Dad loved to reminisce of his boyhood days on Green Turtle Cay. He longed for any opportunity to return. In the early 1990s, my wife and I discovered that Disney’s Premier Cruiselines offered an itinerary that cruised the Abaco islands. Their Big Red Boat made stops to Green Turtle Cay, Man-O-War Cay, and Guana Cay.
Twenty years had elapsed since Dad last visited his birthplace. He and Mom Doreen eagerly packed for this memorable journey accompanied by my wife and me. The four of us departed Port Canaveral on July 2, 1992.
After a routine evacuation drill and slide presentation of the upcoming ports, we feasted on Italian cuisine. That evening we scouted around for the cruise director to explain the unique circumstances of their Green Turtle Cay native passenger. We were given permission to spend the entire day on the island instead of the typical shorter excursion.
For over two centuries, Dad’s ancestors called this New Plymouth settlement home. The guided tour by Dad would be the highlight of any vacation to date.
Dad’s boyhood home in the center with the dormer window overlooking the harbour known as Settlement Creek.
As we entered the harbor, Dad pointed to a modest cottage nestled in this seaside community. A simple wooden structure stood full of history and memories. This home had miraculously survived the catastrophic 1932 hurricane. According to Dad, the home was built by his father, Howard Lowe.
The Walter C. Kendrick family
Inside this home a medical missionary doctor, Walter C. Kendrick, guided Bessie Caroline Curry Lowe as she delivered a son John Wesley Lowe – my Dad in June 1925.
As a common safety precaution in those days, the kitchen was detached and located behind the main living structure. An upstairs room with a dormer window overlooked the harbor. Enough space existed to accommodate Bessie’s widowed father, Thomas Wesley ‘Pa Wes’ Curry.
A portion of the property was donated to allow construction of the first Church of God on the Cay (building pictured on the right in the photo above). The first pastor of the church was Dad’s paternal grandfather, John Aquilla Lowe.
During the early years of my life, my father passed away. Mother was now a widow and had the sole task of looking after a little boy who was left fatherless. Pa Wes (Wesley Curry) lived alone and needed assistance. My mother invited him to stay with us. She was the youngest of his four daughters. Her sisters were Dora, Edith and Emmie. Pa Wes had only one son, Herman Curry.
Our house was built by my dad and had a second floor, suitable for Pa Wes. Since the house was by the water’s edge, it was an ideal place for a farmer to have his sail boat anchored nearby.
Journals of John W. Lowe
Dad John Lowe and Mom Doreen Lowe in front of his childhood home.
When the cruise ship tender docked at Settlement Creek, we raced to our first stop, the Albert Lowe Museum. Here we met curator Ivy Gates Roberts and husband Noel Roberts. First cousins Noel and Dad were also lifelong friends. They shared many island memories formed in Green Turtle Cay and later in Nassau. Ivy proudly provided a detailed tour of the museum’s collection and artifacts. Afterwards, she invited us to their home a few doors down for a tasty Bahamian lunch.
Left to Right – John Lowe, Noel Roberts, Ivy Gates Roberts and Doreen Lowe in front of the Albert Lowe Museum.
The next destination was the historic cemetery. Dad desired to see the graveside where his father was laid to rest at a young age of 29. The cemetery revealed generations of ancestors that occupied this island settlement. Dad located the tombstone of Bianca Curry. With a spirited resonance in his voice, Dad recalled how “Binkey” (1801-1860) is considered the matriarch of our Curry line in the Bahamas. He noted that her ancestors emigrated from Scotland to South Carolina. They remained Loyalists during the Revolutionary War who left South Carolina after the war for the Bahamas.
From the cemetery we walked up the hill and the thirty steps that led to the schoolhouse. It was the first time for my son and his wife, but for me it was a flashback of the ten years of my life that I attended this school. Mr. Herbert Roberts was the principal at the time.
Mom & Dad at the base of the steps that lead to the schoolhouse.Mom & Dad at the schoolhouse on the top of the hill.
After leaving the schoolhouse, we determined to locate my friend Laine Curry. He lived within a stone’s throw from the cottage where I was born. We were the best of friends during our boyhood days!
Journals of John W. Lowe
We found Laine inside the family business, Curry’s Food Store. After he and Dad reminisced of their boyhood days, we enjoyed refreshing treats on that hot summer day. In like manner, we had memorable visits with cousins Chester, Thalia and Pearl; cousins Sidney Lowe and daughter Martha; cousin Danny Albury and retired school teacher Amy Roberts.
Danny Albury & John Lowe
Our last stop was to the modest cottage of Roger and Nell Lowe. We enjoyed their company and the amazing wild boar hunting stories that Dad and Roger shared. The view out their window that faced west across the Abaco Sea to the Abaco mainland was simply breathtaking.
Dad spent the first 15 years of his life in New Plymouth. Around 1940, Pa Wes needed urgent medical attention in Nassau. Widowed Bessie sold the small cottage for 120 British pounds. With her teenage son and ailing father, Bessie boarded the mail boat bound for Nassau. Though Dad had physically left the place of his birth, Green Turtle Cay never left his heart.
In my last two posts, I shared my vacation’s amateur photos in an attempt to capture the beauty that adorns Green Turtle Cay. Molded by the hands of the Creator, this Bahamian cay is blessed with abundant natural beauty. In addition, her architectural artistry is historically significant and charming. However, the beauty that radiates the brightest to me shines from the families that for generations have built this community.
On each visit, I am compelled to walk the cemetery. The blend of old and new headstones remind me of generational families that wove the social fabric of this remote island. Engraved headstones bring flashback conversations with my Dad, John Lowe. He recalled boyhood memories of these family members and friends, who invested freely in his life. The ocean backdrop calls attention to the courage and fortitude of those first settlers who sought freedom on these shores.
As I framed the camera to capture the contrast of this ancestral cemetery with the ocean, a symbol of life, against this ancestral cemetery, I realized that these particular graves in my camera lens had a unique significance. Three side by side graves of three generations…my dad’s father – Howard Lowe (1898-1927); his grandfather – John Aquila Lowe (1858-1925); and his great grandfather – John Lowe (1823-1898).
I placed hand-picked flowers on my grandfather’s grave. Then I stooped to remove weeds inside the grave’s perimeter. The weeds, like death itself, remind me of Adam’s sin curse that we face.
Generational families like mine lived on this Abaco Cay for hundreds of years. With advancements in transportation, the families have now dispersed around the globe. The social fabric slowly unravels. Remnant loyalist descendants continue the legacy and earn a livelihood on Green Turtle Cay.
This November, the Albert Lowe Museum will celebrate its 40th year. Green Turtle Cay native and renowned artist Alton Lowe is the mastermind behind this wonderful collection of artifacts, photos, paintings and writings. The museum was named in honor of his father William Albert Lowe (1901-1985), a renown woodcarver of ship models. My dad and Albert Lowe are third cousins.
My two Bahamas descendent daughters pose inside a museum room beside Alton Lowe’s classic paintings of two girls from the loyalist era, one looks towards the land and the other towards the sea.
We were blessed to spend some time with Alton at his home. His masterpieces depict Bahamian beauty. Alton kindly coerced me to tickle the ivories on his piano.
As we wandered around the New Plymouth settlement, we found Alton’s older brother, also skilled with his hands. Following in his father’s footsteps, Vertrum Lowe, hand crafted model ships for over 30 years. Vert’s finished models are exact replicas of real ships down to the smallest of details. Tucked away in the heart of New Plymouth, his tiny workshop utilizes every inch of space, including the ceiling, to store the craftsman’s tools and materials.
Just down from the museum on Parliament Street, we visited Green Turtle Cay’s Memorial Sculpture Garden. Here an impressive collection of bronze busts by the late James Mastin surround his life-sized masterpiece entitled The Landing, depicting the arrival of the Loyalists.
My eldest son and I proudly stood amidst a row of Mastin sculptures of Lowe patriarchs. Each has a commemorative and descriptive plaque honoring their contribution to the Cay’s history. A tremendous reminder that our legacy is rich and our calling is purposeful.
No trip would be complete without a visit with Dad’s first cousin, Pearl. Her father Osgood and my Dad’s father Howard were brothers. Charming and devoted to her faith in God, she is one of few islanders alive on the Cay that bridge past with present. Like my Dad, her piecing blue eyes gleamed as she reminisced about days gone by.
I did not inherit my Dad’s extroversion and charisma. On this trip, my genealogical passion pushed me out of my comfort zone to the doorstep of a stranger. How do I introduce myself? I thought as my heart raced. “Hi, I am John Lowe’s son.” Again, those six words opened the door (literal and figurative). I’m reminded of Dad’s love for people.
With open arms, homeowner Viola Lowe Sawyer invited my wife and me inside her charming and simple island cottage. We discussed common roots and reminisced about my Dad’s last visit to the Cay in the early 1990’s where a visit to Viola’s parents, Roger & Nell Lowe, was a must for Dad.Dad had many boyhood stories including hunting trips with Uncle Roger. We left Viola’s home blessed. A stranger now turned into a loving cousin.
The list of people, past and present, who forged the culture of this small settlement is long. Today Lowe and Curry cousins earn their livelihood on streets and waterways where mutual ancestors once called home. Their charming businesses include Lowe’s Green Turtle Cay Ferry, Lowe’s Food Store & Gift Shoppe, Lowe’s Construction, Kool Carts, Sid’s Grocery Store, and Curry’s Food Store. Check them out on your visit to Green Turtle Cay!
My dad’s boyhood stories would often include references to “Mail Boat Day” – a much-anticipated event in settlements with relatively no contact from the outside world. Locals gathered in anticipation of receiving letters or packages from relatives in Nassau. These boats were originally subsidized by the government to transport mail between Nassau and the family island settlements. In addition, the government set affordable fare rates for passengers as well as transporting freight (food, supplies, building materials) between islands.
According to David Gale in his book titled Ready About…
Before diesels, mailboats throughout the Bahamas were powered by wind, although Abaco’s only sailing mail was Albertine Adoue. Her history is a strange mix of success and misfortune. The 60 foot schooner, built in Green Turtle Cay in 1898, was actually built from salvaged materials from a three-masted vessel of the same name that wrecked on the reef behind Spanish Cay.
Mailboat Albertine Adoue (photo courtesy of Peter Roberts)
Cousin Joy Lowe Jossi, recalls the words from her father, Mr. Cleri Lowe…
The Albertine Adoue was the first mailboat that served Abaco that I can remember. She was in service before 1923. The Albertine Adoue, a sailing vessel, a 60′ schooner, was owned by Capt Wm Augustus Roberts of Green Turtle Cay, Abaco. His three sons served as captain: Hartley, Osbourne and Rolland.
In 1923 it was replaced and upgraded by the Priscilla, a diesel-powered, converted sailboat approximately 100 feet long. Dad had heard that the boat was purchased by R.W. Sawyer and R. Farrington. Dad recounts…
The Priscilla docked at the towns of Cherokee Sound, Hope Town, Marsh Harbour, Man-O-War Car, Guana Cay. Its two week voyage would often include stops to Eleuthera as well. Before the sun would set, we would head down to the beach on the south side of the island to play on the dock as we scanned the horizon for the faint smoke of the diesel engine. She had to anchor in the harbor at Green Turtle Cay where a twenty foot tender would haul the goods to the dock. A section towards the bow of the ship penned in various livestock for transport. My pig eventually made the voyage to Nassau to be sold.
M/V Priscilla (photo courtesty of the Wyannie Malone Historical Society)
The Priscilla was more than a mailboat to our family, it was a livelihood. Dad’s father, Howard, was a mate on the vessel until his death in 1927. Family legend has it that Howard had a knee accident on the boat and subsequently died from the infection at the age of 29, Howard’s brother, Osgood, worked as the cook on thePriscilla. The Priscilla was captained at that time by Hartley Robert’s, who had married Howard’s sister, Mira, in 1911. This seafaring Roberts family had captained these Abaco mailboats for several generations. One can only imagine the tales these brothers, Howard, Osgood, and Hartley (brother-in-law) experienced as they navigated the treacherous Abaco seas and Atlantic ocean!
Many mailboats have served the Abacos since the Priscilla, all documented in a unique blog, MailboatsBahamas – dedicated to the history of mail boats of the Bahamas from the 1800s to the present day. The Priscilla is included as well as the well-knownStede Bonnett and Deborak K, the latter of which I myself made a voyage on to Abaco during the early 1970’s.
Aboard the Deborah K with my Mom on the left and my brother on the right, passing the Hope Town lighthouse.
Special thanks to a great friend and adopted Bahamian, Joanie Weber, for sharing information that inspired me to pen this article.
My paternal grandfather, Howard Lowe, had a brief life on this earth. He was born on April 20, 1898 in Green Turtle Cay, Abaco. According to the Bahamas Death Register on November 11, 1927, he died at the age of 29 of chronic rheumatism. Howard married Bessie Caroline Curry on March 3, 1924 and fifteen months later they became the proud parents of a baby boy John Wesley Lowe, my Dad.
Howard Lowe – passport photo circa 1919
Bahamas Death Register Howard Lowe – November 11, 1927
The only tangible item that Dad possessed from his father was a passport. Howard was twenty-one at the time his passport was issued. The photograph inside was the only picture of Howard in our possession for years.
The passport denotes “given at Government House, Nassau, in the Colony of the Bahamas, the 15th day of September 1919.” The Description of Bearer provides us with his physical features. Howard was five feet seven inches tall. The passport notes blue eyes, dark brown hair, a sharp nose, a prominent chin, and a ‘tear on left cheek.’ Two government stamps provide clues of his travels. Trips to Miami, Florida for work as a fisherman are indicated in September 1919 and also in May 1920.
In March 1914, a month prior to his sixteenth birthday, Howard joined the Green Turtle Cay Church of God assembly. This church was organized in July 1913 by missionary Carl M. Padgett. Howard’s father, John Aquilla Lowe, was appointed as the first pastor. In 1915, Howard was appointed Clerk of the church and continued in that role until his death in 1927.
Green Turtle Cay Church of God congregation organized in 1913. Front Row (L to R) – Hartley Roberts and Mira Lowe Roberts holding their daughter Mizpah Roberts White, Overseer Carl M. Padgett, unknown, Mildred Pearce Lowe holding son John Estwick “Ekkie” Lowe. Back Row – unknown, William R. Franks, John Aquilla Lowe, Howard Lowe, Osgood Lowe.
In May 2013, the church celebrated its 100 anniversary and has the distinction of being the oldest Church of God assembly outside the United States. My wife and I had the privilege to attend this anniversary service where my grandfather, Howard, was honored for his years of service as Clerk of the church.
Howard Lowe, my father, the youngest son of John Aquilla Lowe and Minnie Curry, grew up on the small island of Green Turtle Cay, Abaco in the Bahamas. As a young man, he enlisted with Hartley Roberts, his brother-in-law, working as the first mate on the mail boat, Priscilla.
I have no recollection on my father. His journey on this earth was brief. Five months prior to his thirtieth birthday, he was called to his heavenly home. His cause of death remains somewhat a mystery. An infected knee, perhaps an injury on the mail boat, could have played a role. At his funeral, two British pennies were placed on his eyes to keep them closed.
Journals of John W. Lowe
The minutes of the church noted the following on November 11, 1927…
Brother Howard Lowe, Clerk of the Church of God at Green Turtle Cay, fell asleep in Jesus. He left a bright and glorious testimony saying it was well with my soul. He leaves a loving wife and one little son to mourn his departure.
W.A. Barelis, Pastor
A formal tombstone was also commissioned by the Church of God for the 100th anniversary celebration. My cousin’s recent blog post (Green Turtle Cay’s Historic Cemetery – Little House by the Ferry) gives a fantastic picturesque synopsis of this historic cemetery, where many of our mutualancestors are laid to rest.
The name Wesley derives from Anglo-Norman origins. It means a field to the west (wes = west / lea = field). The name’s popularity increased in the 18th century in honor of Methodist founder, John Wesley. In my family, that name carries great significance. This name given to my paternal great-grandfather and passed down three generations.
Thomas Wesley “Pa Wes” Curry was born in Green Turtle Cay, Abaco on February 28, 1865 to William and Emmaline Curry. (siblings)
He married Lila Carleton, who was the daughter of Romelda Lowe.
Their union produced five surviving children: Eudora Isabel, Thomas Herman, Mary Edith, Emma Louise and my grandmother Bessie Caroline.
My dad John Wesley Lowe recalled that Pa Wes lived on the southern part of the island.
In 1924 and at the age of 21, Bessie Caroline married the love of her life, Howard Lowe. The following year a son was born, John Wesley Lowe. Howard’s life on earth would come to an abrupt end two years later leaving a young widow and her toddler. Pa Wes thought it best to move in with his youngest daughter and thus become a father figure for Dad. He gave his house and land to one of his granddaughters, Tessie Roberts Key. Tessie’s daughter recalls Pa Wes, walking stick in one hand and a lantern in the other, taking strolls just before sunset to visit his granddaughter. She also recalls a huge almond tree in that yard that supported a rope swing, which Pa Wes crafted for Tessie’s children. Dad remembers Pa Wes on occasion smoking a pipe. Miss Bessie’s shop sold tobacco in plugs, and he would buy a portion of a plug, worth about three cents.
Pa Wes displayed excellent farmer skills. As a young lad, I sailed with him to his farmland on the Abaco mainland. He proudly showed me bunches of bananas and fields of pineapples. The lovely odor of ripe pineapples . He also farmed on Crab Cay situated to the north of Green Turtle Cay. He grew melons, cassava, beans and potatoes there.
He told me of an interesting story about his change in plans from fishing to farming. He had fished many years to support his family, but on a particular frustrating fishing day, he decided to end his fishing career. He gathered all of his equipment, a tin can of lines, hooks and sinkers, and tossed it overboard and decided to go into farming.
Journals of John W. Lowe
Map depicting the distance travelled by Pa Wes in his 12′ sailboat between Green Turtle Cay, Crab Cay and the Abaco Mainland
According to Dad, Pa Wes farmed 20 acres on the Abaco Mainland left by deceased son-in-law, Howard to grow bananas and pineapples. Pa Wes used a 12’ sailboat to navigate the hour trip, depending on the wind, to Crab Cay as well as to the Abaco Mainland. Leaving early in the morning, he set sail from Green Turtle Cay to farm all day. To provide relief from the scorching sun as well as inclement weather, he constructed a simple ten by twelve foot shack on the Abaco Mainland farm from materials that he hauled over from Green Turtle Cay.
Around 1940, Pa Wes became very ill. Grandma Bessie sold her house in Green Turtle Cay and moved to Nassau to seek medical treatment for her father. My Dad recalls…
At the age of fifteen, my grandfather, Wesley, became very ill. A decision was made to take him to stay with his daughter, Emmie in Nassau, New Providence. My mother and I went along on the mail boat.
Journals of John W. Lowe
1934 Bill of Sale Pa Wes purchasing land on Green Turtle Cay
Pa Wes died soon afterwards and was buried in the cemetery of the Church of God on Fowler Street. The exact date of death still remains a mystery as well as details on his wife, Lila Carleton. Dad had no recollection of her and could only recall her first name. Pa Wes’ legacy lives on…both me and my eldest son share the middle name, Wesley.
He longed for any opportunity to return. In the early 1990s, my wife and I discovered that Disney’s Premier Cruiselines offered an itinerary that cruised the Abaco islands. Their Big Red Boat made stops to Green Turtle Cay, Man-O-War Cay, and Guana Cay.
He noted that her ancestors emigrated from Scotland to South Carolina. They remained Loyalists during the Revolutionary War who left South Carolina after the war for the Bahamas.
Out Island Boy 