The Cowman Family

The Cowman family holds the distinction of founding Hubbardston's Irish community. John Cowman arrived in 1849 as the first Irish Catholic immigrant in North Plains Township, fleeing the Great Famine. He claimed a homestead on Section 11 whose sheep-shed became the first church and whose hilltop meadow became the first cemetery. Cowman's letters home triggered the chain migration that brought dozens of Irish families to the area. Bridget Cowman married into the Roach/Roche family, further intertwining two of the community's founding clans. The Cowman name is forever linked to the genesis of Irish Hubbardston.