James Cowan

Role: Baker of Langholm, Dumfriesshire — father of Esther Cowan (1783–1856), who married John Murray and is an ancestor of the Australian Telfer line (through her daughter Jean Murray).
Born: before 8 October 1741 — Langholm, Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Died: 2 April 1786 — Langholm, Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Occupation: Baker

Branch: Cowan — Langholm, Dumfriesshire (Scottish Borders) — non-Telfer in-law line

Family

Life Summary

James Cowan was a baker in Langholm, Dumfriesshire, in the Scottish Borders. He was baptised on 8 October 1741 (the birth date is recorded as "before" that date), the son of Philip Cowan and Mary Hotson of Selkirk.

He married Jean Hinshelwood, daughter of James Hinshelwood and Margaret Paisley of Langholm. They had at least eleven children — James, Elizabeth, John, William, Thomas, George, Matthew, Charles, Margaret, Esther (born 31 March 1783), and Myrtle. Their daughter Esther Cowan married John Murray of Langshawburn and became the mother of Jean Murray (1810–1839), who married the immigrant Francis Telfer and came to South Australia in 1838 — the point at which the Cowan line joins the Telfer family tree.

James died on 2 April 1786 at Langholm.

Timeline

Sources

• Source: WikiTree profile Cowan-2198 — James Cowan (bef. 1741–1786), born before 8 Oct 1741 Langholm, died 2 Apr 1786 Langholm; son of Philip Cowan & Mary Hotson; husband of Jean Hinshelwood; father of eleven children including Esther. Accessed 16 Oct 2026.
• Source: WikiTree profile Cowan-7830 — Esther Cowan (1783–1858), records her parents as James Cowan (baker) and Jean Hinshelwood of Langholm. Accessed 16 Oct 2026.
• Source: From the Borders to the Bush (1989), p.20 — names Esther Cowen (b. 1781, d. 1856) as the wife of John Murray and mother of the family of twelve children. (Second independent source group for the Cowan–Murray connection.)