In reply to Bill & Lynn's inquiry concerning John S. Cowan and a mill in Adams County--- I refer them to page 595 of The 1979 History of Adams Co., Indiana--still available from the Adams County Historical Society for $50; there's a 2nd volume also available for another $50. Dortha Schaefer, one of two authors for Pleasant Mills, wrote the following: The mill was a victim of arson sometime after that.[Wrong time frame here?? July 4, 1910] It was burned because of jealousy. Corn and feed grains stored in it swelled during the fire and blew up just like popcorn, falling into the river. "John Cowan was quarry owner. He sold stone and gravel for 15 cents a ton to build roads in the county. He got rich doing it, even at that low price. ..." Now--your dates on this John Cowan are 'way off, or your location is. (And it was definitely not Bobo.) There were no white inhabitants in Adams County in 1811. It was 1823 and later when the first settlements were made. There's another story concerning this John Cowan--note that no middle initial is ever used. This is from page 602: "The first grain mill was a small one built on the east bank of the St. Marys River in 1834 by E.A. Godard. Three years later [1837, after county incorporated] a larger mill was built on the west bank of the river by Mr. Goadard and Mr. Heath on what are now the Carl Ehrsam and George Foor properties. "This mill was unique in that the double-water wheel operated horizontally rather than vertically. This was because of the depth of the water in the river. "Mr. Godard and Mr. Heath also installed a woolen mill at the north end of the grist mill for making woolen cloth, and they also had a general store. "The mill at Pleasant Mills was the only grist mill between Fort Wayne and St. Mary's, Ohio at that time. In the early 1880's they sold the mill to a Mr. Worden, and in the late 1880's it was sold John Cowan and William Smith. "Mr. Cowan and Mr. Smith rebuilt the dam to provide more water power and installed new equipment. The millstones were from France. One set of stones was used to grind feed and another to grind flour, cornmeal, and buckwheat. The flour was sifted through cloth to make two grades of flour.... "One night in 1893 the mill was burned.... "In 1896, the mill was rebuilt. "No date is available for the closing of the mill, but in 1905 the house now owned by Carl and Cleo Ehrsam was built by Mrs. Ehrsam's grandfather, Henry Lewis Warner, using timbers from the mill. I did not search all the entries for John Cowan. There were none with a middle initial. Dick D. Heller, Jr. formerly of Decatur, now living at 3103 Granite Drive Mission, TX 78572-9743 (956) 581-9445 ddheller@aol.com