Cowan - Edward H. - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Sources: P1886 / Physicians Directory of Kentucky and Indiana 1893 / Indiana State Board of Health 1882, 1884, 1890

Edward Howard Cowan was born at Frankfort Indiana, Dec 21, 1846 to John Maxwell Cowan and wife, Harriett Janney.  Died in Highland Park, Dallas County, Texas Aug 1, 1942 of cardiac failure and arterioscolosis. In 1862 he entered Wabash College and continued his studies there until the end of the 1864 school year, when he enlisted in the Army at President Lincoln's call for volunteers. He served in Company. H, 135th Indiana Volunteers under Captain McClelland of Crawfordsville. In  September of 1864 he was mustered out of service. He reentered at Wabash and graduated in 1867. In 1868, he began the study of medicine with Dr. Moses Baker of Stockwell. He later received his M.D. degree in 1873 from Miami Medical College in Cincinnati. In April 1873, he began practicing medicine in Crawfordsville and remained in this city for more than 50 years. He was the FIRST city health director and served as a member of the Crawfordsville School Board. At the time of his death, he was Surgeon General of the GAR and was Montgomery County's last surviving Civil War Veteran and was believed to be the last survivor of the Wabash college Roll of Honor of Students & Alumni who served in the Union Army during the Civil War.  His wife, Lucy Ayars was born in the Louisville, Kentucky area in Oct 1855 and died in November of 1924.  They had three children but only one, their beloved Bessie who married Lewis Repp Ferguson (late in life, leaving no grandchildren for the Dr. and Lucy) survived.

This young man had actually spent his three-months, subscripted in the Civil War, serving in Co F, as a private in the 135th Infantry from May 23 (1864) to September 29th.  An unique part of the war, this group mainly served as railroad guards for those 100 days in Tennessee and Alabama.  Company F was mainly Montgomery but a lot of Clinton County men, as well and was under the leadership of Montgomery’s own Capt. James McClelland. Almost all came home to central Indiana.

Upon his return, he reentered Wabash (prep school) to finish that up.  Edward Howard Cowan was born in Frankfort, Clinton County just four days before Christmas in 1846 to John Maxwell Cowan and his wife, Harriet Doubleday Janney but came with his parents to Crawfordsville as today we would call a preteen and began prep school here.  Thus, he graduated Wabash then in 1868, studied awhile with Dr. Moses Baker (at Stockwell) thinking to be a doctor and then beginning school at Miami Medical College in Cincinnati.

It was possibly on his summer break that he decided tallying part of the census of Montgomery County would be profitable.  When I think of a Dr.’s handwriting, I ponder it being close to unreadable but E.H. Cowan’s was almost perfect (see photo).  This was also an exceptional way to meet prospective patients.  About each and every day during the heat of the summer, Cowan would go door to door, ask his questions regarding names, ages, occupations, total of property, and where born.  More than 100 pages he filled out during that summer but don’t ask me what he was paid for that.  Sorry, but I do know he was living with his parents and saving the money to return to school, tallying his degree in the year 1873.  

An unusual item I noticed on that census was that almost always, someone will be assigned a specific section (like Brown Township or Ward 4 of Crawfordsville) and it will only be that person doing it and their writing but J.W. Ramsay also did several of the pages.  Mainly Cowan but Ramsay would dip in there, too.  It was rather odd.  Was kind of neat though that a copy of Ramsay’s tally he signed was included at the end of their work and I had never seen one of those so a new bit of history I was able to enjoy.  In fact, J.W. Ramsay was the census taker for the Cowan family, noting that E.H. was 23 and “a Civil Engineer.” Definitely, he was multi-talented!

Cowan’s father was an interesting man as well as were the spouses of both these men.  John Maxwell Cowan suffice to say (a couple of sources indicating first and a couple third) was one of the first white children born in Indianapolis.  His middle name came from his mother, Anna Maxwell and first John, his father. John M. was left fatherless at age eleven and made his own way while protecting, feeding and clothing his mother with nary a complaint.  He was determined to go to Wabash College and did attend there from 1836 to 1842, receiving his Bachelors.  He worked hard to become a respected judge and was tallied as such (8th Indiana Circuit Court judge with $39,000 of real estate and $11,000 personal property quite an impressive sum – 1870 census) along with his adored wife, Harriet Doubleday Janney and their five children, Edward having two brothers and two sisters. By the way, JW Ramsay was a lawyer and living with his parents not long afterward becoming one of our first mayors. He took tally for his own family!

It is unclear exactly where E.H. met his wife, Lucy Ayars as she was born and raised near Louisville, Kentucky, her parents having been devout Union folks amid a large pocket of those for the South.  Lucy’s major interest in world affairs and politics began right then and there.  She was a great niece of Ambrose Whitlock so this could be how they met.  Lucy had a mad desire to learn all she could about her adopted city and spent a great deal of time studying it. Makes sense with the founder of our town as a relative, and the Cowans coming very early.  I can certainly relate to this lady!  E.H. and Lucy were parents of but two children, their young son, John Ayars Cowan born in 1880 and died in the fall of 1891, but eleven years old and Eva Elizabeth “Bessie.”  

After but 17 years of medical work, E.H. was called as an expert witness in the Petit case where a minister was accused of poisoning his wife.  Cowan had studied doses of various poisons extensively.  He explained his diagnosis which highlighted poisoning by strychnine.  He was called in for several trials concerning deaths.  

Speaking of deaths, his parents moved to Springfield, Missouri for his mother’s health before the turn of the century and in November of 1899, E.H. was called thinking John, his father was dying.   He nursed him to health and the man lived to be 99, Harriet passing in 1905 at almost 80.

Dr. Cowan was a joiner and a doer for his community. On the school board he made it clear it was ridiculous to have two rooms available and not used in the colored school when the rest of the schools were exceedingly overcrowded.  Everyone could get along was his philosophy.  While serving as the first County Health Officer (photo thanks to Crawfordsville District Public Library taken about this time) he encouraged everyone to get a smallpox vaccination (1884) and was bombarded with a measle epidemic in 1888 with a devastating number of 866 cases and 13 deaths.  He gave instructions on how to care for those with the measles and announced in late March that it was almost over! His love for the Grand Army of the Republic was long-lived, he serving as Surgeon General as well as other national offices spread over multi-decades.   Having served as a physician in our county for 52 years, he retired in the 1920s, then spent the summers here and winters in Dallas, Texas with his daughter and more than sure he enjoyed his three grandsons.

In 1938, gray-haired and almost 90 (photo from findagrave – thanks to Eric Lowman and the Journal of the 76th National Encampment of the GAR not many years before this), he decided he would fly to Texas instead of taking the train.  He loved it and did this for the next few years until 1945 when he could not return to his Crawfordsville home or for the GAR encampment (he had never missed one before and was the oldest and one of few left).  He passed away at daughter Bessie and her husband, Lewis Ferguson’s home in Dallas on the 1st of August in 1942 mainly due to old age. Bessie passed away ten years afterwards.  Naturally, he desired to be buried with his wife and son so he was shipped back to Crawfordsville where (as per his request) the American Legion took charge of the details for the funeral which fittingly (since he was the oldest alumni) was held in the Wabash Chapel.  His father had spent many years as the oldest alumni, as well.  

Famous for his wit, Edward Howard Cowan was well loved, owned a wide knowledge of his field and was endowed with sincere kindness to all.  Rest in peace, EH!