Tom and Lucy Wilkerson Lowe

Thomas Franklin Lowe was born in Winona, Kansas, December 15, 1884, to Joseph Lincoln Lowe and Sarah J. Harris Lowe. He was the eldest of two sons.

Lucy Viola Wilkerson was born in Camden County, Missouri , May 05, 1887, to Zachariah Wilkerson and Ida Robertson Wilkerson. One of six girls and a baby brother, she was a twin, to Nolie Wilkerson ,

Tom and Lucy Viola Wilkerson Lowe were married in May 1906 near Meeker, OK. For their wedding present from Tom's parents they were given 40 acres and a house four miles North of Meeker. The house where they lived and brought up five children. Tom raised cattle in his younger days, as well as farming. He used to drive the cattle to market on horseback from Meeker to Oklahoma City. It took a few days. The girls helped Lucy pack the chuck wagon. They would make several two crust fruit pies, cakes, beef, pork, and a LOT of food to feed the cowboys that helped with the cattle drive. When they got back, Gladys would run to the wagon to see if there was any food left. There never was!! Grandpa's prize Hereford bull got down in the mud one sad day, and much to Grandpa's dismay, they never could get him out and he had to finally be shot.
Lucy raised turkeys, and helped farm. They owned and operated a turkey farm. My mother, the daughter of Tom and Lucy, recalled many times to me the way they took orders and delivered turkeys, especially on holidays. They had a set up where the preparation took place. There were large barrels with very cold water where they soaked the plucked turkeys overnight, so the pin feathers could be removed, and those turkeys were whistle clean when they delivered them!

The family had a root cellar where their home grown vegetables were kept, and a spring room where food was kept cold. Mom said they were the only family for miles around that could actually have "Jello"! What a luxury!

Grandpa Lowe was a quiet mannered man. He smoked a pipe almost constantly when I knew him. He liked to read, and loved Zane Gray novels. Some of my favorite memories of him are when I went with him to milk the cow. "Old Jersey" they called her, and indeed she was just that. Grandpa would let me stand in the barrel which contained the bran he fed the cow while he milked her. I can still imagine the wonderful smell of the barn. Grandpa loved to fish, play dominoes, the card game "pitch" and tossing horseshoes. He walked a lot. He was kind and gentle. He had soft blue eyes and a full head of white hair in his later years. He tended to stay in the background when a crowd was there. He would join in as well, but mostly just smiled, and laughed with the others. He was a very special man. I see him in my mother, Gladys. A subtle strength which you can sense, but feel so comfortable around because it is fed by such gentleness.

Grandma Lowe is almost beyond description. She was feisty, funny, ornery, and headstrong. She was constantly talking, and was a mixture of pain and pleasure. She loved a good time, and I've seen her dance the jig when she was feeling good. When she felt bad, there was no mistaking it. She told you!! I miss grandma. I miss the chatter. She loved pinks, and lilac. Especially florals. All around. She kept her hair short, permed, and wore a colored rinse on it. She often wore a hairnet over it, especially in her later years. She loved to travel, and I have fond memories of trips we took together. She was what folks would probably call a bit "bossy", but I remember a few times she ceased the babble, and it was always when my Grandpa said "....Now woman...."

There was always fresh milk in the fridge at Grandma and Grandpa Lowe's house. They sold milk to a few neighbors. It was Jersey milk, and the richest and creamiest I have ever seen. They stored it in one quart bottles. I remember their kitchen like it was yesterday, even the antique Carnival Glass sugar bowl they used. After meals in the daytime, the dishes done and the table cleaned, leftover food remained on the table, covered with a cloth. It was eaten at the next meal, if not before. The cloth kept the flies from landing on the food. There was no air conditioner, but I do remember electric fans, and air coolers in their later life. They always had fresh eggs. They probably kept chickens. At least I can remember them being down at the barn....they might have been uncle Cecil's. Grandma and Grandpa usually had their biggest meals at breakfast and noon. Something simple, like cornbread or crackers in milk was their supper. My memories are only of the house on highway 18 in Meeker, as they had long since moved in from the "farm" by the time my recollections began.

Descendants of Tom and Lucy Wilkerson Lowe:

Cecil Thomas Lowe b: June 06, 1907 Lincoln Cty., OK d: January 1987 Lincoln Cty. OK m. Nina Webb
Alvia Delmar Lowe b: April 05, 1913 Lincoln Cty., OK d: July 1997 in Meridian, ID m. Jaunita Bishop
Gladys Patricia Lowe : Private
Willard Lincoln Lowe: Private
Idelle Lowe: Private

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Thomas Franklin Lowe		Lucy Wilkerson Lowe