on the Owen GenForum site.
(A. Owens, message 4536, dated 9 Sept 2006)
His questions mostly deal with people before Richard and Johanna, but he does bring up the lack of documentation for their list of children - so it might be wisest to start where Hook (mentioned next) does, with the emigrant, George.
The major print source for this family seems to be Hook, James William. "The Owen Family of Suffolk, Orange and Westchester Counties, New York." The American Genealogist, v 30 #3 (119) July 1954, pp 129-142, and v 31 #1 (121) January 1955 pp. 33-49.
Genealogical Chart showing descendants of George Owen according to the Hook article.
Unfortunately, I believe Hook to be mistaken about the parentage of "our" Jonathan Owen - and there are some other, smaller errors as well. AS THERE ARE IN ALL SORCES - including this, so please proceed with caution.
Edward Owen - Sarah Oreley
no additional information - except
New info: Randall Owen’s file gives them three sons, Thomas and Pontesburius as well as our Richard; several other files list Sarah’s name as Oteley instead of Oreley.
Richard Owen (1595 Shropshire - ?) - Johanna Pitt (1599 Shropshire - ?)
These two were born in Owestry, which is not far from the Welsh border. Their first child was born either in Wales or after they moved to Surrey (which is one of the counties surrounding London.) At least two of their sons made it to America - John to Connecticut, George (our next ancestor) to Connecticut and then on to Long Island.
additional information - not much but some about their children
New info: it is possible that a third son, Richard, also came to America - I found two mentions of a Richard Owen in Riker’s Annals of Newtown. He flourished there at about the same time George was in Brookhaven. (this is my own speculation - I haven't seen anyone else posit it, so maybe they know something I don't).
Also, it appears that brother John is the founder of the family covered in a book by Ralph Owen: Owen, Ralph Albert Dornfeld,. Descendants of John Owen of Windsor, Connecticut (1622-1699); a genealogy, edited by Ralph Dornfeld Owen. [Philadelphia, 1941].
George Owen (1639 Surrey - bef 1701 Suffolk Co (Long Island) NY) - Martha Naibor
George and Martha lived first in Bristol (where she had been born in 1641) - their first two children were born there. Then they were in Ireland for a while - Cork actually - where their final three children (including our next ancestor Jonathan) were born. They went to America, first to Connecticut (possibly) and then on to Long Island, where they died, George sometime before 1701, Martha at an unknown time.
additional information -
not much but some about their children; nothing more is known (by me) about Martha Naibor, exept that her father's name was James
New Info: according to Hook, George went directly to Long Island, and was there as early as 1679 - he was granted lands in Brookhaven in October of that year, with an additional grant in 1684/5, the first person named Owen to be mentioned in the records. George is the paterfamilias of Hook’s article, and the connection between George and [according to several Internet genealogies] his brother John Owen of Windsor, CT is not explored. Possibly George lived near him for a while?? It does appear that there was considerable traffic between Connecticut and Long Island and a couple of George’s grandsons lived for a while in Greenwich, CT.
George's children
After this comes the disagreement with Hook.
His line: Jonathan Owen (1668/9 Cork - 1750 Westchester, NY) m Mary Brewster
their children
Ebenezer Owen (1710 Brookhaven - 1759 Walkill, Orange, NY) m Temperance Helme
"Our" Jonathan Owen (1749 Orange Co, NY - 1814 Seneca Co, NY) m Catherine Eleanor Kortright
What I think is the correct line:
John Owen (1670 Cork or Bristol - 1737 Long Island) m Mary Unknown
Jonathan Owen (~1696 Long Island - 17xx Orange Co, NY) m Bethia Terry
their children
Nathaniel Owen (1727 Long Island - 1802 Orange Co, NY) m 3 times, 1st wife Unknown
his children
"Our" Jonathan Owen (1749 Orange Co, NY - 1814 Seneca Co, NY) m Catherine Eleanor Kortright
Mary Polly Owen (1780 Middletown - 1830, possibly 1840 Allegheny Co, PA) - Moses Brown
Apparently there is a Bible record that says that Mary was married to a Dunbar Auble, but she is named as the wife of Moses Brown in Jonathan's will, and it seems almost impossible for her to have married Auble first (the first child of Mary and Moses - Jonathan Owen Brown - was born 1797). Moses and Mary were in Orange County for a few years and then (in about 1799) older brother Nathaniel moved to Cayuga County and Moses and Mary went along. It must have been shortly after they settled that father Jonathan and some other siblings made the move too - but Moses and Mary then went even further west (and a bit south) to Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
additional information about Mary Polly and her husband Moses Brown
additional information about their children
Their son Moses married Susan Harkless.
Their daugher Emily married Walter Scott.
Their son Charles married Lulu Pattee.
Their daughter Ethel married Earl Bothwell.
Their son is dear old Dad.
Phew!
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