Matthew John Lowe (abt. 1793 - 1855)

Born about 1793 in Current Settlement, Eleuthera, Bahamas

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 25 Sep 1855 at about age 62 in Current Settlement, Eleuthera, Bahamas

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Matthew John Lowe is part of a Bahamian family.

Biography

1. Matthew J Lowe was born between October 1792 and Sept 1793. He made his living as a planter. Because he was one of a few citizens of The Current Settlement who owned slaves, we have more records of his life than we do of the Weechs, Symonettes, Halls and other families of the Current who do not appear in the Colonial Slave Registry.

These records shed light on the life and times of Matthew J Lowe and they also suggest his familial relationships.

1.. In a petition to the Governor General of The Bahamas, dated 30 June 1831 and recorded in the Slave Register, Matthew J. Lowe informs that he is married to a woman named Mary. http://interactive.ancestry.com/1129/csuk1817_133729-00000/?backlabel=ReturnBrowsing#?imageId=CSUK1817_133729-00498 DNA indicates that she may have been a Curry or (less likely) a Pearce.

2. See connected biography of Mary Newton Lowe for more about Mary's identity.

3a. Matthew and Mary had children: 1822 registry of slaves says that Matthew J Lowe is "Husband, father and Natural Guardian of Mary Lowe and her heirs" http://interactive.ancestry.com/1129/csuk1817_133725-00000/?backlabel=ReturnBrowsing#?imageId=CSUK1817_133725-00433

4. Another record, one of a slave jointly owned by Matthew J. Lowe, Patience Lowe, Mary Curry and Sarah Curry confirms that these parties are related . Mary Curry, Sarah and Patience were Matthew’s sisters

5. In The Harbour Island Story by Mary Lawlor, cites Maj McGreg's report- of 1838 recording that following emancipation, Matthew John Lowe of The Current was entrusted with the care and training of a former slave as a followup to emancipation. He was 12 yo black (vs Creole), named Barry Lowe (Born 1826) and was a field laborer. ( The birthrates are close but inconsistent with those of a Barry Lowe who seems to have thrived, married, had children and moved to Key West, Florida.)

6a. 1842 Land Grant (commonage) lists Benj Lowe 1 and Benj Lowe 2 plus Matthew Lowe-

7.Like many citizens of the Current and in contrast to the citizens of Rock Sound and other parts of Eleuthera, Lowe was literate. TIn fact, Matthew John Lowe acted as registrar for The Settlements of Current, Current Island and Bluff. He held this position from March 1851 until his final record on 31 May 1855: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-22582-15635-83?cc=1922411&wc=M61L-6WL:216280801.

7 A. Lowe's middle name is verified in a slave document of 1834.

8. In the third quarter of 1855, the page for deaths in the Harbour Island district is suddenly expanded to include Bluff, Current and Current Island and a new registrar, James Baptista records that Matthew John Lowe died at the age 60 on 25 Sept 1855. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-22582-15353-69?cc=1922411

8 A. His death notice verifies MAtthew John Lowe's place in the community: "On Tue 25 Sep 1855, at the Current Settlement, after a few days of illness, Mr. Matthew John Lowe, an aged and respectable inhabitant of that settlement."

Matthew John Lowe who is thought to have been the grandfather of Edwin Lofthouse and Matthew John Symonette. Matthew John Lowe is also thought to have been the source of the land which made the Symonette's "land poor" but dominant family at the Current. From the 1870's or before, until the 1940's , the Symonettes owned the highest and best land at the center of the Current Settlement, probably including the land on which the Methodist Chapel was built.

9. NB: Barry and Mary Ann’s oldest son James Aquilla Lowe, was a school master who also served as registrar.

Sources

<1 Death Record: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-22582-15353-69?cc=1922411 2. Petition: http://interactive.ancestry.com/1129/csuk1817_133729-00000/?backlabel=ReturnBrowsing#?imageId=CSUK1817_133729-00498 3. Mary's death record 4.Slave owned w? Patience et al. 5. The Harbour Island Story p. 6.Barry Lowe 7. Final record by Matthew J. Lowe Registrar 7. A. Lowe's middle name is verified in a slave registry of 1834: Source Information Ancestry.com. Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies, 1813-1834 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Office of Registry of Colonial Slaves and Slave Compensation Commission: Records; (The National Archives Microfilm Publication T71); Records created and inherited by HM Treasury; The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England. 8. Bahamas Civil Register 8 A. Sharyn Thompson's book p 120 9. James Aquilla Lowe of The Current- not to be confused with J Aquilla Lowe go Ababco/> 10. http://mailboatsbahamas.blogspot.com/2013/08/563-nassau-families-vessels-1911.html