GEORGE GRAY COWIE:

An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society

Manuscripts Collection

Expand/CollapseOVERVIEW

Creator:Cowie, George Gray, 1850-1918.
Title:George Gray Cowie and family papers.
Dates:1843-2004 (bulk 1860-1916).
Abstract:Correspondence, legal records, printed matter, genealogical charts, and family photographs related to George Cowie, a Scottish immigrant, who moved to St. Paul in 1884. Cowie became chief clerk of the Minnesota State Board of Corrections and Charities a year later.
Quantity:2 cubic feet (2 boxes).
Location:See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

Expand/CollapseSCOPE AND CONTENTS

The bulk of this collection consists of Cowie's correspondence with family, friends, and business associates. Topics include Cowie's law education at the University of Edinburgh (1869-1872), his emigration to Canada (April 1880) where he homesteaded at Brandon, Manitoba and managed real estate in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and his move to St. Paul (1884) where he became the chief clerk of the Minnesota State Board of Corrections and Charities (1885).


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Expand/CollapseADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. George Gray Cowie and family papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 13,103; 15,031; 16,251

Processing Information:

NHPRC logo

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Processed by: Frank Hennessy, 1995, Rich Arpi, January 2007, and Jennifer Huebscher, April 2011.

Catalog ID number: 1731732


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DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Location
148.H.5.9BJean MacDonald (niece) to Gray Cowie, 1880-1916. 2 folders.
Rob Cowie (son) to Gray Cowie, 1905-1916.
Alice Cowie (daughter) to Gray Cowie, 1896-1905.
John Cowie (son) to Gray Cowie, 1905-1915.
Eckford Family Letters (family of first wife), 1883-1915.
Doyle Family Letters (family of second wife), 1878-1888.
Smart Family Letters (relative of mother), 1862-1877, 1914.
Jessie MacDonald (sister) to Gray Cowie, 1880-1905.
Isabella Cowie (sister) to Gray Cowie, 1877-1910.
Robert Cowie Jr. (brother) and wife Nina to Gray Cowie, 1869-1893.
Jean Rich Cowie (first wife), 1882-1888.
L. Watkins (brother-in-law), 1876-1887.
Annie Cowie Watkins (sister), 1867-1914.
"Unkie and Auntie" notes to Gray and Jane's Children, 1890.
Charles Fenton Cowie (brother), 1860-1872.
Theater Royal, Dundee, 1843-1883.
Songs and Poems, 1866.
Essays; probably by Robert Cowie, undated.
Robert Cowie, Sr. (father), 1866-1877.
Letters to Robert Cowie, Sr., 1872-1876.
Charles MacDonald Affair, 1868-1873.
Real Estate Matters, 1873-1876.
Robert Cowie, Sr.'s Death, 1876-1877.
Robert Cowie, Sr.'s Will, 1870-1877.
Robert Cowie, Sr.'s Estate, 1877-1878.
Robert Cowie, Sr. Trust Income, 1878-1884.
Printed Material (Scotland), 1870-1882.
Trust and Theater Correspondence, 1879-1885.
Gray Cowie Apprenticeship, 1864-1868.
Gray Cowie at Edinburgh University (studying law), 1869-1872.
Gray Cowie to Father and Mother, 1869-1870.
Manitoba Investment Association, 1883-1905.
Manitoba Miscellaneous, 1880-1884.
McQueen Correspondence (friend from Scotland), 1880-1883.
Roever Correspondence (friend from Winnipeg), 1882.
Stewart Correspondence, 1883-1900.
Charles MacDonald Correspondence (nephew), 1884-1886.
H. R. Jones Correspondence (friend from Winnipeg), 1884-1886.
Letters from Winnipeg Tenants, 1884-1902.
Winnipeg Business Papers, 1882-1885.
Winnipeg Taxes, 1881-1885.
Winnipeg Bills, 1882-1884.
Silcox, Kirk, and Bauer Correspondence, 1894-1895.
McLeod, Hill, Scotten, Coombs Correspondence, 1904-1911.
St. Paul Miscellaneous, 1886-1898.
Esperanto Association, 1910.
Masons, 1874, 1885.
Location
148.H.5.10FGray Cowie Correspondence, 1877-1914.
Legal Miscellaneous.
Miscellaneous, 1853-1905.
Cowie Genealogy.
Betty Cowie Correspondence (regarding Cowie genealogy), 1966-1970.
The World, December 1919.
Contains obituary of Francis Scott Cowie, 1895-1919, on page 66.
Snapshots of trip to Scotland, circa 1984.
Some of these photographs are included in the Cowie Family Papers, volume 1.
George "Gray" Cowie and his son James Philip Cowie.
Four photographs; some included in Cowie Family Papers, volume 1, page 203.
Ruth Minnie Watkins Criddle and Stuart Criddle.
See also Cowie Family Papers, volume 1, page 265.
Ruth Minnie Watkins and Gertrude Julia Watkins, 1899.
See also Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 263.
Photographs of two St. Paul residences.
2057 Grand Avenue and 295 Stinson Street; see also Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 340.
Robert Cowie and Isabella Smart "Belle" Cowie and children, circa 1865.
See Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 179.
Charles "Charlie" MacDonald, Jr.
See Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 189.
George Gray Cowie and Mary Hanrahan Doyle Cowie and children, January 1898.
See also Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 209.
George Gray Cowie's five boys by his second marriage to Mary Hanrahan Doyle Cowie with their step-sister Anastasia "Anne" Doyle.
See Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 217.
Alexander "Al" Cowie.
See Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 221.
George "Grey" Cowie.
See Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 219.
Alan Cowie and Lorraine Enger Cowie, February 1952.
See Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 255.
Henry Harrison "Hent" Cowie, Sr., 1893.
See Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 219.
The five sons of Gray Cowie; Grey, Jim, Hent, Finney and Al.
See Cowie Family Papers, Volume 1, page 219.
The Cowie Family Papers \ collected by George Gray Cowie; compiled by Stephen Patrick Cowie, Elizabeth Herrmann Cowie, and Ann Criddle Kenyon. St. Paul, 2004. (3 volumes).
Volume 1: 1834-1919; Volume 2: The letters, 1834-1883; Volume 3: The letters, 1884-1919.
Materials relating to the Golden anniversary of Ferdinand and Clara Williams, 1914.
Anastasia Doyle.
Alexander Cowie.
Elizabeth Cowie. 3 folders.
Includes letters from Steve Cowie and Nan Kenyon.
Francis Cowie.
Robert Cowie.
Cowie correspondence, 1880-1975 (bulk 1967-1975).
Cowie and Watkins clippings.
Birth certificates.
Photocopies.
Death certificates.
Photocopies.
Photographs:
Ambrotype of man who may be Charles Cowie.
Grew Cowie family photos. 2 folders.
Cowie family photos.
Location
148.H.5.9BCowie family photo album.

Expand/CollapseRELATED MATERIALS

A published edition of this collection (three volumes) printed in 2004 is also cataloged in the book collections of the Minnesota Historical Society.

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Expand/CollapseCATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:
Clerks -- Minnesota -- St. Paul.
Cowie Family.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Manitoba -- Brandon.
Immigrants -- Manitoba.
Real estate business -- Manitoba -- Winnipeg.
Scotland -- Social life and customs -- 19th century.
Scottish Americans -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
Places:
Winnipeg (Man.).
Organizations:
Esperanto Association of North America.
Minnesota. State Board of Corrections and Charities.
Types of Documents:
Photographs.

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