• Born: 25 Jan 1682, Boston MA
• Marriage (1): Elizabeth Kilby on 13 May 1706 in Boston MA
• Died: 3 Aug 1736, Boston MA

  General notes:

Silversmith

  Events in his life were:

• Alternate Mark

• Alternate Mark

• Alternate Mark also used by son.

• Apprenticed about 1695-1705 to Jeremiah Dummer in Boston MA ¹
  

• Boston MA, 1707: his shop was broken into according to Samuel Sewall's diary for June 21st, "and a considerable quantity of Plate stolen," (but later recovered). ³

• Spoon, c 1709
  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ¹⁰
  l: 7 5/8"
  wt: 1 oz, 10 dwt
  Engraved BW on handle back for Bathsheba Walker

• Cup, c 1710-1720
  Yale University ¹³
  h: 4 3/16"
  d: 2 11/16" (base)
  wt: 8 oz, 4 dwt
  Engraved HW for Henry Wolcott.

• Shaker, c 1720
  Private Collection
  h: 3 3/4" (including finial)
  Engraved on bottom A over I M for James and Mary Avery.

• Master to John Potwine Abt 1712 in Boston MA. ⁹

• Master to William Simpkins Abt 1717 in Boston MA. ⁹

• Communion cup, 1718
  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ¹⁰
  h: 4 1/2"
  d: 2 1/2" (of base)
  wt: 5 oz, 19 dwt
  Made for the Brattle Street Church to match an earlier one by Jeremiah Dummer

• Master to John Cowell Abt 1720 in Boston MA. ⁹

• Master to Rufus Greene 1721 in Boston MA. ¹

• Master to William Cowell Abt 1726 in Boston MA. ³

• Master to Charles Simpson Abt 1727-1734 in Boston MA. ⁹

• Flynt & Fales:, . ³ A holder of public office, he later kept an inn and is believed to have retired from goldsmith's business about 1734 when his son William finished his apprenticeship. Recorded as an "innholder" when he died. The inventory of his estate, appraised by Jacob Hurd among others, included "Sundry tools in the Shop" and "159 oz 14 dwt Silver a [s?] Stock." Apparently both father and son made use of same mark, W. COWELL in cartouche, but William, Sr. alone used the shield-shaped mark of WC with star above and mullet below and pellets at the top, which appears in conjunction with cartouche mark on a tankard given to Church of Christ in Newton, MA by John Staples, May 28, 1727, antedating by several years the completion of the younger Cowell's apprenticeship.

William married Elizabeth Kilby on 13 May 1706 in Boston MA. (Elizabeth Kilby was born on 15 Sep 1686 in Boston MA and died on 13 Apr 1745 in Boston MA.)