Part 4 in a 4-part series
Now we have established that John Downing of Dreenan, died after 1 Feb 1797 (date of 2nd Codicil), had brothers named George, James, Williaraaram, and Stafford, and a named sister, Margaret, who married a Mr. O'Neill (probably Neil O'Neill).
Although he mentioned a son, Stafford, first, he was awarded just 200 pounds, while his four brothers were to equally inherit the rights to John's "half" of Dreenan, and his "natural" sons, John and Francis, inherit the farm at Carrabrook.
To me, this implies Stafford may have been the son of his wife, Hester, by an earlier marriage, as adoption was basically non-existant.
I might also suggest that the four brothers named by John are the four principle Lessees in the 1798 renewal of "Stafford's Lease", because it's unlikely that there would be another family group matching all four given names in the same small area and time frame.
HOWEVER, it's possible that those four given names were replicated in the next generation by one of those four brothers.
Let's say George, James, William, and Stafford, the four brothers mentioned in John's 1782 Will, were all born by about 1745. Remember, George was almost certainly born by 1734.
They would all have been at least 53 years old at the 1798 renewal. On the other hand, perhaps George (or any other brother) named his own four sons after his own brothers, and they were all born between, say 1760 to 1775.
That next generation would certainly have been old enough to act as principle Lessees and obviously younger farmers at the time.
But if we refer back to the renewals of "Stafford's Lease", we see that the 7th renewal, of 1 Jun 1800, names James, George, Stafford, John and Sarah, indicating that William had passed away, probably as an older man.
And he is replaced by a 'John' Downing and a 'Sarah' Downing. We know from John's Will that his "beloved" wife was Hester, not Sarah. But we also know John was still living in Feb 1797, so it's likely he joined his other brothers after William died.
I think it's very reasonable to attach all FIVE of these known Downing brothers to "Stafford's Lease.
My tree does not have wives for any of the five except John.
As for your unattached Elizabeth Sharon Downing, b. 1798, daughter of George (and Elizabeth), let's speculate further.
You say there were children named:
1. John, bap 21 Oct 1789
2. Jane and John, bap 16 Apr 1791
3. William, bap. 2 Dec 1792, and
4. Stafford, bap. 6 Sep 1794
all baptized at St. Lurach's, Maghera. St. Lurach's was Church of Ireland place of worship for folks from Dreenan, and Rev'd Alexander Clotworthy Downing was Rector there from 1785 to 1793, so he certainly would have performed the baptisms of all except Stafford.
Yes, it's probable that the eldest John died in infancy and when the twins came along in 1791, they named the boy John.
More noteworthy, the forenames John, William, and Stafford repeat three of the names of the sons of 'John' named in the 1782 Will.
Remembering that George, son of Bernard, was almost certainly alive by 1734, it's reasonable to speculate that he had married and named a son after himself, who could have married an 'Elizabeth', and been the parents of the children baptized in the 1790s, all grandchildren of George the elder.
HOWEVER, that doesn't necessarily place Eliabeth Sharon in that family group. Nor is it certain that George the younger was the son of George the elder, but perhaps the son of one of the other brothers, John excluded.
It is possible that George the younger, father of the four surviving children baptized at St. Lurach's was one of the Principle Lessees in the 6th Renewal, but I think it's more likely that was George the elder, due to William's subsequent death.
On the other hand, using the same rationale that repetitive names in different family groups in the same small area at the same time, is unlikely. I think it is highly likely that your Elizabeth Sharon may have been a younger sister to the aforemention siblings baptized at St. Lurach's.
So, to summarize my theory, I DO believe that your Elizabeth Sharon, b. 1798, was the granddaughter of George the elder, eldest son of Bernard of Ballyneas Downing, now Ballynease-Helton.
The fact that Elizabeth, and her husband Robert Henry, named four of their children John, Jane, William, and Stafford, is strong circumstantial evidence of a connection to the St. Lurach's children, her likely siblings.
That's just my take on it. I would caution against publishing ANYTHING without corroborating verification.
Note: my eBook only covers Downing deeds up to 1825. The Family Search resource mentioned earlier is a terrific source and probably has more information on deeds afterwards that may help.
Forward Into the Past,
Rick
