Jennie Downing

Jennie was a Cherokee woman

Biography

Jennie was the wife of John Downing. Her last name or Cherokee name is unknown[1] [2], although there has been speculation that she was Jennie Fields, a member of another prominent Cherokee family.

Jennie was a member of the Twister/Long Hair Clan (through Mary Grant).

Genealogy Notes

My primary sources, the Starr[3] and Hicks[4] genealogies claim Jennie as the mother of all 17 of John Downing's children, but Jennie could not possibly be the mother of all of his children, who span 40 years between the oldest and the youngest. She would have been in her mid to late 50s when the last child was born. There is a 13 year gap between Moses (1788) and Peggy (1801), so I speculate that either birthdates are wrong or another marriage happened about 1800. Also, because Jennie was still alive in 1851, I believe that she is probably the second wife.

Possibly the daughter of Mary Grant. If, as Hicks claims, Jennie's daughters Charlotte and Cynthia were members of the Long Hair Clan through Mary Grant, then that would mean that Jennie was probably the daughter of Mary Grant and unknown father. There is not enough distance in ages for there to be a generation between, and Mary Grant would have been within child bearing age well into the 1770s. But I don't know the source for Hicks clan information, so I am currently working on that.

Another possibility. According to Hicks, Mary Grant Emory had a daughter, a fifth child born about 1751, whose name is unknown and who married an unknown Lee. They had two children (unknown). If we adjusted Jennie's birthday up a decade to 1770, She could possibly be one of those children of Emory and Lee. Otherwise, I'm confounded. --Duane Poncy

Jennie Unknown was born about 1756. [5]

Research Notes

• Jennie Downing (1756-1851) is listed as earliest known ancestor of one mtDNA tester who is a member of the Cherokee project at FTDNA.
• The name "Fields" has not been proven. Emmet Starr lists Jennie Fields (daughter of John Fields and Elizabeth Wickett) as the wife of a man named "John Downing" but says they had no children. (p. 326)
• In the Downing line he lists "Jennie and Nannie" as the wives of John Downing (son of "Major" Downing and a Cherokee wife) with no surnames. (p. 335)

Sources

1. ↑ History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folk Lore, Emmet Starr, 1922. Google Books, free public domain. This is the authoritative book used by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to determine Cherokee lineage.
2. ↑ The Genealogy of Major John Downing and his Cherokee Descendants; Title: Cherokee Lineages: Register Report of Major John Downing; Author: James R. Hicks; Publisher: Genealogy.com. Cherokee Lineages
3. ↑ Emmett Starr, History of the Cherokee Indians
4. ↑ The Genealogy of Major John Downing and his Cherokee Descendants; Title: Cherokee Lineages: Register Report of Major John Downing; Author: James R. Hicks; Publisher: Genealogy.com. Cherokee Lineages
5. ↑ Starr, Emmet. History of the Cherokee Indians. Oklahoma Yesterday Publications edition, Tulsa, OK. 1979. p. 499. Digitized edition at Starr

Source: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Cherokee-306
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