Henry P. Lowe, born February 1844

I have this wonderful photo of Henry P. Lowe of Robbinston, Washington County, Maine. My Tarbox family lived in Robbinston before they moved to the “big” town of Calais and it is likely the Lowes were family friends. I was hoping to track down a descendant who might enjoy having this picture back in the family.

I’d say this photo dates from the 1870s when Henry would have been in his late 20s and early 30s.

However, as I researched the Lowe family, it doesn’t appear that Henry or his siblings have any descendants today.

Here is what I found:

Daniel G. Lowe was born c1819 in Maine and died on 21 August 1895 in Rockport, Massachusetts. He married Sarah M. Kaler, c1842, who was born February 1821, Maine and died after 1900, probably in Robbinston, Maine, where she lived with son Henry. Her son Daniel and his wife lived next door at the time.

Children:
1. Henry P., born c1844, Robbinston, Washington, Maine; died 23 August 1906, Waltham, Middlesex, Massachusetts; unmarried.
2. Elvira L., born December 1845, Robbinston, Washington, Maine; married George F. Rand, 3 June 1875, Pepperell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
3. Charles W., born c1847, Robbinston, Washington, Maine; died before 1860
4. Daniel G.M., born c1849, Robbinston, Washington, Maine; married Emma J. Maloney, 18 May 1884, Calais, Washington, Maine. They had no children.

George F. Rand and Elvira had one son, Charles Henry Rand, born 10 September 1876, Waltham, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Charles married (1) Jessie Eleanor Gaines, 7 March 1902, Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts and they removed to Seneca Falls, New York before 1910. I don’t know if George and Jessie divorced or if she died. (2) Ruth H., before 1925, when they are listed in a Holyoke, Massachusetts city directory. However, Charles apparently had no children with either of his wives, leaving no descendants of Daniel and Sarah Kaler Lowe living today.

That would be the end of the story, except for Henry Lowe’s military service during the Civil War. When he was just 17 years old, he enlisted in the Maine 1st Light Artillery and served from 18 December 1861 until 15 July 1865, when Henry would have been all of 21 years old.

I looked up the history of the 1st Light Artillery. The Civil War Archive has the following information about it:

Organized at Portland, Maine and moved to Lowell, MA until February 1862, then to Boston and sailed for Ship Island, Mississippi. Next, they went to New Orleans until September 1862. Further service was had in La Fourche District, Labadieville, Thibodeauxville, covering the time period to January 1863. They continued on with an expedition up the Teche, saw action at Bayou Teebe, were at Camp Stevens, Brashear City and Bayou Boeuf and in other places in western Louisiana. The Artillery was at the surrender of Port Hudson and Thompson’s Creek and in Donaladsonville before moving on to Baton Rouge. Service in Louisiana continued until they  were moved to Annapolis, Maryland in April 1864 and then to the defense of Washington. From there, they moved to Monocacy, Sheridan’s Shenandoah Vally Campaign and marched to Middletwon, Winchester, Berryville and Halltown in the summer of 1864. They remained in Virginia until July 9, 1865, when they returned to Portland, Maine where they were mustered out on July 15, 1865.

Luck must have been with the Artillery, as they lost only 2 officers and 13 enlisted men killed in battle and 28 enlisted men by disease. Those numbers are very low for any units that served in the Civil War. Disease alone killed thousands.

There is no one today who can say if Henry enlisted in the army because of political beliefs or if, at only 17 years old, he was drawn to the excitement of war. Normally, I would think it a bit unusual for a 17 year old from the Calais area to muster into a unit organized in Portland, which is quite a distance away. However, Calais was a ship building town and many of its residents sailed often to ports in Maine, Massachusetts and, in my own collateral lines, actually made it to San Francisco and China in the 1870s and 1880s. I do wonder, though, if Henry had parental permission to join up or if he ran off to Portland on his own.

Either way, he was a brave young man who served during what must have been four very long years of a horrendous war.

RIP, Henry P. Lowe
You aren’t forgotten.