Spelling Variants of McOwen (McCown) in Ulster

In the Fermanagh Census of 1659, in the parishes of Aghalurcher, Enniskillen and
Magheraculmoney, there were four individuals with the surname of McCoen.  The fair
Coane also found Cucghanagh O'Kohan in the Barony of Lurg, Edmund McCone,
Culmaine, Cluncagh in the 1659 Hearth Money Rolls of Fermanagh and John McCone, of
Coolcran in the 1788 Poll Electors.

Previously, I had also found several with the surname McKown in Aghalurcher and McCown
in  Galloon parishes.  All of this causes me to wonder if our McKown and McCown were
spelled phonetically when they came to Virginia and South Carolina respectively.  The
reason I suspect this spelling problem could have possibly occurred, is that in the 1850
census of Kentucky, my great great grandfather was shown as McCowen, my great grand-
father was shown as McCown and a younger brother was shown as McKeown.  All three
lived in the same tiny village within easy walking distance of each other by the same census
taker on the same day.

I believe that all of these spellings derive from MacEoghain (pronounced "McOwen).  Our
name did come through correctly in the case of William McCown deported from England in
1748 to Port Oxford, VA and Elizabeth McKown was deported on the same voyage to
somewhere in North Carolina.  I have been in contact with a descendant of this William.

Also, in the census of 1790, there is a William McCown in York Co., South Carolina.  An
interesting thing about Jim McKown, Sam McCown and I, William McCown, is that all
three of us have good Y-DNA matches with the Maguire Sept of Fermanagh and uniquely
share Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) P66+ between the three of us.  All three of
us are closely matched at 111 markers through Family Tree DNA proving that we are closely
related going back to about 1662.  SNP's show deep ancestry and markers show ancestry in
the male line going back to about 950 AD.