Finally, today I found a will in the Abstracts of Lancaster County, PA, Wills 1729-1819 indexed by Betty Lynn. The will is from "Henry Skyles, Leacock Twp, February 10, 1749 (not proved): Wife: Catharine Skyler (as spelled in this document but it is probably misspelled and should be Skyles). Children: John, William, Henry, Peter, Billy, Elizabeth, Catharine and Ann (Dobbins who married James Dobbins). Ex.: John Cowen and John Williamson. So now I have THREE pieces to the puzzle--the Will above, the posting of a fellow Skiles/Skyles researcher, the date of Catharine's death in 1779 BEFORE the death of John Cowen in 1788, leaving his children orphaned. The fourth part of this puzzle is Joseph Skiles Cowan's middle name--probably his mother's maiden name. Now I'm going to tear into Leacock County, Pennsylvania and look for a marriage between John Cowen and Catharine Skiles or Catherine Skyles. Gotta find that missing marriage bann, bond or license in Leacock County, Pennsylvania.. KAREN THOMAS <karen95035@sbcglobal.net> wrote: Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 14:03:40 -0800 (PST) From: KAREN THOMAS <karen95035@sbcglobal.net> To: COWAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [COWAN-L] JOHN COWAN FINALLY HAS A WIFE???? Scroll down below to Catherin Skiles COWEN who married John Cowen and died in 1778--would have made John Cowen's children ORPHANED in 1788 when he died in Rowan County, North Carolina! BSkinner had this on line all the time!!!! (Well, at least since it was edited in 1999)These Skiles definitely appear to be related to the Dobbins and Cowan's in our line! 3) Henry Skiles Sr., son of Thomas Skiles Jr. He was born in old Somerset county, Maryland in about 1699 and later moved, after t:his father's death in 1719 to Leacoclc Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with his brother, William Skiles. Thomas Skiles Jr. died without a will. Henry Skiles Sr. owned 600 acres of land in Leacock Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Henry married first Alchey and then Catherine and he had the following children with Alchey: Capt. William Skiles (Freeman. a single man above the age of 21 yre, of Leacock twp, 1758). He sold land in Hanover twp. Feb 4, 1768. Served as Capt. of militia, Lancaster Co., Rev. War; (4) Henry Skiles II, born in about 1722, and married Rosannah Dobbins and died in 1779; Peter Skiles born about 1721 married Alice and died in 1755 and then she married John Carson; Herman Skiles who died December 1798 in W. Cain. Chester Co.; sold land in Leacock Township, next to Peter Ritter. 7 July 1763 and was living in W. Caln. Chester Co. by 1774. died in 1792; Elizabeth Skiles who married Peter Ritter. son of Conrad Ritter. he died in 1778; Catherine Skiles who married John Cowen and had eight children and lived in Leacock Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, died in 1778; Ann Elizabeth Skiles who married James Dobbins in January 1748 in Lancaster County. In 1750 they removed to North Carolina and settled in the Parish of St Luke, then in Anson County, now in Rowan County. They were members of the Thyatira Presbyterian Church, where James was directing elder and she died in November 1789; James Skiles born in 1737 in Lancaster County Pensylvania; Margaret Skiles born in 1740 in Lancaster County Pennsylvania and; John Skiles who married Mary Henderson, sister of Mathew Henderson and died in spring of 1767 in Leacock Townehip, Lancaster County. Pennsylvania; Henry Skiles. Sr. died in the spring of 1750 in Leacock Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. ==== COWAN Mailing List ==== Good subject lines increase the probability of making a connection with someone who can help you. "Need help", "Looking for COWANs", and msgs. forwarded from the Digest without a change of subject may not be read.