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Henry Downs, Sr. of England and his wife, Lady
Jane Douglas of Scotland, emigrated to America early in
the eighteenth century. In 1728, he received a land
grant of 1000 acres in Virginia, signed by Robert
Carter. He eventually received approximately 57,000
acres in Virginia and the Carolinas. He served as
vestryman and church recorder of St. Thomas Church,
Orange County, Virginia.
In 1728, his son, Henry Downs, Jr. was born in
Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In 1750, Henry Downs, Jr.
married Frances Chew, daughter of Thomas Chew and Martha
Taylor. Henry Downs, Jr. and his wife moved to
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where they raised a
large family. He was captain of colonial militia and
fought against the Cherokee Indians in 1763. He served
as justice of the peace in his district, was a signer
of the famous Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence on
May 20, 1775, and was also a member of the Committee of
Safety.
He had four brothers who fought in the American
Revolution, one of whom, William, was adjutant colonel
in the Revolutionary Army, serving under General Gates,
and was also one of the officers who founded the Order
of the Cincinnati. Henry Downs, Jr. died in 1798, and he
and his wife are buried in the Providence Presbyterian
churchyard, twelve miles from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Mrs. Josie Downs Marshall, charter member and first
regent of Henry Downs Chapter, represented the fifth
generation from this illustrious patriot. Peggy Scott
Duty, a current member of the chapter, is a seventh
generation descendant of Henry Downs, Jr.
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