Lowe Family Genealogy

Various members of our family spell their name "Low" and "Lowe." Almost all Lowe families in America trace their ancestry to Scotland or England. DNA testing tells us that there are two primary Lowe lines in America that are completely unrelated to each other - even though both can be traced back to Scotland and England.

William Lowe (1715-1780) is our first known ancestor. Our records of William begin in Bedford County, Virginia. He moved most of his family to Wilkes County, North Carolina in the late 1700`s. His grandson Stephen came to Surry County, North Carolina and it is from his family that we descend. Low Gap, North Carolina in Surry County was named for Stephen and his descendants who populated this area for many years. There are still members of the Low/Lowe family living in Low Gap today

Surry County NC or Grayson County VA

Note that many of our Lowe relatives have lived along the NC / VA border for well over 200 years - perhaps even on properties that straddled the state line. Surry County NC is adjacent to Grayson County VA - and records for the same person have often been recorded in both places.

Earlier Ancestors

We're believed to have descended from Greer-Lowe-Day-Cox families of the Joppa / Gunpowder River area of Maryland. The family line can also be traced by searching for Captain Christopher Cox or Nicholas Day.

Many descendants came to the Halifax/Bedford county, Virginia area, as well as Surry / Yadkin River area of North Carolina from Maryland. Many from this family also went by about 1800 to Middle Tennessee in the Davidson and Williamson County area.

Lowe DNA Testing and Matches

y-DNA Testing

Males with the surname Lowe are strongly encouraged to take a y-DNA test to better understand their family history. Although our immediate family members aren't eligible for "Lowe" y-DNA testing, we're working to determine which ancestral lines we share with known Lowe cousins.

Most Lowe families in America carry a haplogroup of I-M253 (probably Viking roots) or R-M269 (probably Normandy roots). While not yet confirmed, our family is probably among the latter.

Various levels of y-DNA testing are available; we recommend y-37, y-67 or y-111 only. Learn more at the Lowe DNA Project.

at-DNA Testing

Our family members have matched to many Lowe descendants.

Our Lowe Family Line

Our paper and genetic trail to Stephen Lowe (1765-1843) is strong. Anything prior to that is somewhat speculative.

Intermarriages

Because the Lowe family has lived in the small community of Surry County for many years, many of them have intermarried with other area families. In most cases, this has involved two or three siblings from one family all marrying siblings from another family:

Partial List of Intermarriages