| Note* | | Lazarus, James, John, Daniel and Alexander Lowrey, in 1729 The Lowreys dealt extensively in peltries. Lazarus Lowrey had a tradingpost about midway between Marietta and the Donegal meeting-house. He wasone of the most intrepid traders, 'remarkable for his energy, industryand courage.' He made frequent trips into the wilderness, as far even asthe Mississippi river, and generally his sons, James, John, Daniel, andAlexander, went with him. He died in Philadelphia in 1755. Five or sixyears earlier, his son John had been killed by an Indian while on atrading trip to the Ohio. John had taken over his father's business, andmuch of his land in the Donegals. He owned the land upon which the upperpart of Marietta stands, and also the land extending from Maytown to theColebrook road. His brother James also came near to losing his life whenattacked by hostile Indians during the French trouble. He had severaloutposts and lost so heavily by raids that he was forced in 1758 to sellhis land holdings in Donegal and move away. He had one tract adjoiningthe trading post of John Galbraith at Conoy creek. Daniel Lowry ownedland in East Donegal, but sold that and bought a tract owned by hisbrother John, then recently deceased. But he also suffered heavy lossesduring the French and Indian War, though he recouped them to some extentby becoming an army contractor. He had a fleet of batteaux, with which hemaintained the commissariat of Fort Augusta. He sold his Lancaster countyland to his youngest brother Alexander in 1859, and moved to Juniata.Alexander Lowry, the youngest of the famous family of Indian traders, wasthe most successful of all, notwithstanding that he sustained a loss ofpeltries valued at L8000 sterling during the Indian attack at Bloody Runin 1763. He had trading stations at Fort Pitt and Carlisle, and went asfar west as Kaskaskia, and Fort Chartres, on the Mississippi. He was oncesaved from sudden death only by his courage and fleetness of foot; but inthe end he had his trading so well organized that without very greatrisks he did a large volume of business. He became wealthy, and when hisfather died bought the Lowrey mansion and land in Donegal township. Hewas a fur trader for forty years. Alexander Lowry in 1770 purchased theground-rents of Maytown, and about eight hundred acres of land extendingeast, west and south of that place, from Jacob Downer, who had laid outthe town. He was an ardent patriot, was appointed a member of theCommittee on Correspondence in July, 1774; was elected to the GeneralAssembly in 1775-76, and in the latter year raised a battalion ofScotch-Irish Presbyterians in the Donegal region, Col. Bertram Galbraithdoing likewise in the western part of Donegal and Derry townships.Colonel Lowrey was seven times thereafter reelected to the GeneralAssembly, served as Indian Commissioner for a while, and eventuallybecame a State Senator. He lived his last years on his palatial estatenear Mariatta. Mrs. Samuel Evans, wife of Samuel Evans-who wrote the besthistorical work yet compiled of Lancaster county-was impelled some yearsago to review in verse the adventurous lives of the Lowreys. Quotingtherefrom: In Donegal, in Erin's Isle Stern Scotia's children dwelling, Grew restive 'neath Oppression's hand, Their souls with freedom swelling. * * * * * Then up rose Lazarus Lowrey bold, His wife and bairns beside him, Resolved to seek for Freedom's home Whatever fate betide him * * * * * The lads grew kingly with the breath Of Freedom * * * * * Nor deemed the simple forest child The Red man less than brother; For noble natures recognize The noble in another. And when the days of trial came, Of which we know the story, No Erin son of Scotia's blood Was ever found a Tory. Upon the Constitution's page Of Penn's blest land is written Brave Alexander Lowrey's name As foe to King and Briton. * * * * * In his old age, at Brandywine, Undaunted by War's rattle The men of our own Donegal By him were led to battle. * * * * * Revere him in yourselves and live Such lives as will not shame him; His lofty spirit emulate That ye may justly claim him. A. nobler heritage is your's Than acres rich and flowery- Be worthy, children, of the blood Of Alexander Lowrey. Maytown, in East Donegal township, is more than 160 years old, and forseveral decades was the most important town in the Donegals. Theprincipal pioneer family was the Lowrey, headed by Lazarus Lowrey, anIndian trader and the father of famous Indian traders, who have been thesubjects of many references earlier in this chapter. Their connectionwith Maytown is recorded in the patent issued to Lazarus Lowrey in 1748for 411 acres of land, through which the 'Great Road' ran, and upon whichthe village of Maytown eventually was platted. Mr. Lowrey sold 150 acresof his tract in 1748 to Dennis Sullivan, a fur trader in his employ. Butthat calling was uncertain and precarious, both as to property and life.Sullivan sustained losses in exciting engagements with Indians, and wasunable to pay for his land, and in consequence the land was repurchasedby Mr. Lowrey at sheriff's sale; in 1753, however, he resold to JohnKennedy, also a trader. He also met with unfortunate experiences withIndians; indeed he almost lost his life, and was carried away incaptivity. His property was sold by the sheriff and bought by ThomasHarris and Joseph Smith, Indian traders. In 1760 they sold to JacobDowner, who owned other adjoining land, which he had purchased ten yearsearlier from Lazarus Lowrey. In 1760 he platted a town on the 150 acreshe had recently acquired. The town was named Maytown, and was wellplanned. It was a busy centre of the fur-trading industry, and the lotssold readily, though only ground-rent deeds were given. In 1770 theDowner estate went into the hands of the sheriff, and the land andground-rents were purchased by Alexander Lowrey, youngest son of Lazarus,the original owner. He bequeathed the ground-rents to his daughter,Frances Evans, in 1805. She sold to John Smith in about 1828, and he ayear or so later sold to John Whitehill. Fee-simple title has since beenacquired. by the lotholders, though for a while there was litigationbetween landlord and renter. Excerpted from A History of Lancaster County by H.M.J. Klein, Ph.d., 1926 THE SCOTCH-IRISH OF NORTHERN LANCASTER COUNTY The Original Township of Donegal, and of Its Subdivisions--East Donegal,West Donegal, Conoy, Mount Joy and Rapho.1 |