Life History

Notes

• John Tilley Lowrey/Lowry was born in Indiana and his wife SarahFrances (Sallie) Pentecost was born in Arkansas.  Our focus on themcenters in Ethel, Prairie Township, Arkansas County, Arkansas.  Theirdaughters Susan Frances (Susie) and Ruth married McSwain men.  TheMcSwains had migrated from North Carolina about 1874-5.  Other relatedMcSwains are found in other Arkansas counties around the same time orearlier.
  
  The Lowrey family name is spelled different ways in public and familysources.  Roger Louis McSwain, son of Louis Wirt McSwain, and grandsonof Susie Frances Lowry (who married Wiley Carey McSwain) found thatSusie's family name was spelled Lowrey on Louis Wirt's birthcertificate.  Public records spell it various ways.  In a genealogyprepared by John and Sallie's daughter Octavia the family name isconsistently spelled Lowrey.  This is also the spelling we find on sonTilley Wirt Lowrey's records.
  
  After receiving information from family members, I began looking forfurther documentation on the Lowreys.  I found Henry and CatherineLowrey and their son John T in White County, Indiana, where we seeJohn was a Medical Student in 1860.
  
  1860 Federal Census, White County, Indiana, 5 July, Prairie Township,PO Brookston, page 58, Hse #421, Fam #423
  Henry Lowery 60 M Freight Agent born Pennsylvania
  Catherine Lowery 52 F b District of Columbia
  John T Lowery 20 M Medical Student b Indiana
  
  By 1870, John has finished his medical training and set up hispractice as a physician in Pike County, Indiana.  His father died in1862, and his widowed mother is living with him in or nearPetersburgh.
  
  1870 Federal Census, Pike County, Indiana, 6 June, Jefferson Township,Petersburgh, p 9-10, Hse/Fam #77
  Lowry, John T  30 M W Physician $100 Real Estate $300 Personal bIndiana
  Lowry, Catherine 60 F W Widow b Maryland
  
  1880 Federal Census, Hernando County, Florida, 3 June, 60thImmigration District, District 60, page 6, Hse/Fam #52
  Lowrey, J T  W M  40    Physician Ind Penn MD [b abt 1840]
  Lowrey, S T [should be S F]  W F 25 Wife Housewife Ark Tenn Ark [b abt1855]
  Lowrey, K E  M  W F 5 Dau Ark Ind Ark [b abt 1875]
  Lowrey, K W  W F 74 Mother MD MD MD [b abt 1806]
  Lowrey, J T Jr  W M 1 Son Fla Ind Ark [b abt 1879]
  
  The 1900 census had meanwhile provided some information on John'sfamily.  This was the first census in which I found John, so hadlittle on his family background in Indiana, when I was putting thistogether from the McSwain side.
  
  1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 29 June, ChesterTownship, District 1, page 11A, Hse #369, Fam #375
  Lowry, John F [should be T]  Head W M  Dec 1839  60  Married 28 yrsIn Pennsylvania Maryland  Physician
  Lowry, Sallie F  Wife W F  Dec 1855  44  Married 28 yrs  Bore 11children, 6 living AR TN AR
  Lowry, Kate  Dau W F  Sep 1875  24  AR IN AR
  Lowry, Wirt  Son W M  Dec 1882  17  TX  IN AR
  Lowry, Susa [Susie]  Dau W F  May 1885  15  Ind Terr  IN AR
  Lowry, Ruth  Dau W F  May 1888 12 Ind Terr  IN AR
  Lowry, Octava [Octavia]  Dau W F  Feb 1890  10   Ind Terr IN AR
  Lowry, Lucile I  Dau W F  Aug 1897  2   Ind Terr IN AR
  
  The birth states of the children informs us that John and Sallie weremarried in Arkansas, in September 1875.    Octavia's genealogy forthis family, provided to me by John and Sallie's grandson Kenneth WirtMcSwain, reports that Catherine's full birth date as 22 September1875. Some time after the birth of Kate, they moved to Florida withinthe next year, and their next two children, John Tilley and ThomasHenry, were born there before they moved to Texas.  Thomas Henry diedof Enteritis in 1879, reported in the 1880 census Mortality Index.  Ihave not found a record of John Tilley, Jr after the 1880 census.  Hemay have being already married and out on his own in 1900.
  
  They moved up to Indian Territory before the birth of Susie in May1885.  They remained there until after August 1897 when Lucille wasborn.  Sometime within the next three years, they were established inChester Township of Arkansas County (east of Gillette) before thecensus in June 1900.
  
  John has died by the 1910 census, and three of the children are in thehousehold with Sallie (spelled Sallie here), now reported as head ofthe household.  In the 1910 census, Sallie is a widow, so John diedsometime between June 1900 and April 1910.
  
  1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 27 April, ChesterTownship, District 3, page 5B, Hse#74, Fam #75
  Lowry, Sally F  Head F W 65 Widow AR TN KY
  Lowry, Wirt Son M W 27 Single TX IN AR Shell Digger, River
  Lowry, Octavia Dau F W 20  OK IN AR Teacher, Country School
  Lowry, Lucille I  Dau F W 12  OK IN AR None
  
  From the census, other documents and family information we have, Johnand Sallie moved from Arkansas to Texas after the birth of their firstchild Catherine Eliza (Kate) Lowry in 1875.  Octavia informs us thatthere was one female child before Kate, stillborn in 1874.
  
  Tilley Wirt Lowrey was born in Texas, then all the other children wereborn in Indian Territory.  The family moved to Indian Territory (laterOklahoma) between 1883 and 1884, being in Indian Territory for thebirth of the third child Susie Lowry on 4 May 1885.  Ruth was bornthere on 30 May 1887.  The two younger children were born in theTerritory also, Octavia in 1890 and Lucille in 1897, before the familymoved back to Arkansas, where they are recorded in the 1900 censusback in Ethel, Arkansas.
  
  The 1910 census reports Ruth as born in Arkansas, but this seems to bea reporting error, since the 1900 and 1920 say Indian Territory orOklahoma.  And this matches the other family information reportingboth Susie and Ruth born in Oklahoma.  Susie married Wiley CarewMcSwain, while Ruth married his cousin James Marvin McSwain in thesame community of Ethel, where their mother was from and where theirolder sister Kate had been born.
  
  In 1910, Ruth has been married to James (Marvin) McSwain for 5 years,and they have two daughters.  Note that Ruth's state of birth isreported here as Indiana.
  
  1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 20 April, District 18,Page 3A, Prairie Township, Hse/Fam #42
  McSwain, James  Head M W 25  Married 5 years AR NC NC Farmer
  McSwain, Ruth  Wife F W 23 Married 5 years  bore 2 children, 2 livingAR IN AR

Sources

• 1. 1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 29 June, Chester Township, District 1, page 11A, Hse #369, Fam #375
• 2. Lowrey-Wirt Genealogy, by Octavia Lowery
• 3. 1860 Federal Census, White County, Indiana
  • 5 July, Prairie Township, PO Brookston, page 58, Hse #421, Fam #423
• 4. 1870 Federal Census, Pike County, Indiana
  • 6 June, Jefferson Township, Petersburgh, p 9-10, Hse/Fam #77
• 5. 1880 Federal Census, Hernando County, Florida
  • 3 June, 60th Immigration District, District 60, page 6, Hse/Fam #52
• 6. 1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 27 April, Chester Township, District 3, page 5B, Hse#74, Fam #75
• 7. U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules Index
  • Name: Name: Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.;Date: 1999;;
• 8. 1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 27 April, Chester Township, District 3, page 5B, Hse #74, Fam #75
• 9. 1920 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 9 March, Chester Township, District 4, page 6A, Hse/Fam #107
• 10. U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
• 11. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
• 12. 1920 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 6 February, Prairie Township, St Charles Road, District 16, page 8A,
• 13. Bertie Lois Dumond McSwain, Family Information, handwritten 27February, 1979
• 14. 1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 20 April, Prairie Township, District 13, page 3A, Hse/Fam #37
• 15. Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
• 16. 1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 20 April, Prairie Township, District 18, Page 3A, Hse/Fam #42
• 17. 1920 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 4 February, District 16, Page 7A, Ethel and Chute Rd, House #121, Fam
• 18. Gravestone of Ruth Lawery McSwain, Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Ethel,Arkansas