Fallingwater River

About 1814 John McDowell settled near this spot on the Fallingwater River in Tennessee. He owned 30 acres. When John died about 1819, his estate included a horse valued at $97.25. Most horses that I have seen in estate settlements were valued at $7-$15. John owned a valuable stud horse. Had it been a famous racehorse?



This photo was taken at Burgess Park, which is open to the public. Burgess Park has three waterfalls; this is Little Falls. Burgess Park is near Sparta and Cookeville in Middle Tennessee.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

"The MacDowells" Book

I got my copy of The MacDowells by Fergus D.H. Macdowall and William L. MacDougall a few days ago. I have read half of it already

The content covers the history of the MacDowells as they move across Europe to Ireland and then to Scotland, but that is just the beginning. What I wanted to find out was how the brothers Alexander, John, William, and Ephraim McDowell spread across the US. The book chronicles the family's history very well. It includes several other McDowell immigrants also, but not in detail. No other group of McDowells seems to have recorded their their movements as well as the four brothers.

Right now I am reading the chapter McDowells of Virginia and Kentucky by Linda McDowell Swann. The next chapter is about the move from Virginia to the Carolinas by Leo B. McDowell. There are more chapters on McDowells in the Civil War and in the Revolution. There are also chapters on McDowells of note, and well known estates of the McDowells.

So far, I have not seen any references that point to my John McDowell who was born about 1765 t0 1770. (I figure he had to be too young to serve in the Revolutionary War, or he would have a land warrant in his own name, rather than one in Willis Anderson's name. I am still looking for Willis' enlistment or pension file.)

The book is only $19 and well worth it. I happened to get my from Lulu.com while they had a free shipping event. Put the book in your shopping cart on Lulu, and see if you get a discount offer in the next week.