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From Mach to Missouri - 1Last updated: 07 November 2011

Juanita Tudor Lowrey wasborn and brought up in the USAbut her family are originallyfrom Darowen near Machynllethin Powys. Her father fought inthe American Civil War 1864-1865 and she still has hiswartime diaries.

Juanita's StoryJuanita's Family Photo Tour

Juanita's Story

"My father fought in the Civil War," Those hearing memake this simple statement of fact almost always try tocorrect what they believe must be my mistake. "Yourgrandfather or great-grandfather, you mean," they say.

No. My father, Hugh Tudor, a proud Welshman whose parentsemigrated to America from the Machynlleth area in themiddle of the 19th century fought for the Union side in theAmerican Civil War - and I have a tintype of him in uniformand his wartime diaries to prove it. Hugh Tudor fought in theAmerican Civil War from February 26,1864 until he wasdischarged on August 3, 1865. You see, my father was 78years old when I was born.

His story was recently featured in the BBC documentary,'Star Spangled Dragon'. His father, David Tudor was born in1815 and his mother, Mary Owens Tudor, was born in 1824.They were married on May 9, 1842 at Talywern Chapel,Penegoes near Machynlleth in the county of Montgomery.Mary's father is listed as John Owens of Syberwyn farm andDavid's as Hugh Tudor of Graiglan Ddu

The young couple soon emigrated to the United States andafter staying with relatives in Cincinnati, Ohio, settled inLouisa County, Iowa on 200 acres of land in Long Creek,Columbus City Township. Soon the area had a large Welshpopulation.

Hugh Tudor, my father, was born in Louisa County, Iowa onSeptember 23, 1847. In February 1864, although he was only16 years old, he enlisted in the United States Army. Theminimum age for enlistment was 18, but because he wouldnot tell a lie, he wrote the number 18 on a piece of paperand put it in his shoe. Therefore, when he was asked if hewas "over 18" he could tell the truth! He was assigned toCompany F, 25th Regiment of the Iowa Infantry and neverrose above the rank of private.

His wartime diaries give a dayby day account of his militarytravels from Iowa through

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Missouri, Kentucky, toTennessee and on toChattanooga. He was in thesame vicinity as GeneralSherman but was on sick calland did not join the "March tothe Sea". On March 23, 1865,he writes that his regiment was reviewed that day by GeneralSherman. A check of General Sherman's personal letters tohis wife and son on the same date also tells of reviewing thetroops the same day.

When the war was over in April 1865, Hugh was inWashington, DC and marched with the Army of the Potomacin the Grand Review in front of dignitaries at the U.S. Capitolon May 24. It makes me proud to know that my father wasthere and left a record of his military life.

Because he was a farm boy, Hugh's diary entriesconcentrated on the weather, crops and the lay of the land.At best, my father probably had an 8th grade education buthis mother and father could read and write English. Hughrecorded from whom he received mail and to whom he wrote.

In March 1864 he wrote to Rev. David Knowles, hishometown Welsh minister, and noted that it was "the firstWelsh letter I wrote in my life". He also made money bywriting letters for other soldiers. He also did washing forother soldiers, and kept track of how many "drawers andshirts" he washed and how much he was paid. One entry wasmarked "killed" - I guess he didn't get paid for that job!

He also told how much he paid for special foods such as"ginger bread, 10, candy, 5 and can of peaches,10". At timesthe soldiers were forced to forage food - no doubt from thecellars and gardens of southern farms.

He suffered bouts of dysentery, had measles along the way,but was never wounded. He enjoyed sending small gifts andreceiving them from his younger sisters. His father often sentpaper and stamps. He used that paper and stamps to write

to someone special back home, Elizabeth Watkins. More...

Written by Juanita Tudor Lowrey

your comments

Hugh Tudor, llanilarJust read your comment lynn plona could have some info onyour family that might connect you to richard who happens tobe my brotherFri Jan 15 10:10:37 2010

Lynn Plona Cincinnati, OhHi Juanita! I was so excited to read your article because Ihave been trying to trace your Dads cousin William Tudor,born in Wales in 1811 (or 1815), and settled in Cincinnati (myDads Mothers father). I believe these are the relatives yourgrandfather visited in Cincinnati. Your grandfather David Tudor

and William Tudor (my ggggrandfather)were brothers.Hername was Ann Tudor. My Dads name is Richard Tudor Halland we think your Dad and his father had the same father -Richard. I am going to Aberystwyth Wales in a month andwould like more geneology info on Richard - your grandfather.Do you know where they were from? My grandmother had anaddress of relatives in Aberyswyth but we have lost it. Thereis a Richard Tudor in Aberystwyth and we are trying toconnect our family to them. Thanks for the article! Sun Dec 27 18:15:18 2009

David Demmy, Harrisburg, PAFrom the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil WarHeadquarters, Juanita and I spoke at length today about herfather's life's adventure! Juanita desires to be listed amongother descendants of veterans of America's civil war. OurCommittee on Living Union Civil War Widows and Children willbe contacting Juanita for her and her sister’s personal data forthe SUVCW website Wed Aug 12 09:51:15 2009

Danny DavisHi Rowland. I hope to get in touch with you soon. I now livein Mediapolis and hopefully will get time to contact you.THanks.- DannySun Jun 7 20:32:02 2009

Sion Conlin Drenewydd, Mid Wales.What a wonderful story,I have been interested in theAmerican civil war since childhood. Despite my surname thereare many Welsh surnames in my family, one of whom by thesurname of Lewis had connections to Abe Lincoln. Can anyoneprovide any info on this? I believe the family orignated in theMach area, Diolch.Thu Aug 21 10:33:25 2008

Sandra Jones Ireland, Charlottetown, Prince EdwardYour story is very interesting. My great great Grandparentsare buried in the cemetary of the Welsh Church of Old Man'sCreek, near Iowa City, Iowa. Along with some of the Tudorswho were also associated with that church. It has been a longtime since I've been to that church, about 20 years, but thatwas where I attended my first Gymanfa Ganu, and alsoconnected with some distant relatives.. some of whom did notwant to connect! That is often the way the world goes. MyGreat Grand father on my mother's side also fought in theWar between the States. He was not Welsh (that we know of---the place of his origin in the UK doesn't exist from theimmigration records, and he couldn't write, so we know verylittle about him. We think he may have been from the Welshborderlands, but do not know. Mon Jul 9 11:52:28 2007

Sioned Rees-Jones, AberystwythI also think that I am related. I have recently been looking atthe Tudor family tree and can trace it back to an other HughTudor from Penegoes Machynlleth circa 1625. I would verymuch like to get in touch with Juanita.Fri Apr 27 13:10:05 2007

Danny DavisHello! My ancestors helped build the Church and were the firstto be buried in the Cambrian Cemetary. They also helpederect the old Wyman School house. The relatives I remembergrowing up were Thomas "Dewey" Davis, Sarah Davis, HomerDavis and my Grandpa, John Davis (Winfield). I have been

researching my tree for quite some time now. Anyone withany info or would like to know anymore, I would love to hearfrom you. (I believe our kin came from Merionethshire andleft a port at Pennal, Wales).Mon Jul 10 10:47:40 2006

Rowland E Rees, IowaI am writing as I have some information that may be ofinterest to you. I am Rowland E. Rees of Long Creek , LouisaCounty Ia., U.S.A..I am secretary to the board of theCambrian Cemetery Louisa Co. Iowa. We have buried in ourcemetery Rev. David Knowles and his family, Ann Tuder wifeof Hugh Tudor, died Nov.25, 1855, Aged 66 Yrs. This may beof some interest to you.Thu Sep 15 09:26:50 2005

Steve Lowrey from Bristol, EnglandAfter seeing the name Lowrey, I just had to read this storyand boy am I glad I did. Thanks for sharing this tale.Fri May 27 19:04:02 2005

Huw Tudor, Llanerfyl, Mid WalesI believe that I am related to Juanita, as my Tudor roots alsogo back to Darowen, Machynlleth, my grandfather was a HughTudor and it seems we are quite short of names in the family.Any way of contacting Juanita would be appreciated, Regards,Huw Tudor

Thanks for your message Huw. Do you have an emailaddress? Send it to us at [email protected] and we canforward your request to Juanita - Mid Wales Web TeamTue Nov 16 22:29:17 2004

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From Mach to Missouri - 2Last updated: 07 November 2011

Read the second part ofAmerican Juanita TudorLowrey's story where shetalks about her ancestors'Welsh connections andrecounts her trip back to herMachynlleth roots.

After being 'mustered out' of the Union Army in 1865 hereturned to the Welsh community where he married ElizabethWatkins in Iowa City, Iowa in 1867. Hugh and ElizabethTudor settled one state south of Iowa in the small farmingcommunity of Dawn, in Livingston County, Missouri. Joiningthe many Welsh families who had emigrated to this farmingcommunity in the 1860s and 1870s from Pembrokeshire,Carmarthenshire and Glamorgan.

Hugh was a well-regarded member of the community, helpingto establish the local Welsh Cemetery. He was alsosomething of a local business entrepreneur selling lightningrods as he traveled the country as secretary of the localfarmers' insurance company - while still operating his own 40acre farm.

After 50 years of marriage, Elizabeth Watkins died at theirhome in 1917. But the proud Union soldier and Welshmanstill longed for children at the age 73. So, on September 22,1920, Hugh married my mother, Mary Morgan, who was 'fullWelsh' and from Dawn, and had known Hugh Tudor herwhole life. She was 34, 39 years his junior.

My sister, HuDean, was bornon September 16, 1924 and Iwas born on June 17,1926. InSeptember 1928 he proudlyshowed off his young family atthe National Encampment ofthe Grand Army of theRepublic (GAR) in Denver,Colorado. He died of heartfailure at his home onNovember 30, 1928. I was just 2 years old and rememberlittle about "Papa". However, I believe he was a hard-working, Christian man who loved his family and wasrespected in his community.

In 1983 my late husband Tom DeFord and I vacationed inWales. With the help of the Jehu family of Pen-y-Banc, wefound part of a stone wall from the house on the Syberwynfarm. Mary and Alun Jehu took us to the farm of GwyllynMorris who owned Graiglan Ddu. He was in a hurry to go tothe lamb market in Machynlleth and remarked, "I wish youTudors would come by sometime except Wednesday!"However, he took us to Greiglan Ddu, but since it was a 'rent


Family HistoryAber and BeyondBarrell Family MemoriesBurma VisitCastle and MemorialConsti HillDevils BridgeFrom Mach to Missouri - 1From Mach to Missouri - 2From Mach to Missouri - Juanita's PhotosGreenfield StreetHarbour, Marina, and PromHavard Family RootsRay's RootsReturning to AberSearching for Jones and JonesStudents of Brecon CollegeUncle David



house', we couldn't go in.

We went inside the Darowen Chapel and roamed the grounds.We also went to Talywern Chapel where my grandparentshad wed 141 years before. What a blessing to visit the 'Landof My Fathers!' Such beautiful countryside. The area aroundmy hometown of Dawn, Missouri is also hilly and green, so

one can understand why the Welsh settled there!

Written by Jaunita Tudor Lowrey from Missouri

Juanita Tudor DeFord Lowrey is now 78 and lives with hersecond husband Russell Lowrey in Gladstone, Missouri - justan hour away from Dawn where her father and mother areburied in the Welsh Cemetery.

Russell Lowrey grew up on the farm over the hill from theTudors and is one of 11 children, some of whom rememberHugh Tudor. They have provided many details of Hugh's lifein Dawn that his youngest daughter, only 2 at the time of hisdeath, could not have remembered.

Juanita's Family PhotosJuanita's Story - Part 1

your comments

Jeff Griffith from DawnI grew up just outside of dawn the first house on the northside of the road headed east out of dawn. I knew HadleyPrice my grandmother and grandfather (Kenneth & VirginaGriffth) lived in the farm house behind hadleys house. Wheni was a young boy I fished in hadleys pond I have a lot ofmemories of hadley. The one thing i remember most isevery time i would see him he would ask me if i had caughtany fish i would say yes of course he then would ask where icaught them at i would tell him i couldnt say he would saythats right and if anyone ever ask you that you tell themyou caught it right here and he would make his finger like ahook put if in his mouth and hook it on his lip as if to say totell them i caught it in the mouth.

Dave Price (David Price 3rd)You probably knew Hadley Price in Dawn. Hadley was myfather's first cousin. Hadley's father was John or "Nonnie"Price, the brother of my Grandfather David L Price, Sr. Mygreat grandparnts were John and Mary Phillips Price andwere both born in South Wales. This John Price was also inthe Union army during the war. My grandfather was born in1871 the same year that David Livingstone was found inAfrica by Henry Morton Stanley. Wanting to name a childafter the famous missionary and assuming that Livingstonewas spelled like Livingston County, they named him DavidLivingston Price and I still carry the name all these yearslater. I have heard of Hugh Tudor all my life as he issupposed to have visited my Great-grandfather on hisdeathbed. Hadley once pointed out your dad's grave to mein the Welsh cemetery in Dawn.

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From Mach to Missouri - Juanita's PhotosLast updated: 07 November 2011

Juanita Tudor Lowrey lives in Missouri in the USA but herfamily hail from Darowen near Machynlleth in Powys. Herfather, Hugh Tudor, is one of the Welsh Americans whofought in the US Civil War between 1864-1865.

Read Juanita's Story

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Juanita's father Hugh Tudor was a soldier in Company F,25th Regiment of the Iowa Volunteer Force and fought on

the Union side in the American Civil War.

your comments

Conni Tudor Lynch, Iowa City, Iowa USAI saw your website and the message posted by Gwawr Jonesof Wales. I am her "relation" from the USA and would loveto know where I can contact Juanita, or at least find outabout her books. Are copies for sale? I am researching herfamily in Missouri in hopes of connecting our "Tudors". Thankyou for any information you can give me. Tue Jul 3 12:15:34 2007

Berwyn Jones, Lincoln, NebraskaDear Juanita, The Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre inWymore, Nebraska, would very much like to have copies ofyour pictures and stories for our museum. We would be gladto cover all expenses of copying and sending thesematerials, so we can add them to our growing collectionFri Nov 12 21:36:28 2004

Gwawr Jones, Bangor, GwyneddIn my own family research into my Montgomeryshire roots(Pryce, Baxter etc.), I traced a distant relation from Ohiowhose name includes the Tudor surname. Her family alsoemigrated from the Penegoes/Darowen area at the sametime as Junaita's, so it is extremely likely that she is related





http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/family_history/pages/juanita_photos.shtml?1

to Juanita Tudor Lowrey.

I saw the programme in the series 'Star-spangled Dragon'and as I had happened to video it, I sent the video toAmerica. I realise that they have a different system overthere, but my relation is trying to get it adapted.

I have also tried, via the producers of the programme, toget my relation and Juanita in touch with one another. Shewill be thrilled when I tell her of this site, and all the photosfrom Juanita's family album. Thank you very much. Wed Nov 10 11:09:12 2004

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

During his time in the Union Army (1864-1865, Hugh Tudorkept a detailed diary of his life as a soldier.








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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hugh Tudor married Mary Morgan, his second wife in 1920at the ripe old age of 73. Mary was 33 years old.







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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hugh and Mary had two daughters - HuDean who was bornin 1924 and Juanita, who was born in 1926. They were both

raised on the family farm.







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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This photo of Juanita's family was taken outside their homein Dawn, Missouri - a town settled by many Welsh

immigrants from the counties of Mid and West Wales.







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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This is Hugh and his family visiting his sisters Myrtle TudorLlewellyn and Sarah Tudor Davies in Colarado. They were ontheir way to the National Encampment of the Grand Army of

the Republica in Denver, September 1928.







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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hugh was the centre of attraction at the Army Conventiondue to his young family! This article featured on the front

page of the Denver Morning Post.







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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This article was published in Juanita's local paper back in1963. At the time, Juanita and her mother were probably

the youngest surviving widow and daughter of any AmericanCivil War Veteran.







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Juanita outside her paternal grandfather's home - GreiglanDdu, Darowen near Machynlleth in July 1983.







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During her visit to Darown in 1983, Juanita met the Jehufamily of Pen-y-Banc. They helped her locate her ancestors'

homes and chapels.







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This is Tal-y-Wern Baptist Chapel, Penegoes, where HughTudor's parents (Juanita's grandparents) were married on 9

May 1842.







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Juanita found the gravestone of her great grandfather JohnOwen in the chapel graveyard at Darowen.

Read Juanita's story






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