".....Samuel Cowan's father came at quite an early date. He came from Londonderry, Ireland and our family came from Scotland to Ireland." JB Cowan, Tennessee 1895 When you get to PRONI they make a quick search of your car and you check in at reception and get a reader number and then off you go to do research. It is confusing for about ten minutes and after that if makes sense. You start by going to a card catalog which is organized by name or place. If you find something it directs you to either a blue binder (documents) or a red binder (manuscripts) and you leaf through the binders until you find the item that is interesting to you. Someone has taken the time to write brief descriptions of whats in various groupings of letters, deeds, maps etc. I decided to look at a blue binder D/654/ titled Londonderry papers which is an assortment of 12,000 items. Start at page one and keep going. After an hour and a half I turned a page and read the following: D/654/B1/2D April 1733 Papers of Sir Robert Cowan Out letter book containing copy letters from Robert Cowan, Bombay, to Edward Harrison, John Gould, Josiah Wordsworth, and Charles Boone in London about trade in toothinague, camphor, carmenia wool and indigo; and about internal affairs in India-the death of the Seid of Rajapore (a descendant of Mohammed) and the attempt of the Rustumjges to damage company trading privileges in Surat. There are also comments on the activities of station chiefs, in particular, William Wake, whose application wins Cowans praise. There is some indication of plans for his retirement in England; the possibiltty of entering Parliament, and buying land near his friend John Stert, around Plymouth. In a letter to his cousin William Cowan, he mentions the origins of the Cowan family, who came from Stirling and settled in Londonderry a century before the time of writing. He also mentions his Godson, Robert Cowan Kellett, and his education. I was beside myself and could not believe the possible good fortune to find yet another Cowan writing genealogical letters to a relative. I got John and we ordered up the document and were assigned table 23 and fifteen minutes later a stack of original 1733 letters from Robert Cowan were deposited on our table. I excused myself and went back to looking at the binder 654 for more good stuff leaving the hard work to my travel companion. It is always helpful to travel with the former Curator of Rare Books at UNC who has a Master's degree in 17th century British literature and who can read Elizabethan english. It took him over an hour to locate the following passage: Jan 8, 1733 Wm Cowan to be left at Mr William Rumbold at India House "I received your letter of the 14th Nov. 1732 directed to John Cowan, but you will have been informed at the India House that my name is Robert. Our family is originally from Stirling in Scotland but has been for above a century settled at Londonderry in the north of Ireland. I have spent the most of my time in foreign countries and for these 14 years past have resided in these eastern parts of the world in the service of the East India Company. My father is still alive at Londonderry and Alderman of that city and possessed of a small estate of between 300-400 Sterling per year. I have a younger brother with me here, your name sake (William) and I am your most humble servant. Bombay Castle 8 Jan 1733 In genealogy it is good to be skillful but far better to be lucky. What are the chances of having TWO relatives who decide to write genealogical lettes to their relatives? I find it fascinating to see what time does to information. Robert Cowan knew when the family got to Derry and from what city in Scotland they originated. Amost 170 years later Dr. Cowan remembered Londonderry (but not the date they arrived) and Scotland (but not Stirling) After four years of service with General Forrest and approaching old age I think I will go easy on him. While researching at PRONI a genealogist named Joan Petticrew took a shine to us and seemed to be always in the process of bringing us little bits of stuff and we were flattered for the attention. There is a litle cafe next to PRONI where you can get a bowl of soup and a sandwich and we found ourselves sitting next to her at lunch. She began telling us stories of her childhood where she spent summers high in the Mourne mountains and that on a clear day she could look out and see the church spires of Derry. It is a small country. Regards, Robert Cowan Londonderry was my home