To Sherry: I too know the frustration of trying to find that illusive Downing ancestor. In almost 30 yrs, my research has moved two generations. The second generation came only 2 yrs. ago when Joe Downing found an old letter in Missouri that told us which Timothy Downing in Mason Co., Ky. was ours. Here we had been chasing the wrong one for years. Joe and I have been researching together since 1986. We don't always agree but having another genealogist to bounce ideas off is always good luck. Do I know who Tim's parents and siblings are? Wish I did. There was a story passed down in the Downing family that has confused many issues. I'm not even certain how many wifes Tim had. My feeling is that Tim was either the brother of uncle of Joseph Downing b. 1748 Maryland. I also believe he could have been the brother of a Willam Downey/Downing that died 1772 in Sharpsburg, MD. Tim witnessed his will and served in the Frederick Co. militia (Joseph Chapline's Co) in 1767 with this William. There is a Timothy Downing bc. 1700-1710 that appears on the Collins Hundred 1733 tax list. He settles on the Manor of Concocheague in what is now Washington Co., MD and is last heard from when he witnessed the will of Edward Doso[n] (Dawson) in 1747 Pr. George Co., MD.(Pr. Geo. Co. Will Bk 1, p115) You may have had this info before. We are fairly stuck on how all these Downings fit together. Lots of ideas but no real proof. Mary Lou