The Rowan Tree   Roan-Rowan Stories Page 2

 Newspaper article received from Jan Rowan.

Gadsden Times 1961

Mrs. J.F. ROWAN

…. busy summer canning

By GLADYS T. AMOS

BOAZ--- "Nobody takes care of Mamma, Mamma takes care of everybody else" chimed two voices in unison.

The subject was Mrs. J. F. Rowan (Maggie Minnix) born in Jackson County near Larkinsville on May 28 1870. She resides three miles from Boaz on the New Union Road and has a companion who lives with her. This summer she has canned as many as 200 jars, which includes 50 of pears, peaches, kraut and many kinds of jams, jellies and preserves.

She came to this area at the age of 17 and on Dec. 31, 1890 she married the late Rev. J. F. Rowan, and to this union was born seven children, five of whom lived to maturity. They are Dr. W. W. Rowan of Attalla, Mrs. Janie Starnes of Chula Vista, Calif. Who is presently visiting her mother; Leon V. Rowan, Birmingham; the Rev. Jesse Rowan, Boaz Route 6, and Mrs. Roger Brown (Ann Rowan) of Boaz Route 5.

Mrs. Rowan has had in her family professional people including her husband and sons, and a long line of doctors, teachers and ministers in her immediate family group which includes the late Rev. Jesse Minnix, a brother. She is the daughter of the late Rev. William Henry Minnix and the late Sara Jane Isbell. There were doctors and teachers on the Isbell side of her family also.

Some 44 years ago she moved to the community where she now lives and first lived in a log house on the site of the present home. Later they built a house across the highway and lived there for a number of years while they were raising their family, but in 1935 this house was struck by lightning, so they rebuilt at the log house site, where she now resides.

Just recently she walked to visit her son who lives about half mile up the highway, and she is a frequent shopper in Boaz, enjoying very much walking up and down the streets, window shopping. When she wants to visit in Attalla some member of the family brings her to Boaz and she boards a bus and spends as much time as she chooses with the doctor and his family

She attended rural one-teacher schools in Jackson County, many of them at her father's home site, and in this area she attended the local schools before her marriage. She believes in education, and expects much of her 23 grand children, 31 great-grand children and three great-great-grand children.

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