Biography:
Mr. William Lowery was born in Maryland on October 25, 1826. He may have been the son of Elizabeth Lowry, a free woman of color who owned land. The Elizabeth Lowry house was the site of an archeological survey (see: https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/…/Sit…/Site18CR226.aspx).
Growing up, he learned to read and write, even though no schools existed for African Americans in Maryland. In the late 1850s, he married Ms. Elizabeth Snowden (previously profiled), the eldest daughter of the Rev. John B. Snowden. They had at least five children.
Mr. Lowery was a prosperous farmer, and was a prominent member of the community. Following the death of his wife in the summer of 1899, he remarried. His second wife was Mrs. Eliza Henderson Dunson, the widow of the Rev. William Dunson. They lived together on Union Street, with her sister.
When Mr. Lowery died in 1906, his funeral was held at the Union Street Memorial Church. He was buried in Ellsworth Cemetery, near Westminster, Maryland. His headstone has recently been cleaned as part of the general restoration of the cemetery.
