GHOSTS IN THE CLOSET

I had long known that my ancient ancestry had roots in Texas in the 1820s. My great-great-great Grandfather was Issac Low, and he settled in Sabine County, Texas where he operated, among other things, a ferry across the Sabine River. He fought in the 1812 Battle of New Orleans and was a citizen of the Republic of Texas. He was very involved in the Runaway Scrape when Texans were seeking refuge in the United States after the fall of the Alamo and Goliad.

I have recently been doing some study on Ancestry.com and online. His name appears in several places; he served in some public positions in Sabine County and he lived east of Hemphill, Texas in Sabinetown. It was fun to find his name and family in the 1835 census of that region.

My parents travelled to that area several years ago and sought to visit the Issac Low Cemetery, now on the shore of Toledo Bend Reservoir. They told me that they were not well received by the local people. They didn't understand why. In my recent study, I have found the reason.

One of my ancestors, Eli Low, was killed in 1883 in what was to become the very well known (in that region) Low-Conner-Smith feud. That feud continued for many years, and even though many of the famlies have intermarried, the feud is still well known. A total of seven people including a Texas Ranger were killed during the period; some went to prison; and others just disappeared. As is usual with fueds, everyone placed blame on everyone else. The truth of what really happened will probably never be known.

I have just recently become aware of this feud and these "ghosts" in the family closet. Have you noticed how many of our families have ghosts in the closet? We usually don't like to talk about them too much. We just want to forget that they exist or ever existed.

RL and I are going down to Sabinetown this coming year. We're hoping to find out more information about our family. We want to visit the cemetery and hear some of the tales from the past. We'll be very careful.

I'm glad my last name isn't Low. That just might get me into deep trouble.