John William Lowden, Commission Merchant, New York

May 17th, 1851 stampless folded ship letter with contents from Halifax to New York via Boston, addressed to J W Lowden Esq., No 18 Beaver Street, New York. Manuscript "Boston". Black "SHIP" stamp, Red "7" stamp, Red circle "BOSTON MAY 22". The enclosed contents record the date sent.

October 19th, 1852 stampless folded ship letter with contents from Halifax to New York via Boston, addressed to J W Lowden Esq., 18 Beaver Street, New York. Manuscript "p Sir John Harvey". Black "SHIP" stamp, black "7" stamp, Red circle "BOSTON OCT 24". The enclosed contents record the date sent.

November 27th, 1852 stampless folded ship letter with contents from Pictou, Nova Scotia to New York via Boston addressed to J W Lowden, 18 Beaver Street, New York. Black "SHIP" stamp, black "7" stamp, black circle "BOSTON MASS DEC 7". The enclosed contents record the date sent.

November 22, 1854 stampless folded ship letter with contents from Halifax to New York via Boston addressed to Messrs J. W. Lowden & Co, 30 Front Street, New York. Manuscript "p. Canada". Black circle "BOSTON 5cts 25 NOV". Manuscript "Letter, S A White &n Co, 22 Nov 1854" inside back flap.

John William Lowden was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia around 1820, the son of Thomas Lowden and Rachel Crow and grandson of Capt. William Lowden, a pioneering merchant and shipbuilder of Pictou. The 1817 Census for Pictou has his father Robert Lowden with a household of 8: 4 males 14-50 years (one would have been John William), 1 boy, 3 girls.

At some time prior to 1845, John W. Lowden moved to Manhattan and opened his own mercantile business in the financial district. He appears in the 1845/6 NYC Directory: Lowden John W. comm. mer. 163 Maiden la

The 1850 census, New York, Ward 1, has J W Lowden, clerk, age 30, birthplace Canada, and the NYC Directory 1850, has John W Lowden, commercial merchant 18 Beaver St, NYC. 18 Beaver Street is in the lower Manhattan financial district. It was once the home of Thomas Williams, scion of the family of “the oldest and largest firm in the world dealing in mahogany and other imported cabinet woods.”

John W Lowden married Helena Holden, of Brooklyn, July 1st, 1852, in Newburgh, NY. Helen was the daughter of Thomas Holden and Sarah Campbell. Between their 1852 marriage and John's death in 1859, they had two daughters, Helen N. and Annie.

John Lowden, merchant, New York City, was owner and builder of the schooner Helen, built 1855, registered at Pictou, Nova Scotia.

New York, New York, City Directory, 1857, lists Lowden, John W. mer. 72 Front, h 75 Sands, B'klyn

The New York Tribune for 5 May 1859, records John's death. "LOWDEN - In Brooklyn, on Tuesday morning, May 3, John W. Lowden, aged 38 years."

NY City Municipal Deaths lists John W. Lowden, died May 3rd, 1859, Brooklyn, Kings, NY, age 38, born in Nova Scotia. It records his burial as Greenwood Cemetery, but there is no gravestone for John in Greenwood, although his widow Helen and daughters, Helen N. Lowden and Annie L. Jessup, are buried in Section 170, Lot 12926 of the cemetery. There is, however. an impressive marble obelisk in the Haliburton Cemetery, Pictou County, inscribed "To the Memory of, John W. Lowden, of Pictou, Nova Scotia, died in Brooklyn, N.Y., 3rd of May 1859, Aged 39 years" We don't know if John's body was returned to Pictou for burial.

1860 United States Federal Census, Brooklyn Ward 10 District 1, has widow Helen Lowden, age 26, born NY, with children Annie, 7, and Helena, 3.

Helen remarried Joseph C. Atwater June 12th, 1883 in Manhattan.

The New York Times, 20 Dec 1910, records the death of Helen. "HELEN HOLDEN ATWATER, widow of John C. Atwater, died yesterday at her home, 9 East Forty-ninth Street. She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. A. I. Jessup and Mrs. H. N. Lowden."

1852 John W Lowden Deed

Captain William Lowden, John William's grandfather, (born circa 1740 – died 20 February 1820) was an early shipbuilder and pioneer of Pictou, Nova Scotia. With his sons, he built the first shipyard in Pictou in 1788. For his achievements, he is considered to be the father of shipbuilding in Pictou.

Lowden was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and lived in the parish of Caerlaverock in 1766 when his sons Robert (John William's father) and Samuel were born. He began his career as a merchant in the 1760s, trading with Russia and also carrying convicts to Virginia. In the 1770s, he began to trade with the newly founded town of Pictou. On one of these visits, in 1777, his ship (Molly) was captured by American privateers from Machias, Maine:

The vessel was loading with timber for the British market. A time was chosen when the crew were absent with the boat for part of the cargo. The captain was invited to the house of W. Waugh, where a number of them were gathered. Waugh was an old Scotch Covenanter, and from rigid adherence to the principles of that body, would not swear allegiance to the British Crown, and though afterward he was in the employment of the Government, yet, at this time, seemingly from the common fact of their not taking these oaths, sympathized with the Americans. The Captain went without suspicion, leaving the ship in charge of the mate. During his visit, at a given signal, the company gathered round him, informed him that he was a prisoner, and commanded him to deliver up his arms. "Gentlemen," said he, "I am very sorry to say I have no arms," was his reply, in a tone of indignation at their treachery. In the meantime, a strong party, fully armed, proceeded to the vessel, and finding scarcely any person on board, easily took possession of her, and made the mate a prisoner, confining him in the cabin. They then placed sentries on deck. Some time after, the rest of the crew came onboard, and as they did so, they were made prisoners and confined in the forecastle.

The privateers took the ship and most of its crew to Baie Verte, New Brunswick. Lowden was released, and went to Charlottetown in a canoe, eventually joining the crew of a man-of-war in pursuit of the Americans. When the ship reached Baie Verte, the privateers abandoned the Molly, and Waugh was forced to flee to Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia.

In 1788, Lowden moved to Pictou with his children William, Robert, Elizabeth, Thomas, and David. He first settled on the East River and built a windmill and a shipyard—the first shipyard in Pictou—at a site that was later called Windmill Point. However, he soon left this site and moved to Pictou town. According to George Patterson, in A history of the County of Pictou, Nova Scotia,

"(Lowden)...occupied a two-storey building of John Patterson's, on the site of Messrs. Yorston's store, the lower as a dwelling house, and the upper with goods, which he exchanged for timber. He also built a wharf, on the site of what has since been known as the Mining Company's Wharf and commenced ship building there. The whole eastern part of the town, from Ives' store to the Battery Hill, was covered with a fine growth of hardwood, and the timber necessary for the work was cut close by his yard, or, afterward, on the top of the Deacons Hill, whence it was slid down on the snow to the shore, and, when once set in. motion, it may be supposed, went with terrific rapidity. He erected a building on the east side of Coleraine Street, which he used for boarding his men, but which was commonly known as the Salt House. Some years later he erected a windmill on a round hill near the head of the wharf, long after known as Windmill Hill, but which has now been carried away in levelling the ground near the Custom House. This mill was well constructed, had a large amount of machinery in her, and for some time did a large amount of work, both in sawing and grinding."

His most famous ship was the Harriet (1798), at 600 tons the largest and finest ship built in Nova Scotia at the time. David Lowden, William's son, was the captain on the Harriet's maiden voyage, in which a French privateer approached but did not attack because the ship seemed heavily armed. Lowden's other ships included the Prince Edward (1798) and the Enterprise (1820; built by William and his son Thomas). Local historians generally agree that the father of ship building in Pictou was Captain William Lowden, a native of Scotland. Captain Lowden brought his family to Pictou in 1788. He first resided at East River, where he erected a windmill and began shipbuilding. He later moved Pictou to continue shipbuilding. He built the “big ship of Pictou” the “Harriett”. This ship weighed 600 ton and was classed as the finest ship in Nova Scotia. The “Harriett” was made from oak and black birch for her bottom; the upper works, beams etc were made of pitch pine. Her sides were pierced with 24 guns, of which only 4 were real. The other 20 were wooden fakes called “quakers”, which were designed to fool the sea raiders and pirates. The “Harriett” was launched on October 24, 1798. Captain Lowden also built the ship the “Prince Edward”, which was named after Queen Victoria’s father. The Duke of Kent was so pleased by this, that he sent $50 to purchase a set of colors for the vessel. As a point of interest there has been a monument erected in honor of Captain William Lowden. There were also others in Pictou that helped to start the shipbuilding trade. The first small vessel builders were the energetic men of the early Pictou settlement. They ignored the laws of the time and would cut down the huge white pines that were marked for use in the Kings Royal Navy. These pines once they were hollowed out into dugout canoes could hold 6 people. Thomas Copeland built the first vessel “A Snow” in 1778. This vessel had two masts with a small mast aft the main mast, to which a trysail was attached. Jerry Palmer was the first captain of this boat built on the shores of Pictou Harbour. Hugh Denoon brought with him a shallop (a light, open boat) “The Nancy” in 1784. He has a street named after him today in Pictou. Dr. John Harris brought a schooner in 1769 and Squire Robert Patterson brought with him a sloop in 1774. In 1860, the Brigt “Georgianna”, weighing 138 ton was the only ship built in Pictou during the winter. She was launched from John T Ives yard in Pictou. These vessels were the beginnings of shipbuilding in Pictou, and the start of the timber trade with the West Indies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lowden

He had four sons engaged in business, first with him and afterward on their own account, Robert, who afterward removed to Merigomish, David who afterward lived at the Beaches, Thomas, whose house still stands near the head of the public wharf, and William, usually known as Bishop Lowden, long regarded as one of the characters of the place. He was a splendid scholar, knowing the classics and several modern languages, even acquiring the Gaelic. But owing, it was said to his being crossed in love in early life, he became partially insane. For years he never washed, and went about in a greasy coat, which made him the object of sport to the young. In his lodgings he pored over his books, and in later years, gave himself to the composition of an English grammar, which he succeeded in getting printed in the United States. Patterson, George, A history of the County of Pictou, Nova Scotia. 1877.

Dumfries, Scotland, and immigrated as a boy with his father. He was one of the original trustees of King's College. He was one of the layman justices serving on the Inferior Court (Court of Common Pleas) for Pictou County. He died May 5th, 1845, in Merigomish, Pictou County. He is buried in the Merigomish Cemetery.