Annie Lowe was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England in 1854. Her father was James Lowe, a carpenter, and her mother was Hannah nee Green. Annie's brother, John William, named after both grandfathers, was born in 1857.

On Wednesday 28th of October 1857 James, Hannah, four year old Annie and baby John William, set sail from London for Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand. The Lowes were not cabin passengers, but steerage passengers. The ship was the Palmyra and the trip took 110 days, arriving in Dunedin on Sunday 14th of February 1858. The Palmyra weighed 706 tons and the captain was Captain Tierney. There were nine deaths during the voyage.

Upon arrival in Dunedin, the family lived in a small whare of manuka scrub with a tarred tarpauline for a roof. Bedsteads, tables and the rest of the furniture were made by using the chests marked "Wanted" and "Not Wanted on the Voyage". The food was simple, and eaten outside. They soon moved from their temporary hut into a hotel as boarders.

In 1862 Annie's sister Emma was born, and in 1864 a second sister, Eliza, was born.

By 1864 the Lowes were living at Bay View Hotel in Maitland Street, Dunedin. They lived there until 1871 when they shifted to Dowling Street in the centre of town. In that same year, on 5 April 1871, Annie married Harry Goodman, a horse trainer of the suburb of Caversham. They were married in the Dunedin Registry Office. James Lowe, the father of the bride, gave consent because Annie was a minor. They set up home in 6 Surrey Road, Caversham. A Presbyterian Church now occupies the site. Harry was short; Annie was a tall woman.

The following year, on 6 March 1872, their first child, Annie Eliza Goodman, was born. She was to be the first of twelve children, and the only girl. The boys were Henry James Goodman (1873), Thomas Daniel Goodman (1875), Albert Goodman (1877), Walter Goodman (1879), Arthur Goodman (1882), Sydney Goodman (1884), Charles Goodman (1886), Frank Goodman (1888), Alfred Goodman (1890), Edward Goodman (1893) and John William Goodman (1895).

On 1 February 1885, the husband of Annie's sister-in-law, Henry Vivian, died, aged 46. Some time after this, Sophia and possibly all her seven sons went to live with Annie and Harry Goodman. As well, Annie's parents were now living with her. Apprentice jockeys also boardered with the Goodmans. All in all there could well have been several dozen to cook for. There are some reports that Granny Goodman lived with them too, but this has not been verified - and it seems she had died in Australia in 1865.

On the 23rd of October 1895, Annie's daughter Annie was married to Thomas Buddicom.

In 1888 Annie and Harry shifted house to 3 Cross Street. It is high on the hills over looking the city, harbour, coastline, Forbury Race Course and Carisbrook Rugby Park. They were to live there for twenty years. The original home has since been replaced.

In 1889, her son Sydney died aged 5. On the 17th of July 1890, Annie's father James died. He had been ill for some time with kidney disease. On the 28th of March 1896, Annie's mother died of a heart attack. In 1898, her son Edward died aged 5. In 1900, her son Frank died, at the same time as her sister-in-law Sophia.

In 1900, her son Albert left for the Boer War, followed by her son Thomas in 1902.

On the 16th of April 1901, Annie's son Henry married Annie Mehalske. On the 2nd of February 1904, son Albert married Martha Burgess. Also in 1904, son Walter married Marie Minotta Dunwoodie. On the 15th of February 1905, son Thomas married Sarah Bentley Sharp.

From 1909 until 1912 Annie and Harry lived at 3 Sussex Street, South Dunedin. In 1911, son Alfred married Eveline Mary Dale. From 1913 to 1915 Annie and Henry resided at 21 Nicholson Street with their son Charles. Both the house at Sussex Street and the house at Nicholson Street have been replaced.

From the end of 1914 Harry Goodman was unwell with diarrhoea. At the beginning of April 1915 he was at the races at Christchurch with Annie and had to be attended by a doctor. Other doctors had attended him earlier, but they could not tell Annie what was wrong with him. They simply said he had an "internal complaint". Harry died on the 23rd of April 1915, after been kicked by a horse. The post mortem revealed that the horse kick had burst a hydatid cyst in the liver.

After Harry's death Annie moved to 85 South Road where she lived for 5 years. In 1920 her son Arthur died in Queenstown.

In 1923 she moved to Peter Street, Caversham, with her son Charles. The house on South Road has been pulled down to make way for the Main Highway South, and the house in Peter Street has been replaced. On the 17th of October 1923 her son John married Edith Jeanette Smith.

It was at Peter Street that Annie died of a heart attack on Tuesday 26 July 1932. For 6 days she had had bronchitis. She was 78, and was buried by Canon Button at the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin, with her husband and eventually five of her sons. The grave is next to her parents' unmarked grave.

Annie was known to be of a quiet, retiring disposition, although she had a very wide circle of friends. Her obituary in Dunedin's Evening Star describes her as a kind-hearted and dutiful woman, ever ready to help others. Specially will she be remembered by the men who as boys passed through their apprenticeship in Mr Goodman's stable. She mothered them well, and her influence on them was for good.