Captain Joseph W. Lowe was born on August 3, 1851, in Green Turtle Cay, Abaco to William Piorka Lowe and Margaret Matilda Curry.

His siblings included…

• Sophia Sarah (1840)
• Christine Lanora (1846)

On July 23, 1878, Joseph married Dora Louise Robert (1857-1942) from Key West, Florida. She is the daughter of Richard Roberts and Druscilla Curry.

Their children included…

• Emma Louise (1880)
• Edna Geneva (1882)
• Paul Stewart (1895)
• Joseph F (1887)
• Charles (1889)
• Ruth Louise (1892)
• Benjamin Haywood (1894)
• Timothy (1896)
• George MacKenzie (1902)

Dad William Lowe was a farmer, but by the time Joseph was 12, the family had fallen on hard times. Joseph went to sea as a cabin boy on a ship that sailed out of Bimini. Soon afterwards, the ship he was sailing on encountered a sister vessel wrecked on a reef near the southern tip of Florida. With all the officers lost, Joseph was put aboard as captain and succeeded in bringing the ship safely to Key West.

He continued sailing and by age 20 had saved enough to purchase his own ship. While in Key West, he met and married Dora Louise Roberts, daughter of Richard Roberts of Green Turtle Cay and Drucilla Curry Roberts of Spanish Wells. At one point, he owned eight ships and became a successful fisherman, sponger, and green turtle hunter. Four of his ships were named after his wife and daughters: Dora, Louise, Geneva, and Ruth. Others were Heartease, Centennial, and Huron. One model of his ship was even displayed in the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Captain Lowe continued going to sea, often serving as cook when needed. He survived dramatic experiences—including being stranded on an island near Cape Sanibel for over six weeks and losing part of a finger to a 50-pound turtle. He once attempted to salvage a ship sunk by Blackbeard the Pirate but had to flee when Blackbeard returned shooting.

During one of South Florida’s worst hurricanes, he lost half his fleet, worth $40,000 at the time. He sold homes on Lowe’s Lane in Key West to fund repairs and new boats. After retiring, he made nets for other fishermen and established Gospel Hall in Key West, where he preached. He remained in Key West until his wife’s death, then went to live with his daughter Ruth Hoeffer in Delray Beach, Florida

Joseph Lowe passed away on November 30, 1950 (age 99) in Delray Beach, Florida. He is my 2nd cousin 4 times removed.