 John Rowan was born July 12 , 1773 , near York , Pennsylvania . He was third of five children born to Captain William and Sarah Elizabeth " Eliza " ( Cooper ) Rowan . His siblings included two older brothers – Andrew and Stephen – and two younger sisters – Elizabeth and Alice . Captain Rowan served in the 4th York Battery during the Revolutionary War , and after the war , he was elected to three consecutive terms as sheriff of York County . 
