Sherrington Parish Registers - DOWNING (DOWNYNG), 16th century

[dukewm]

Hello Dee,

That’s a good question.
I don’t see any link to initiate a PM, although I know I’ve done it before.

All I can think of is to post my email address in this thread, but I think that is discouraged.

I’ll have to investigate further and get back to you.

[Romandog1947]

I have Downing relatives from Derry and now I'm researching the Colwell family.  I would like to know more about Colwell Downing. 

I'm actually researching Capt. John H. Dilworth who immigrated from Ulster to Delaware, British America before the Revolution (ca. 1773-4).  He named one of his sons James Colwell Dilworth.  I am exploring the possibility that his use of Colwell as a middle name could be because his mother or grandmother was a Colwell.   Does anyone have any information on the Colwell family in Ulster for the 1700-1750 period?

[dukewm]

Let me get back to you on COLWELL.
Getting ready to shove off for the weekend but this caught my eye.
My 4th great grandfather supposedly married a Jane Colwell.  Her first husband was (reportedly) William Downing, father of my 3rd great grandfather, who may have died in 1803, leaving a widow and two young sons.  She almost certainly moved near Moneymore to be closer to family and remarried Felix Devlin, who is listed in Slater’s Directory of 1846 as a “turner in wood” of Coagh.  My 3rd great grandfather’s older brother is buried just outside town at St. Luke’s.
We have been searching for her roots for over 20 years.  County Derry only has a few similar spellings found from online records, without considering CALDWELL.
The COLWELL spelling is rare is 18th century lists, so it’s very intriguing to hear you mention it.
Stay tuned and let me know in the meantime if you have any further info on the Colwell surname.

[Romandog1947]

Thank you.   I have been doing Dilworth research for several years.  I've just begun the Colwell research.  My 4th great grandmother was Elizabeth Sharon Downing 1798-1882. I have done quite a lot of research on her and have concluded that she is not a descendant of Adam Downing (at least not direct). There evidently were two Downing families in Derry.  I would have to look back at my rootschat Downing communication to recall what I discovered.  She married Robert Henry from Loughgiel, Co. Tyrone in 1820. They immediately immigrated to America through South Carolina to Alabama and finally to Texas.

[Romandog1947]

dukewm,

It seems we have communicated previously, maybe two years ago on the All things Downing thread.  My Sharon Elizabeth descends from Stafford Downing of Drennan I believe.  After she and her husband arrived in America, they named one of their sons Stafford and this name continued to be used in the family for a while.  I never absolutely identified who her parents were but all the evidence points in this direction.
Cheers
Carson

[stricpa]

I've just been reading about these Downings. Whether I'm any relation rather depends on whether one of them married a Travers (or Traverse). Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of confusion about the surnames of the Downing wives. Brown or Travers? Assertions have been made, but no proof advanced. In my tree, I have followed Capt Blennerhassett and tentatively entered the name of Annabella Travers(e) as Capt John Downing's wife. Annabella was the granddaughter of the Annabella Brown who married Thomas Spring (d. 1597). The father of Annabella Brown was John Brown who was 'Master of Awney' in Co Limerick - nothing to do with the other Browns mentioned. Still Browns and Travers - just not the same ones! Can anyone tell me that I'm wrong?

[dukewm]

In response to Stricpa, regarding the Downing/Travers/Brown relations:

Your connections may be fairly accurate and I am anxious to discuss further because the names you reference are in my own tree.

Here is what I have, some of which is speculative based on what I have gleaned from various clues.  My data could be flawed but I believe it to be at least partially true.

I will start with the name Lt. John Downing of Ballymanagh, County Tipperary (his residence when he died on 3 Jun 1629.
It is my THEORY that he married Catherine Travers of Kilfinny, County Limerick because he was living in a village named Pobalfentarragh, County Limerick, while serving as Provost Marshal, when he was put on trial for the murder of two vagabonds in 1606.  It makes sense that his commander, Capt. Francis Berkeley, may have awarded him some land there, part of his vast 7,250 acre estate at Askeaton, for his service during the 1595 Ulster campaign.
Pobalfentarragh is known today as Finnerterstown, and is just 1 mile north of Kilfinny.  It’s not hard to imagine those two bumped into each other in such a small rural area.

We do not have verified confirmation of Catherine’s maiden name, but Catherine was certainly the name of Lt. John’s wife as she is named in a 1642 deposition describing her murder by Irish rebels on the south bank of the River Blackwater, upstream from Lismore, when her house was raided, causing her to briefly escape.

I tentatively have her placed as the daughter of (?) Travers and Susanna Spring, 3rd daughter of Capt. Thomas Spring of Kilcolman, County Kerry.

I have Capt. Thomas Spring as the eldest son of Robert Spring, and Thomas as married to Annabelle(a) Brown, eldest daughter of John Brown, Master of Awney, County Limerick.

I have Capt. John Downing, of Ballymanagh, County Tipperary, son of Lt. John by his wife Catherine, as married to Catherine Brown, daughter of 1st Sir Valentine Browne of Molahiffe, County Kerry.

As you can see, some of these names are common to the data we both have, although with differing relations.

Please reply as it seems we need to discuss further.  Perhaps we can nail down something verified.

[stricpa]

Thanks for your very interesting reply. I am travelling at the moment but will get back to you over the weekend.

[stricpa]

Hi. Now back from my travels.
Is there any evidence at all for Catherine's maiden name being Travers? Travers is one of the main branches in my tree but I can't see any sign of a Catherine who married a Downing. She is more likely to have been a Brown(e), but not the daughter of Sir Valentine, whose own daughter Catherine appears to have married someone else. She could, I suppose, have been the daughter of a brother or a cousin of his or she might have been related to another Brown(e) family entirely, though I'm not sure what exactly the evidence is for her being a Brown(e) anyway.
Given that the Blennerhassett Pedigree mentions a Travers as marrying Susannah Spring, and Susannah being the daughter of Thomas Spring and Annabella Brown, it is more than likely that one of their daughters should be called Annabella. And so Annabella Spring marries a Travers, who I believe to be Alexander Travers, a former Ensign and sometime Sheriff of Co Kerry, who is also mentioned by the Earl of Cork in the Lismore Papers. Blennerhassett also states that Alexander was an 'uncle or cousin german' to Sir Robert Travers (my 8th great grandfather) which, if true, would cement my relationship to the Downings who, I have just remembered, are cousins of mine anyway through the Springs.
I'm sure there is more to say on this, but I will wind it up here for now.
Paul S.