Brief Life History of Joseph
When Joseph Downer III was born on 29 September 1693, in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, his father, Joseph Downer Jr, was 27 and his mother, Hannah Grafton, was 23. He married Mary Sawyer on 14 October 1724, in Norwich, New London, Connecticut, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 8 daughters. He died on 23 November 1756, in West Farms, Norwich, New London, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America, at the age of 63, and was buried in Old Franklin Plains Cemetery, Franklin, New London, Connecticut, United States.
Photos and Memories (1)
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Family Time Line
Sources (40)
- Joseph Downer, "Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915"
- Joseph Downer, "Find A Grave Index"
- Joseph in entry for Mary Downer, "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850"
Spouse and Children
Children (15)
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Parents and Siblings
Siblings (13)
+8 More Children
World Events (2)
1705
Oldest Memorial
1716
In 1716 the residents formed the Second Ecclesiastical Society of Norwich, also called the West Farms Society.
Name Meaning
English (Isle of Wight, Hampshire, and Sussex): topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or down, from Middle English douner, a derivative of Middle English doun (Old English dūn) ‘hill’ + -er. It is synonymous with atte Doune (see Down ) and is a type of formation especially common in Sussex, Surrey, and Hampshire.
English: in the north-West Midlands perhaps a variant of Downward with shortening of the final syllable to -er, a habitational name probably from Downwood (Herefordshire) and perhaps also Dunwood (Staffordshire), with -wood re-etymologized as -ward and occasionally shortened to -ard. See also Downard .
Irish (Tipperary): variant of Dooner 2.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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