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In Memoriam
Our community was painfully shocked on Saturday morning last, the 8^th inst., by the receipt of a telegram from Turtle Creek, Penn., the adopted home of the deceased, that Wm. Cotton Downing was dead, his death occurring suddenly in Asheville, N.C., on Thursday, the 6^th inst.

He had been visiting the mountain section of North Carolina on a business tour with friends from Pittsburg, and a letter received by him who pens this humble tribute to his memory, spoke hopefully of the work he was engaged in and in most cheering terms of himself.  His purpose then, was to make a visit to Eastern Carolina, and this, his old home after completing his work in the West before returning to Pennsylvania.

But alas! For human hope or purpose.  The glad expectancy of meeting our dear and honored friend is turned into tears of disappointment in this sad, sudden notice that he has been called away from earth forever, and for the warm welcome we trusted to give him when he should have returned among us, we come instead with sorrowful heart to lay this memorial tribute upon his bier.

Wm. Cotton Downing was the oldest son of Harry Downing and Mary Elizabeth his wife, of Lee’s Mills, and old and honored family of this county, and was born April 10^th 1850.  He spent the days of his boyhood at the old homestead near there, receiving his early educational training which was wisely and efficiently supplemented by the careful instruction of his parents.  Later he became a pupil of the Bingham School in Orange county, an institution no less than its high standard for morals and discipline, and here the young student gave evidence first of the talent which was to distinguish him in after life, by his apt scholarship and literary tastes.

At the close of the war, (in which he did not participate owing to his extreme  youth), he took a course of business studies at Poughkeepsie, N.Y., returned to his home in Washington county and entered upon a farmers life, which pursuit he followed uninterruptedly until his removal from us in 1883.

The pleasures as well as the engagements of this vocation were of such character as to forbid him courting the distractions of public life, although his county tendered him not infrequently positions of honor and confidence whose duties he discharged with intelligence and highest acceptability when prevailed upon to accept the trust.  His excellent services as a member of the educational board for the county and for years as a most useful magistrate fully justify the wisdom of his selection for those important places.

But it was in the field of poetry that Mr. Downing was to win his most enduring reputation, his mental gifts being more pronounced of this order and his nature preeminently fashioned in this mould.  Thoughtful, imaginative, earnest in his sympathies and quick of perception of whatever was beautiful or true in life or nature, his being was well attuned to the expression of poetic thought, and the many tender verses he has left behind will live for years to come as an evidence that his talent was far above mediocrity.  A devoted and loving son of the Southland, his heart sympathizing fully with all her misfortunes and sorrows, his finest efforts, perhaps, are those which portray the story of her sufferings in the civil war, the heroism of her soldiery, the self denial and patriotism of her people in that fateful struggle and glory of her departed leaders.  Here his fancy found tenderest play as the memories of its better days before civil strife began, were contrasted with the gloom and d<…>lation which followed defeat, when sorrow sat by every fireside and all that was left to console us in bereavement was the sad yet tender light which played around the memories of those who had died to make it otherwise.

Other contributions of his to the State press and for journals outside of our borders showed that he was possessed too of great general information on matters pertaining to the material advancement of North Carolina in the changed order of things, presenting with force and truth, fullness her great resources, the need of their development and the opportunity offered to enterprise and capital to invest among us.  In this he did the State good service which should be gratefully remembered.

He was a genial, sincere warm hearted friend, faithful in every emergency, given to hospitality in its purest and most generous s<…> and courageous in every conviction which came to test loyalty.

As husband and father he was gentle, affectionate and kind, and his home made through these gracious qualities a place of liberal, unaffected, wooing welcome to guest and family alike.  There was no place among us where the word “domesticity,” – sacred to the household god – meant more than it did at the quiet home of “Mapeloke.”
Above all he was an earnest and devoted believer in the christian religion and reverenced God and his Savior with unfaltering trust and affection.  Years ago he became a member of the Episcopal church and lived and died in its communion.

Such briefly was the life and character of our departed friend – upon whom, in God’s providence, the eternal peace was given to fail at last, in his native State and in its lovliest and most beautiful portion.  His latest verses – reproduced elsewhere in these columns – was a loving tribute to the fair laud and city where he breathed his last and the motherland which met his last sight of earth.  Pence to his ashes and blessings upon his memory.  – T.S.A.

Please let me know if you have additional information you’d like to share.   You can find the page here and linked from the drop-down menu in the sidebar.

WCGS will meet briefly at 2:00 PM at the Masonic Lodge Hwy 32, on Wednesday January 20. Then we’ll go to the Washington County Courthouse in Plymouth where Keith Phelps, Deputy CSC, will guide us on a tour of the Courthouse offices which house the genealogical information we’re all searching for.

This is an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with the courthouse and its wealth of records which are now hiding your family’s genealogical secrets. Who better to show us around than one who is in there on a daily basis and is so willing to share with us?

We’ll close the meeting at the lodge where we can talk it out over some Coke and cookies (or something!)

I think this is one meeting you will not want to skip. Keith is anxiously waiting for us at the courthouse.

Please join us Wednesday.

See you then,
Virginia Haire, WCGS President

Plymouth, N.C.

• Most every Race church in the city is undergoing reconstruction or anticipates such.  The cornerstone to the New chapel’s new building was laid Monday.  The sermon for the occasion was preached by Dr. C.W.B. GORDON of Petersburg, Va.  The stone was laid by the Carthagenia lodge No. 38. A.F. and A.M. of this city.  Many visiting lodges were present to witness the ceremony.
• Mrs.  Sarah CHERRY, daughter and son left for Atlantic City Saturday.
• The Meridian Sun lodge, G.W.O. and O.F., was called upon to bury one of its members.
• The Washington district of the Knights of Gideons held its district meeting with the Rock Hill lodge, No. 150

The Program will be “Family History Month” and members asked to bring family info to share, and a treat for fellowship time. Beverages furnished. Old and new members welcome. Open to anyone with an interest in area genealogy.

For further info, contact Shirleyan Phelps at shirleyan32@earthlink.net.

For my abstracting project I’ve created an online database, but one area I’ve not been consistently including are those notices of court proceedings.  I’ve decided then to transcribe these columns and include them as material for the Washington County NCGenWeb site so they can have a home.

You will now find a new category in the drop down menu on the right side of the page under “Records” called “Court Proceedings.” Check out the first date I’ve added, those of May 5, 1899.  In addition to a long list of criminal charges, we learn that the Baums get divorced and someone was slacking on their transcribing duties for the court.

So far, I’ve added 4 biographies:

• William Stanely Davenport
• William Long Fagan
• Benjamin Foster Halsey
• Diamond Matthew Riddick

I hope to add more soon.  If you have biographical information to share about your Washington County ancestors, please do consider contributing to the site.