Lowry

LOWRY FAMILY

A history of the Lowry family was written in 1895 by Mrs. Mary C. Norment, a resident of Robeson County whose husband was killed by one of James Lowry’s great grandsons. Her book, The Lowrie History, was based solely on the hearsay of older members of Robeson County. She described James Lowry as awell proportioned, fine looking, respectable mulatto … characterized by elegance and refinement of manners, tall and commanding in personal appearance, urbane, courtly and genteel in his whole deportment

who told Robeson County residents that he was the son of a white man, Judge Lowry of Virginia, and his slave. He was manumitted by his father in Bute County and in 1769 moved with Silas Atkins to the part of Bladen County which later became Robeson County. He farmed and kept a tavern during the Revolutionary War. His wife was Sarah Kersey who was described by Norment as a “half breed Tuscarora Indian.” James Lowry had three sons: William, Thomas, and James. Thomas married Nancy Deas, a white woman, and James never married. William was a Revolutionary War veteran who married Betty Locklear, “a half-breed Tuscarora Indian.” William’s son, Allen, married Polly Cumbo, a Portuguese woman, and they had four children who were members of a “robber band” which revenged the killing of Allen Lowry.

The most obvious discrepancies in this history are

1. There were no Lowrys in the 1767-1779 Bute County court records or the 1771 Bute County tax lists. Manumission was illegal in North Carolina without permission from the General Assembly. No such manumission was recorded in the colonial records of the General Assembly.

2. The Kersey family were not Tuscarora Indians. They were a mixed-race family descended from Peter Kersey, “a Negroe” living in Surry County, Virginia, on 4 March 1678 when the court ordered him to return his son John Kersy to the estate of Judith Parker, deceased [Haun, Surry County Court Records, III:240].

3. Nancy Deas was not white, nor was Betty Locklear a Tuscarora Indian. They were probably descendants of Benjamin Dees, Edward Locklear, Tiely Locklear, and Major Locklear, “free Negors and Mullatus” living in Bladen County on 13 October 1773 [N.C. Archives File G.A. 1773, Box 7].

4. Polly Cumbo was not Portuguese. She was a descendant of Emanuel Cumbo, a “Negro” who was granted a patent for 50 acres in James City County on 18 April 1667 [Patent 6:39].

The Lowry family history according to the surviving records is as follows.

1. James¹ Lowry, born say 1735, received a grant for land in Bladen County on 26 October 1767 [DB 23:216-7], and between 1770 and 1772 he received patents on more than one thousand acres of land in Bladen County [Hoffman, Land Patents, II:191, 221, 356, 600]. He was taxable in Bladen County with his wife from 1768 to 1774 (“Mulates”), taxable on William Jones, a “Mulato,” from 1768 to 1771, taxable on a slave named Jack in 1769 and on Jack and a slave named Hansom in 1776. In 1779 he was taxable on two slaves, 400 acres of improved land, four horses, and 100 head of cattle [Byrd, Bladen County Tax Lists, I:5, 17, 45, 60, 123, 136; II:63, 84, 101, 115]. He sold more than 300 acres, part on Drowning Creek and part on Raft Swamp, by deeds dated 7 January 1772, May 1772, no month 1772, and 29 January 1773 but was still taxable on 400 acres in 1784. He received a patent for 100 acres on Middle Swamp on 7 November 1784 and sold it on 27 June 1785. He purchased 100 acres on the north side of Drowning Creek in 1786 [DB 1:4, 183; 23:216, 217, 431, 299]. On 1 April 1805 the Robeson County court appointed him overseer of the road from his house to the house where Neil Buie formerly lived, a position usually reserved for whites [Minutes I:321]. He was head of a Robeson County household of 6 “other free” and 3 slaves in 1790 [NC:49] and 6 “other free” and 6 slaves in 1800 [NC:389]. By his 13 March 1810 Robeson County will he left land and nine slaves to his wife, not named, and his children [WB 1:121]. His wife was most likely Celia Lowry who was appointed administratrix of his estate by the Robeson County court on 26 November 1810 [Minutes II:207]. His children were

2 i. William, born say 1754.

ii. Thomas, born say 1760. He purchased land in Robeson by deeds proved on 9 October 1800, 7 October 1805, and 5 Oct 1807 [Minutes I:128, 339; II:52] and purchased 100 acres on the north side of Back Swamp from Ishmael Chavers on 17 May 1804 [DB O:163]. He was head of a Robeson County household of 3 “other free” in 1800 [NC:389] and 5 whites and 1 “other free” in 1810 [NC:220]. Nancy Deas was living with him on 24 November 1812 when the Robeson County court ordered her to bring two of her illegitimate children by James Lowry to the next court [Minutes 1806-13, 351].

3 iii. James², born before 1776.

iv. Mary.

v. Ceily, head of a Robeson County household of 6 whites and 10 slaves in 1810 [NC:219]. She was called Celia, Junr., in a deed to her from her brother James Lowery, proved in Robeson County in February 1827 [Minutes 1829-39, 142]. She died before August 1829 when her lands were ordered partitioned among her brothers: Thomas, William, and James [Minutes 1829-39, 20].

2. William Lowry, born say 1754, was called the son of James Lowry in an 18 February 1775 deed by which he purchased land in Bladen County from Ann Perkins. He sold land in Bladen County shortly afterwards on 2 May 1775 [DB 23:481-2; 36:381] and was head of a Bladen County household of 5 “other free” in 1800 [NC:9] and 9 “free colored” in Robeson County in 1820 [NC:304]. On 23 August 1831 he challenged the right of his brother Thomas to administer the estate of their younger brother James², claiming that he as elder brother should have been administrator. However, the court ruled that Thomas was more competent. William’s children were

i. ?Daniel, married Betsey Locklear, 2 July 1805 Robeson County bond.

4 ii. Allen, born say 1795.

iii. ?Alfred, born say 1802, not mentioned in the Lowrie History. William transferred land to him by deed proved in November 1829.

3. James² Lowery, born before 1776, sold 50 acres on Ashpole Swamp in Robeson County to Emmanuel Carter by a deed proved in 1797 [DB G:142]. He sold two tracts of land to Malcolm Locklear, one for 100 acres on the east side of Juniper Branch on 27 May 1801 and one for 177 acres adjoining this land on 4 October 1803 and purchased land by deed proved on 7 October 1807 and 27 August 1811 [DB L:20; N:187-190; Minutes I:340; II:280]. He was head of a household of 3 male and 2 female “free colored” and 9 slaves in 1820 [NC:294]. According to Mrs. Norment he did not marry. However, Robeson County records indicate otherwise. After his death, Doctor Edmund McLucen was appointed guardian to Catherine, “an infant daughter the only legitimate child of James Lowrie decd” in Tuesday court, February 1833. His wife probably predeceased him since she was not mentioned. In addition, he had at least six bastard children by several Robeson County women. Administration on his estate was granted to his brother Thomas Lowery on 22 August 1831 on a bond of 700 pounds. His administrator sold some of his land and one of his slaves, Dick, by deed proved on 28 November 1831 in order to pay the debts of the estate [Minutes 1829-39, 106]. About 1,100 acres of land remained for his daughter Catherine [Minutes 1839-43, 39]. Some of his children were

i. a child by Sarah Hammons, who the 27 August 1810 Robeson County court ordered him to support [Minutes II:217].

ii. a child by Ann Deas, who he was ordered to support on 27 August 1811 [Minutes II:217].

iii. Parker Deas, a child by Nancy Deas [Minutes II:328, 351].

iv. Sally Deas, a child by Nancy Deas [Minutes II:328, 351].

v. a child by Eliza Carter, charged to him by the 24 November 1812 Robeson County court [Minutes II:350].

vi. Turner, an illegitimate son by Mary Sweat charged to him by the May 1833 Robeson County court.

vii. Catherine, his only legitimate child.