A favorite place to visit is the quaint town of New Plymouth on the southern tip of Green Turtle Cay, Abaco in the Bahamas. This close-knit island community is full of historical significance. Many residents trace their ancestral roots to Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. On this cay, approximately three miles long and half-mile wide, my dad John Wesley Lowe was born.
Dad fostered my passion for family history. His boyhood stories of life on Green Turtle Cay captivated my attention. Life was unpretentious but entertaining during the 1930’s and 1940’s. There were no automobiles, no electricity, and certainly no technology. Dad’s father Howard Lowe died at the age of 29. A young widowed mother struggled to provide for her son. The community pitched in to help. Dad remained grateful to those that encouraged him. In his journal, Dad noted…
The seventh day of June 1925 was a special day for my parents, Howard & Bessie Lowe. It was a joyous occasion for them to have a baby boy added to the family. A name was chosen from each of my grandfathers, John (Lowe)and Wesley (Curry). It was on a small island located in the northern part of the Bahamas known as Green Turtle Cay chosen by my fore-parents to raise their families for more than two hundred years.
Beside its beauty, there were many good features of the island. The sandy beaches and beautiful harbours made it convenient for the fisherman to store their boats. Because of the abundance of seafood, they were able to feed their families. Fish, lobster and conch were plentiful. Occasionally, we would have turtle meat for dinner. With the help of hunting dogs, the men on the island would often catch wild pigs. It was quite a treat to have pork for a change!
Out Island Boy 