| Notes |
- From "Virginia Genealogies", by Rev. Horace Edwin Hayden, pg. 75-76,
under the line of Margaret Ball and Rawleigh Downman:
"The following is from a very old paper found among the Ball records
in the possession of Miss J. R. D. It may be mere tradition:
'When the Saxtons and the Danes invaded England, there was three
families joined themselves together and spent a great part of their
fortunes in raising what force they could to defend their country and
they eventually gained the victory when their battle was over ye King
gave Each family A Coat of arms the first had three bleeding hearts ye
second had three sheaves of wheat the third had hart stuck with two
darts my father's great grandfather gave Great assistance to the
building up of a Catherdral Church in plemoth his name was set in the
wall. William Downman a Great rememberer of the poor. But I beleave
that may be down by this time my Grand father went to perbadus
(Barbadoes) and lived at a place called Spikeres (?) my father was
left his Estate a youth having more money than he had wit to keep at
that time there was some that had run themselves in debt and persuaded
him to be their security which he readily agreed to and for a large
sum of money not considering the ill Consequences that attended it so
many had done that.'
To this paper another hand has added: 'Rawleigh Downman, the young
son, not being so provided as his father, ran through the large part
of his estate, and moved to Bermuda thence to Lanc'r Co., VA, 1653 He
m. _____ Travers, and having somewhat repaired his fortune, died 1682,
leaving a son, Rawleigh , who married Margaret Ball, and a daughter,
Mrs. Pinchard'.
Mr. Rawleigh Downman's part of Mr. Pinckhard's estate was two negroes
and articles valued at 103 pounds.16.8. I find nothing to confirm
this tradition as to the arms, or the church at Plymouth. Later
research may discover the correctness of the tradition.
The name Downman early appears in VA. Among 'the living', Feb 16,
1623 at Elizabeth City were John Douneman and Elizabeth Douneman.
(Col. Rec. #52). This John was Burgess from E(lizabeth) City, Oct 16,
1629. 'When a boy he came to VA, 1611, married a maid sent out in
1621 in the Warwich' ( VA Car. 74). William Downman, Gent, was among
the second supply to VA 1608 (Arber's Smith 129). William Downman,
Nov 15, 1652, bought of Ben Powell a patent of 100 a(cres) in
Corotoman, called 'Harwood' (L. 216). The estate of William Downman
and Dorothy Downman was appraised by Thomas Hacket and Edwin Conniway
(Conway) 165-.
The name Rawleigh is so frequent in this line that in the absence of
dates it is impossible to locate those who bear it. 'I have heard my
father say that there were three Rawleigh Ds. living at one time in
the same neighborhood in what is now Richmond Co. They were all
cousins and cousins of my Grandfather Rawleigh (J.R.D.)'. It is
probable that I, Rawleigh D., of Lancaster Co., VA of 1653, who
married _____ Travers had ii. Margaret, who married c. 1675 Capt.
William Ball, and iii. Rawleigh who had iv. Rawleigh m. c. 1715
Margaret Ball, his cousin, supra, v. Eliza,, who married Thomas
Pinchard, below, and vi. William, executor of his brother Rawleigh, of
whom the above paper makes no mention. This William may have been
father of Travers Downman (I.) Dec 23, 1747, Grace Ball (pg. 67), and
II, Dec. 30, 1764, Ann Heath Conway (Conway 14); also of William who
married Agnes, dau. of Major Field Archer, of Chesterfield (Critic
ii.34). Robert Downman, M.D., grad. Univ. Edinburgh 1798; thesis,
'De Puerperam peritonitide,' 2 plates, p. 48, 1798.
A Downman whose name does not appear had ----.
I. William, who had the following children:
i. Eliza, m ____Smyth of Auston, TX.;
ii. Sallie C. who m. _____ Brown and had 12 children. Of these, F.
R. Brown of Littleton, VA wrote me May 13, 1889, 'My mother has been
dead 18 months. I do not know anything of the family beyond my
grandfather';
iii. Lucy.
II. Mildred m. Thomas Ball, whom I cannot place;
III. Elizabeth m. Maj. Stokley Towles.
In 1781 Rawleigh Downman II dies at Morattico Plantation, followed
in death slightly more than a year later by his wife. Both are
buried in the peach orchard close to the house. Their son, Joseph
Ball Downman, inherits Morattico Plantation.
Letter from William Downman to his brother: "Mr. Raleigh Downman at
Joseph Ball's Esqr in Stratford by bow, near London", dated "Virga
Rappk, May 16, 1752", states that
"his wife, mother and all ower friends are well"; "Miss Elizabeth
Chichester & Mr William Glascock was married ye 7th of Febr last", has
no offer for tobo as yet, but expects by June ye market will rise;
thinks 17s. cash at 30 per cent is almost as good as 13s.p. Bills
Exchange; his little boy Raleigh "is often talking about his uncle",
"Majr George Glascock & Mrs. Sarah Chinn are dead. Michell Dillon got
a fall from his horse and died"; "the exr
of Hew Brent deced cant discharge his debt till you prove your
account". "I was with Mrs Pinkard to know where our great grandfather
Downman lived, and she told me she believed that he lived in Plymouth;
if you git ye Coat-of-Arms do send me a seal of it"; "My wife joynes
with me in Love to you and my sister, not forgiting our little nease".
[William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 3, No.
1. (Jul., 1874), pp. 13-18.]
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