Jane (Cowan) Buchanan (abt. 1815 - 1901)

Describes Ebenezer & Jane moving from Cape Town to Falealili, Upolu in Samoa in charge of a missionary school there in November 1838. They remained until 1848.

They briefly returned to England on the "John Williams" before settling in Pietermaritzburg where Ebenezer became Town Clerk.

Parents Martin Sanderson Cowan and Sarah Taphouse (b 1791 Farnham, Surrey)

Jane had 3 siblings including Ann Cowan

Jane married Ebenezer Buchanan 1838.

Ebenezer was born on January 23 1812 Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland.

He was apprenticed as a machinist at Henry Marriot, Armourer and Brazier, Town Clerk and Town Treasurer.

They had 10 children including Florence Nightingale Parkinson and Jane Ann Brickhill.

Martin S Cowan, b 1788 Middlesex, UK; Chelsea Pensioners' Service Records

Fredrick Martin Cowan (25, b London, English teacher at the municipal gymnasium in Amsterdam) and Gesina Louisa Wilhelmina Hazenberg (28, b Leiden; d Sep 18, 1901 Ginneken en Bavel), marr. 28 Jul 1847, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Nederland

Groom's parents Martin Sanderson Cowan & Sarah Tophouse

Bride's parents Hendrik Willem Hazenberg & Maria Cornelia Hippe

Children: Sarah Cornelia Cowan, (80) d Feb 5, 1930 Amersfoort Spouse: Lodewijk Bernardus van der Kolk

Netherlands Dictionary of Biography

COWAN (Frederick Martin), a teacher in the English language and literature at the gymnasium in Amsterdam, later an interpreter and consul at the English legation in Japan, b. 9th July 1822 at Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. At four, he moved with his parents to London, where he attended the school Mr. Mallock's school. When his father died, he was obliged to provide for himself and he became a teacher in the English language at the well-known institute 'Noorthey' in Voorschoten, director P. de Raadt (II Col. 1147). He diligently applied himself to Dutch and other languages, and, in the meantime, enrolled as a student at the high school, and obtained the degree of candidacy in law at that institute. After his engagement to Ms. G.L.W. Hazenberg he found another position at the gymnasium in Amsterdam in 1845 where he taught until 1860.

In that year he was engaged by the British delegation in Japan as 'first interpreter' in the service of the consul general there, Sir Rutherford Alcock. Japand was only just opening up to the rest of the world. He was first located in Hakodadi in Japan, but in 1862 he was transferred to Tokyo as a consul. However, the British warship, the 'Camilla', which was carrying him was lost with all hands in a hurricane. The correct date of his death is unknown.

Cowan possessed a very extensive language knowledge; jokingly he used to say that he could go from North America's west coast to the foot of the Urals without needing an interpreter. He spoke no less than 14 languages.

He was responsible for the following: English reading book for beginners; consisting of several amusing and instructive stories (1847); A chronological critical table of English Literature (1849, 2nd dr. 1856); The Vicar of Wakefield by Olivier Goldsmith with explanatory notes (1851, 3rd Rev. by R.F. Modderman, 1876); Murray's English grammar (6th, 1852); Teaching course for the English language, in association with A.B. Buddies (1854, three parts, reprinted repeatedly); The English student's companion. A dictionary of verbs, substantives and adjectives with the prepositions they govern etc. (1855, 2nd dr 1858, 2 parts); Siebold, Geographical and ethnographical elucidations to the discoveries of Maerten Gerrits Vries 1643; translated from the Dutch (1859). Further, in association with Calisch et al., A New Letter Book in four languages, i.e. Dutch, French, German and English (1864), and De handelscorrespondent in four languages ??(2nd dr. 1871).

HMS Camilla 1847 - 1860

The CAMILLA was lost in September 1860 off the east coast of Honshu, Japan. She sailed from Hakodate on 1st September bound for Tokyo Bay but was never seen again. A tropical storm passed through the area on 9th September and she was presumed lost on or about that date. The Indian Navy sloop Berenice was ordered to conduct a search along her supposed track in late September, but could find no trace of wreckage or gain any news of her.

Groom's parents James Buchanan (b 1784) & Isabella Anderson (b 1789)

Bride's parents Martin Sanderson Cowan (d 1829) & Sarah Taphouse (b 1791), marr. 1812 Farnham, Suffolk, England

Parents Martin Sanderson Cowan and Sarah Taphouse

Spouse Ebenezer Buchanan

Children: Jane Anne Brickhill; James Cowan Buchanan; Sir Ebenezer John Buchanan; David Frederick Buchanan; William Herbert Buchanan; John Williams Buchanan; Barbara Isabella Buchanan, Ph.D; Florence Nightingale Buchanan; Benjamin Robert Buchanan; Annie Smith Buchanan

Siblings: Frederick Martin Cowan; Herbert Cowan; Herbert (Hubert) Cowan and Ann Cowan

Widow of Ebenezer Buchanan

3 Jan 1902 publication in S Gazette

Children: E J Buchanan (Capetown), W H Buchanan, John Williams Buchanan (informant, civil servant, PMBurg), Jane Prisphill (should be Brickhill?), Annie Button, Florence P Parkinson