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Facts and Events
Henry Downs, Jr. was one of the Early Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia
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Birthdate of Henry Downs, Jr.
Some sources claim that Henry Downs, Jr. was born in 1728 in Pennsylvania, but records in Augusta County, Virginia beginning in 1746 indicate Henry, Jr. was most likely an adult by that date and was probably born a few years earlier than 1728, perhaps abt. 1724.
Early Land Acquisition in Virginia
Acquisition of Land from Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants 1742-1775, Vol. 2:
- H-426: Henry Downs Jr. of Orange County, 103 acres in Culpepper county. Surv. Mr. William Green. East of Stangon River, adjoining Charles Neal, John Simpson, Neal's Mt., Neal's line now Henry Downs Jr. 2 March 1754. [Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1742-1775, Vol. 2, pg. 145].
Acquisition of Land from Chalkley's:
- 1751, April 6th--Henry Downs, Jr., 400 (acres), between his own and Wm. Thompson's land, vid. Jno. Madison.
Disposition of Land from Chalkley's:
- Page 63.--6th October, 1758. Hendry Downs and Francis to Joseph Hanna, £100, 300 acres on South River, Shanando, lower end of tract Joseph now lives on, and part of 400 patented to Alexander Thompson, 30th July, 1742. Teste: Andrew Leeper. Delivered: Joseph Hanna, June, 1772.
Early Land Acquisition in North Carolina
- Before the Revolutionary War, specifically on December 23rd, 1763, the British Crown, King George III, gave Arthur Dobbs, then royal governor of North Carolina, permission to deed Henry Downs 500 acres on the waters of the four mile branch, McAlpine Creek and Sugar Creek. The original grant in 1763 to Henry Downs has become Raintree property and the Cedarwood golf course. In 1795, Henry Downs was granted 500 additional acres in the state of North Carolina. Downs Grant Homeowners's Association Website
Processioning List of 1747
- "Processioning" was the periodic review and agreement of property lines between settler's lands. Processioning Lists are useful in determining the general area of a settler’s lands and their neighbors at specific time periods:
- Vol. 2 - Page 4.--3rd September, 1747: Processioners appointed, viz: Capt. James Campbell and Erwin Patterson, on waters of Roanoke; John Sloane and Hugh Caruthers, on South Side of South Branch of James River joining Roan Oke; Joseph Long and Richard Woods, in Forks of James River; Alex. McClure and Robert Huston, from North Branch of James River to Andrew Baxter's, thence on a straight line to John Hayse's Mill, joining the North Mountain; Francis McCown and John Montgomery, from Andrew Baxter's on a straight line to John Hayse's Mill, joining the North Mountain to the Upper line of Beverley Manor; John Mitchell and James Fulton, from Upper line of Beverley Manor opposite to Robert Ramsey's as low as the Sugar Loaf, thence on a line to William Long's; Wm. McFeeters and Patrick Martin, from upper line of Beverley Manor, near Robert Campbell's, to the Buffalow Gap, from thence to William Ledgerwood's by the Sugar Loaf; Robert Christian and James Caldwell, from William Ledgerwood's in a line as low as John Madison's, thence to Samuel Davis's, near the South Mountain; John Linn and Robert Young, from Buffalow Gap as low as John Madison's, from thence as high as Ledgerwood's; James Hogshead and John Moffett, from Buffalow Gap to Walter Trimble's, from thence to Alex. Blair's, thence to John Finla's; Thomas Stevenson and David Edmonston, from Alex. Blair's to Capt. Samuel Gay's; Edward Erwin's and Wm. McGill, from Alex. Blair's to Samuel Wilkin's, thence to Henry Smith's; Wm. Thompson and Samuel Givens, from Samuel Wilkins to Capt. Henry Downs's, Jr.; Robert Craven and Thomas Harrison, from Samuel Wilkins' to the lower end of the Great Plain to Fairfax's line, thence with the said line to the South Mountain; Daniel Haldman and John Riddle, from Fairfax's line to the Narrows and across to the North Mountain; Mathias Selzer and Abraham Shickler, from Fairfax's line to the extent of the County between the two mountains; Daniel Harrison and Morgan Bryan, from Samuel Wilkins' to the Great Plain to Lord Fairfax's line, thence with the said line to Henry Smith's; John Denton and Abraham Collet, from the Narrows to the extent of the County from mountain to mountain; Wm. McCutchen and James Carlile, Sr., on Little River of Calf Pasture, and the Great River below Dunlap's Gap; Thomas Weams and John Graham, from Dunlap's Gap, including all the waters of Great Calfpasture.
Records of Henry Downs, Jr. in Augusta County, VA
From Chalkley’s Augusta County Records:
- Page 39.--27th March, 1746 (not 7, but 1745-6). Timothy Crosthwaite, of County Orange, to James Patton, _____ consideration; 400 acres in fork of James River granted by patent to William Crosthwaite, deceased, 12th February, 1742, and now in possession of Timothy, eldest son and heir of William. Witnesses, Thomas Chew, Henry Downs, Sr. and Jr. Proved by all the witnesses, 14th February, 1746, and 23d May, 1747.
- Page 55.--9th April, 1746. Francis McCewn, yeoman, to Samuel Norwood, yeoman, £90 current money of Virginia; 500 acres, part of same patent as D. B. 1, p. 48, on Tees Creek. Witnesses, J. Buchanan, Henry Downs, Jr.; James Robertson. Acknowledged by Francis and wife Margaret. 14th April, 1746.
- Vol. 1 - JULY 16, 1746. - (69) Henry Downs to be Sheriff and qualified, and John Hawkins and Henry Downs, Jr., qualified Under Sheriffs.
- Vol. 1 - August 21, 1746. - (77) Henry Downs, Jr., qualified Captain of Foot.
- Vol. 1 - FEBRUARY 18, 1747/8. - (356) Thos. Stinson appd. road overseer from Henry Downs, Jr., to the Meeting House.
- Page 512.--28th February, 1749. William Thompson, Jr., to William Baskins (William Lamb?), 232 acres on Branch of Buffalo Run. Corner James Beard. Patented to William, 1st June, 1741. Teste: Silas Hart, Henry Downs, Jr., William Lamb.
- Page 808.--26th August, 1750. Andrew McConnell, of Lunenburg Co., planter, to John Anderson, farmer, 400 acres, in Mill Creek of South River; corner Robert Hook; corner Wm. Williams. Teste Henry Downs. Jr., and John Poage, Jas. Porteus.
- Vol. 2 - 1751, March 23d--Thos. Turk, 400, on South River, joining Christian Clayman's line and Thos. Keneley. Re-entered 27th Sept., 1752, and 50 shillings for rights tendered; surveyed 11th October, 1752. William Thompson, see Henry Downs, Jr.
- Vol. 2 - 1751, April 5th--John Madison, 400 (acres), joining land he bought from Downs, joining Henry Downs, Jr.
- Page 79.--18th September, 1754. Edward Labourn's appraisement, by Hugh Thompson, James Craig, Saml. Henderson, Henry Downs, Jr.
- Vol. 2 - Page 114--Thomas Hannah's heirs vs. Henry V. Bingham--John Shiflet deposes, 1815, the ford on South River was called Thompson's Ford 50 years ago. Jacob Scott deposes, at his home in Rockingham, he is 70 years old. When he was 20 years old he recalls that his half-brother lived then in a cabin on land now owned by Jno. Mohler on South River, near a cave then called Hannah's Cave, since known as Madison's Cave; present saltpeter works on the land; Mathias Amond lived near the ford; James Lamb and his son, James Lamb. The cave was also called Weyer's or Amond's Cave. Alexr. Hannah deposes, in Augusta, 1814, is 70 years of age; he was 14 years old when his father moved to the plantation where heirs of Thos. Hannah now live; Alexr. was son of Joseph; the Hannah's got Ocher out of the Cave; there was a schoolhouse near the mouth of the cave. Patent, 30th July, 1742, to Alexr. Thompson, 400 acres on South River above the Red Banks. Deed, 9th February, 1745, Thompson to Alexr. Downs of Orange, 300 acres part of above 400 acres. Deed, 18th February, 1746. Thompson to Wm. Beard, tract called Cave Bottom, 100 acres. Deed, 15th July, 1753, by Beard to Robert Frazer, conveys above. Deed, Henry Downs to Joseph Hannah, 5th October, 1758, 300 acres. Deed, 3d July, 1771, by Robert Frazier to Benj. Yearby (Yearly), 100 acres. Patent, 20th July, 1787, to Benj. Yearby (Yearly), 454 acres on South River, opposite Benjamin's other land. Deed, 21st October, 1788, by Benj Yearby to Mathias Amond, 1,180 acres on South River. Recorded in Rockingham. Will of Joseph Hannah, 27th July, 1789, of Rockingham. Sons, Thomas, Alexr., Joseph, David; daughters, Rosana, Mary Boon, Jane Olden; wife, Anna. Recorded in Rockingham, 28th September, 1789. Deed, 22d February, 1796, by Rosana Ocheltree to Mathias Amond, 10-1/4 acres in Rockingham on South River. Recorded in Rockingham, 1796. Deed, 26th September, 1808, by James Lamme and Elizabeth to Wm. Lamme, 90 acres, partly in Augusta and partly in Rockingham, at mouth of Middle River; 40 acres is part of 363 acres conveyed by Wm. Lamme, Sr., to said James and Samuel Lamme, 17th November, 1773; 50 acres were conveyed by Chas. Fox and Rosana to said James, 26th April, 1802. Wife, Magdaline; sons, William, Thomas, Joseph, John; daughters, Magdaline, Caty, Margaret, Mefford, Mary. Dated 6th December, 1808. Recorded in Rockingham. Deed, 9th December, 1809, Mathias Amond of Rockingham to Henry V. Bingham, 1,180 acres on South River. Recorded in Rockingham. Deed, 9th December, 1809, by same to same, 10-1/4 acres in Rockingham. Recorded in Rockingham.
Notes
- From "Red River Settlers", by Edythe Johns Rucker Whitley, pg. 18:
- The children of Henry Downs of Mecklenburg are known to have been: Jane who was born on 16 January 1751 and married John Robinson; Joseph who was born on 23 April 1752 and died unmarried in 1774; Henry who was born on 28 July 1754, died in 1774, and married Miss Davis; Thomas who was born on 22 August 1756, died in 1839; and was married in 1788 to Mary Courtney who was born in 1768 and died in 1828; Samuel who was born on 7 May 1758 and married Miss Crockett; William who married Sarah Downs; and Mildred who was born on 22 July 1760 and married James Brewster who was born in 1759 in Virginia and died in 1804 in South Carolina.
Sources
- http://www.downsgrant.com/History/
- "Red River Settlers: Records of the settlers of Northern Montgomery, Robertson and Sumner Counties, Tennessee" by Edythe Johns Rucker Whitley, pg. 18.
- http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/a/l/James-Balart-AL/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0210.html (Note: birthdate of Henry Downs, Sr. is listed as 1708, which is incorrect according to other sources).
References
- ↑ FamilySearch: Unidentified database - please replace source when identified.
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