William Downen 1822 - 1897
William Downen was born in Posey County, Indiana, USA, on 15 August 1822. He was the son of Josiah Downen (1780-1845) and Ann Barton Downen (1792-1845).
He married Elizabeth Barton (1825-1856) on 2 November 1843. They had the following children:
Louisa Downen (1844-Before 1850)
John Downen (1847-Before 1850)
Josiah Downen (1849-1939)
Alma Ronda Downen (1851-Before 1860)
Parthenia Downen (1854-Before 1860)
After Elizabeth's death William married Rutha Maria Gwaltney (1836-1874) on 11 November 1857 in Posey County. They had the following children:
Benjamin Downen (1858-After 1870)
Julia Anna (or Anna Julia) Downen (1860-(1880-1883))
Joseph Downen (1861-1898)
Sarah E. Downen (1864-After 1885)
Elizabeth Downen (1866-1952)
Delia Downen (1869-1905)
Willis H. Downen (1872-1914)
I initially thought William must have been allergic to census takers or hiding under an assumed name, then I found a reference on Downens.org that steered me in the right direction - - Ancestry.com's search logic is kind of stupid when it comes to the Downen family. Downing and Downey are both variants or misspellings of Downen and I was having no luck until I searched those variants, then I was able to find William in the 1850 and 1860 censuses.
The family first showed up in the 1850 census in Robinson Township in Posey County. The only glitch is that the family name was rendered as Downing, not Downen. Minor detail. Josiah was apparently the only one of Elizabeth's children to survive, since the other two siblings of his that are thought to have been born before Josiah are not listed. (census image here)
After Elizabeth's death and William's marriage to Rutha, the family showed up in the 1860 census (this time rendered as Downey). Josiah is still there, as are Rutha's children Benjamin and Julia. In addition, a 21 year old named John Parke also showed up, I have no idea if he was family or a hired hand. (census image here)
The family was still in Robinson Township when the 1870 census was taken. The census takers finally got the surname correct. Josiah, Benjamin and Julia were still there, as were the newer additions Joseph, Sarah, Elizabeth, Delia, and now William. William appears to be William M. Downen, a first cousin twice removed of William the head of household. William M.'s parents Job and Ellen Coker Downen disappear after the 1860 census but I believe they are the biological parents of the William who shows up here as being born ca. 1858. (census image here) (View neighbors in html)
After Rutha's death in 1874, it seems as if William did not remarry. At the time of the 1880 census he and his family were in Mount Vernon in Posey County. Sarah, Elizabeth and Delia were still at home, as was Willis, who had been born after the 1870 census. Benjamin does not appear, I hope further research will reveal his whereabouts. One would hope that he got married and moved out but I would not assume the best, given how harsh life was back then. Cousin William (if that is in fact what he is) shows up elsewhere in the Robinson Township census that year. Julia Ann married John Utley and had a daughter with him; the three of them showed up in the census that same year in nearby Marrs Township. Joseph was living somewhere else but I have not been able to find him in the 1880 census. Josiah was living not far away in Lynn Township in Posey County. (census image here)
Delia married her second cousin Otis Barton in 1890. Willis married Della Cox in 1893 and moved to Gallatin County, Illinois. Julia apparently died between 1880 and 1884 and Elizabeth married Julia's husband John Utley. Sarah married Millard Bolen in 1885 but I don't know what happened to her after that, it may be a subject for further research.
William died on 8 February 1897 in Posey County and was buried in Kissick/Downen Cemetery in Posey County, next to Rutha. (His first wife Elizabeth is buried in Calvin/Crunk Cemetery in Posey County).
Other Links
William Downen page at Find A Grave
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