Making memories in Sandusky
Jun. 23—I was at the Sandusky High School reunion as the guest of E.R. Mike Spillman, resident of Virginia and graduate of Sandusky High School. He is a descendant of John Spillman, who was Clinton Township Trustee when the big changes were being made. I didn't go to the reunion with the idea of writing about it, but after being there for a while and hearing Margaret give the program about her grandmother I begged for a paper and pencil because I thought readers would enjoy it too. By the way, one man had a T-shirt on that had Sandusky Blackhawks on it. The Blackhawks were a great team every year!
The committee did a tremendous job and Bonita Myers has written about it for the Daily News. She will tell about the committee, the delicious meal served, the centerpieces and the oldest through the youngest at the reunion. I was delighted to sit at the table with a great group of people. There were more than 50 people there and more than 30 were graduates of Sandusky.
Margaret Lowe, daughter of Anna Paul and Walter B. Lowe, gave a program about her grandmother Elizabeth Batterton Lowe who was born in 1858 and died in 1959 at 101 years of age. Elizabeth B. Lowe was the daughter of Davies Batterton, who came to Greensburg after he graduated from Indiana University in 1847. He came to Greensburg to teach at the Greensburg Seminary. He worked as a druggist, became a newspaperman at a paper that would become the Greensburg Daily News, and served in the State Legislature.
Elizabeth married Cassius Clay Lowe in 1895. They had one child, Walter B. Lowe. Cassius was a business leader and county commissioner. He was diagnosed with pernicious anemia early in life long before it was known how to help those who suffered with it. He died in 1909 in Cincinnati. Four years later there was a cure found for that form of anemia.
Margaret told about holidays in the life of her grandparents. She said Christmas was not a holiday, but rather a day to wear black and visit the cemeteries where their loved ones were buried. Her grandmother graduated from Greensburg High School in 1876 with her class of 10 students. She was the class valedictorian. In case your grandparent graduated that year here is a list of the 10 students: Jennie Diller, Stella Fenton Hamilton, Lizzie Batterton Lowe, Belle Wiseman McKay, W. H. Porter, Mollie Daily Snyder, Alice Dunsmore Van Harlingen, Ella Wilson, Davidson Wilson and Candas Coy Woodward.
Margaret's family ties include links to the signing of the Indiana State Constitution and the founding of Indiana University. She can trace her family lineage back over 800 years to medieval Scotland, but it was her beloved grandmother we got to learn about Saturday.
Although Margaret was only 10 years old when her grandmother died, she has always had a deep interest about her because Elizabeth B. Lowe was ahead of her time. She never had a chance to attend college, but she saw and voiced the need for young women to have that opportunity. She was involved in the rights women should have and was interested in politics before many women thought much about it.
Although her grandmother died the year Greensburg had its centennial, Margaret told how she rode in the 1959 Centennial Parade with movie and television star Frances Farmer and enjoyed every minute of it.
Pat Smith: news@greensburgdailynews.com.
