Mary E. Keeling 1833 - 1894
Mary Keeling Powell
Mary Powell
Mary Powell Downen
Mary Downen
Mary was the daughter of Littleton Keeling (1796-1858) and Elizabeth Byrd (1810-1883). She was born 12 April 1833 in Posey County, Indiana, USA.
She married Manolen (?) Powell (ca. 1833-(1862-1867)) on 6 November 1859 in Posey County. They had the following children:
Julia Powell (1860-1940)
Amanda Powell (1862-1931)
Mary and Timothy Downen (1830-1898) were married on 26 September 1867 in Posey County. They had the following children:
Sarah Jane Downen (1868-1936)
James Downen (1870-1936)
Mark (or Marcus) Downen (1872 - 1947)
I have not been able to locate Mary's family in the 1850 census, although they should have been living in Black Township of Posey County at that time.
The first place I have found Mary in the census is after her marriage to Manolen Powell. They appeared together in the 1860 census in Black Township along with another Mary Powell (who I am guessing is Manolen's mother) and a 27 year old named Adaniza Blakesley who is probably Manolen's sister if she is a relative. (census image here)
I don't know what happened to Manolen between 1862 (when their youngest daughter Amanda was born) and 1867, when Mary and Timothy Downen were married. Most likely he died, although I have been unable to find him in the Posey County cemetery indexes I have. In any event, in 1867 Mary and Tim Downen did get hitched (Tim's wife Rachel Mills Downen had died the year before), and the 1870 census found the Powell and Downen families consolidated, this time in Robinson Township of Posey County. Just as an aside, Timothy's daughter Angeline married Mary's brother Charles the year after Mary and Timothy got married, so the ties between the two families must have extended well beyond the single marriage. (census image here) (View neighbors in html)
By the 1880 census, there were several new additions to the family and a couple of losses, although the losses were fortunately due to marriage and not death. Mary's daughter Julia Powell married Otis Mills in 1879. Tim's daughter Esther Ann married John Allyn in 1878 and Tim's son Felix married John Allyn's sister Catherine in 1880. Amanda Powell was still living there, although she was listed as a Downen. In addition, a granddaughter was living with them as well, although she is erroneously listed as a daughter. Minnie was the daughter of Tim's oldest son Joseph and Ellen Finch Downen, but Ellen died in 1876 so presumably Joseph moved back into the house to have help taking care of his infant daughter. (census image here)
Mary died in Posey County in January 1894 and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery near Mount Vernon in Posey County. All of the younger children were married off by the time of Mary's death except for Mark (or Marcus) who married Cassie Wade in December 1894. Timothy died at Oliver Station (also known as Oliver) in Lynn Township in Posey County in 1898 and was buried next to Mary.
Other Links
Mary Keeling Downen page at Find A Grave
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