Contra Costa-Sacramento County CA Archives Biographies.....Downing, Theodore 1826 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com November 25, 2005, 10:23 pm Author: W. A. Slocum & Co., Publishers (1882) THEODORE DOWNING.—Born in Monroe county, Michigan, August 9, 1826, he there resided and was educated at the common schools until seventeen years old. At the early age of eleven years Mr. Downing was left an orphan, his father dying when he was but six, and his mother passing away when he was in his eleventh year. In 1843, he moved to St. Joseph county, same State, and there worked on a farm until his leaving for California, which occurred on March 15, 1854. He started across the plains with horse-teams, and, accompanied by his wife, after an uneventful trip of five months, arrived in Sacramento August 9, 1854. Here he engaged in buying and selling horses, until November 20th, of that year, when he came to Martinez, Contra Costa county, and engaged in the butcher business for a short time. In 1859, we find Mr. Downing in Pacheco engaged in the hotel business, which he followed for three years. July 1, 1865, he purchased his present ranch of forty-six acres, one-half mile from Concord, and is now engaged in farming. Mr. Downing was united in marriage in St. Joseph county, Michigan, December 8, 1852, to Miss Mary J. Quackenbush, a native of Montgomery county, New York. They have two children: Marcella M. (now Mrs. F. S. Childs), Sophia C. (now Mrs. F. Sanford.) Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION; TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE; ALSO, Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN; AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC. ILLUSTRATED. SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCUM & CO., PUBLISHERS 1882. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/contracosta/bios/downing56bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 2.6 Kb