30-Dec-2025
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Reverend Henry Cowles

Reverend Henry Cowles

Male 1803 - 1881  (78 years)


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  • Name Henry Cowles 
    Prefix Reverend 
    Birth 24 Apr 1803  Norfolk, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2] 
    Gender Male 
    Graduation 1826  Yale University, New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    Occupation From 1835 to 1878  Oberlin College, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    instructor 
    Census 1 Jun 1870  Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [4] 
    • No street address on the census page. 10 year old Mary Penfield is likely Minerva's grandchild. She, the 2nd wife of Henry Cowles, was herself the widow of Anson Penfield.
      Witness Role: head of household: [I1021] Henry COWLES
      Witness Role: wife: [I5926] Minerva DAYTON
      Witness Role: nephew: [I807] William Benton CHAMBERLAIN
      Witness Role: resident: Name: Mary Penfield
      Witness Role: 10 year old female, attending school, unknown relationship
      Witness Role: servant: Name: Mary Craghan
      Witness Role: 23 year old female servant, Irish, could not read or write.
    Family Search ID 9W89-B61 
    Find A Grave ID 48550016 
    Name Henry Cowles 
    _UID 58658DCADDDF41D6B936CAA993FEF8784A5D 
    Death 6 Sep 1881  Janesville, Rock, Wisconsin, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2] 
    Burial Westwood Cemetery, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [5] 
    Person ID I1021  My Genealogy
    Last Modified 26 Apr 2025 

    Father Samuel Cowles, Jr.,   b. 12 Mar 1771, Norfolk, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 11 Dec 1845, Colebrook, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 74 years) 
    Mother Olive Phelps,   b. 1 Jul 1780, Colchester, New London, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 13 Jan 1864, Painesville, Lake, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 83 years) 
    Marriage 1 Oct 1800  Norfolk, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 6] 
    Family ID F282  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Wife 1 Alice Welch,   b. 28 Apr 1804, Norfolk, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 14 Oct 1843, Norfolk, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 39 years) 
    Marriage 27 Jul 1830  Norfolk, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2] 
    Children 
     1. Helen Maria Cowles,   b. 5 Aug 1832, Austinburg, Ashtabula, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Yes, date unknown
     2. Henry Benjamin Cowles,   b. 31 Mar 1834, Austinburg, Ashtabula, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 31 Dec 1870, Topeka, Shawnee, Kansas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 36 years)
     3. John Guiteau Welch Cowles,   b. 14 Mar 1836, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 17 Jun 1914, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 78 years)
    +4. Sarah Florella Cowles,   b. 6 Mar 1838, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 16 Jan 1912, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 73 years)
     5. Mary Louisa Cowles,   b. 28 Dec 1839, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 2 Feb 1859 (Age 19 years)
     6. Charles Cowles,   b. 4 Jan 1842, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 7 Feb 1874 (Age 32 years)
    Family ID F355  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 31 May 2023 

    Wife 2 Minerva Dayton,   b. 4 Apr 1800, Watertown, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 29 Nov 1880, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 80 years)  [2] 
    Marriage 2 Mar 1844  Colebrook, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [2] 
    Family ID F1753  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 31 May 2023 

  • Event Map
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Photos
    COWLES Henry b1803    		COWLES Henry b1803
    COWLES Westwood Cemetery2    		COWLES Westwood Cemetery2
    COWLES Westwood Cemetery    		COWLES Westwood Cemetery

  • Notes 
    • Wikipedia Entry
      Henry Cowles (April 24, 1803 – September 7, 1881) was an American theological scholar and abolitionist.

      Cowles went to Ohio, and after laboring about two years in Ashtabula and Sandusky, took charge of the Congregational Church in Austinburg, where he remained until the fall of 1835, when he became Professor of Latin and Greek in Oberlin College. In 1838 he was transferred to the chair of Ecclesiastical History, and in 1840 to that of Hebrew, in the Theological Department, in which he continued until 1848, at that time he became the editor of the Oberlin Evangelist, which he conducted until 1863. For the rest of his life he remained in Oberlin, engaged in literary labor. During the fourteen years from 1867 he published sixteen volumes of Commentaries, covering the whole Scriptures, and devoted the profits arising from them to the missionary cause.

      He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Hillsdale College, Michigan, in 1863.

  • Sources 
    1. [S1407] DAR - Little, Alice Cowles to Samuel Cowles.

    2. [S1418] FSFT - General.

    3. [S72] Debbie Price's Collection.

    4. [S1472] Cens1870 - OH Lorain Oberlin p.11.

    5. [S1554] Find A Grave: Henry Cowles.

    6. [S1408] DAR - Waite, Mary E. Chamberlain to Samuel Cowles.