Cowden's Case

The pertinent facts are that the deceased employee, Herbert E. Cowden, was the natural son of a woman who subsequently married a man named Erford A. Cowden. The claimant, Edith M. Cowden, was a daughter of this marriage. Herbert was adopted by Erford A. Cowden according to law, his wife, the mother of Herbert, joining in the petition. The mother predeceased the employee, but the adopting father still is living.

The question to be decided is whether the claimant, Edith M. Cowden, was a dependent of Herbert E. Cowden, the deceased employee, at the time of the latter’s injury, within the meaning…