Person:William Lower (7)

First of all, William personified this family as true American pioneers. Unfortunately, he was a part of a line which numbered 13 William Lowers in just his line alone, so that presents problems of documentation. The casual reader may not realize that William was born on the American frontier, during a time of limited recordkeeping. However, in the case of this particular Lower family, there is a lot of data available. It just takes some "digging" to find it, and time to put the pieces together. Full disclosure: "White Creek" is not a blood relative, but only distantly related through several marriages in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.

In the beginning "White Creek" chose to temporarily leave out much detail until he could consult with others who are William Lower relatives. Also, much of this family's history has been detailed on other pages; of which the reader may not be aware. William was part of a very large extended family which began to arrive in America in 1737. Some of these related family groups, banded together, and left Berks County, Pennsylvania in circa 1790, and joined in an "exodus" of so called "Pennsylvania Dutch" (which they were not) to the Shenandoah and Roanoke Valleys of Virginia. These migrations and resettlements have been well documented. Even as recently as 2014, "German Life" magazine had an article about these groups of pioneers who migrated from Pennsylvania, and settled in Virginia. These groups of related people in these WeRelate pages, continued to follow the American frontier ever westward, from Virginia to Ohio, to Indiana, and beyond. As these Lower family groups intermarried with others along the way, other families joined with them on their westward migrations. To adequately research their history it is necessary to study the others, through their surnames.

In the case of William Lower, his birth location is questioned because in most of the places he lived, there was no established functioning government, for various reasons. At the time of his birth on the frontier, there was scant recordkeeping. However, by William's birth in 1808, we know that these various family groups had reached Clermont Co., Ohio (east of Cincinnati). Soon they showed up in Preble Co., Ohio (north of Cincinnati). Since it has been documented that William's sister, Lucinda, was born in Preble Co. in 1811, it was not likely that William, who was born 3 years earlier, would have been born in Indiana (as some sources state). Plus, in that same year of 1811, William's uncle (Joseph) who with others, had traveled with the family, was married in Preble Co.

Across the state line from Preble Co., is Wayne Co., Indiana. William's brother Dr. John Strange Lower, was born there in 1813, in Wayne Co., when Indiana was not yet even a state! One can reasonably speculate that Dr. Lower was named after a locally famous preacher by the name of "John Strange", and likely known to the families. William's father, and uncle are in the Wayne and Fayette Co. history books as being organizers of Methodist congregations, among the first settlers, where none had existed before. So while we know some history, we do not have specific dates to add to these kinds of pages! Here the history is mostly a "narrative"! The History of Wayne Co. (1872) names William's uncle (Joseph) as forming "Lower's Chapel" on his land in 1820. Another Wayne Co. history book (1884) states that Joseph Lower was one of the early settlers. By 1820 another of William's sisters (Sarah) has been documented to have been born in Wayne Co.

By 1823 William's father obtained a "Land Patent" in adjacent Fayette Co., where William himself would be married in 1829. Some of the Lower families settled in adjacent Rush Co., where some of their descendants can be found today. Some of these Rush Co. Lowers migrated on to Iowa, where they met up with other Lower families.

William, his sisters and cousins, and their husbands, plus his father and uncle Joseph, and other family members, now became a part of an even more complicated story! We have the documents, but there is so little space! Well known in Indiana, are the Conner brothers, formerly of Fayette Co. The Conner brothers were the first white men allowed into the counties (which did not exist yet) further north in Indiana, and along the White River. When the Lowers arrived in Indiana, most of the territory was legally owned by Indian tribes, even after Indiana became a state. The Conners created a trading post business from near Connersville, to a trading post on the White River, near the future city of NOBLESVILLE. The narrow trail (really just an Indian path) between the trading post and Connersville, passed right near William's father's farm in Posey Township, of Fayette Co. We have not found any documents which show a relationship of any kind between any of these Lower families and the Conners. However, one can imagine the Conners stopping at the Lower farm, as there were no commercial places along the whole trail. But certainly the Lowers would have known of the Conners at the very least. Along part of the trail runs White River, and in today's Madison Co. is the location of the city of Anderson. Here in 1800, William Conner married the Delaware chief's daughter. The chief was a descendant of a Swedish trader named "Anderson". Indiana became a state in 1816. In 1820 Commissioners (including John Conner) met at William Conner's cabin near Noblesville to determine the location of a new state capitol. By one vote, the Commissioners chose a location downriver, where Indianapolis was later founded!

The Conners prospered, and with the removal of the Indians in circa 1820, pioneers were allowed to settle in central Indiana; and at first they used the Conner's trail from Fayette Co. to the White River. At first the 60 mile trail (in the shape of an arc) was the only route to the area. Some early reports stated that it took 19 days to travel the route! Just north of Anderson, is the Madison Co. township of Lafayette. The histories say that there were no humans at all when the first settler reached the township, not even Indians. The History of Madison County (1914) says that in 1835 "there was a considerable tide of immigration to the township". Eight names were given, including that of a "William Lower". We also have records showing that on May 20, 1835 a "William Lower" was issued a "Land Patent" in Madison Co. On the SAME date is an entry for Joseph Lower of Wayne Co., who was probably his uncle! Joseph Lower also had 4 other "Land Patents" in the county. The "Centennial History of Madison Co." states that five people, including "William Lower and wife" formed the very first religious organization in Lafayette Township, in 1836, and of course it was a Methodist society, and located in the Lower home. The history goes on to describe other settlers who followed them, including Goodings. Were they relatives of William's wife? Also named was "Allen Simmons". Could he have been William's brother-in-law Allen Simmonds? The related Simmonds are buried in the next township west (Jackson) and a photo of their tombstone appears on their WeRelate.org page. Adjacent to Lafayette Township on the east is Richland Township. The "History of Madison Co." (1914) states that after 1831,new pioneers arrived, including J. R. Holston (William's cousin's husband) and Christian Lower (William's cousin - the one born 1814 in Preble Co., Ohio), who later moved to Iowa. We have a newspaper obituary of Nancy (Lower) Holston in 1854, stating that she was a daughter of "Joseph and Sarah Lower". There is more documentation of this time and place, but we do not have space to display, but by now the reader should know the case has been made for our subject William to be the same William.

Also at this time, in adjacent Hamilton Co. is the well documented story of William's brother, Dr. John Strange Lower, and his second wife, Sabina, who were among the founders of the First Presbyterian Church of Noblesville, in 1848. Much of their unusual story is described on their pages. Of course we also know that William's father is buried in Noblesville (1853), just a few miles north of William Conner's former home. Apparently, William Lower's mother moved to Iowa to live with her daughter (Sarah). We knew that William was living in Pulaski Co., Indiana in 1850. In keeping with these Lower families migration habits, guess who shows up in the next county - his brother Dr. John Strange Lower! Plus other related families from Fayette Co. John Lower married Sabina in nearby Carroll Co., but some sources say Shreveport, Louisiana! Sabina's prior married name was Roberts, but her maiden name was DUNLAP. In the list of the 120 deaths in the "Mountain Meadows Massacre", many of the deaths (19?) bore the surname of DUNLAP! Just a co-incidence? Some of Sabina's children later settled in Arkansas! Just another co-incidence?

We had not studied the last 30 years of William's life, so the census records of William were believed to have been one of the other 13 William Lowers, therefore much is missing here. However, we did wonder why Lower researcher Charles Tippett placed William in Oregon, when the books had said he died in Utah. Never-the-less, we know that William had quite a history of living on the "edge" of civilization. The histories have shown, he was never far from his extended family in all that time, until he went to Oregon.

--White Creek 06:21, 20 April 2017 (UTC)

1. ↑ Monroe Township, in Pulaski, Indiana, United States. 1850 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration Publication M432)
   line 25 HH 52, Fam 52.

   Lower, Wm, 42, farmer, RE = $1000, b. IN
   , Rebecca, 35, b. IN
   , Jacob, 18, farmer, b. IN
   , Lucinda, 13, b. IN
   , Phoebe, 10, b. IN
   , Elizabeth, 7, b. IN
   , Rebecca, 1, b. IN

2. ↑ Dalla Township, in Marion, Iowa, United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   line 38 HH 959, Fam 115.

   Lower, Wm, 52, farmer, RE = $600, PE = $200, b. OH
   , Rebeca, 48, b. KY
   , Elizabeth, 17, b. IN
   , Rebecca, 11, b. IN
   , Nancy, 72, b. VA

3. ↑ Columbia, Oregon, United States. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   line 9 HH 82, Fam 82 .

   Lower, Wm, 70, [no RE, no PE], b. IN
   , Rebecca, 65, b. IN

4. ↑ Multnomah, Oregon, United States. 1880 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration Publication T9)
   line 12 HH 244, Fam 305.

   Harkleroad, James M, 39, Carpenter, b. IA
   , Rebecca, 31, b. IN
   , Charlie, 5, b. OR
   Lower, William (Father in Law), 73, b. OH
   Benninghoff, Julia (servant), 19, House Servant, b. Germany

5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 Akerboom, Jack. Descendants of Hans Lauer Lower. (Morgantown, Pennsylvania: Masthof Press)
   2002.

   Jack's book was one of those in error regarding the death of William!

6. ↑ ^6.0 6.1 William Lower , in Find A Grave
   accessed 9 April 2014.

   The creator of this findagrave page was in error regarding the children of William & Rebecca. Mary Jane and Nancy were daughters of other Lower relatives.

7. ↑ Regarding Birth:It was not likely that William was born in Indiana at that early date. "White Creek" will have to go back into his data to see who supplied that information.
   [Response: Not sure why it is "unlikely" he was born in Indiana. His wife was born in Indiana so it seems possible. The 1860 census (line 38) and the 1880 census (line 12) says born in Ohio, but the 1850 census (line 25) and 1870 census (line 9) says born in Ind. So there is reason one might chose Indiana as a birth location. Still, given that the birth date from www.findagrave.com appears to have been used (not directly cited, but who else gives this birth date?) and it seems pretty specific about the birth location (albeit not backed up by any documentation), a reader would expect an explanation for the choice of Indiana.]
8.   The marriage of his daughter Phebe occurred in 1856 is recorded in Iowa and it appears that 1860 census (line 38) shows William living in the same county of Iowa where his daughter was married. All this suggesting his participation in the Francher party wagon train, which wikipedia says was largely from Arkansas anyway, is incorrect.