Lowry

Treasure Chest Thursday – The Connection to Ireland

joelowry1982 Lowry, Paternal, Treasure Chest Thursday
I’ve mentioned numerous times on the blog about the genealogy community reaching out to help one another. Some are willing to help with  headstone photos, research questions, or just offer helpful hints and tricks. Through the magic of Facebook, I received an offer to help find the obituary for my 3rd great grandfather Michael Lowry. Mike has been the subject of much of my recent research, in part because he is my connection to Ireland.
Those who know me know that I have have a deep love of the Emerald Island. I studied at University College Dublin in 2002 and my wife and I spent seven days in Ireland during our honeymoon in 2009. While I am probably more German than Ireland, ethnically speaking, Ireland has always had a deep hold on me. Michael serves as that familial connection to Ireland on the Lowry side of the family. He was born in 1830 and lived his teenage years in the worst of the Irish famine. He left Ireland in 1850 at a time when millions of Irish men, women and children boarded boats for America, Canada, Australia and numerous other countries. Many did not care where they landed, as long as it was away from the oppressive policies of Great Britain that kept Irish Catholics starving and in poverty.
Since I identified Michael about two years ago, I knew he was the connection to Ireland but was not certain in what County he was born. His long sought-after obituary was the answer. A random question to the Columbiana County Genealogy Facebook group and an exchange of messages with a local researcher led to letter in my mailbox a few weeks later with Michael’s obituary.
Four generations of Lowry men just a few months before Michael’s death. Pictured are 98 year old Michael Lowry Sr., Michael Lowry Jr., Charles Lowry ‘Sr’ and Charles Lowry ‘Jr’. My grandfather wasn’t actually a junior because he and his father had different middle names, but he was called Junior when he was a child. Family photo from a collection belonging to my great grandmother Margaret Pepperney Lowry.
Of those details in the obituary, the most important was the location of County Westmeath as his probable place of birth. I say ‘probable’ for two reasons. First, the obituary was probably written with information provided by Michael Jr., who had never lived in or been to Ireland. Second, Michael Sr. lived in the United States for 78 years, which is an awfully long time for details to be forgotten, misremembered, or changed. Still, it’s the only location in Ireland I have and I will certainly use it as a starting block to help narrow further his place of birth. Perhaps I can determine the parish, townland or even the actual location of his home? More detailed research will be needed, including working with Irish records that are 164 years old. This sounds like a fun challenge to me!
County Westmeath.
Source: Wikipedia.
Used under a Creative Commons License.
OLD TIME RESIDENT DEAD
Michael Lowry Passes Away At Home of Son in Salem
Michael Lowry, Sr., 98 years of age, died at the home of his son, Michael Lowry Jr., 156 Roosevelt avenue, Salem, Wednesday evening at 9:30 of infirmities of old age. Mr. Lowry has made his home with his son for the past sixteen years.
Mr. Lowry was born, September 29, 1830 in County Weat’meath, Ireland. He came to American in 1850 and resided in Leetonia for many years prior to going to Salem.
Surviving are one son Michael Lowry, of Salem, and one daughter, Margaret Lanahan, of Ellwood City, Pa. Also 26 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic church, Leetonia, Saturday morning. Internment at Calvary Cemetery.

Source:
Michael Lowry obituary, Leetonia Reporter, Leetonia, Ohio, June 22, 1928, unknown page and volume, number 25.

Military Monday – The Photo Flip

joelowry1982 Lowry, Paternal
Sometime in 1944, my grandfather stood in front of a door in his Army service uniform and posed for a photo. I have no idea of the location (other than a street number of 227), date or photographer. While looking at the photo, I noticed that the address on the door was inverted. That, in addition to the dark exposure, led me to do some ‘fixin.’
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The new photo is properly aligned, while leaving the cardboard frame as it. I’ve also lightened the photo just a bit to make it more clear.

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Some may think I am altering a piece history, but I do believe that some minor alterations to damaged or poorly developed photos can help keep the image truer to what was intended.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Tennis in Spring

joelowry1982 Lowry, Paternal, Wordless Wednesday
I don’t support it’s too much to ask for some warm spring weather so we can get a friendly game of tennis going? Even in Virginia, which as an Ohioan I will say is firmly in the South, we are expected snow again this week. Regardless, in the early 1940’s, I wouldn’t have wanted to go up against this guy. My grandpa Chuck was a tennis phenom, winning the City Series doubles tournament in 1941. This photo is part of a series that appear to have been taken professionally, or at least for a specific purpose such as a yearbook or newspaper. They capture Chuck and his doubles partner on the court in very staged poses. 

Mystery Monday – Whose House Is This?

joelowry1982 Lowry, Mystery Monday, Paternal
The problem with scanning thousands of Lowry and Pepperney family photos at once is that I was sloppy with my record keeping. I was eager to just the photos scanned and returned to my aunt. As a result, I don’t know if anything is written on the back of this photo. Namely, whose house is this? Perhaps nothing was written on the back. Does anyone out there know whose house this was and where it was located?

Update: My aunt Mary found this photo in the stacks and reported back that this is the birthplace of my great grandmother Margaret Pepperney and her brother James. This house is located in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. That is consistent with other information I have. Thanks Aunt Mary! (2/31/2014)

Treasure Chest Thursday – Marriage Certificate of Ralph Lowry and Gladys Waller

joelowry1982 Lowry, Paternal, Treasure Chest Thursday, Waller
I never met Ralph Lowry but because of his involvement in several significant dam building projects as an employee of the Bureau of Reclamation, I have a curious interest in his life. On June 4, 1917, Ralph (my first cousin, three times removed or put another way, my great grandfather’s first cousin) applied for a license or ‘Marriage Return’ to married Gladys Brown Waller. The next day, they were “joined in Lawful Wedlock” in a ceremony in her father’s home by a clergyman.
How Ralph and Gladys met is unknown, but they were married in Pullman, Washington, which is the location Washington State University, from which Ralph graduated. Perhaps they were college sweethearts?
Transcription
Marriage Return
1. Date of license: June 4 – 17
2. Full name of groom: Ralph Lowry
3. Age last birthday: 28
4. Color [a]: White
5. No. of groom’s marriages: First
6. Residence: Sunnyside, WA
7. Birthplace [b]: Bevior, Mo
8. Occupation: Civil Engineer
9. Father’s Name: Edward Lowry
10: Mother’s maiden name: Sarah Humphrey
11: Full name of bride: Gladys Brown Waller
12: Age last birthday: 26
13: Color [a]: White
14. No. of bride’s marriages: First
15. Residence: Pullman
16. Birthplace [b]: Colfax, Wa
17. Occupation: Teacher
18:  Father’s name: O.H. Waller (?)
19: Mother’s maiden name: Billie (?) Brown
20: Date of marriage: June 5 – 17
21. Place of marriage: Pullman
22. By whom married, and official station: C. ?. Harrison, clergy man
23: Name of witnesses and their residences:
No. 1: Anna Waller
No. 2: Graves S McDougall

Source:

Sunday’s Obituary – Michael Lowry

joelowry1982 Lowry, Obituary, Paternal

I have a ton of photos of the Lowry family in the 1920s through 1940s and have been struck that only two of them feature my great great grandfather Michael Lowry. Since he died in 1949, I figured he would appear in more than that. I finally got my hands on his obituary and it appears to solve this mystery, at least in part. It states that he had been sick for 12 years. If that illness was severe enough to incapacitate him, it may explain why he was not seen in photos, especially those from the 1940’s.

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     Michael Lowry, 81, of 355 W Eight st., died at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the Mayhew nursing home, Benton rd. He had been in failing health for 12 years.
     A son of Mrs. and Mrs. Michael Lowry, he was born Aug. 21, 1858, at Holiday, Pa. He had lived in this vicinity for 26 years. He was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church.
     Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Carl Heim of Detroit and Mrs. Lawrence Murphy of Salem; three sons, Edward of Warren, Charles of Youngstown and Raymond of Salem, and 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. His wife died several years ago.
     Funeral service at 9:30 a. m. Thursday will be in St. Paul’s Catholic Church in charge of Rev. Fr. J. Richard Gaffney. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Leetonia.
     Friends may call this evening and Wednesday evening at the Stark Memorial.

Source:
Michael Lowry obituary. Salem, Ohio. Salem News. 20 Dec 1949. (index at: http://www.salem.lib.oh.us/index.php?q=node/79&ID=65572)

Sunday’s Obituary – Edward M. Lowry (1896 – 1978)

joelowry1982 Lowry, Obituary, Paternal
My great grand uncle Edward M. Lowry, the brother of my great grandfather Charles, died in Canton, Ohio on May 17, 1978. This obituary appeared the next day in the Salem News from Columbiana County.
Edward M. Lowry
CANTON – Edward M. Lowry, 81, formerly of 200 High Street SW, died at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Windsor Nursing Home.

He was born Dec. 8, 1898, in Leetonia, a son of the late Michael and Anna Lottman Lowry.
He was a former employee of Van Huffel Tube Co. in Warren. He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Warren and the Knights of Columbus in Leetonia.
His wife, Helen E. Lowry, preceded him in death in 1973.
He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Bernie A. (Dona) McConnell of Canton; two sons, Edward M. Lowry Jr. of North Canton and Dr. Francis J. Lowry of Cincinnati; two sisters, Mrs. Helen Murphy of Salem and Mrs. Margaret Heim of Detroit, Mich., and three grandchildren.
Two brothers, Charles Lowry and Raymond Lowry, both of Salem, preceded him in death.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Arnold Funeral Home in Canton.
Buriel will be in Grandview Cemetery in Salem.
There will be no calling hours.
Source:

Edward M. Lowry obituary. Salem, Ohio. Salem News. 18 May 1978. (index at: http://www.salem.lib.oh.us/index.php?q=node/79&ID=30828)

Travel Tuesday – Calvary Cemetery, Leetonia, Ohio

joelowry1982 Cemetery, Lottman, Lowry, McSweeney, Paternal, Pepperney, Travel Tuesday
May 25, 2012 was a beautiful spring day. I was in Ohio to attend the wedding of my cousin Michelle and decided to spent a few hours on the road in Columbiana County, Ohio. Thanks to my iPhone, doubling as my camera and GPS, I was quick to locate Calvary Cemetery in Leetonia. Calvary is the final resting place of any number of paternal ancestors, namely Lottmans, Lowrys, and Pepperneys. I was able to locate these graves after 20 minutes of wandering, followed by several questions of a groundskeeper, and then just one minute of walking. This old grizzled cemetery veteran knew the location of their graves down to the row number.
An unknown Lowry family stone. There are no flat markers around it and no other names on the stone. Because of this, it’s hard to confirm who is buried here. There is no records office for this cemetery. I believe either or perhaps both Michael Lowry (1868 – 1949) and his father Michael (1830? – 1928) and their wives are buried here.
This is the grave of Anastasia Lowry McSweeney. She was a daughter of Michael Lowry Jr. and Anna Lottman Lowry. At the age of 24, she died of sarcoma of the hip. She left behind a 1-year-old son Joseph and an estranged husband.

Martin and Margaret Lottman are my 3rd great grandparents. They are buried just feet from the Lowry marker and their granddaughter Anastasia McSweeney. 

The only markers for individuals known to those still living (in this case, a few aunts and uncles) are the next three. My great great grandfather George Peter Pepperney died on Christmas day 1962.

Eleanor J. Pepperney and her sister Katherine E. are buried next to each and next to their parents. Neither married. My aunts and uncles have many memories of aunt Katherine.

All of these graves are in a single area very close to one another just inside the cemetery entrance. The yellow dot is the approximate location as I can best remember two years after visiting the cemetery.

Census Sunday – Michael and Margaret Lowry in 1910

joelowry1982 Census Sunday, Lowry, Paternal
Have you ever had a ‘oh wow’ moment with your genealogy? I’ve had more than a few in the last few years. If you do enough digging, you will find something interesting. Some have been detailed on this blog. Other’s would make some ‘clutch their pearls’ and aren’t suitable for the internet. I *think* I’m having another.
The 1910 United States Census finds 70-year-old Michael Lowry Sr. and his wife Margaret living in Leetonia, Ohio. Margaret and Michael have been married for 20 years according to the Census sheet and lived on a farm on Washington Street.
Now, here’s where the intrigue rests: Ten years prior, in the 1900 Census, Michael’s wife is listed not as Margaret but as Bridget. How can be married 20 years but just 10 years prior was living with someone else? Do I have the same Michael Lowry? I suppose it’s possible (but rather doubtful) that there are there two elderly Michael Lowrys living in a town of 2,600 people. That said, only one is easily found in a search of the 1900 and 1910 census records for Leetonia.
I know Bridget Conley Lowry died in 1904; her obituary is available here and here on the blog. You will notice her obituary makes no mention of Michael. I will accept that Michael remarried Margaret, but when did they marry? Does that mean Michael divorced Bridget? Or where Margaret and Michael not married 20 years, but only married after Bridget’s death?
All this family drama may help explain the court battle that Michael and his daughter Margaret Lowry Lanaghan were fighting. All I’m certain of is that Michael had two wives. When he was married to each remains to be discovered and means two things: first, there are going to be more blog posts in the near future. Second, I need to make a trip to the courthouse in Lisbon and get answers to all these questions I just asked.
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State: Ohio
County: Columbiana
Township: Salem Township

Name of Incorporated Place: Leetonia
Ward of the City: North Precinct
Enumerated by me on the 16th day of June
Thomas P. Sammon, Enumerator
Supervisor’s District: 17
Enumeration District: 50
Sheet No. 3A
Dwelling No. 68
House No. 68

Address: 68 Washington Street (map)

Lowry, Michael, head, male, white, 70 years old, 2nd marriage, married 20 years. Born in Ireland. Father born in Ireland. Mother born in Ireland. Immigrated in 1860. Naturalized citizen. Speaks English. Employed as a health officer. Is not out of work. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Owned a farm without a mortgage. Farm schedule: 3#1
” Margaret, wife (ref)#2, female, white, 60 years old, 2nd marriage, married 20 years. No child born. Number of children living is zero. Born in Ireland. Father born in Ireland. Mother born in Ireland. Immigrated in 1880. Speaks English. Not employed. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes.
Notes:
(#1) The 1910 Farm Schedule was a separate census schedule that would have provided additional information about all farms, but was destroyed before 1922 as either part of a fire or a ‘slimming’ of Executive Branch documents; it’s unclear.
(#2) (ref) was written on the census sheet to indicate who answered the enumerator’s questions.
Source:
1910 U.S. Federal Census, Columbiana County, Leetonia, population schedule, Enumeration District 50, Sheet 3A, Dwelling 68,. Michael Lowry; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2014): FHL microfilm: 1375175. National Archives microfilm publication Roll T624_1162.