Cowzer - What we know

John Cowzer bn 1813

This is the furthest we can go back at present, so he represents the patriarch of the family. Protestant - presumably Church of Ireland. He is variously described as Steward, Land Steward, Coachman, Servant, Labourer, in civil records. His surname is written as Cowser, Cowsar, Cowzer in different records - not written by him but the official. His wedding, in January 1836, was in the Church of St. George Dublin City (abt 1 mile north of city centre), both he and his wife are identified as residents of the parish. His first child, Harriet born/baptised in October 1836, was in the Church of St. Werburgh, right beside Dublin Castle, and he was then most likely a resident of that parish. Incidentally that parish was right among the Huguenot settlement and a centre of the lace and weaving industry. So, we know John lived in Dublin in 1836. We cannot track him until his daughter Mary (Jane) born in 1852 has recorded her place of birth as Kildare (presumably Millicent Demesne) in the 1911 Census. John died at Millicent in 1878.

All the Cowzers today are descended from one man

And it is not John 1813. It is his son, Thomas 1859, my great-grandfather. This is true for all Cowzers who spell their surname exactly as "Cowzer". There are two Cowzer females descended from Thomas's brother John who have married, but who could claim to dispute that fact though. Thomas, although protestant, married a catholic girl and had a large family (as did a few of his sons) and this probably greatly contributed to his chances of continuing the family name. His eldest brother William 1838 died in Australia at 47 years of age, and does not appear to have married. His only other brother John 1855, married within the protestant community, had a small family and his sons similar. Thus the Cowzer name has not continued down these other two possible lines.

The Cowzer name is now a Dublin name

The name is mostly found here in Ireland and very strongly concentrated in and around Dublin. With a few exceptions in the U.K., the U.S., and Australia, there only seem to be single instances elsewhere. This may not hold true with the world becoming more global, but at present it is likely that considerably more than 90% of Cowzers are Dublin (or near Dublin) based. We must be a home loving lot.