Person:John Downes (7)

According to Granddaughter Joye Downes her fathers parents were in the automobile business in England and Australia. Also according to Joye, her grandfather Downes invented the surrey and also automobile seats that slide in and out.

Per Connie Kirkham Nielsen, decendent of Alice Downes Robbins:

After the death of their father, John Richard and his sister Rosabella were sent to stay with an uncle. John Richard stayed there until he was about 12 years old. Because the uncle was mean to him John ran away and stole away on a ship for Australia. The 1881 census of England shows Rosabella Downes unmarried 15 year old niece living with the uncle John Jones 63 years and Margaret 65 years and sons John Lloyd 22 years old and Thomas 20 years old.

John Richard and his family came to America from Ausralia in 1900. When their young son John William died on May 14, 1900, he was laid to rest in the paupers section of the Salt Lake City Cemetery. When his daughter Rosetta died on March 1, 1902, a lot was bought in the lower section of the cemetery, 280 north just west of Central Avenue. Her mother was later buried on top of her. John Richard was laid to rest to the side of them.

After Rosetta's death, John Richard said he was not staying in America and lose his whole family so they packed up and went back to Australia in 1902. Times were hard in Australia. When John went back to the meat plant for work they told him, "let the Mormans take care of you." John became a gardener. In 1907, John Richard once again sought to come to America. When he was ready to board the boat he saw Francis Robbins. John had met the Robbins family at the church and all the families were there to see them off to America. Francis told John's family that he would look after him. John was working his way by taking care of the Negroes that were being shipped out. When they arrived in Salt Lake valley the missionaries found work in Idaho herding sheep. John had seizures for 20 years and Francis took John to the chiropractor and finally they quit. They surmised that the seizures were caused by sunstroke. John's family sailed for America and it took 3 weeks to cross the ocean, arriving on March 18, 1908. The Downes and Francis Robbins families did many things together. Francis courted Alice May and married her in the Salt Lake Temple June 29, 1920. Edith Maggie married Burt Simmons; they had one daughter Mildred. Maggie died January 22, 1925 at the age of 33 and is buried in Salt Lake Cemetery. Eliza Emma Duffin Downes passsed away at the age of 55. Eliza and Rosetta Share the same grave. John Richard did his own temple work at the time he married Grandma Burbank, she did Eliza Emma's work. After 1 year they divorced. John lived to be 77 years old dying July 10, 1935.

1. ↑ State of Utah. Death Index, 1905-1951.
2. ↑ Utah State Historical Society, comp. Utah Cemetery Inventory . (Salt Lake City, UT, USA, 2000)
   Record #245449.

   Salt Lake City Cemetery, Grave C-14-3-2-SE4

3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 United States. 1900 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T623).
4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 United States. 1910 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T624).