175:, but the date of his birth remains unknown. He was the son of Reverend John Rowan and the former Margaret Stewart and had eight brothers and three sisters. Although it is not known when Rowan emigrated to North Carolina, it is recorded that he lived in Bath in 1726, serving as a church warden. In addition, he was a merchant and shipbuilder in the colony. Rowan joined the assembly in 1727 and the executive council in 1731, where he worked between 1734 and his death in 1760. In 1735, Rowan worked in the survey of the boundary line between North and South Carolina with other men, being appointed surveyor-general of North Carolina.
386:
205:
plunder the ship. Apparently, Rowan wanted the valuable cargo but felt no responsibility to save the lives of his passengers. The complaint in the
Massachusetts archives states that, βAt the time the sloop and schooner came for us, the hands aboard β our mate and others β for reasons best known to themselves, were quite unwilling to land or search for these, though we had seen them that very day on the shore searching for food and eating rockweed, and so left them. Of these we can give no further account.β
574:
562:
586:
213:
letter clearly informed them of Rowanβs abuses, and the
Massachusetts House of Representatives wasted no time in authorizing provisions for the survivors. A treasurer for Massachusetts Bay Colony reported 250 pounds spent for βsundry provisions sent in the County Sloop to the poor sufferers that were cast ashore at St. George.β
550:
209:
them.β The rescue vessel took 48 people to
Pleasant Point in Cushing, and Captain Rowan and his henchmen stripped survivors of whatever money and possessions they still had, as payment for their rescue. The complaint continues saying that even some of their clothes were taken, βto leave us almost naked.β
212:
But the
Cushing residents, many of whom had come from Northern Ireland themselves, were warm and generous to the new arrivals. It being winter, however, they couldnβt support 48 newcomers for long, so they sent an appeal to provincial officials, signed by Alexander Campbell and William Lunnen. The
208:
The survivors asked for help: βNow, besides these already mentioned that came first aboard the vessel at
Londonderry, there is but 48 of us know. In brief, many died at sea and many after we came to land, the corps of which lie many of them on the shore, through weakness we were not able to interr
185:
He married
Elizabeth, the widow of his brother John, in 1742, although they had no children (while she had four daughters). Rowan did father one child, John Rowan, with Jane Stubbs; he acknowledged his paternity and remembered John in his will. Rowan mainly lived in the Lower Cape Fear, near the
204:
which was wrecked on Grand Manon Island in the Bay of Fundy in 1741 carrying
Presbyterian Irish expatriates. He abandoned the survivors but later returned to recover the cargo from the wrecked ship. "Several weeks later, at the end of November, the crew returned in a small sloop and schooner to
374:
216:
There is no record that
Massachusetts ever sent the promised relief to the survivors, or that it sought to bring Captain Rowan to justice. Thirteen years later, Rowan turns up as governor of North Carolina."
626:
367:
616:
360:
611:
390:
325:
160:
37:
432:
403:
286:
352:
621:
450:
540:
178:
He was appointed
President of the Council and acting governor of North Carolina in 1753, following the death of governor
194:
190:
64:
420:
410:
590:
182:. He held this post until 1754. Rowan died in April 1760. He is buried on the Brunswick County plantation.
172:
112:
578:
566:
606:
442:
554:
472:
462:
314:
179:
134:
76:
263:
600:
519:
502:
531:
Council presidents who served in the absence of governors are listed in parentheses.
509:
494:
341:
330:
157:
93:
80:
42:
200:
Purportedly, Rowan was the captain of an unregistered 90 foot 2-masted ship named
186:
Brunswick County community (modern
Northwest), where he lived in North Carolina.
150:
237:
22:
153:
116:
189:
In 1753, the area that had previously been the northern part of
356:
287:""Grand Design" lured 18th century immigrants to a tragic end"
538:
627:
Presidents of the North-Carolina Provincial Council
130:
122:
108:
103:
87:
70:
60:
36:
20:
266:. North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program
617:Members of the North-Carolina Provincial Council
244:. North Carolina Office of Archives and History
368:
8:
612:Governors of the Province of North Carolina
375:
361:
353:
303:
56:1 February 1753 β 1 November 1754
17:
231:
229:
545:
391:Governors of North Carolina (1712β1776)
225:
7:
14:
289:. The Working Waterfront Archives
584:
572:
560:
548:
384:
149:(died April 1760) was a British
1:
643:
326:Governor of North Carolina
171:Matthew Rowan was born in
161:governor of North Carolina
38:Governor of North Carolina
622:People from County Antrim
529:
397:
338:
323:
311:
306:
140:
99:
49:
32:
197:, named in his honor.
173:County Antrim, Ireland
307:Government offices
285:Cartwright, Steve.
163:from 1753 to 1754.
202:Martha & Eliza
536:
535:
348:
347:
339:Succeeded by
144:
143:
634:
591:Northern Ireland
589:
588:
587:
577:
576:
575:
565:
564:
563:
553:
552:
551:
544:
522:
512:
505:
497:
487:
480:
475:
465:
458:
453:
445:
435:
428:
423:
413:
406:
389:
388:
387:
377:
370:
363:
354:
333:
320:
312:Preceded by
304:
299:
298:
296:
294:
282:
276:
275:
273:
271:
264:"Rowan, Matthew"
260:
254:
253:
251:
249:
238:"Rowan, Matthew"
236:Wegner, Ansley.
233:
193:was formed into
104:Personal details
90:
73:
54:
45:
18:
642:
641:
637:
636:
635:
633:
632:
631:
597:
596:
595:
585:
583:
573:
571:
561:
559:
549:
547:
539:
537:
532:
525:
517:
508:
500:
492:
483:
478:
470:
461:
456:
448:
440:
431:
426:
418:
409:
401:
393:
385:
383:
381:
350:
344:
335:
329:
328:
321:
318:
317:
302:
292:
290:
284:
283:
279:
269:
267:
262:
261:
257:
247:
245:
235:
234:
227:
223:
169:
88:
71:
55:
50:
41:
40:
28:
25:
12:
11:
5:
640:
638:
630:
629:
624:
619:
614:
609:
599:
598:
594:
593:
581:
579:North Carolina
569:
567:British Empire
557:
534:
533:
530:
527:
526:
524:
523:
515:
514:
513:
498:
490:
489:
488:
481:
468:
467:
466:
454:
446:
438:
437:
436:
429:
416:
415:
414:
398:
395:
394:
382:
380:
379:
372:
365:
357:
346:
345:
340:
337:
322:
315:Nathaniel Rice
313:
309:
308:
301:
300:
277:
255:
224:
222:
219:
180:Nathaniel Rice
168:
165:
142:
141:
138:
137:
132:
128:
127:
124:
120:
119:
110:
106:
105:
101:
100:
97:
96:
91:
85:
84:
77:Nathaniel Rice
74:
68:
67:
62:
58:
57:
47:
46:
34:
33:
30:
29:
26:
23:His Excellency
21:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
639:
628:
625:
623:
620:
618:
615:
613:
610:
608:
605:
604:
602:
592:
582:
580:
570:
568:
558:
556:
546:
542:
528:
521:
516:
511:
507:
506:
504:
499:
496:
491:
486:
482:
477:
476:
474:
469:
464:
460:
459:
455:
452:
447:
444:
439:
434:
430:
425:
424:
422:
417:
412:
408:
407:
405:
400:
399:
396:
392:
378:
373:
371:
366:
364:
359:
358:
355:
351:
343:
334:
332:
327:
316:
310:
305:
293:September 14,
288:
281:
278:
270:September 14,
265:
259:
256:
243:
239:
232:
230:
226:
220:
218:
214:
210:
206:
203:
198:
196:
192:
187:
183:
181:
176:
174:
166:
164:
162:
159:
155:
152:
148:
147:Matthew Rowan
139:
136:
133:
129:
125:
121:
118:
114:
113:County Antrim
111:
107:
102:
98:
95:
92:
86:
82:
78:
75:
69:
66:
63:
59:
53:
48:
44:
39:
35:
31:
27:Matthew Rowan
24:
19:
16:
484:
457:5 Burrington
349:
342:Arthur Dobbs
324:
291:. Retrieved
280:
268:. Retrieved
258:
246:. Retrieved
241:
215:
211:
207:
201:
199:
195:Rowan County
191:Anson County
188:
184:
177:
170:
156:who was the
146:
145:
94:Arthur Dobbs
89:Succeeded by
51:
15:
607:1760 deaths
248:December 7,
242:NCPedia.org
131:Nationality
72:Preceded by
601:Categories
443:Burrington
336:1753β1754
221:References
126:April 1760
555:Biography
167:Biography
65:George II
52:In office
473:Johnston
154:official
151:colonial
541:Portals
451:Everard
427:Pollock
411:Pollock
135:British
117:Ireland
61:Monarch
520:Martin
510:Hasell
331:Acting
319:Acting
158:acting
81:acting
43:Acting
503:Tryon
495:Dobbs
485:Rowan
479:Rice
463:Rice
433:Reed
421:Eden
404:Hyde
295:2018
272:2014
250:2012
123:Died
109:Born
603::
518:9
501:8
493:7
471:6
449:4
441:3
419:2
402:1
240:.
228:^
115:,
543::
376:e
369:t
362:v
297:.
274:.
252:.
83:)
79:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.