ANCESTOR NO. 23: MARGARET E. TIMMONS (c. 1832/33–1907)

 Margaret E. Timmons left behind no diary, no photograph, and no obituary that has yet been found, but she left a paper trail across three states and more than fifty years. Piecing those documents together tells the story of a woman who moved often, who at times managed property and money in her own name at a time when few women did, and who lost a husband and three sons before she died.

A Connecticut Household, 1850

The earliest record found for Margaret is the 1850 federal census, taken in Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut. She was seventeen years old, living in the household of Archibald Timmons, a 47-year-old plater, and Eliza Timmons, 45. Also in the household were William Timmons, 18, a carriage maker, and Daniel, age 3.[1] Archibald and Eliza were Margaret's parents, and William and Daniel her brothers.[2] The 1850 census listed Margaret's birthplace as New Jersey, which, combined with her age, suggests she was born around 1832 or 1833. The family attended a Baptist church, and Margaret's mother had earlier belonged to the Congregational church in Milford.

Marriage in Rahway, 1854

On 28 November 1854, in Rahway, New Jersey, Margaret, described in the marriage notice as "Miss Margaret E. Timmons of Milford,” married Edwin B. Downes (later spelled Downs) of New Haven.[3] She was about twenty-one. The notice ran in a Norwich, Connecticut newspaper and also in the New Haven Columbian Register, which is a bit surprising given that the couple married in New Jersey; it turns out Margaret's parents had originally come from Rahway, and Edwin's family had at one point lived near, possibly in the same building as, Margaret's family in New Haven. From this point on, most of Margaret’s life was as described in last month’s post about her husband Edwin. But there are some interesting differences.

The Early Married Years

By 1860, Margaret and Edwin had made their way to St. Louis, Missouri, where Edwin worked as a conductor on a horse-drawn streetcar, and reported a personal estate worth only $100. Margaret, like most married women of her time, had no occupation recorded. After six years of marriage the couple had no children, though infant deaths went largely unrecorded in this era and it's likely she miscarried or lost at least one baby between 1855 and 1860.[4]

The couple didn't stay in St. Louis. By September 1860 they were back in Rahway, New Jersey, where their son Edwin Stanton Downs was born. A second son, George H. Downs, arrived around 1862, and a third, Archibald Downs, was born in April 1864, also in Rahway.[5] Archibald does not appear in later records; infant mortality was very high compared to today and he surely died before 1870.

A daughter, Elizabeth ("Lizzie") A. Downs, was born on 5 January 1867 in Elizabeth, Union County, a nearby, larger city than Rahway, and probably a move made so Edwin could find better work.[6]

West to Iowa

Sometime between 1868 and 1869, the family moved all the way to Durant, in Farmington Township, Cedar County, Iowa, a village of fewer than four hundred people.[7] Edwin’s parents and brothers had lived there briefly in the 1850s.[8] The 1870 census found them there: Edwin, 37, now a farmer; Margaret, 35, keeping house; sons Edwin S. (9) and George (7); daughter Elizabeth (3); and a new baby, Eugene, age 1 (my great grandfather), born in Iowa.[9] It must have been an enormous change for Margaret, who had spent her entire life in towns and small cities.

The family later relocated roughly 225 miles southwest, to Creston, in Union County, Iowa, though exactly when or by what route isn't yet documented. Most, if not all, the places they lived were along a railroad line. This undated photo likely shows a scene she was familiar with; she would have worn long skirts like these.

“People boarding a train at the Shawnee depot, circa late 1800s,” Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:People_boarding_a_train_at_the_Shawnee_depot,_circa_late_1800s_-_DPLA_-_e0b201c59bea89f203494f37fe0ee671.jpg: accessed 7 July 2026).

Property in Her Own Name

Iowa law in this period allowed married women to own, manage, and sell real estate independently of their husbands, and Margaret took advantage of it more than once. On 23 February 1880, Edwin signed a deed transferring a town lot in Creston, in Swigert's North Addition, to Margaret for the token sum of "$1 and love and affection." The 1880 census, taken that July, shows the family living on Fremont Street in Creston: Edwin, 46, a clerk at a grain elevator; Margaret, 46, keeping house; sons Edwin S. (20, a laborer, unemployed and reportedly sick for part of the year), George (17, also a laborer, also noted as sick), Eugene (10, at school); daughter Lizzie (13, at school); and two younger children, Nellie (6) and Willie (4), (Eleanor Margaret and William Timmons Downs), the youngest of Margaret's children.[10]

That same July, Margaret and Edwin sold the Creston lot to a buyer named W. E. Cady for $195 in cash, with Cady also assuming their existing $200 mortgage.[11]

The following year, in August 1881, Margaret bought another lot on her own, in Bedford, Taylor County, Iowa, agreeing to pay $250 total under an installment contract: $10 down and $10 a month at 10% annual interest. Notably, the contract makes no mention of Edwin at all, and Margaret signed her own name to it, at a time when many American women could not write.[12]

By October 1882, Margaret and Edwin together assigned their rights in the Bedford property to Joseph H. Lewis for $325, a profit over what they'd paid.[13] Just two months later, in December 1882, Margaret sold what appears to have been the family's entire household: a cook stove and cooking utensils, a sewing machine, three tables, six chairs, a clock, three feather beds, ten quilts, two trunks and their contents, a rag carpet, a bedstead, and a mattress, to her eldest son, Edwin S. Downs, for $50.[14] The couple was preparing to move back east. I was interested to see this, because it is the first time I’ve heard that anyone in our family made quilts. Also, I was surprised to see a non-land sale recorded in a deed book. The two eldest sons, Edwin and George, stayed behind in Iowa while the rest of the family returned to New Jersey, where Margaret's mother still lived. Edwin was only 52 at the time. We’ll never know why they decided to move halfway across the country again.

A Son Lost in Iowa

Not much more than a year later, on 24 March 1884, George Downs died in Benton Township, Taylor County, Iowa, of "cerebro spinal fever," what would today be called bacterial meningitis. He was buried in Bedford, Iowa. He was about 21 or 22 years old.

Back to New Jersey

By 1885, the New Jersey state census found Margaret and her remaining family back in the Third Ward of Rahway, the town where she and Edwin had married thirty years earlier, and where her own parents had married as well. Living with them were Lizzie, Eugene, Ella (Eleanor), and William.[15] Her son Edwin remained in the Midwest.

From 1889 onward, city directories show the family living in Newark, New Jersey, and moving every few years. They lived at addresses on Mercer, Walnut, Broad, South 13th, North 11th, North 6th, and South 10th Streets over more than a decade.[16] Margaret and Edwin bought no more property; it was probably much more expensive in a big city.

In 1892, Margaret's mother, Eliza Timmons, died. Margaret and her brother Daniel Lake Timmons, of New York City, formally renounced their right to administer their mother's estate, allowing their brother William W. Timmons to take on that role instead.[17] That was probably because William was the only one that lived in the same town as their mother.

The 1895 New Jersey state census found the family in the 11th Ward of Newark, with Margaret, her husband, son William, and daughter Nellie in the household.[18]

Living with Eugene's Family

By 1900, Margaret, now about 68, was living at 27 South 10th Street in Newark with her son Eugene's family: Eugene, a salesman; his wife Laura; their daughters Mabel, Ethel, and Dorothy; and Margaret's unmarried daughter Eleanor, also in the household. The census taker got a striking number of details wrong that year:  birthplaces, ages, even the state where several family members were born.[19]  The record does confirm, though, that Margaret's husband Edwin was still alive and, per city directory and later records, was living at that same address.

Widowhood

Edwin B. Downs died on 10 April 1901, at home at 27 South 10th Street in Newark, of a stroke. He was 67.[20] He was buried in Rahway, New Jersey. They apparently still considered that home, not Newark.

In the fall of 1904, Margaret probably received a letter from her daughter-in-law, notifying her that her son Edwin Stanton Downs had died in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was only 44.[21] She had now outlived her three eldest children.

By 1905, Margaret, now a 70-year-old widow, was still living with Eugene's family, by then at 42 North 11th Street in Newark. The household included Eugene; Laura; their children Mabel, Ethel, Dorothy, and a young son, Herbert; and Eleanor, Margaret's daughter, who was working as an insurance clerk.[22] This is the last census in which Margaret appears.

Margaret's Death, 1907

Margaret E. Downs died on 12 February 1907 at 42 North 11th Street in Newark, of cerebral apoplexy (a stroke), the same cause of death as her husband. Her death certificate recorded that she had lived in New Jersey for 25 years, which lines up neatly with the family's return from Iowa around 1882. It listed her parents as Archibald Timmons, born in Connecticut, and Eliza Timmons, born in New Jersey.[23] She was to be buried at Hazelwood Cemetery in Rahway, like Edwin. No death notice or obituary for her has yet turned up in surviving newspapers, and while an in-ground marker for Edwin has been found at Hazelwood Cemetery, no marker for Margaret has yet been located.

A Note on Margaret's Descendants

Of Margaret's seven known children, three sons — Edwin, George, and Archibald — left no living descendants. Her daughter Elizabeth had three sons, of whom only one is known to have had children. Her daughter Eleanor never had children. William and Eugene have descendants living today who share DNA matches with me. Most of the family seem to have stayed in New Jersey.

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[1] “1850 United States Federal Census,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 6 July 2026) > Connecticut > New Haven > Milford > image 41 of 59; Margarett [sic] Timmons in household of Archibald Timmons, p. 797 (penned), sheet 401A (stamped), line 10, dwelling 366, family 369, from NARA RG 29, Pub. M432, Roll 46.

[2] New Jersey Dept. of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Essex County, death certificate no. obscured (1907), Margaret E. Downs; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, N.J.

[3] “Married,” The Examiner (Norwich, Ct.), 15 Dec. 1854, p. 3, col. 3; image, GenealogyBank (https://www.genealogybank.com: accessed 1 Sep. 2021)

[4] “1860 United States Federal Census,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 6 July 2026) > Missouri > St. Louis (Independent City > St. Louis Ward 10 > image 349 of 574; Margret [sic] Downs, p. 132 (penned), sheet 676 (stamped), line 38, dwelling 774, family 865, from NARA RG 29, Pub. M653, Roll 46.

[5] New Jersey, Bureau of Archives and History, “New Jersey index to records of births, marriages and deaths, 1848-1900,” “Births, marriages, deaths Union Co. v. AG 1848-1867;” database and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/records/images/image-details?page=1&place=4584156&lifeEvent=102243&rmsId=TH-909-57336-82421-71&imageIndex=43&singleView=true: accessed 2 Sep. 2021) > image 44 of 1819; Downs, 16 Sep. 1860 and Archibald Downs, 29 Apr. 1864.

[6] New Jersey, Bureau of Archives and History, “New Jersey index to records of births, marriages and deaths, 1848-1900,” “Births, marriages, deaths Union Co. v. AG 1848-1867;” database and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/records/images/image-details?page=1&place=4584121&endDate=1867&startDate=1867&lifeEvent=102243&rmsId=TH-909-60942-193983-71&imageIndex=0: accessed 14 Sep. 2021) > image 1005 of 1347; Downs, Lizzie A., 5 Jan. 1867, Elizabeth, Union, N.J., Film 4210792.

[7] “1870 United States Federal Census,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/ : accessed 6 July 2026) > Iowa > Cedar > Durant. Search for this location, but no name. There were 373.

[8] 1856 Iowa State Census, Cedar County, Iowa, population schedule, Farmington, p.454-455 (stamped), dwelling 26, family 26, George Downs; “Iowa, U. S. Census Collection, 1836-1925,” database and images, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed 7 July 2026) > 1856 > Cedar > Farmington > image 2 of 6.

[9] “1870 United States Federal Census,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 2 Sept. 2021) > Iowa > Cedar > Durant > image 8 of 10; Margaret E. Downs, p. 8 (penned), sheet 220B (stamped), line 35, dwelling 65, family 66, from NARA RG 29, Pub. M653, Roll 380.

[10] “1880 United States Federal Census,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 3 Sept. 2021) > Iowa > Union > Creston > E.D. 222 > image 95 of 102; Margaret E. Downs, p. 95 (penned), sheet 241C (stamped), line 2, dwelling 836, family 891, from NARA RG 29, Pub. T9, Roll 366.

[11] Union County, Iowa, Deed Record Town Lots, O: 488, Margaret and E. B. Downs to W. E. Cady, 30 July 1880; “Union, Iowa, United States records,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3WS-C9V7-Y?view=explore : accessed 30 June  2026) > IGN 008595284 > image 729 of 807.

[12] Taylor County, Iowa, Miscellaneous record, H: 546-547, L. S. Brooks to Margaret E. Downs, 17 Aug. 1881, recorded 16 Feb. 1882; “Taylor, Iowa, United States records,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-N3ZR-69W6-J?view=explore: accessed 23 June 2026) > IGN 8687406 > image 750 of 800.

[13] Taylor County, Iowa, Miscellaneous record, L: 476, Margaret E. Downs & E. B. Downs to Joseph H. Lewis, 19 Oct. 1882; “Taylor, Iowa, United States records,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-N3ZR-6V2R?view=explore: accessed 23 June 2026) > IGN 8687407 > image 243 of 863.

[14] Taylor County, Iowa, Deeds, M: 47, Margaret E. Downs to E. S. Downs, recorded 9 Dec. 1882; “Taylor, Iowa, United States records,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-F3ZR-6VT7?view=explore: accessed 23 June 2026) > IGN 008687407 > image 350 of 863.

[15] “New Jersey, U.S., State Census, 1885,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61556/images/48180_548638-00323?pId=282277: accessed 7 July 2026) > Union > Fernwood-Westfield > image 324 of 501, Margaret E. Downs, no. 2388, dwelling 479, family 546; N.J. State Archive, Trenton, N.J., Film 43.

[16] City directories for Newark are available at Ancestry.com.

[17] Surrogate’s Court, Union County, New Jersey, Renunciations 1871-1903, B (1889-1896): 161; Estate of Eliza F. Timmons, file, collection, series; Union County courthouse, Elizabeth, New Jersey; “New Jersey Probate Records, 1678-1980,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93Q-7QC4?i=308&cc=2018330&cat=296012: accessed 23 Dec. 2022) > DGS 005676248 > image 309 of 677.

[18] “New Jersey, U.S., State Census, 1895,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1054/images/41246_040500-00483?pId=610109: accessed 4 Sep. 2021) > County > Essex > Newark Ward 11 > image 176 of 266, Margaret Downs, dwelling 504, family 578; N.J. State Archive, Trenton, N.J.

[19] “1900 United States Federal Census,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 July 2026) > New Jersey > Essex > Newark Ward 11 > District 0113 > image 38 of 44; Margaret Downs, p. 19B (penned), line 88, dwelling 306, family 398, from NARA RG 29, Pub. T623.

[20] State of New Jersey, Essex County, death certificate no. 5713 (1901), Edwin B. Downs; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, N.J.

[21] Untitled death notice, Lincoln Journal Star (Lincoln, NE.), 25 Sep. 1904, p. 6, col. 2; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/314075527/ : accessed 7 July 2026).

[22] “New Jersey, U.S., State Census, 1905,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61557/images/48181_548688-00316?pId=521974: downloaded 4 Sep. 2021) > Essex > Newark, Wards 11-13 > image 317 of 1387, Margaret Downs, line 98, dwelling 477, family 615; N.J. State Archive, Trenton, N.J., No. L-04, film 14.

[23] New Jersey Dept. of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Essex County, death certificate no. obscured (1907), Margaret E. Downs; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, N.J.