The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-15
on the above subjects will be greatly
appreciated. A. r. H.

Any information OK John Herndon
from the county at or near Lynchburg
Va. who enlisted and served in the
Revolution. names of issue wanted end
who married.
Same information of Thomas John
son of the obliging editor or army OF
readers
Editor Genealogical Column:
VIII you kindly send mo what in
formation you may have in regard to
the Archers of Dinwiddie Amelia
Chesterfield and Henrico counties. spc-
cially II any of them We're named Sam
uel. and what became of them?
Thanking you In advance for your
kindness. / beg to remain,
Yours very truly.
]. L. ARCHER.
Van Alstyne Tex. Sept. %, 1911.
p. S.-A cousin. Miss w lie Morgan,
of Petersburg, suggested that you
might furnish me information.
j. f. A.
The Cowhcrd Family.
In 1866, when William the Conqueror
SKINNED the cream OF his country,
culled out the most energetic of war
men, gathered around him the mobiles
and knights OF Normandy and ali
France. marched into England, killed
King Harold and took possession of
England, ''hc built on the spot where
Harold fell' an abbey in memory OF his
triumph. which he named Battle Abbey.
1t was intended for 140 Benedictine
monks. In this abbey was preserved
by the monks so-called Roll of Baltic
Abbey" believed to be a list of those
eminent persons who accompanied the
Conqucror to England. The English
historian, Rev. Joseph Hunter. believed
this roll was of those only who brought
families. HolinShed and Stow each had
copies, but they were not alike. How
ever this may be, In one list, at least,
will be found the names Dc Montague.
De Buford, Do Lacy. De Colbie. Tw!myn
and De Convert 0ater Coward and
finally Coward and Cowherd).
History tells us that when the army
of tho Conqueror came to England IT
brought tho Norman fashion OF naming
rich man from his property and a
poor man from his trade. Thus these
men got their names from Beaufort
Castle, Montecute or Montague Castle.
Roger de Colbie (Coihy) owned the
estate and village of Colbie. William
de Covert owned the village of La Co
vert. Take almost any OF the first set
tiers OF Virginia and you viii find the
name spelled In several different ways
Barber. Barber and finally Barbour.
So with Colbic, Colby: Covert, Coward,
Cowhard. Cowherd and even Choward
(see British Family Names and Their
MeaningD.
Both Burke and Sir Henry St George.
in their "Armory' and "Visitations," give
the same arms and crest for the Cow
ard or Cowherd family, as follows:
Arms-Azure on chevron gules }
mertlets or: on q chief of the second
cannon of tho third. Crest-A demi-
greyhound sable. holding between his
paws stays head argent, attired or.
sir Henry st. George. in his Vista
ton of West Penard, Somerse tshire,
England" gives the above arms. crest
and pedigree Of the family of John
Coward From that family came jon
athan Coward to Virginia. His son.
Jonathan. married n Miss Colby and
had several children, one of which was
James, who changed the spelling to
Cowherd. His name as an officer in tho
War of the Revolution is on record at
the War Department. and is spelled
both ways. He was a man OF large
! estate In several counties in Virginia.
Mr.. Crozier. In his Virginia County
Records" Vol. /. mentions him y mum
her of times in lists of deeds given for
various tracts OF land sold by him in
Spotsylvania county, Va, in 1884, wit
nesses were his friends, Robert Slaugh-
ter and Zachary Taylor. The same
writer states that he served three
years in the Continental Line. lie was
vestryman many years OF st. Marks
Parish.
lie married Elizabeth Lacy and had
number OF children-Jonathan. Ben
jamin, Colby, Sarah and Winifred are
the only ones known to the writer.
Jonathan married Frances l<irtley.
whose father, Francis Kirtley. was a
captain in the Revolutionary War, and
up 20 the time OF his death a vestry-
man OF st. Marks Parish. benjamin
married Elizabeth. daughter of William
Crawford, cousin of Robert I. Craw-
ford, father of Mrs. Cornelius Wander
bilt (see Crawford Family" by II. l..
Crawford). Sarah Cowherd married,
October 80. 1850, John Blakey. brother
| OF Churchill Blakey: their mother was
a Miss Churchill. daughter OF William
Churchill. Winefred Cowherd married
William Twyman. born May 81, 1927.
son of George Twyman, the second.
and his wife, Agatha Buford, daughter
OF Thomas Buford (first lieutenant in
the Continental Line three years.,
grandson OF George Twyman, the emil
grant, and his wife, Catherine Monta-
que, daughter OF Peter Montague. OF
Lancaster and Middlesex counties. Va.
who was nephew OF Richard Montag lie.
OF Hudley, Mass, ancestor OF the late
Russell Sage, of New York.
OF Colby and others have no record.
Jonathan Cowherd Is named in the first
census Of Orange county, Va. l7SS, as
having five white In family and own
ing one dwelling, six outbuildings and
fourteen grown black slaves" He
owned n number OF large estates in Or
ange county, Va.-Oakhill. Clifton, Cup
ton and others. Oalkhill he gave to his
son, Francis; Clifton and Gupton ne left
to his son. Colby. who was warm and
intimate friend OF President Madison.
He Colby Cowherd) married. Febru-
airy 26. 179S, Tabitha Twyman, and had
William, who married Sarah Hill.
daughter of Ambrose Powell Hill. cap
| tain in the War OF 1872 and in the Vir-
ginia State Senate for more than TWEEN
ty years, granddaughter of Henry HILL
colonel under Light Horse Harry Lee In
the War OF the Revolution. Colby Cow
herd had only two other children; Ann.