Thomas McGowan born 1798 approx Ireland

Moira,

Thomas McGowan is a fairly common name in Ulster. We’d really need a bit more information to identify the right one. (Looking at the 1901 census for example there were 131 people named Thomas McGowan in Ireland. The name would have been equally common in 1801).  Knowing your Thomas’s denomination would also help narrow the search.

The name was particularly common in Counties Down & Antrim so that’s a possible area he may have originated and there was heavy movement from those counties to the Galloway region in the 1800s for work.

Did your Thomas die in Scotland? If so, what are his parents names and occupations from his death certificate?

Plenty of McGowans in Co Down on the Ros Davies site:

https://rosdavies.com