ISAAC P. COWDEN was born in Mt. Pleasant township, this county, in 1798, a son of John and Ann (Sloan) Cowden. He was reared on the farm, and received such education as was obtainable in the schools of the period. In 1823 he married Esther Nelson, who was born in 1799 on a farm in Mt. Pleasant township, where their son John is yet residing. She was a daughter of James and Ann (Duncan) Nelson, and granddaughter of John and Margaret (Gilliland) Nelson. John and Margaret Nelson were both natives of Ireland where they were married shortly before emigrating to America. After reaching this country they took up their abode in York county, Penn., where they resided for a number of years, then moved to Washington county, at that time a wilderness. To reach their destination, they had to move their household belongings on packhorses, the children being carried in creels (great wicker baskets), slung one on each side of a horse. In this way they accomplished the wearisome journey over the mountains, sometimes receiving the hospitality of a pioneer, whose lonely cabin they discovered, sometimes camping by the wayside when night overtook them, but always with stout hearts pushing on, until their destination was reached in safety, and they found their new home in the wilderness. Only one clearing marked the western march of civilization, but undaunted by the dreary outlook they went to work. Fortune smiled upon them, and soon they were able to provide themselves with not only the bare necessaries of life, but also with a comfortable, well-furnished house. They were industrious, and therefore prosperous, contented and happy. Nine children grew up around the family hearthstone, viz.: Esther, William, John, Margaret, Archibald, Nancy, Ann, James and Samuel. Of the privations endured by these pioneers, we need mention only a few. Salt was an article much needed and very difficult to obtain. To procure a supply it was necessary to make a trip over the mountains and transport it on packhorses. At first neighbors were few, living long distances apart. To attend church they had to go to Canonsburg. Schools were decidedly primitive affairs. Amid such surroundings James Nelson grew to manhood, and was then married to Ann Duncan, a member of an Irish family of pioneers who had eight children: John, Samuel, Mary, Margaret, Elizabeth, Susan, Isabelle and Ann. After his marriage to Ann Duncan, James Nelson removed to Beaver county, Penn., and remained on a farm in that county until his death. His children by the first marriage were John, Margaret, Isabelle and Esther. This wife died and Mr. Nelson then married Delilah Ralston, who bore him two children James and Ann. After her mother's death, Esther, then a small child, lived with her grandparents, by whom she was reared and educated, remaining with them until her marriage with Isaac Cowden. Isaac P. and P. Esther (Nelson) Cowden had the following children: Lillie Ann (widow of Robert Thompson, now living in California), John (who married Louisa Scott, now residing on the old Nelson homestead in Mt. Pleasant township), James (married to Violet Glass, residing in southern Kansas), Martha and Margaret (to whom we are indebted for this sketch), who are unmarried, and reside together in West Middletown, Penn. Isaac P. Cowden was a successful farmer and stock raiser, and resided in Mt. Pleasant township, this county, all his life. He was never actively engaged in political affairs, finding in domestic life and agricultural pursuits a more congenial atmosphere. In religion he was a member of the United Presbyterian Church, like his wife and daughters. His death occurred in May, 1865, his widow mourning his loss until 1877, when she, too, answered the last call.

Text taken from page 990 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed March 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project. Published March 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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