Otis Post Lowry

Otis was born in OH to a farm laborer. He went to school through his 2nd year in high school. During his life he worked as a Farmer, Railroader, Oil Man, Maintenance Man, and Custodian, but spent much of his adult life as a self-employed Painter. He ventured east to PA in his early 20s and and west to NE in his late 20s. He began his family in NE. He moved his young family between NE and OH a couple times before eventually locating back in OH permanently.

OHIO In 1801, Warren, Ohio was established as the seat of Trumbull County, which at that time encompassed the entire Connecticut Western Reserve. General Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory, is said to have selected Warren over regional rivals Cleveland and Youngstown as a result of political support received from local leaders. This distinction led to Warren's status as religious, social, and commercial hub of the early Western Reserve; for more than thirty years after its settlement, Warren was the largest and most prosperous town in the region. The construction of rail lines was delayed in the Mahoning Valley due to the economic advantages presented by canal and lake shipping, as well as river traffic in Cleveland and Pittsburgh. As a result, instead of growing into a center for manufacturing and transportation, the handsome town known for its beauty became a refined county seat for the remainder of the nineteenth century. Warren would not see considerable industrialization, urban growth, or immigration until the beginning of the twentieth century. The industrial era was well underway by the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1906, the Trumbull Steel facility (later Republic Steel, then WCI Steel) became the first integrated steelworks built in Trumbull County. Immigration increased as a result of this new industry, and the surrounding farmland was subdivided into thriving residential neighborhoods. Between 1910 and 1920, population increased by 144 percent, giving Warren the distinction of being the fastest growing town in Ohio during that decade. By the mid-1920s, industrial and business expansion had swept the county. Additional steelworks were established, and the wealthy Perkins and Packard families donated land that has become the backbone of Warren's picturesque riverside park system. The skyline of downtown Warren reached its present outline in 1923 and has not since changed; the city has the distinction amongst major Ohio cities of having the only downtown skyline still standing in the shadow of the spire of a grand nineteenth century church. After the Second World War, the region witnessed the growth of Packard Electric and other local divisions of national corporations, including the General Motors Lordstown Assembly Complex. Local civic leadership was devoted to keeping up with the burgeoning demand for social, educational, and cultural facilities.

NEBRASKA Among the places Otis lived was Rosalie, Nebraska. The town of Rosalie began, like many prairie towns, out of need. Located within the Omaha Indian Reservation, the first white settlers came in the early 1900s to the area known as "Blackbird Hill." While towns had formed along the Missouri River in many counties, there were none along this stretch of Nebraska's "eastern shore." A town was platted in 1906 when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was building through Thurston County. Many names were considered for the new town, including "Reedville" for Mrs.W.W. Reed, who had cooked for the railroad workers during construction. The railroad people called it "Holt" because when the stop numbers were translated into letters, it spelled H-O-L-T. Since the town was built on the 250 square miles of land known as Farley Pastures, "Farley" was another suggestion, but the favorite was "Rosalie." Rosalie was the name of Joseph and Mary LaFlesche's second oldest daughter. Joseph "Iron Eye," the adopted son of the Omaha Chief, Big Elk, taught the Omahas the language and ways of the whites, and to live peaceably with them. Rosalie married Edward Farley in 1880. They both taught at the mission school. In 1884 the Farleys were granted a lease on 18,000 acres of unallotted lands which became known as "Farley Pastures." Upon the death of her father in 1888, Rosalie took over the tribal business affairs. Although she suffered greatly from inflammatory arthritis, she raised ten children and worked to improve education for all who lived in the area. She died at age 39, in 1900. Because of her great devotion to her people, it was decided to name the town in her memory. It took just three years for Rosalie to meet the incorporation requirements: a population of 200 or more persons residing within its boundaries, measurements platted and subdivided into small tracts, blocks, lots, streets, and alleys, and a board of trustees elected by the people to govern the town. Census records show 220 residents on May 27, 1909, when incorporation papers were signed by the county clerk. Telephone service was in place soon after the town was established, and other city services followed. Jim Brink, known as a keen-minded, but salty editor, established a newspaper called the "Rip-Saw." (He was known to rip into anyone whom he felt needed the honor.) In 1912 the volunteer fire department was organized. There was no real good source of water near the town so a bond issue was presented. The issue passed and work was immediately begun on water lines. The first school was built in Rosalie in 1905, with a three-story brick building erected in 1911. This building is still in use. Sports came in 1912 in the form of basketball. Seven years later, football was added. Since then a track program for both boys and girls was established, and a girls volleyball program. Rosalie's three grain elevators have been kept very busy for many years. Rosalie, tied closely to agriculture, has fluctuated with the ebb and flow of the rural economy over the years. Unlike many communities adversely effected when rail service was discontinued, the Burlington Northern still provides freight service through Rosalie. However, an out-migration started in the 1930s. Continuing during and after World War II.