Tracing Downing Family of.Durham Ironfounders

[jeffreytc3]

I am tracing the Downing Family who were Ironfounders in Stockton on Tee in County Durham, England. I have a Nicholas Downing born abt 1805 and christened on the 1st December of 1805. His father was John Downing and mother Mary Todd. His brother was George Downing who was born abt 1791 and died abt 1843. George married Phoebe Littlefair in 1819 at St.Helen-Auckland in Durham. In 1841 A George Downing, iron founder, lived in Chester Le Street, age 50, with his wife Phoebe, age 50, sons Nicholas, age 21, William, age 19, John, age 17, George, age 13, and daughters Mary, age 13 and Phoebe, age 10.

In 1843 mention of Nicholas Downing, Ironfounders, of Chester-le-Street in connection with the effects of the Iron and Brass foundry recently owned by George Downing, deceased. I believe that George and Nicholas were partners in a iron foundry. I have a John Frederick Michael Downing who was born in 1922 at Stockton on Tee and who died in 2002 in Melbourne, Australia. His father was Richard Downing.

Can anyone add to my data so far?

[Allan F Sparrow]

If you can get access to the pay-site Ancestry, there is quite a bit on Nicholas and some on George. There is even a tree which appears to be properly sourced! (I admit I did not check all the details.)

If you can take this approach, you will have more fun!

By the way, one small point: the place is Stockton-on-Tees, not Tee: the Tees is a river. Stockton was one end of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, usually reckoned the first public railway in Britain, opened 1825. But perhaps you knew that...

FamilySearch, which you can search for free, also has a number of items on Nicholas and George

Allan

[Peter Goodey]

A couple of references here -

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/George_Downing,_Senior

[helachau]

There's a possible marriage (FMP transcribed) of a Nicholas Downing to an Ann Forster on 4 April 1831 at Ryton, Holy Cross. The marriage notice in the paper has "Nicholas Downing, of Stella, founder, to Miss Ann Forster, of Woodside".

Possible census records
1841 ref HO107 307 44 45
1851 ref HO107 2383 201 23 (2nd marriage to Mary Kirkwood, 1848?)

[jeffreytc3]

Thank you to Peter and Allan for your comments. I will now go to ancestry.com for further info. Thanks once again. Jeff

[Allan F Sparrow]

I hope you find what you want, but if you look at any on-line trees, please do check the sources for yourself! I have seen all too many trees that are, let's say, imaginative, and often they are downright wrong.

[janbooth]

There is a birth registration for a John F DOWNING in the September qtr 1922 at Stockton reg district, mother's maiden name MAHO. There is a marriage registration in the March qtr 1918 at Blackburn reg district for a Richard DOWNING & an Ada MAYHO which may be relevant to you. Followed by a male DOWNING birth registration in Blackburn in September qtr 1920, mother's maiden name MAYHO - won't give full details in case he is still alive.

There is an Ada MAYHO daughter of Thomas & Elizabeth in the 1891/1901 & 1911 census records of Blackburn who sounds a likely candidate for the Ada MAYHO who married Richard DOWNING.

Janet

[jeffreytc3]

I hope you find what you want, but if you look at any on-line trees, please do check the sources for yourself! I have seen all too many trees that are, let's say, imaginative, and often they are downright wrong.

Thanks Allan. I am very wary of accepting other peoples trees and usually check them out before adding their data to mine. Jeff

[jeffreytc3]

There is a birth registration for a John F DOWNING in the September qtr 1922 at Stockton reg district, mother's maiden name MAHO. There is a marriage registration in the March qtr 1918 at Blackburn reg district for a Richard DOWNING & an Ada MAYHO which may be relevant to you. Followed by a male DOWNING birth registration in Blackburn in September qtr 1920, mother's maiden name MAYHO - won't give full details in case he is still alive.

There is an Ada MAYHO daughter of Thomas & Elizabeth in the 1891/1901 & 1911 census records of Blackburn who sounds a likely candidate for the Ada MAYHO who married Richard DOWNING.

Janet

Thank you Janet. All the information you have given is correct and are the people I am following. The correct surname of Ada Mary is Mayho. John F. Downing died here in Australia in 2002. Also the male Downing birth registration in 1920 is the brother of John F. Downing, Thomas, who died in 2013 in Hertfordshire. The reference to Ada Mayho's parents is very interesting as I have nothing on her parents. Family legend says that the Mayhos came from Ireland so that is one of my next projects. Thank you once again. Jeff

[janbooth]

Looks like you will have quite a lot of fun unravelling the family, Jeff. Thomas MAYHO looks to have died between 1891 & 1901 census records when Elizabeth is shown as a widow living with her children, amongst whom is Ada, at 4 Patterson Street (RG13/3914, folio 95, page 22). Also present is an unmarried sister in law Margaret BURY. By the 1911 census of Blackburn, Elizabeth has remarried to a John TOMLINSON and still living at 4 Paterson Street as is daughter Ada.

Tracing Thomas MAYHO back, in the 1871 census he is living at 9 Prince Albert Street, Blackburn, with stepfather Roger BURY, mother Susan, siblings Rachel & William MAYHO and various other BURY children (RG10/4174, folio 75, page 5). 1861 census of Blackburn shows Thomas living with parents Ralph & Susan MAYO and siblings Rachel & William at 18 Islington. Looking back even further it would appear that your MAYO/MAYHO line hails from Blackburn for at least a couple of further generations back. However, the 1861 census of Heywood, Bury does show a Thomas MAYHO born c1855 in Galway, Ireland, so perhaps this is where the confusion arose.

Janet