Written by Melanie Forbes Cook; edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter
The following is an excerpt from a blog entry, which was originally published at https://familyhistory4u.blogspot.com/2013/02/alexander-lowery-1831-1862.html?m=1:
My Family History: Alexander Lowery (1831-1862) (click photos below to enlarge)
Alexander Lowery was my great-great-great grandfather. Alexander was born in 1831 in Yancey County, North Carolina. He was the son of James and Barbara Lowery. James Lowery was the son of Alexander Lourie… I have not been able to locate the mother of James.
It is important to note that North Carolina’s Mitchell County was not formed until 1861, so there are no “Mitchell County residents” prior to that day, although some of my ancestors were settled in the Spruce Pine or Grassy Creek areas. Mitchell County was carved out of Yancey, Watauga, Caldwell, Burke, and McDowell counties.
…But let’s get back to my ancestor, Alexander Lowery (1831). He married Rachel Louise McKinney Deweese on November 8, 1850. She was 34 and he was 19. Rachel was the daughter of Charles “Charlie 40” McKinney and Elizabeth Lowery McKinney. Saying “I do” garnered Alexander a ready-made family because Rachel was the widow of Lewis Deweese, and they had had three children together: Elizabeth Jane (b. June 20, 1837) (married Daniel Moses Washburn); Nancy (b. February 2, 1842) (married William A. Buchanan); and Mary (b. January 9, 1844 – April 26, 1928) (married Francis Biddix).
After their marriage, Alexander and Rachel had five children: Elmira (b. 1852) (married Jesse Wilburn Biddix); Aletha (b. abt. 1853 – d. 1933) (married Isaac Abram McGee); Samuel Alexander (b. January 2, 1857 – d. May 4, 1930) (married twice: 1. Laura Loven 2. Mary Elizabeth Chapman); Buna Vista (b. 1858 – d. 1946) (married Joseph Todd McKinney); and John Fleming (b. September 28, 1860 – d. July 20, 1915) (married Sarah Jane McKinney). I am the descendant of Samuel and Laura Loven Lowery.
In 1860, the Census takers came to McDowell County, North Carolina, and Alexander Lowery was listed as a farmer and as 28 years old. Rachel was listed [incorrectly] as 36 years old. The remainder of the household was listed as: “Mira” – age 8; “Barbary” – age 7; Samuel – age 3; “Bunavista” – 2; Nancy “Deen” – 18; and Mary “Deen” – 14. [“Mira” was Elmira.] I assume [that Aletha also] had the name Barbary [or Barbara] or it was a nickname for her. …Nancy and Mary are the Deweese girls, and it is important to note that the spelling in Census records is often inaccurate. I assume that Elizabeth Jane, at the age of 23, was already married and living in another household. I…believe that Rachel must have been pregnant with John Fleming.
On March 11, 1862, Alexander enlisted as a Private in the Confederate Troops. In his military records, he was listed as a thirty-one-year-old “farmer.” On April 15, 1862, he entered the Confederate army out of Camp Mangum, Raleigh. He served in Company A of the 49th Infantry Regiment North Carolina and marched under the Battle Flag of the 49th.
…[On July 1, 1862,] Alexander Lowery was gravely wounded in the Battle at Malvern Hill. Afterward, he was taken to the St. Charles Hospital (also known as General Hospital #8) at Richmond, Virginia on July 2nd, and he died of his wounds on July 6, 1862. He was buried in the Hollywood Cemetery at Richmond, Virginia.
