Lowry, John, 1799-1867.

John Lowry Sr. (1799-1867), his first wife, Susan Groome (d. 1823), his second wife, Mary Wilcox (b. 1802), and their ten children were converted to the LDS Church in Missouri in 1833. They moved around Missouri, then to Nauvoo, Illinois, where they were present at the death of Joseph Smith. They traveled with the Joseph Taylor Company to the Salt Lake Valley. They lived in Salt Lake for a year and then moved to Sanpete or Sanpitch Valley in 1849, becoming some of the first farmers in Manti. John Lowry Jr. joined Parley P. Pratt's exploration party to southern Utah and then joined the Elk Mountain (now LaSal) Mission in 1855. The mission was short-lived, but he learned to speak Ute which allowed him to serve as interpreter and diplomat between Chief Walker, Arropeen, and Brigham Young.

From the guide to the John Lowry Sr. and John Lowry Jr. biographies, undated, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)