GROWING UP IN
r>v* v? * ^ *??,'*?.. .S?*. * a. 4 r
ROBESON COUNTY
by Baaald H. Lwmry 1
It was a pleasure to meet
with a group of Lowry progen
ies, whose eiders grew up in
Robeson County, in Myrtle
Beach the latter part of July:
It has been our custom to have
a little get-together every
other year to renew and
update our relationships, and
become informed of any dele
tions or additions to the clan.
This year's reunion was origi
nally scheduled to be held in
California with C.B. Lowry
serving as the host, but
Reaganomics made it neces
sary for him to revamp his
plans. The frugal nature of
C.B. Lowry came to the
forefront, and he changed the
location for this year's re
union to the Carolines. The
rest of us were quite appre
ciative for this move, as it
reduced our traveling expen
ses considerably. It is good to
know that one of us will still
sacrifice personal convienen
ce and expense so as to
benefit the majority. Even
though this action saved us
some money, our Dad would
have been able to bed us
down for a year and go a long
way toward paying a year's
food bill with the money we
left behind in Myrtle Beach,
when we were growing up in
Robeson County.
Our host, C.B. Lowery and
part of his family, traveled to
Myrtle Beach from Calfornix
to unite with the rest of "the
Marvin Lowery Family", who
came from-five other states to
meet for some fun and
relaxation in the sun. Our
uncle, Telford A. Lowry,
drove over from Tennessee to
join us in some "down home"
fellowship at the Swamp Fox
Motel, which served as our
headquarters for the week's
activities. Oa Friday July
30th, a group of us drove over
to Pembroke for a cookout on
cousin Tryon Lowiy's back
lawn and visitation with some
at our dose relatives, which
included our uncle, Elmer T.
Lowry and family, and Mrs.
Delton H. Lowry. Some of us
made a brief visit to the
campus of PS I), before par
taking of some delidous Ro
beson County prepared food
by some of our ladies, which
included some freshly picked
corn. Our very able host was
on top of his job all day, and
he can still cook up a pretty
good tasting hamburger on an
outdoor grill.
Several of us attended the
Friday night's performance of
SATW for the first time, and
we enjoyed the drama even
though we sat under the
threatening skies all evening.
Luckily we didn't get a
downpour, and the lightning
dancing across the clouds and
thunder in the background
added more realism to the
performance. I especially en
joyed the backstage melodies
being rendered by the Lum
ber River bullfrogs through
out the nights performance.
My mind couldn't help but
wander to life on the farm,
and the numerous times we
were caught in a similar
situation of trying to finish out
a string of catfish after dark
from the banks of the Lumber
River, while a thunder storm
threatened in the distance.
Those Lumber River frogs can
still stir up a pretty good
chorus in rainy weather, as
they did when I was growing
up in Robeson County.'
We had 30 people attending
our reunion, representing
four generations from our
branch of the Lowry family
tree. Grandpa Curliss.
brought his grand-daughter,
Lauren Ashley Lowry, who
was born on his birthday last
May 21st in Atlanta. Ga. She
represents'the first of the 9th
generation on our branch of
the Lowry family tree from the
Robeson County lineage, be
ginning with James Lowry
back in the 18th century. For
the past few years. 1 have
been doing a little research in
some of the local genealogical
reference libraries trying to
pick up bits and pieces
concerning early Lowry set
tlers in colonial Virginia. I
have included some of my
findings in this article.
SURNAMES
Today many minority
groups are interested in trac
ing their names back into
time. The pooularity "Roots"
got a few years ago probably
increased the pride in ones
heritage amoung minorities.
The Lumbee Indians are very
unique in that they have
maintained many of their
indian names along with their
European names. Some of the
European names have been
used to link them with the
Lost Colony from Roanoke.
James Lowry, introduced the
Lowry name into Robeson
County with the original Low
ry family consisting of some
five children, 3 boys and 2
girls. A son. William, married
into the Lock!ear family, and
this union began a line of
decent which continues today
in Robeson County, and
throughout America. Lowry,
is a European name of
Scotch-English origin, $aid to
be a pet form of, Lawrence,
which is derived from/Laurel,
an evergreen shrub of South
Europe with fragrant lance
shaped leaves used by the
ancients to make wreaths for
their heroes. This derivation
could account for the different
spellings this name has today.
The name, Locklear, is said to
be of Indian origin, and has
been spelled a variety of ways
down through the ages.
The first census of the
United States, taken in 1790.
lists only the James Lowry
household in Robeson Coun
ty, and some six, LockUeer
households. The 1800 census
lists 2 Lowery households,
and 9 Lockclear households.
The 1840 census lists some 9
Lowery, Lowry and Low rev
households, and one-half
page of Locklier, Lockliar
households. The 1850 census
lists some 12 Lowrie house
holds in Robeson County. The
different spellings of these
two names appear to be the
result of individual preferen
ces down through the ages.
The surname, Lowry is spel
led various ways in Virginia
today similar to thai in
Robeson County. The Lowrie
spelling is found today in the
Williamsburg area. An und?,
on my Dad's side of the
family, used this spelling
form, and took it with him to
settle in Ohio early in the 20th
century.
Even though the original
Lowry-Locklear union began a
chain of productivity which is
still flourishing today in Ro
beson County, the Lowry
name could never keep pace
with the Locklear name in
the numbers game. Former
Pembroke State College had a
football team in the late
Forties, when I was a member
of the student body at that
institution. They played k
night game in Tabor City late
in the fall of the year, shortly
after a brother had purchased
his first car, and we drove
down to watch the game. It
was one of those cold fall
nights and we decided to
watch the game from
inside the car parked along
the sidelines. A local radio
station was broadcasting the
game and we were listening to
the play-by-play decription on
the car radio. On a Pembroke
ball possession early in the
game, the announcer describ
ed a play in which he said;
"Locklear takes a snap from
Locklear, rolls out to his right
and arches a pass over to
Locklear near the sidelines for
ten yards and a first down.
Folks I don't mean to mis-lead
you into thinking there is a
one man football team playing
out here tonight, but about
one-half of this team from
Pembroke is composed of
Locklears."
THE LOWRYS OF
COLONIAL VIRGINIA
The Scotch-Irish influen
ce was absorbed by the
Lumbee Indians in Robeson
County primarily from those
who merged into their cul
ture. James Lowry brought
the clever, frugal and indust
rious nature of the Scotch
Irish character with him into
Robeson County in the 1760s.
Blessed with the ability to
make do. with what lay at
hand, skills in agriculture,
animal husbandry, woodwork
ing, leather-working, metal
working, and many other
skills were passed on to the
original settlers on the banks
of the Lumber River. The
Scotch-Irish were probdbly
the best educated migrants of
the colonists, and were inde
pendent and freedom-mind
ed. These characteristics were
imbred into Indian personal
ities ar.d fortified their deter
mination to obtain an educa
tion, the freedom to pursue
their skills, and enjoy life in
general on the same basis as
other inhabitants of their
native land.
1 _1 r(mTy wtuLH. acMne
ttv Settled in hm County
J mmm 9^^U* w^W^Uaa^^
^ tfae^ tTy^coajd be^ ?
who may have come to V.
between 1660 and 1659 with
many hundred* of Scotch
Royalists and settled among
the Colonists. William Low
ry't will proved 14 March
1686, and part of Norfolk
County records for the period
1686-1696, records as being of
the kingdom of Scotland. He
requested that all his personal
estate be equally divided
between his wife and child
ten. His will named only one
of his children as follows:
"My eldest son, James, all
my wearing aparell either
woolen or Hnen to be kept for
him by my exor if he appear
in this country within a twelve
month, otherwise my exor O
to sdl them and, elivery the
produce thereof to my son,
James, when he arrives
here in this country to de
mand it." Even though no
records of confirmation are
available, James Lowry prob
ably came to this country to
claim his inheritance, and
continue the Lowry lineage
which produced the, James
Lowry, who settled in Robe
son County. In the past,
Lowry tradition has attached
much importance to the clai
ming of ones inheritance. My
dad gave up a good job in
Richmond, Virginia, as a
street car motorman, and
returned to Robeson County
to claim an inheritance in
1923.
The fact that William and
James were names for two of
the members of the original
Lowry family in Robeson
County would tend to sub
stantiate an ancestral line of
descent beginning with Willi
am Lowry in Virginia around
the middle of the 17th centu
ry. Another William Lowry,
probably a son of William
Lowry of Scotland, was quite
active in the Virginia colony.
He was a land surveyor,
Justice of the Peace, and
served as a colonial style
lawyer during the early part of
the 18th century in the
Virginia colony. He acquired
several hundred acre: of land.
ColonUl pSSd.^HU*wilL
proved in 1724. named tbc
beneficiaries. He had two
aoas, William and John,
aeveral daughters, and a
gandson with the name of
William, were mentioned in
his will. These Lowtys could
very well be kiafiolk James
Lowry left behind in Virginia
when he migrated to Robeson
County.
One good reason why Jam
es Lowry came to Robeson
County could have been to
claim another Lowry inheri
tance. Oral tradition tells us
that a Lowry from Virginia
received a land grant from the
King of England in the 1730s
in what is now Robeson
County. Ownerships of lands
surrounding Hopewell Meth
odist Church have been in
Lowry hands for centuries.
Ronald H. Lowry ?
5513 Susquehanna Drive
Virginia Beach, Va. '
iWHtWtlWMWtWWtlW
i FACTS i
! X FIGURES 1
Nearly one out of five
replacement passenger car
tires sold is a retread. 98
percent of the world's air
lines use retreaded tires. So
do nearly 100 percent of
off-the-road, heavy-duty ve
hicles. Retreads are used on
everything from federal and
military vehicles to school
buses and race cars.
? * *
The coet of a retreaded
passenger car tire is 50
to 70 percent of the cost
of a new tire. Truck re
tread savings are greater.
In 1081, this meant more
than $2 billion in savings to
consumers.
? ? ?
Enjoying nm easy living.
First row: Barbara, C.B.,
Carils*; second row: TifciH,
Marvin, MnrrlR, and RonaM.
HHK**
Thai Proud Look
Grandpa Curiiaa with baby girl Lauren.
1 LRDA IN ACTION I
1 by Garry Lewis Barton ?
m LRDA Public Relation- U
M Officer 1
SPA1C CONVENTION
HELD IN LUMBEBTON
The Society for the Pre
servation of American Indian
Culture (SPA1C), with head
quarters in Mountain Brook,
Alabama, held its 1982 An
nual Convention at the Rama
da Inn in Lumberton, N.C.,
August 6-8, 1982.
According to H.L. "Lindy"
Martin, SPAIC Chief Execu
tive, the purpose of the Con
vention was to explore the
Indisn World of Eastern Car
olina. *
The First \ General Session
began at i p.m. Friday,
August 6, 1982, with a
welcome by Ms. Ruth Dial
Woods of the Title IV, Indian
Education Project. After
wards, Ms. Woods introduced
Mr. Martin who chaired the
session.
Mr. Martin introduced Mr.
Kenneth R. Maynor, Ex ecu
tive Director of Lumbee Re
gional Development Associ
ation who made a brief
presentation before present
ing a slide presentation en
titled "LRDA In Action."
After Mr. Maynor's pre
sentation on how LRDA
works, Mr. A. Bruce Jones,
Executive Director of the
North Carolina Commission
on Indian Affairs, presented a
slide show about how the N.C.
Commission on Indian Affairs
works.
Afterwards, Mr. James B
Chavis, Pembroke State Uni
versity's Vice Chancellor of
Student Affairs, presented
the Conference Orientation.
The Second General Ses
sion got underway at 9:30
a.m. Saturday, August 7, with
an overview of the Indians of
Robeson County by Adolph
Dial, author, historian, and
head of PSU's Native Ameri
can Studies department.1
Then, the participants were
given "A Look at Title IV,
Indian Education," by Ms.
Ruth Dial Woods, Ms. Betty
O. Mangum and Ms. Rosa
Winfree.
After lunch, the Conference
participants were given a tour
of PSU's Okl Main building,
LRDA, and other places' of
interest. Tour guide was Ed
Chavis, Director of LRDA's
Lumbee Enrollment Project.
Later that night, the Con
ference participants attended
the ever-popular and exciting
"Strike at the Windl", Rob
eson County's very own out
door drama that is centered
around the exploits of local
hero of Civil War and Re
construction days, Henry
Berry Lowry.
The Conference was very
informative and proved to be
extremely successful.
CHILDREN ENJOY THE
EXdTEMENT OF THE
GREAT OUTDOORS
In a coordinated effort,
Helen Maynor Schierbeck,
Director of LRDA's Indian
Information Project in Alex
andria, Va.. and Rev. John A.
Robinson, Jr., Director of the
Pembroke Area Presbyterian
(?Ministry, hosted a week-long
a Camp for Indian children,
BAugust 9-13, 1982. The
8 Camp, held on the beautiful
land well-kept grounds of
? Camp Monroe in Laurel Hill,
|N.C., catered to approxi
| mately 70 students in grades
Ifour through six, with child
Iren represented from the
IChickahominy, Haliwa-Sapo
ni, Lumbee, Coharie, San
tees. Waccamaw-Siouian, Pee
Dees, and Edistos tribes.
9
The idea for the Camp
became a reality when Ms.
I Schierbeck contacted Rev.
Robinson about securing the
use of the facilities of Camp
Monroe, owned by the Fay
etteville Presbytery.
The Camp was deemed a
tremendous success, allowing
the children the opportunity
to learn more about them
selves and nature through
such avenues as canoeing on
the beautiful lake, camping,
swimming, recreation, arts
and crafts classes, singing,
dancing, and much much
nose.
A
x T'; * ' * . f
Lumbee Indian children
from Lnmbea Regional De
velopment Association pose
? fan-filled week In the great
outdoors at Camp Monroe.
[GARRY BARTON PHOTO)
Herman Hunt [shewn tast- .
tng the delicious venison chli
he prepared for lunch Friday)
was hi charge of the recre
ational activities of the cMJd
ren at the weeii-kmg Camp.
[GAMY BARTON PHOTO)
The first iron printing prMM
to be uitd wn the StanhopM
prats, invented by Charlat J
the third Eeri of StanhOfM
in 1796 M
P A V TO MEET M
The DAV will hold
monthly meeting Aug. S
1982 at 7:30 p.m. at <(?
Locklear. Lowry VFW Poet J
Union Chapel Road, Pembro-I
ke. All members are urgetftol
attend by Poet Commander,!
Rudy Locklear.
Recently, Rhonda Flanagan
[center], Miss Lnmbee 1982
83, was presented a SI,000
Mias Lnmbee Educational
Scholarship check. The award
was presented by Mr. Ken
neth R. Maynor [right],
LRDA's Executive Director,
and Ms. Florence Ransom
[left], the Mias Lnmbee Bus
iness Manager. This was the
second year in a row LRDA
has presented a scholarship to
the reigning Mias Lnmbee,
enabling her to puisne her
educational aspirations.
Miss Flanagan plans to
enroll at Pembroke State
University for the iaIT sem
ester. She Is the daughter of
Mrs. Magnolia Flanagan and
resides in the Prospect area.
She is a graduate of Prospect
High School and a member of
Prospect United Methodist
Church.
She was crowned Miss
Lumber during the annual
Lumbee Homecoming activi
ties held in July of this year.
Sponsoring her entry in the
preliminary pageant to the
Miss North CmoUna Pageant
held in June were: Dobb's
Motors, Mr. Herbie Oxen
dine's Car Company, Eula's
Fabrics, Moore's Chain Saw,
and the Sunshine House.
[ELMER HUNT PHOTOl
"Old wine and an old
friend are good provisions."
George Herbert
"Golf is a good walk spoiled."
Mark Twain
"Ruling is easy, governing
difficult." Goethe
| DIAL'S
| TALENT AGENCY ?
^lm
Presents {
U ?MlkeMaoca ji
I IN CONCERT l
I Hilda Vaughan's E
9 Golden Eagle Lounge J
Ramsey Street ? Fayatteville, N.C. Jj
| Call 521-4754 jj
B For Further Information ?
mrjMjMMJmlM* a JSC JBLJHLJHLJHLjHlJBuJBLJBuJ9LJBLJVLJ0LJI
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