William Lowe (1756 - 1835)

Born 17 Feb 1756 in Virginia, Chowan, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret (Farr) Lowe — married 21 May 1778 in Surry, Orange, North Carolina, USA

Descendants

Died 9 Mar 1835 at age 79 in Logan, Simpson, Kentucky, United States

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Biography

Private William Lowe served with Surry County Regiment, North Carolina Militia during the American Revolution.

William Lowe is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: P239192
Rank: Pvt

William Lowe is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A072086.

Lowe was born 17 Feb1756 in Virginia and moved to North Carolina as an infant. He married perhaps Margaret Fair or Farr. He received a pension of $26.66 from application of 24Jul1832 as a resident of Simpson County KY. Surry County North Carolina militia service includes 1775 at Sand Hills, 1776 under William Christian against Cherokees, 1780 Kings Mountain under Minor Smith, and 1781 near Guilford CH when Micajah Lewis was killed.

After the Battle of Kings Mountain, Lowe was assigned to the hospital unit in which he witnessed the deaths of mortally wound Lt. Varnil and Pvt William Hannah. While his captain Minor Smith remained under the care of Dr. Joseph Dobson, Lowe returned to Surry County with recovered patient Captain Joel Lewis.

A very eccentric man, although a member of no church when he came west, was one of the earliest and most active preachers within the bounds of old Red River Association. An aged citizen of Simpson Co submitted this account.

He was born in Virginia 17 Feb 1756. In early childhood he was taken by his parents to Orange Co, No Carolina where he was raised up. At the age of 20 he enlisted in the Colonial Army and served a term in the War of Independence. He then apprenticed himself to a wheelwright. On the 21st of May 1778, he was married to Margaret Fair. He was a recklessly wild youth, but was under conviction of sin, at the time of his marriage. His wife, also, very soon fell under deep conviction, and the bridal chamber became a house of mourning. Having no Bible of their own, they borrowed one, and gave themselves to reading God's word and to prayer. The wife was the first to find peace. She immediately united with a Baptist church. After a time Mr Lowe united with the Methodists. Six years later, he moved to "The Indian Land" in South Carolina. Here he joined the Baptists, and was set apart to the ministry. He preached only for a few months when he was excluded for heresy. After this he joined the Dunkers, but left them in less than a year, after which he never belonged to to any church.

In the Spring of 1796, he moved to Sumner Co, Tennessee, and in October of the same year, having previously opened a trail across the Ridge, he settled in what is now Simpson Co, Kentucky and became the first resident in that district. Here he spent the remainder of his life. Being a man of warm benevolence, of great energy and perseverance, and withal a very skillful mechanic, he was very useful to the future settlers of the county. He manufactured the first axe, the first plow, the first spinning wheel, and the first mill (for making hominy) that were made within the present limits of Simpson County. He also preached the first sermon and married the first couple (James Butler and Charity Lowe) in that county.

He was very eccentric, and was generally supposed to be crazy; but he maintained an unimpeachable moral character, and devoted his energies, with great activity, principally to the good of others, and was held in high esteem by his neighbors. As soon as people began to settle around him, he began to preach to them with much zeal, going from house to house, warning and entreating sinners, with many tears. He baptized no one, and gathered no church, but he sowed the seeds of gospel truth in a virgin soil, and watered them with his own tears, and the "Great Day" will reveal whatever good he accomplished. He became very corpulent in his old age, but still continued to preach; and when he became too helpless to stand, he would sit in a chair and exhort the people. He died of dropsy of the heart, March 9, 1835. Among his last words were these: "If this is death, it is not so bad as I expected."

His death day was the very same day that his grandson and wife, John Lowe Butler I and Caroline Farozine Skeen, were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This history of William Lowe was written by a friend, an aged citizen of Simpson County, Kentucky. It was found in a book in the Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City by Ellen Redd Bryner. William Lowe was her 2nd great-grandfather.

LIFE DESCRIPTION. States that he was born in Virginia on Feb 17, 1756. In early childhood his parents moved to Orange County, NC. At age 20 he enlisted for Revolutionary War service. On May 21, 1778, he married Margaret Fair, who became religious and joined the Baptist Church. Soon after William Lowe joined the Methodists and 6 years later they moved to South Carolina where he joined the Baptist ministry. He was excluded from the Baptists for heresy, so for a short time joined the Dunkards. He left them and never joined another church. In the spring of 1796 he moved to Sumner County TN, and in October that year settled in Simpson County KY where he spent the rest of his life. He died of dropsy of the heart on March 9, 1835.

A History of Kentucky Baptists: From 1769 to 1885 Vol 2 by John H. Spencer, Page 232-233

Sources

CENSUS

• "United States Census, 1790," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHKF-16R : accessed 8 October 2020), William Lowe, Pendleton, South Carolina, United States; citing p. 13, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 11; FHL microfilm 568,151.
• "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLR-57F : accessed 8 October 2020), William Lowe, Petersburg, Simpson, Kentucky, United States; citing p. 25, NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 28; FHL microfilm 186,188.
• "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH53-L98 : 12 August 2017), William Lowe, Simpson, Kentucky, United States; citing 292, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 41; FHL microfilm 7,820.

BIOGRAPHY

• A History of Kentucky Baptists: From 1769 to 1885 Vol 2 by John H. Spencer, Page 232-233: https://books.google.com/books?id=_6zVAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=a+History+of+Kentucky+Baptist&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiMtvHW9MfkAhVLgK0KHQmBAW0Q6AEwAHoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

MILITARY

• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 8 Oct 2020), "Record of William Low", Ancestor # A072086.

MARRIAGE OF CHILD

• "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJS-ZFXC : 17 May 2018), William Lowe in entry for Jacob Gibson and Nancy Lowe, 4 Aug 1813; citing Marriage, Warren, Kentucky, United States, various county clerks and county courts, Kentucky; FHL microfilm 164,007.

DEATH

• Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/178849241/_

Acknowledgemennts

• WikiTree profile Lowe-650 created through the import of Low Family Tree.ged on Jul 4, 2011 by Robert Low.
• WikiTree profile Lowe-672 created through the import of Low Family Tree.ged on Jul 4, 2011 by Robert Low.