if this pans out, you have tied up a lot of loose ends for the downing family of mason co,ky. do you work Reason Downing of Henry Co,KY into this in any way. not my line anymore, but interested, keep me advised, joe [email protected] Original Message -------- Subject: Downing-Stephens Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 13:50:51 -0500 From: <[email protected]> To: Linda Ready <[email protected]>, Bill Furr <[email protected]>, Wilene Smith <[email protected]>, Deborah Barker <[email protected]>, Ken Downing <[email protected]>, David Miller <[email protected]> CC: Pam Farnsworth <[email protected]>, Dixie Kennedy <[email protected]>, Connie L Beam <[email protected]>, Clyde Downing <[email protected]> Dear researchers, Last spring I received information on my Morrow branch in Lewis Co., Missouri and had no idea where it was going to lead me. I have pieced together something very interesting and just have to share it. Some of you don't know me and others I have had contact with in the past. My 3rd great grandparents were Elias Morrow and Charity DOWNING (b. abt 1823 in KY). When I started looking at all their adult children on the 1880 census, some listed mother born in Indiana. So I'm thinking, born in Kentucky and moved to Indiana as a young child! Then I couldn't find their daughter, Cynthia, on the1880 census. After many attempts I finally found her listed as Cynthia Morris living in KEOKUK CO., Iowa with the Reason DOWNING family. The word "niece" led to one of those moments where I slap the computer desk with excitement. I had collected info on Reason over the years because of the Downing surname and his location in Richland Twp, Keokuk Co., Iowa where I have alot of ancestry. This had me scurrying into my STEPHENS files where I had seen the DOWNING name before. A Jeremiah Downing married to Phoebe Stephens dau. of WILLIAM S. STEPHENS (my 6th grt.). William died in FOUNTAIN CO., Ind. in 1838 and is a focal point of what I have pieced together. I will refer to him often. Basically here is my theory- -Charity, Reason, and a James are children of Jeremiah Downing and Phoebe Stephens -Jeremiah and John (m.Susanna Wilkinson) are children of James Downing and Charity Furr Key locations are KEOKUK Co., Ia., LEWIS Co. Mo., FOUNTAIN Co., Ind., and JESSAMINE Co., Ky. Here are my pieces- CHARITY DOWNING - b. abt 1823 in Kentucky, could have moved to Indiana as a young child - m. Elias Morrow in Lewis Co., Mo. in 1847, Elias's sister Nancy is m. to a James Downing and lived in Lewis Co., Mo., also. - 2nd son is listed as Jere B. on 1850 census, later uses Benjamin as his name. - 1st dau. named Phoebe Jane. - son William E. Morrow m. Nancy Jane McConnell in Keokuk Co., Ia. in 1876. Nancy is a 2nd grt granddaughter of William S. Stephens. William and Nancy are my 2nd greats. - son Martin is living in Keokuk Co., Ia. in 1880 - daughter Cynthia is living in Keokuk Co., Ia. in 1880 with Reason Downing family and is listed as niece. Cynthia m. William H. Downing (son of Reason) in Lewis Co., Mo. in 1882. They would be 1st cousins. - d. 1902 in Lewis Co., Mo. REASON DOWNING - b. abt 1835 in Indiana - m. Drusilla McKinney, grt granddaughter of William S. Stephens, in 1856 in Keokuk Co., Ia. - lived in Keokuk Co., Ia. in 1860, 1870, 1880 - 1st dau. named Phoebe Ann - d. 1883, buried in Reed Cemetery, Richland Twp., Keokuk Co., Ia.. This cemetery has a few Fountain Co., Ind. people in it. - son William m. Cynthia dau. of Charity mentioned above JAMES DOWNING - b. abt 1819 in Kentucky - m. to Nancy Morrow, sister-in-law of Charity Downing above. - lived in Lewis Co., Mo. in 1850 and 1860. - 1st dau. named Phoebe J. - d. aft.1860 JEREMIAH DOWNING This is the Jeremiah Downing, son of James Downing and Charity Furr that I like for my theory. http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=bfurr4&id=I168 - b. aft. 1793 - m. to Phoebe Stephens in Jessamine Co. Ky. between 1799-1820. Two other daughters of William S. Stephens married in this county in the same time frame. - 1822 land grant in Shelby Co., Ind. Says he is from Jessamine Co., Ky. This about the time Charity was born and a possible move to Indiana when she was very young. -1830 census, Addison Twp., Shelby Co., Ind. age 30-40. Also in this twp. is a Samuel Morgan, probably part of Margaret Stephens Morgan's family, dau. of William S. Stephens, and sister of Phoebe Stephens. -d. before June 1837, Administration of Estate in Fountain Co., Ind. http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=wilkinsonwilene&id=I0320 PHOEBE STEPHENS -b. abt 1800 based on 1830 census, she is listed last in the will of William S. Stephens, 1838 Fountain Co., Ind. This to me indicates that she could be the youngest of his children. -1840 census, a Jane Downing, 30-40 is in Shawnee Twp., Fountain Co., Ind. I've seen alot of "Phoebe Jane"s and I think this could be her. Brother David Stephens is in the same twp. JOHN DOWNING - m. Susannah Wilkinson Jan. 1, 1832, in Fountain Co., Ind. - d. abt 1835? in Fountain Co., Ind. - widow and sons moved to Davis Co., Ia. Deborah and Wilene, do you think John and Jeremiah could be brothers? And sons of James Downing and Charity Furr? JAMES DOWNING and CHARITY FURR -They had a dau., Keziah Nancy who m. Joseph Higbee. Their children settled in Clark Co., Mo. which is next to the northern part of Lewis Co., Mo. where my Morrow-Downing group was. http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=lready&id=I0217 - William Furr, bro. of Charity, d. in Fountain Co., Ind. in 1856 and his descendants where numerous in that county. One Washington Furr m. Ann Stephens in 1855. http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=bfurr4&id=I161 - James Downing had a brother named Reason http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=kdown&id=I4 -I like the name Charity. It was my 3rd great grandmother's name! OK folks, what do you think? Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Please forward this to anyone that it might interest. Sharon Mourer Gail Downing [email protected]