William Lowry

Find a Grave

Birth: 1833 North Carolina, USA

Death: Mar. 9, 1865 Robeson County North Carolina, USA

William was the son of Allen and Mary Cumbo Lowry.

Allen Lowry was a prosperous Lumbee farmer. During the Civil War, Lumbees, as free persons of color, were not allowed to possess firearms and Lumbee males were often forcibly taken to Wilmington, NC by the Home Guard to assist with the construction of Fort Fisher. William and his father were accused by a neighbor of stealing meat from a smokehouse and hastily found guilty.

Graves were hastily dug, they were blindfolded and then were executed by the Home Guard. William's youngest brother, Henry Berry Lowry, witnessed the execution while hiding nearby. This inspired Henry Berry to form a gang to exact revenge against the corrupt Home Guard. The Lowry War continued until February 1872 when Henry Berry disappeared. Since 1976, the summer outdoor drama STRIKE AT THE WIND! has been staged in Pembroke, NC to honor the exploits of the "Lumbee Robin Hood."

William's brothers, Sink and Calvin, later disinterred the bodies. They were given proper burials a few hundred yards from the site of their murder.

• **NOTE: He shares a headstone with his parents.

Family links:

Parents:

• Allen Lowry (1790 - 1865)
• Mary Cumbo Lowry (1802 - 1890)

Inscription:

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

(1 Corinthians 15:55)

Burial: Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church Cemetery (a Rowland Robeson County North Carolina, USA