Della Cox 1873-1933
Della Cox Downen
Della Downen
Della Downen Murdock
Della Murdock
Della Cox was born on 4 August 1873 in Saline County, Illinois, the daughter of Thomas Cox (1843-1883) and Sarah Hunter Cox (1847-1874).
She married Willis Downen on 3 August 1893 in Posey County, Indiana. They had the following children:
Lawrence Addison Downen (1898-1971)
Fred Downen (1901-1976)
Della never showed up in the census with her birth parents. Her mother died a year after she was born, in 1874. Her father did remarry and stayed in Saline County, Illinois, but for some reason Della was living with her paternal grandparents as of the 1880 census, in Center Township of Posey County. (census image here)
Della married Willis Downen in 1893 and the two of them were found in the 1900 census in Gallatin County, Illinois, along with son Lawrence. They must have just moved to Gallatin Couny within the last two years because Lawrence's birthplace is listed as Indiana and he was only born in 1898. In addition to Lawrence, Willis's 10 year old niece Christena Utley showed up, which is a puzzler, because she also showed up at home in the same census with her parents John Henry Utley and Elizabeth Downen Utley. (census image here)
By the 1910 census their son Fred had been born, and Lawrence was still there, although Christena was no longer double dipping on the census by then and showed up once, and only once, with her husband John Endicott. (census image here)
Between 1910 and 1914 the family moved out to California. Unfortunately, the reason it can be dated so precisely is that Willis died in March 1914, apparently in California, and was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Fresno, California.
Between Willis's death and 1920, Della married John Murdock, and she and John and Fred were found together in the 1920 census in Tulare County, California (right next to Fresno County). Lawrence was still living in Fresno but he too moved to Tulare County between 1920 and 1930. (census image here)
At the time of the 1930 census Della and John Murdock were still living in Dinuba in Tulare County. Fred had moved out, he was still living in Dinuba, but he was married by then and had a daughter. (census image here)
Della died on 5 December 1933 and is buried next to Willis in the Odd Fellows Cemetery, althrough her headstone reads Della Downen Murdock, which could mislead one into thinking she was Willis's sister and not his wife. It looks as if Lawrence and Fred spent most of the rest of their lives in California; both died there in the 1970s. I do not know what became of John Murdock, I can't find him in the California Death index, so he may have died before 1940.
Other Links
Della Cox Downen page at Find A Grave
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