From: Miller, Caren L My name is Caren Cox Miller. I’m related to the Downer family. Johnie Magnolia Downer is my G Grandmother. Her daughter (my grandmother) was Johnie Allene Berry Cox. I have a photograph that came from the Downer family pictures that my grandmother gave my dad. It’s a soldier in a Confederate uniform. I think its Benjamin Franklin Downer. If you’re interested in seeing it I’d love to forward it to you. Maybe you could help me identify it. It’s funny, but the family resemblance between this soldier and my dad (when he was young) is uncanny! Please let me know if you’re interested. Sincerely, Caren Miller |
Caren Miller |
| From: SWT1982@aol.com My name is Caren Cox Miller. I sent you an email to TTPhotoInc@comcast.net from my work email address. I wasn't sure if you'd get it there, so I'm trying this address. |
| Terry, Your grandfather is Warren Hardy Downer, right? My grandmother had a brother named for him, Hardy Warren Berry. This is all so interesting to me! Caren Miller 4419 Alamance St. Baytown, Texas 77521 Home – 281-424-1948 Cell – 281-413-6069 Caren Miller Cedar Bayou Junior High History Department |
| From: terry [mailto:TTPhotoInc@comcast.net] Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 8:10 PM To: Miller, Caren L Subject: Re: the Downers Hello Caren, Thanks for contacting me. I get really excited when a long lost relative finds my web site. Johnnie Magnolia Downer is my grandfather's sister. My mom, Johnie Viola Downer Turner, was named after her aunt. So far, seven relatives have contacted me, after finding the web site. My mom left a ton of old photos, which were stored in a trunk. My sister and I have often wondered why our parents didn't get the photos out and point out the people in them, but then, as a kid, I wouldn't have paid any attention anyway. Relatives who have contacted me have been able to identify unknown people in photos on the site. Yes, I am very very interested in seeing any photos that you have. Warm Regards, Terry Turner http://www.turnerphotography.com/Ancestors/ http://www.terrysnation.com/ ttphotoinc@comcast.net ttphotoinc@mac.com |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net
Caren |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net Thank you for page 8! I wonder why it was missing from both of ours. I bet my Aunt Betty Lou doesn’t have that page either. I’ll have to send it to her. |
| From: terry [mailto:TTPhotoInc@comcast.net] Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2008 1:54 PM To: Miller, Caren L Subject: Re: the Downers Hi Caren, Please find attached a copy of page 8 of Downers of the South. My copy didn't have page 8 either, but my sister (Adrienne Joyce Turner Taylor) sent me this copy. I got the last copy of Downers of the South. Pat mailed it to someone else, but had the wrong address, and it was returned. Adrienne got it for me. I met Pat one time many years ago. He came to my house to visit my mom, while she was here in Las Cruces visiting us. Adrienne and her husband, Ben, know Pat well, they visited him several times when he was in a nursing home in Lubbock. Yes, Hardy is my grandfather. I'll check out the spelling of Ethel name. There is a photo of her gravestone some where on the site. Thank You, Thank You for the photos - they are absolutely fantastic. I had never seen the photo in color of my mom before. Did you know who she was, before you saw the photo of her on my site? More Later, Terry |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net Thanks so much! They totally messed up the page with my family on it too. I actually wrote an addendum to it. I'll send it to you with this. Isn't that funny...Johnie A and Johnie V! Haha! Looking at the pictures of your mom when she was older, I can most definitely see the family resemblance between her and Granny. Those are some strong genes! ☺
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-----Original Message----- On Apr 17, 2008, at 1:02 PM, Miller, Caren L wrote: Caren, here is another page created with OCR software and saved to a You ask about the spelling of a name - I found several errors in A good friend of mine from high school, who loved my mother dearly, It stuck. Regards, Terry |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net I accidentally had my parents wedding date wrong…here’s a correction. ☺ Caren |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net
Caren |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net On this same census website they spell Ethyl McCollum Downer’s name Ethel. Maybe when the census takers took the names down they just spelled them the way they wanted to. Caren |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net
Here’s the website where you can see that Francis Downer fought in the War of 1812 with the Anson Guards…not during the Revolutionary War as stated on page 2 of the genealogy papers we have on the Downers. The Daughters of the American Revolution also told me that Francis Downer is not on any roster for the Rev. War. It was great talking to you! I’ll get the story of Granny typed up for you when I get a chance. I’ll also scan the service record of William Alexander Downer and get those to you. As soon as I receive the service cards on Benjamin Franklin Downer I’ll get those to you too. Talk to you later, Caren |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net My best friend, Joann, is a photographer. www.goldenphotography.net She works all the time, especially this time of year with seniors. She also buys antique photos and sometimes antique cameras, too. I been antiquing with her before and I'm looking at antique textbooks (I'm a teacher) while she's looking at pictures. From: terry [mailto:TTPhotoInc@comcast.net] Caren, From: terry [mailto:TTPhotoInc@comcast.net] This is my mom's sister, Billie Jean Downer Reece. This is the first time I’ve seen this photo. I think I've seen this fur collar in other photos. Adrienne and I have discussed several times the fact that although Hardy's family was of modest means, Thank you Thank you Thank you!! Terry PS. I'm a retired photographer (second career after early retirement) and love antique photos. ; - ) On Apr 17, 2008, at 2:58 PM, Miller, Caren L wrote: <<Downer.jpg>> |
From: SWT1982@aol.com I sent you some (several!) more pictures that I though you might could use on my page. You are awesome and I really appreciate what you've done. My dad thinks it's fantastic! When I went back on this morning I saw that you've been working on it some more. It's fabulous! I'm so lucky to have run into you in cyberspace! |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net Does that little symbol to the right look something like a New Mexico symbol? My Dad was born in Clovis. I don’t remember when they moved to Texas. I know they were in California during WWII when my Granny worked at the airplane place, but then they moved back to Texas shortly. <image001.gif> |
From: CLMiller@gccisd.net
I got an email from my Aunt Betty Lou and she said she remembers your grandfather going to see them in the Rio Grande Valley. Here’s what she wrote: I’m not that interested in genealogy myself, but Shella seems to be. I know when I first saw the book, I noticed there were lots of errors in it. I really haven’t had time or interest in it since then. However, I will check it out and see if I can help with my part of the family. There are lots of errors in Aunt Katy’s family. Peggy or Joyce would probably be the one to fix that. (She had three husbands and 3 children by the first, Peggy, Joyce, & Donnie; three by the second, Judy, Darla, & Hank; and two by the third, Margaret & Keno. She was first married when she was 13, I think. I know that Mother told me that her father died when she was 9 months old. She thinks she can remember him holding her up in the air over his head. She also told me that grandma married granddad Reed when she was 5 years old. His name was James Bremlen Reid. She did not know about the spelling of the middle name. I have a note that I wrote all this on and put into a berry bowl that she gave me. Grandma gave these bowls to her when she and daddy married and when she gave them to me she told me some of these things. She told me that Aunt Ruby was born in 1898. I think she was the oldest. I noticed on the license that her mother and daddy were married in 1887 and she was born in 89. I also know that mother had a sister that died young with diabetes. I think it was Maxie, but might have been Jessie Mae. I think they both died before I was born. One of them had a son named Nelson Lackey. Uncle Gene raised him. He and Alva Gene were like brothers. They lived in West Texas and I remember both of them. Mother always kept up with them. I don’t k think Hardy was mother’s brother. I think he was an uncle. I know she had an Uncle Hardy that used to come to see us. He also had diabetes and had spells when he would be unconscious until he was given a coke or something. Aunt Ruby has two children still living that might have information for you, Warren and Billie Jean. I have their phone numbers I think if you want to pursue that. Hope you can make a little sense of this.
The book she’s referring to is the “Downers of the South” book. Shella is my cousin, Kay’s, daughter…Betty Lou’s granddaughter. Shella is the one who is interested in genealogy. So, I don’t guess the girl in the picture with James and Johnie M could be Granny. It must be the oldest daughter who lived, Ruby. It’s an awesome picture. I’m thrilled my dad has it! |
From: SWT1982@aol.com One more solved! :) |
From: SWT1982@aol.com I don't know, so I just sent it to her. Has she seen this link? http://turnerphotography.com/Ancestors/PortalesMemories2/PortalesHouse.html
Terry On Apr 28, 2008, at 7:42 PM, SWT1982@aol.com wrote: My Aunt Betty Lou who wasn't interested in genealogy is very interested in it now! She's surfing your site as we speak. She's called relatives of Granny's to get information that wasn't correct in the Downer book. It's really got her interested and she's spending a lot of time with this. She sent me an email saying: |
From: SWT1982@aol.com I need to find either death certificates or pictures of gravestones for my UDC membership. I need these for Johnie Magnolia, James Berry, and William Alexander Downer. Thank you Terry for the picture on your website of Eliza's gravestone. That makes it one less I have to find. |
From: SWT1982@aol.com My dad sent me this from my cousin, Su-z. It seems to be the general consensus that Granny and I are somewhat alike. :) Those were really neat to see! Check this out!! wow what great photographs... |
From: SWT1982@aol.com Hello all, |
From: ttphotoinc@comcast.net Hello All: Please click the link below to view a new addition to turnerphotography.com/Ancestors/ Downer/ Caren Cox Miller's Photo Gallery Also, please note Caren's request for information: I need to find either death certificates or pictures of gravestones for my UDC membership. I need these for Johnie Magnolia, James Berry, and William Alexander Downer. Thank you Terry for the picture on your website of Eliza's gravestone. That makes it one less I have to find. JoAnn Pennington More Later, Terry |
From: Ben Taylor Re: William Alexander Downer
Photo by Adrienne & Ben Taylor |
From: Ben Taylor
Photo by Adrienne Joyce Turner Taylor & Ben Taylor |
| This poem has special meaning to me as my nephew, Tommy Cox, is being deployed back to Iraq for his second tour this month before Christmas. This time he leaves behind a wife, Jessica, who will be giving birth to his baby daughter (Bristol) while he's away. Please remember Tommy, his family, and the other soldiers in your prayers. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Caren Cox Miller |
A Different Christmas Poem The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near, Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night, "What are you doing?" I asked without fear, To the window that danced with a warm fire's light No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I've not seen my own son in more than a while, I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet, " So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright, Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
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