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E. H. Lowe business records
Descriptive Summary | |
| Title: E. H. Lowe business records | |
| Creator: Unknown | |
| Inclusive Dates: 1909-1961 | |
| Language(s): English | |
| Extent: 50.8 Linear Feet 71 volumes, 2 document boxes | |
| Extent: There are many rusty pins holding loose paper to the books which are sharp and exposed. | |
| Collection Number: ms3628 | |
| Repository: Hargrett Library | |
Collection Description
Historical Note
Ellison Homer Lowe was born in October 1873, and he died in September 1957. His father was John Fletcher Lowe, and his mother was Nancy Ann Hartley, both Georgians by birth. They had six children, of which he was the eldest. He was married to Hattie J. Lowe for much of his professional career. They had one son, Earnest A. Lowe, who married Ruth Rae of Augusta in 1928.
Both lived in Carrs Station, Devereux, Georgia, in Hancock County, where they ran a farm and a farm store from the 1900s to 1960s. They called it the "Lowe Farm." They advertised as selling "general merchandise," but more specifically, E.H. Lowe sold cattle, cotton, seed, timber, corn, hay, and pecans. He also rented crop and land to tenants. At some point, E.H. also sold eggs under the name "Lowe's Rocky Hill brand Fancy Eggs" with his name and location on the carton.
In the mid-1930s, E.H. was partners with J.M. Cosby. Their business was called Cosby & Lowe, and seem to entirely concern cotton crop.
In the mid-1940s, when the United States was at war, E.H. obeyed the rationing regulations with due diligence, both in his personal and professional lives. Throughout the 1940s, E.H. dealt with shoe rationing and gasoline rationing most of all. Through the records, it is apparent he sold both women's and men's shoes, but none for children. He also seems to have sold general items during World War II, such as tobacco, candy, and soft drinks.
E.H. seems to have provided Island Creek Baptist Church with a good deal of financial support through the years. In the 1920s, he was the Sunday School superintendent. He was their treasurer in the late 1940s. While in this position, he help aid in the Truett-McConnell Jr. College Building and Endowment campaign. He repeatedly helped the Georgia Baptist Sunday Schools for Orphans' Home.
In the 1950s, soil and other farm conservation took place at the Lowe Farm, with great assistance from the government.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of 71 ledgers and two boxes of loose material. The ledgers concern the Lowe Farm and store in Hancock County, Georgia, run by E.H. Lowe and his wife Hattie J. Lowe. E.H. took meticulous notes on both his farm and store. During World War II, he paid careful attention to rationing regulations and other wartime laws. There is a considerable amount of business correspondence loosely held within the ledgers. Some are advertisements sent through the mail, others are receipts and notes about shipments and payments.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
E.H. Lowe business records, ms3628, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Library.