Decades

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – The Three Musketeers

joelowry1982 1920s, Lowry, Paternal, Wordless Wednesday
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The three musketeers are my great grandfather Charles Lowry (center) and two others whose relation I’m not sure. Perhaps they are friends or coworkers. Based on captions in photos taken at the same time, the person on the left is named Bill and the person on the right Campbell. This photo was taken in 1929, which leads me to think it was probably taken at Republic Steel, where Charles was working at the time.

Death Certificate of James A. Rogan

joelowry1982 1930s, Death Certificate, Paternal, Rogan
My 2nd great grandfather James Rogan died on 21 April 1938 at 78 years of age. His death certificate tells a lot about both how he lived and how he died. He was born in Aurora, New York to James Rogan and Esther Callahan. He was a second generation American, as both his father and mother were born in Ireland. His primary occupation was in the steel mills, although what he actually did is not discernible.
The last months of his life were no doubt difficult both for him and his family. He suffered a serious fall on 10 January 1938, which led to a fracture of his right femur (thighbone). The femur is the largest bone in the human body, and it takes significant force to break. Breaks of the femur and the hip to which it connects can have significantly detrimental effects to the lifespan of the elderly, who suddenly lose all mobility. About 10% of people who break their hip die within the first 30 days. That number increases dramatically if there are other complications, including pneumonia, heart trouble, or another acute medical problem. In James’s case, he suffered a pulmonary embolism, no doubt brought on in part by his sudden immobility.
At the time of his death, he was being cared for at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital in Youngstown but was previously living in the home of Catherine Rogan. His final arrangements were handled by D. A. McVean in Youngstown, long considered the Lowry family funeral home. However, he was a long time resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, and that is where he is buried.

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Source:
“Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-21757-24359-29?cc=1307272 : accessed 09 Sep 2014), James Rogan, 1938; citing Youngstown, Mahoning, Ohio, reference fn 24019; FHL microfilm 2023561.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Lowry Men

joelowry1982 1920s, Lowry, Paternal
I have scanned so many photos that sometimes I glance over one that in fact reveals so much or at least is interesting as I try and discover my ancestors. Such is the case of this photo which is only the second unique picture I have showing my great great grandfather Michael Lowry and his father, also Michael Lowry. Based on their age in a newer photo I have of them from 1928, I would date this photo to the early 1920s. Many images in this collection are of the same time period.
The elder Michael was born in County Westmeath, Ireland in 1830. He emigrated to the United States around 1850 and worked most of his life as miner, first in central Pennsylvania and later in Leetonia, Ohio. I continue to search for leads to help me better understand his life. He left Ireland in 1850, at the height of the Irish potato famine. Crammed onto ‘coffin ships’, he probably crossed the Atlantic with a few hundred other souls, some infected with typhus and cholera. He died in 1928. His son Michael was born in 1868 in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He was also a miner. He died in 1949 in Leetonia after a nearly 12 year illness, probably caused by a stroke.
Source:
Michael Lowry, Sr. (1830 – 1928) and Michael Lowry, Jr., (1868-1949), photograph, taken in Columbiana County, Ohio; digital image, photocopy of original, scanned in 2013 by Joseph Lowry; privately held by Mary McCaffrey, [address for private use], Canton, Ohio; Two men wearing hats and sitting on chairs; Provenance is Charles Lowry to Mary McCaffrey, with prior to Charles unknown.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – 25th Wedding Anniversary

joelowry1982 1940s, Lowry, Paternal, Wordless Wednesday
This photo, very clearly labeled, identifies my great grandparents 25th wedding anniversary. Charles and Margaret Lowry were married on August 22, 1922 in Leetonia, Ohio by Father D.B. Kirby in Saint Patrick Catholic Church. In 1947, they were happily married for 25 years and celebrated with my grandfather and their only son, Chuck, who was 22 years old at the time.

Military Monday – Basic Training Graduation Photos

joelowry1982 1940s, Lowry, Paternal

My grandfather Chuck Lowry graduated in 1944 as one of 800,000 new soldiers to complete Army Basic Training at Camp Blanding in Jacksonville, Florida. As is common still today, graduates of ‘basic’ take a formal portrait. It’s a chance to show off for parents and loved ones far away in a sharp looking Army uniform. Sadly, it’s the same photo we often see in the newspaper when a soldier is killed in action. My grandfather survived (barely) his combat experience in Northern France but had these two photos taken at Camp Blanding.

In this set of photos, he is shown wearing the uniform of a recruit private. His uniform includes the patch of the Army Training Command as well as the Marksmanship Qualification Badge, including Sharpshooter qualifications with a rifle, carbine and one additional weapon that can’t be read. He would go on to earn the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge, campaign medals for the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater (with one service star) and American Campaign and the World War II Victory Medal.

Four Generations Once Again

joelowry1982 2010s, Four Generations, Lowry, Maternal, Paternal, Witt
I love photos showing four generations of my family. There are quite a few collecting on the blog here, here, here, here, and here. This is another taken two weeks ago at the baptism of my son. My grandmother Barb Viti is holding her great grandson Brendan Lowry with my mom and me on either side. I will feature Brendan’s baptism in an upcoming blog post.

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(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Eddie Lowry, Sr.

joelowry1982 1920s, Lowry, Paternal, Wordless Wednesday
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Edward Martin ‘Eddie’ Lowry, Sr. is the brother of my great grandfather Charles Edward Lowry. He was born in Leetonia, Ohio on 8 Dec 1896 and died in Canton, Ohio on 17 May 1978. He married and had three children. He looks quite dapper in this clearly professional portrait, with the flowing necktie, pocket square and lit cigarette. I believe this image was taken in the early 1920’s. This was in a small collection of Lowry family photos I received from Aunt Mary, who inherited it from my grandfather, Eddie’s nephew Chuck.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Caroline’s Baptism

joelowry1982 1980s, Maternal, Paternal, Wordless Wednesday
Two weeks ago we baptized my son at Saint Edward Church in Youngstown. I started looking through family photos related to baptisms and found this one. My sister Caroline was baptized at the old Saint Joseph Church, then the Youngstown State University Newman Center, in summer 1983. Around the baptism font are my parents and Caroline’s godparents, our aunt Marie Dockry and uncle Mike Lowry. Both are obscured behind the priest, Fr. Ray Thomas. The Newman Center at Saint Joseph Church was torn down in 1992.

Amanuensis Monday – Last Will and Testament of Jacob Pepperney (1805 – 15 Aug 1888)

joelowry1982 1880s, Amanuensis Monday, Paternal, Pepperney

Just what is “Amanuensis Monday?” An amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. I’m not employed but by you, my dear reader, and will use the occasional Monday to transcribe family documents. Transcribing forces me to make a very close reading of the text, thus perhaps showing some detail I may have otherwise missed. When printed on the blog, it makes information more findable for search engines and others interested in the same topic.

One way to easily learn about the last years of an ancestor is to read their last will. Many are available online and recently I was able to locate the will of Jacob Pepperney, my 4th great grandfather. Jacob was born in in or near present-day Austria in 1805. He died in Allegheny (present-day Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania on August 15, 1888. One of his last acts before his death was to have drafted in his name a last will and testament. This document is available through the records of FamilySearch and is itself a transcription. Instead of keeping thousands of wills and testaments in different formats, entire probate records were transcribed into journals for record keeping. This ensured a more complete record that was uniformly organized. I’ve transcribed the transcription. While nothing earth-shattering – Jacob wasn’t bequeathing any family treasure – it does show that he left a small sum to his grandson whose father died a few years prior. The details are below; I’ve transcribed it as best I can but apologize in advance for any errors.

Page 1 of 2. Click to enlarge
Page 2 of 2. Click to enlarge
No 307
Last Will and Testament 
of
Jacob Pepperney
In the name of God, Anew, 
I, Jacob Pepperney of the City of 
Allegheny, County of Allegheny,
 and State of Pennsylvania, being of sound mind, memory, and underst-
anding, do make and publish this my last will and testament, hereby
revoking and making void all former wills by me as anytime hereto
-fore made by me.
And as to my world Estate and all the property, real, personal, or 
mixed, of which I shall die seized and possessed, on to which I shall be 
entitled at the time of my decease, I give, advise, bequeath, and 
dispose thereof in the manner following, to wit:
First, my will is, that all my just debts and funeral expenses
shall by my Executor herein after named, be paid out of my Estate, as
soon after my decease as shall by him be found convenient.
Hence, I give, devise, and bequeath to my grandson John Pepperney
(child of my deceased son John Pepperney) the sum of One Hundred
dollars.
All the rest, residue and remainder of my Estate, real, personal,
and mixed, of what nature or kind so even and whensoever the
same shall be at the time of my death I give, devise and bequeath
unto my son Frank Peppperney and to my daughter Mary Beck
(wife of John Beck) their heirs and assigns forever share and 
share alike.
And I do hereby constitute and appoint my said son Frank
Pepperney Executor of this my last will and testament.
In witness whereof, I, Jacob Pepperney the Testator, have to
this, my will written on one sheet of legal Cap-paper, set my 
hand and seal, this second (2) day of March A.D. 1882.
Jacob (his X mark) Pepperney
————————————————————————
Signed, sealed, published and declared by the above named Jacob
Pepperney, as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us, 
who have hereto subscribed our named as his required as witnesses
thereto in the presence of said testator and of each other.
Joseph Schmid            Adam Hohmaun
Nikolaus Manz            George Roesch
————————————————————————
State of Pennsylvania
Allegheny County
Be it known, that on the twentieth day of August A.D.
1888, before me, Samuel P Conner, Registrar of Willis, **** and for the
County aforesaid, came Adam Hohmam and Nikolas Manz and
on August 22nd 1888 came Joseph Schmid three of the subscribing 
witnesses to the foregoing last will and testament of Jacob Pepp
erney deceased and on this their solemn oath did depose and say that
they were present and did see and hear Jacob Pepperney the test-
ator therein named, sign (my making his mark) seal, publish 
and declare the same as and for his last will and testament, and
at the time of so doing he was of sound mind and memory to the 
best of their knowledge and believe and as his request and in his 
presence they subscribed their named as witnesses thereto.
Sworn and subscribed before me the above date:
Samuel P Conner, Registrar
Adam Hohmaun
Nikolaus Manz
Joseph Schmid
————————————————————————
Now, August 23rd AD 1888, the testimony of the above named witnesses
being sufficient, I do hereby admit that foregoing Will to Probate, and
order the same to be recorded as such.
Given under my hand the above date
Samuel C Conner
Registrar
————————————————————————
State of Pennsylvania
Allegheny County
Be it known, that on the 23rd day of August A.D. 1888.
Letters testamentary with a copy of the Will annexed upon the Estate of
Jacob Pepperney deceased was duly granted unto Frank Pepperney
the Executor in said Will named who was duly sworn to well and 
truly administered the goods and chattel rights and credits which
were of said decedent and to faithfully comply with the acts of ass-
embly relating to collective inheritances.
                           Given under my hand the above date
                                                                  Samuel P. Conner
                                                                  Registrar
Source:
“Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-28781-6621-99?cc=1999196&wc=MDSG-YWL:268499101,283261801 : accessed 03 May 2014), Allegheny > Wills 1887-1889 vol 33-34 > image 320 of 691.