Found at fultonhistory.com
Low Family in Ulster, Lewis and Jefferson Counties
Gustave Anjou says; A novice always experiences difficulty in tracing the ancestry of Dutch families, in examining the documents signed by Dutchmen and in following the proceedings of Dutch Courts in America, arising from the fact that while the French and English invariably used their surnames, the Dutch as a rule were indifferent about this and usually are designated by others, and designate themselves, by Christian names alone, even in important legal documents. This answered every purpose in a primitive and small community where everyone was known, but now leads to much confusion.
For instance, Lambert Huyberts is Lambert Huyberts Brink; Tjrick Cleassen, Tjrick Claessen DeWitt; Jan Wilbemsen, Jan Wilbemsen Hooghteying; Jan Mattyss, Jan Mattys Jansen; Teunis Jacobse, or Jacobsen, Tunis Jacobsen Klaarwasater; Peeter Cornelius, Peter Cornelius Low; Albertse Heeymans, Albertse Heymans Roosa; Hendrick Jochemsin, Hendrick Jochemsin Schoonmaker; Aaert Jacobsen, Aaert Jacobsen VanWagoner. This article is concerning the descendants of the Louw, Low or Lowe family in general, and especially concerning that part of the family which formerly resided in Ulster County and went to Lewis County in 1800 and thence to Jefferson County about 1825 and is dedicated to the memory of my father, Isaac Lowe, who parted this life in Depauville, NY, May 31, 1879.
From the records of the Holland Historical Society, I find that the first known of the family was Peter Cornelius Low No. 1, who was born in 1644 and was the son of Jansen Louw and his wife Maartje Rosa of Leedam, Holland. He left Halbraud, Holstein, Germany, in 1650, came to New York on the vessel Faith, married Elizabth Blanchan (French) 0h Kingston, NY, in 1668, as recorded in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church there. This family were the parents of six son and two daughter and each of the sons later had a son Peter.
The will of Peter Cornelius Low, made at Kington, Dec. 2, 1690, is as follows:
“My deare beloved wife Elizabeth shall possess and injoy all my Estate of lands, Chattles and Implements of household goods and tenements “during her widdo ship”, but if my said wife shall Come to Remerry agin yt shee shall deliver to my children yee Right halfe of all my Estate “and yt shee shall ye the other halfe” and yt other half of my estate to be Rented out or upon use untill ye Youngest of my Children be come to their age and then what is left of that half bee equally devided among them and not before, also I will yt my wife shall within one year after my death deliver or cause to be delivered to my eldest sonn Cornelis Pieterse Low one horse.
Signed William Haynes
John Peterse (his mark)
Humphrey Davenport
The church records at Kingston show that Peter Low No. 2, second son of Peter Cornelius, married Geertruy VerNooy Jan 11, 1702 and that they had six children baptized, the last of which was Gideon No. 1 and that was under date of April 26, 1719.
In the cemetery at Wawarsing there is standing an ancient stone with this inscription “P. Low, died Dec 8, 1733.” This is the grave of Peter Low, son of Peter Cornelius, the first Low in America. Nearby is another ancient stone with the inscription G. Low and the date of death 1747. This is quite surely the grave of Gertrude Vernoy, wife of Peter Low. 2.
The next record in point of tie is on the church book at Wawarsing, showing that Dec 8, 1751, Gideon Low, young man, born at Wawarsing and residing there, was married by Justice Abraham Hardenbergh to Rachel Sammons, young woman, born in New York and residing in Shawangunk.
The next church record I find is from the town of Rochester, ulster county, and is the record of baptism of Peter G. Low by his parents Gideon Low No. 1 and Rachael Sammons, Feb 18, 1753.
The next record is in the church at New Paltz, where Gideon Low no. 1 and Rachael Sammons had their son, Jacob g. Low, baptized on August 24, 1755. The letter “G” in the last two records was omitted.
Next record is in the New Paltz Church records and show Peter Low and Catherine Hess, parents, having on Gideon, No. 2 baptized May 16, 1779; also it shows that Peter G being a member of that church on August 3, 1767 and was active in aiding the building of the “Conferencia” Church there and the Shawangunk Church records show that Peter G. Low and Catherine Hess had children baptized at that church, viz.: Rachael, 1777, Abraham, 1781, Jacob, 1783, Isaac, 1785, Margaret, 1791, thereby making six baptisms in all.
The next record is in the County Clerk’s office at Kingston, where a deed conveying land from Jacob G to Peter G, sons of Gideon Low deceased, and wiled to them by their father is found. This deed was made in 1780. Abstract of Wills, Volume 7, shows that Peter No.1 was a merchant in New York City and dealer in land and that he willed property to his sons, Peter and Cornelius, in 1700. This Peter and Cornelius also received grants of land in Shawangunk sand Wawarsing. (See History of New Paltz) also History of Ulster County, page 104, which shows that Peter also was serving in the army in 1738. Said history also shows on page 138 that the following officers with detachments under their command having been detailed by their commanding officer were engaged in scouting in the year 1757. In the list spoken of appears the names of Captains Benjamin Low and Jacobus Low. On page 139 Jacob Low is reported as guiding Captain Porter and his company of rangers. This was in the French and Indian War.
On page 6, History of Ulster County, it appears that on Nov. 2, 1708, Henry Beekman and wife sold to Peter Low a patent of land in the precinct of Rochester, survey beginning at Horicks Falls.
The will of Cornelius Hoornbeck, dated April 23, 1763, shows that Gideon Low No 1 also owned land in Rochester. Gideon Low No 1 married Rachel Sammons, who resided on the “Mark Kill.” See Ulster County History, page 254. The will of Gideon Low, dated April 22, 1759, conveyed land in Shawangunk to his sons Peter G and Jacob G, and on the 21st day of January, 1780, Jacob transferred his interest to Peter. This deed is recorded at Kingston in Book No ??, beginning at page 111. This land was also on the “Mark Kill.” At that time both of them were members and had seen service in the4th Regiment of Ulster Cunty Militia and as part of the deal Jacob, who was the younger brother and unmarried, joined the 3rd Regiment of the Line under Col. Gainegroot. See New York in the Revolution, Page 44. It was a matter of the membership of the association to fight for liberty, as well as for home protection and self. Kingston had been burned by the British in 1777; also, the inhabitants in the neighborhood of Wararsing had been attacked by the Indians and Tories of Johnson and Brant in the same year.
(Continued)
New Paltz Independent, New Paltz, Ulster, NY, Friday, July 23, 1915
Low Family in Ulster, Lewis and Jefferson Counties
(Continued)
Public paper No 111 of George Clinton, first Governor, Volume 2, Page 643, date not given, but filed with the papers of 1777 and 1778, reads:
(No 999)
Dangers of our Frontier
Wawarsing Petitions for a Field Piece and Protection Against Tories and Indians.
His Excellency George Clinton Esqr., Governor of the State of New York &c.
We Your Excellency’s Humble Petitions Inhabitants of the Neighborhood of WaWarsinck Return our Cordial Thanks to Your Excellency, for the Protection Grante Us Last Campaign, Which Rendered us Able to Defend Ourselves and Families when Attacked by a Cruel and Savage Enemy.
We Your Excellency’s Humble Petitioners beg we may Again be Protected by Your Excellency, in Allowing us a Sufficient Guard, the Ensuing Campaign, which will enable us to Defend Ourselves, And Gather Our Crops, and if not, we Will be Obliged to Leave Our all, Distressed As we are; We Further Beg Your Excellency to furnish Your Petitioners With A field Piece and Ammunition, As Your Petitioners Do not know where to Get These Articles, If even we should be Able to Purchase them, which is Quite the Reverse with us. We Your Petitioners Intend if Assisted by Your Excellency to Stack our Crops Under Conv??? Piece which we are of opinion much Affected in Such a manner, As Would Enable us to Save the Same, If Ever Again Visited by the Enemy, Unless Destroyed by Night Time.
In Case the Enemy Should make A Descent Northward with Our Township, Weare of Opinion they Cannot Conveniently Carry off Livestock Plunder &c. Without Passing by This Post. We therefore Beg your Excellency Will Be pleased to Indulge us With the Above requested And Your Petitioners Shall Ever pray.
Cornelius Vernooy
Matthew Newkerk Jule
C (-) S Bevier
Peter Vernooy
Johan (Nis) Vernooy
John Mack
Abraham Vernooy
Margret Vernooy
Peter Low
Johannas Hornbeek
This must have been Peter G, as Peter No 2 would have been past ninety years at this time.
The US Census report taken 1790 gives Peter G Low of Shawangunk as the only Peter Low living in Ulster county. He sometimes signs as Peter Low and sometimes as Peter G Low and it is also both ways in the record. At this time there was a Peter Low in Kings County, one in Dutchess County and one in Montgomery County.
From records with the State Archivist, I find that Peter and Jacob Low both signed the Articles of the Association (Sons of Liberty) at Kingston May and June, 1775.
Pay certificate No 6,956, dated June 10, 1779, was issued to Peter Low as service for private in Captain James McBride’s company of Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Newkirk’s Regiment of Ulster County.
Certificate No 46,720, date burned, issued to Peter Low for service rendered a private under Lieutenant Johannes Parsons of the regiment commanded by Major Adrian Wynkoop. These certificates are taken from the certificates of Treasurer. Manuscript Records, volume 10.
It will be remembered that some Regiments were Land Bounty R???? and Militia Regiments, whose service could not be required outside of the of the State for more than a period of three month during their term of enlistment. The service rendered was in different local regiments and brief period of time as the necessities or place required Mr. Nelson, assistant State Archivist, informs me that the records of the 4th Regiment, the regiment that saw the most service, of Ulster were all or nearly all destroyed by the fire in the State Capitol on March 29, 1911. Gideon Low No 2 married Polly Goudiere of Middletown, NJ, in 180? She was a daughter of Francis Goudiere and Annie DeTrienx, who came from DeVallitte, Province of Va??, France, in 1755.
At the time they moved to Lewis County, conditions there were as follows:
The town of Lowville, Lewis County, was formed March 14, 1800. It embraced its present limits and that part of Denmark, south of Deer River.
Nicholas Low, also a descendant of Peter Cornelius Low No 1, was born near New Brunswick on the Raritan NJ, March 30, 1739. Hough’s History of Lewis County, page 297 states:
“This town (Lowville) with Adams and Watertown, fell to the share of Nicholas Low in the division between the four proprietors of the Black River Tract August 5, 1796. In 1779, Nicholas Low, after the division, appointed Silas Stow as his agent and Mr. Stow came on with the first families. The lands were then opened for sale and in 1798 the first families arrived.”
This explains how and why it was that Gideon Low, Peter G and Jacob, with their families, came to leave Shawangunk, Ulster County and take up their home at Kings Falls, in the Township of Denmark, near Lowville, in 1800.
The land at Kings Falls is high land and quite broken. This, no doubt, had much to do with their decision to move to Jefferson County in 1828, where grandfather took up 336 acres of level and tillable land.
During the twenty-five years of residence of Gideon Lowe and his wife in Lewis County they had accumulated a family consisting of seven sons and five daughters. Of these all of the sons and three of the daughters went to Jefferson County with them, as follows: Abel F. Lowe, Abraham Lowe, John Lowe, Isaac Lowe, Jacob Lowe, Jacob Lowe, William Lowe, Chester Lowe, Annie Lowe, Fanny Lowe, Margaret Lowe.
Gideon Lowe, grandfather, was the first to change the spelling from Low to Lowe. He also had a sister, Margaret, who came with him from Ulster County and married Isaac White of Denmark. Annie Lowe, born 1806, married Thomas Closson. They went to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where a son, George W. Closson, and their descendants still reside.
At the time the family moved to Jefferson County they locate near the village of Depauville, on the road that was as the Embargo Road. This road was the first out through the forest and the original purpose of the builders, it is claimed, was for the purpose of smuggling potash from Canada. When the family left Ulster County it was in accord with the spirit of the times to move to the frontier, raise a large family and secure more land.
Peger G Low spoke the Dutch language and would speak in English only when necessary, in order to be understood. He and his sons, Jacob and Gideon and Polly G?????? Low are buried in the family plot at Depauville. Catherine Hess Low is buried at Kings Falls on the Carter farm, Lewis County, NY.
For the balance of the records read LeFevre’s History of New Paltz and Oaks History of Jefferson County.
To those whom it may concern I wish to say that you may thank Mr. Clarence J Elting and Mr. Ralph LeFevre of Ulster County for aiding me in the search of the records of the different Dutch Reformed churches in Ulster County, also the records of the Holland Historical Society of New York. But for the kindness of these men, I would have been unable to have found the records.
Respectfully,
Frank D. Lowe
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