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- "Came with parents to South Dakota in 1884.
"When I went through my father's papers when he passed away, I found the bill for wiring that house at 1201 for electricity. At that time they wired only for electrical lights. $35.00 for wiring that house. There were two switches at 1201 to begin with. One at the door by the stairs that turned the dining room light on and one by the front door when you came into the living room. All of the rest of the lights were pullchain.
"My father had these horses a driving team and a surrey and he was as proud of this surrey and driving team as we would be of our cars. He had all this stuff, harnesses, and elaborate trim.
"In his later years he used to go down to the store and shoot the bull with all these farmers that would come in. It was a country store. In Hank's hardware store he used to carry fenceposts and fencing things. Hank and Danny were the mainstays working there. Finally one day, Hank said to Grandpa Lowell, why don't you go to work for me? Hank wanted to have someone sit inside the store to protect for theft. He was like a security guard. He didn't sell anything. He just sat around there and when everybody was out kept watch over things.
"The first time we went up to northern Minnesota, my dad couldn't get over how small the pine trees were. My dad was born in Wisconsin and worked in the lumber mills until he was fifteen, when he came out here. He told me about the big saw they had there and he was cleaning up and he stood up and the saw cut off his straw hat. He threw it in the river and never went home with it."
"At that time, if you farmed a quarter section (160 acres) that was average. A lot of them had only 80 acres. If you farmed a half a section, you were a big farmer. Well, you see, Grandpa Lowell and my dad farmed Cliff's, which is a quarter section, they farmed Jack's, which is another one, they farmed Flora's which is another one, they farmed ours, which is another one, and then they rented land over there east of them, so they were really really big farmers and they farmed this all with horses. "
"My dad was 31 years old when he was married and that was about par for the course. [regarding marriage age].
After he moved to town, on what is now our farm he kept the hay ground. He and Aunt Minnie's hired hand used to put up hay together and then in the winter months he would haul hay from the country to Sioux Falls. He'd go out in the country one day and the next day take it to the hay market in Sioux Falls and sell it.
John R. Lowell and Freda Volsch were married at the West Wall Lake Lutheran Church. They were married at the same time as Freda’s sister, Anna.
From notes by GRL during an August ____ visit to Sioux Falls: Max Miller's family lived about 5 miles west of John Lowell's farm (Cliff's place) when Hazel Miller was a youngster and before her mother died. George Lowell was born on Cliff's farm in 1901. Sometime between 1901 and 1906 when Jack was born, John Lowell bought the farm across the road (Jack's place). John Lowell sold Cliff's place to someone. That person sold the farm to Max Miller. John R. Lowell moved to the West Sioux neighborhood of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on March 17, 1910. He still kept involved with farming, maintaining some haying activities.
1900 Census for SD: Minnehaha County: Wall Lake Township:
(entry found under Lowell, John)
Lowell, John R, son, April 1869, age 31, single.
1910 Census: SD: Minnehaha Cty: Sioux Falls, 6th wd, p. 147B:
Lowell, John R., head, 41, first marriage, married 9 years, born in WI, father and mother born in ME, own income;
Freda, wife, 32, first marriage, married 9 years, has had 2 children, both living, born in Germany, father and mother born in Germany, came to the U.S. in 1883;
George J., son, 8, born in SD, father born in WI, mother born in Germany;
John F., son, 4, born in SD, father born in WI, mother born in Germany.
1920 Census for Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County:
John R. Lowell, age 50, farmer, but not in the district where census was taken;
Freda M., his wife, 42, immigrated to the U.S. in 1887 and was a naturalized citizen;
George J., his son, 18
John F., his son, 13
Charles E., his son, 9
1930 Census: Minnehaha Cty., Sioux Falls, Dis. 6: 1201 N. Lincoln Ave:
Lowell, John R., head, owns, age 60, married, first married at age 30, born in Wisconsin, father and mother born in Maine; occupation: teamster, odd jobs;
Freda, his wife, age 52, first married at age 23, born in Germany, father and mother born in Germany, came to the U.S. in 1886;
John F., his son, age 24, single, born in SD, father born in Wisconsin, mother born in Germany, occupation: deliveryman, greenhouse;
Charles E., his son, age 19, born in SD, father born in Wisconsin, mother born in Germany, occupation: laborer, odd jobs.
1940 U.S. Federal Census, Sioux Falls, South Dakota: 1201 N. Lincoln Ave.:
Lowell, John R., head, 71, married, born in Wisconsin, lived in same home five years earlier, laborer, retail hardware;
Freda, wife, 62, married, born in Germany.
Polk’s Sioux Falls (Minnehaha County) City Directory 1950 lists:
“Lowell John R (Freda M) lab h1201 N Lincoln av”
Newspaper Article, The Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) 27 Apr 1910, Wed.
"A HARD BATTLE
Local Fire Department Had a Long Run and a Hard Fight Tuesday Afternoon
Shortly after 3 o'clock Tuesday afternoon an alarm of fire was telephoned in from West Sioux Falls, and Chief Arndt started the chemical and a force of men to the scene of the fire. It was rumored that the Parsons grocery store was burning, but this proved untrue. When the firemen arrived they found the barn of J. R. Lowell and some hay which surrounded the same in flames.
The firemen realized at once that they would be unable to prevent the fire from spreading with the chemical alone and a telephone call was sent in for the steamer which was gotten on the ground as rapidly as possible. The firemen with the chemical devoted their energies in saving a new granary which was about half filled with grain. In this they were successful, but the fire would certainly have spread to near by buildings had it not been for the arrival of the steamer. The steamer was located at one of the abandoned quarries in which considerable amount of water was found. It required the laying of 1,550 feet of hose to reach the fire. But a stream from this hose pumped by the steamer was finally sufficient to put out the fire.
The loss was confined to the barn and its contents together with considerable hay which had been stacked around the barn.
The loss will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $300. Mr. Lowell is a retired farmer who moved into West Sioux Falls some few months ago from the vicinity of Tea. How the fire started and whether or not there was any insurance could not be learned."
A series of "For Rent" ads appeared in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader in Sept and Oct. 1917 as follows: "FOR RENT-FIVE ROOM COTTAGE Inquire John R. Lowell West Sioux Falls."
A "For Rent" ad appeared in the 31 Aug 1923, Friday edition of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader: "FOR RENT SEPT 1-SEVEN ROOM modern house with garage, at 926 West Ninth. Inquire John R. Lowell. West Soo Falls."
News Article for 50th Wedding Anniversary: Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) 08 Dec 1950, Fri.
Photograph with caption as follows:
"Mr. and Mrs. John R. Lowell, 1201 North Lincoln ave., will observe their golden wedding anniversary December 12. To mark the event, their children are holding open houe at their home Sunday, December 10, with hours from 2 until 4:30 in the afternoon and from 7 until 9 o'clock in the evening. No invitations have been issued and all friends and relatives are invited."
South Dakota Death Index:
Name: John R Lowell
Certificate Number: 294899
Death Day: 5
Death Month: Dec
Death Year: 1956
County: Minnehaha
Miller Funeral Home records indicate cause of death as "gastric hemmorrhage--gastric ulcer" and time of death one forty five p.m.; age at time of death-- 87 yrs., 7 mos., and 19 days. Buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Lot 153.
Obituary in Sioux Falls newspaper (Newspaper title and date unknown)—
"Rites Saturday
John R. Lowell, 87, Dies in S.F.
John R. Lowell, 87, Sioux Falls resident for 46 years, died at a local hospital Wednesday afternoon following a brief illness. He resided at 1201 N. Lincoln Ave.
Born in Ostrander, Wis., Oct. 16, 1869, Mr. Lowell moved to Wall Lake Township with his parents in 1884. He came here in 1910. His marriage to Freda Volsch took place at Hartford on Dec. 12, 1900. Mrs. Lowell died in 1953, three years after the Lowells observed their golden wedding anniversary.
Funeral services will be held at the Miller Funeral Home at 2 p.m. Saturday with Dr. F. A. Early officiating, Mrs. C. B. Van Ausdall will be organist, Mrs. Henry Feay, vocalist. George, John, Charles, James and Roger Lowell and Clarence Dahse will be pallbearers. Internment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Survivors are three sons, Charles and George, Sioux Falls, and John, Hartford; six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren."
From “Minnehaha County Historical and Biographic Sketches, 1988”:
LOWELL, JOHN RUSSELL:
Born: April 16, 1869, Ostrander, Wisconsin
Died: December 4, 1956, Woodlawn Sioux Falls, So. Dak.
Sister, Minnie
Married Dec. 12 1900 West Wall Lake Church to Freda Voelsch. Freda born in Germany town of Hamburg Freda passed away May 1953 Three children George, Oct. 3, 1901 Married Hazel Miller Nov. 27, 1925 they had three children, James, John, and Robert [sic] John Franklin Lowell March 1, 1906 Wall Lake Township married G. Florence Feyder March 5, 1935.
Charles Edward Lowell born Nov. 17, 1910 West Sioux Falls always lived on Lincoln Avenue. Married Gertrude Brockhouse May 5, 1938. They had three children Myra, Cheryl, and Russell.
John Russell Lowell came to So. Dak. 1884. He shipped lumber from Wisconsin to Sioux City, Iowa hauled it to a farm to build their home, by horse and wagon. Farmed until moved to West Sioux March 17, 1910. Hauled rock from West Sioux Quarry to build Paulton building, the Manchester Biscuit Company. Farmed small acreages in West Sioux for feed to care for his livestock. Later he kept a watchful eye for West Sioux Hardware. By Charles Lowell.”, , , ,
John R. Lowell Farm (across the road from John Fairfield Lowell homestead). Later, John Franklin Lowell and wife Florence would live on this farm
Twp 101N 51W Wall Lake Township
Section 36 NW Quarter (buildings located on the SW Quarter of the NW Quarter)
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Connected Bloodlines
1869 - 1956 (87 years)
