Edwin Leonard Lowndes

LOWNDES PATTEN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/21/2010 at 18:21:07

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Edwin Leonard Lowndes
By Mary Ellen (Bauer) Lowndes

Mary Rose Patten Lowndes, wife of Edwin Leonard Lowndes, was the daughter of Mrs Catherine Hartnett Waters’ sister, Mary Hartnett Patten. The Hartnett family came from Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1858. They traveled by rail to St Louis and then took the first steamboat up the Missouri River to Sioux City, Iowa. Daniel Hartnett was among the pioneer Catholics who in the 60’s helped chop down trees and gather logs which went into the making of Sioux City’s first Catholic church on the west bank of Perry Creek.

Mr Michael Waters, husband of Catherine Hartnett Waters, came to Sioux City in a covered wagon from Wisconsin in 1866. Catherine Hartnett and Michael Waters were married in the old St Mary’s brick church at 6th and Pierce Streets. Michael and Catherine had six children: James, Rosina Coe, Margaret Hennessey, Isabel Waters, Camilla Dunn, and Mary Teefey.

Edwin Leonard Lowndes’ father, A J Lowndes, came to America from Sweden, about 1865. At that time, his surname was Johanson. After establishing residence in Marinette, Wisconsin. A J Johanson soon discovered there were many, many Swedes living there with the same surname, Johanson. This was confusing, so he changed his name to Lowndes, legally. A J Lowndes married Almeta Nelson in 1880 and they had four children. One child, Alma, died in childhood. Tow sisters, Edna and Hulda, remained unmarried. The only son, Edwin Leoanrd, moved to Sioux City in 1915.

Edwin L Lowndes came to Sioux City because he wanted to ‘strike out on his own’. He was offered a good position as an accountant with the Davidson Brothers department store in Sioux City. He looked for lodging and was offered shelter in the priest’s home at St Jean’s Catholic church on 7th Street, Edwin L was raised in the Lutheran faith, but with all that strong ‘God-like’ atmosphere and the best of living examples in his surroundings, he soon converted to the Catholic religion. He and Mary Rose Patten were married in July of 1916 and had six children, of whom five are still living today.

Robert Anthony Lowndes was born August 20, 1917. He is presently a retired journeyman plumber and lives with his wife, Pat (Margaret Walding) and daughter, Mary Rose, in Sioux City. One other daughter, Margaret ‘Peg’ Lowndes lives in Omaha. R A’s son, Thomas A, also lives in Omaha with his wife, Debra, and daughter, Abby, born in 1982.

Twin sons were born to Edwin L and Mary Rose on October 3, 1918, but only one survived. He is Edwin Frances Lowndes; his family history is written separately.

Catherine Almeta Lowndes and her sister, Mary Therese (Lowndes) Scotten moved to California in 1953. Catherine was a legal secretary for the Sioux City law firm of Sifford, Wadden, and Jepson, for many years. Catherine did not marry and is residing today in San Francisco, California, and working for an international law firm there.

Mary Theresa (Lowndes) Scotten and her husband, James O, live in Rosemont, California, with their six children, Steven, Terri, Susan, Daniel, James, and Mary Jeanne. Mary Theresa worked for many years for the Northwestern Bell Company, Sioux City, Iowa, and the Pacific Bell Company in California, before her marriage in the mid 50’s.

The youngest son of Edwin and Mary Rose Lowndes is Thomas Hartnett Lowndes, born July 18, 1926. He and his wife, Kathleen (Nugent) live in Omaha, Nebraska. They have seven sons: Joseph and his wife, Mary Ann, Wisconsin; Thomas and his wife, Ericka, Omaha; Edwin and wife, Carol, Omaha; William and wife, Constance, Omaha; and John, Daniel and James still at home. Thomas H Lowndes is a mechanical engineer, presently working for Western Electric in Omaha.