Maj. John Downing, Esq.

Not the same as John B Downing

Jamestowne Society Ancestor # A2307

Captain William Downing had five sons and two daughters:

2) John;

Biography

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Downing-393

John Downing[1] was born in Northumberland, Colony of Virginia. He married Elizabeth Hughlett in about 1665. (Source needed. John would have been about 14 -16 years of age if birth estimate is close.)

John Downing died in 1698, not long after his youngest son, John B. Downing, III, was born. [2] His will was proved 18 May 1698.

PARENTS

John Downing was the second son, second child of William Downing and his wife Margaret of Northumberland, Virginia. Margaret's maiden name is unknown. His birth year is estimated to be 1650 because he is said to be the second son, and his brother William, Jr. is described elsewhere as having been born in 1649. Both boys received a gift deed from their father on 27 Jan 1668. No mention is made during the discussion of this gift as to whether either son was of age or not.

John's father is described as "Captain William Downing of Great Wicomico River, planter." A look at a map shows that the the Great Wicomico River and the LIttle Wicomico River run about parallel to one another within the bounds of present-day Northumberland County, in a northwesterly direction. The Great Wicomico is 15-16 miles long, and the LIttle Wicomico is 9-10 miles long. At times, researchers have taken this description of William to mean that this family was seated in Wicomico, Virginia which is an unincorporated community over 50 miles to the south in Gloucester County. So, even though Northumberland County was parent to over 100 other counties over time, the rivers (streams officially) never moved and are contained within the current bounds of Northumberland County. It can be said, over the course of time, that the area was known as Wicomico Parish. If fact, the area represented by the zip code 22579 is called Wicomico Church. The zip code for Wicomico, the unincorporated community, is 23184. Also see, "Parishes of Virginia".[4]

MARRIAGES:

Marriages
(1) by implication, p. 42 of John Downing, Part I, he may have married the widow of Andrew Cockrill, and served as guardian to John Cockrill, Andrew's son. [She was Angel Lamprey and there is no other support for this marriage. She married Richard Lamprey by 1684 and died in 1727 - long after this man died.]
(2) Elizabeth, p. 42. The will of Mrs. John Downing was presented in court 15 Oct 1715, by her executor, Mr. Thomas Hughlett.
There is an implication that Elizabeth was the mother of John and possibly a younger sister, Ann. John's widow was suing Hughletts on behalfof her son John, pesumably regarding his interest in "maternal inheritance". Why was his older brother Samuel not party to that suit?

Children

1. Sarah Downing, b. Betw 1667-1670 in Wicomico Parish, d. Aft 1698, Northumberland, VA. Married 1) John Spann 2) David Spence
2. Samuel Downing, b. Abt 1671 in Wicomico Parish. Married Elizabeth Saunders
3. Capt. John Downing, b. Abt 1692 in Fairfield, Northumberland, VA, d. 14 Oct 1793. Married Hannah Fallin.

MISC

On November 19, 1684, John Downing was serving as attorney to Mr. Samuel Typton.

He served as church warden of Fairfields parish and was a member of the house of Burgesses in 1693[5] and a Justic of the Peace in 1694 and succeeding years.

In May 1695, his half brother, Charles, chose Mr. John Downing his guardian. Charles was likely born between 1680 and 1683,

Sources

1. Downing, John - A2307; died 1699, Northumberland Co.: 1693 (Burgess). accessed 29 July 2021
2. Genealogies of Virginia Families from the William and Mary College Quarterly. Vol. II. Cobb-Hay
3. Keach, Mrs. O.A. "John Downing of Fairfields, Northumberland County, Virginia, and His Descendants," William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 25 (1916) pp. 41 - 51.
4. Parishes of Virginia
5. Stanard, William G. and Mary Newton Stanard. The Colonial Virginia Register. Albany, N. Y.: Joel Munsell's Sons, Publishers. 1902. Page 89.
6. Keach, Mrs. O.A. "The Downings of Northumberland County" William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 24 (1916) pp. 189 - 193. William Downing Jr., his wife Mary, and their daughters Elizabeth, Ann and Margery are mentioned on page 190.
7. Keach, Mrs. O.A. "John Downing of Fairfields, Northumberland County, Virginia, and His Descendants," William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 25 (1916) pp. 41 - 51.
8. The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jan., 1916), pp. 189-193; Published by: Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture; Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1915128; Accessed: 20-12-2018 21:50 UTC
9. WikiTree profile Downing-393 created through the import of Bowler_Kedy_Gaehring_Youngman(1).ged on Oct 1, 2012 by Matt Bowler.
10. https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I7187...
11. Keach, O. A. “The Downings of Northumberland County.” The William and Mary Quarterly 24, no. 3 (1916): 189–93. https://doi.org/10.2307/1915128.
12. “John Downing of Fairfields, Northumberland County, Virginia, and His Descendants," Mrs O. A. Keach. William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 25 (1916) pp. 41 - 51. < GoogleBooks > See also, pp 96-106, same issue. < GoogleBooks >
13. https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I1378...