DENNIS DOWNING, my 10th Great-Grandfather, was residing in Kittery, Province of Maine, by 25 Nov 1650, when he appeared on a court jury list [GD of ME and NH, pg 208]. He then purchased, on 18 December, a messuage in Kittery (where he was currently dwelling) and thirty acres of upland lying nearby. It was located between Frank's and Watt's Forts, and owned by John Newgrove (and sold by George Smith of Dover) [York Deeds, Part I, Fol.16]. He was a blacksmith, and signed the submission to Massachusetts in 1652 [Old Kittery, pg 361].

Note: the lots laid out, with the names of Hammond, Fogg, Libby, and Tobey, is described in Old Eliot, Vol. 1, pg 49. It is based on a plan drawn by John Evans for the selectmen of Kittery, for their allotted shares. It was 240 rods wide and 580 rods in length, for a total of 870 acres. Current maps of Eliot show some traces of where these boundary lines once were. The lots would have extended back 1.81 miles, to a line where Rt. 236 now runs. Complications arose in 1699 when this 870 acre lot was purchased by the above five men and divided among them, as Dennis and son Joshua had already been living on a part of Joseph Hammond's portion. Old Eliot [ Vol. V, pg 32] says there was a lawsuit about this, and Joshua was allowed a lot extending from (what would later be called) Nutter's Cove to Watts Fort [see York Deeds, Vol VII, Fol. 67].

Dennis and his wife ANN, on 26 June 1656, brought Francis Trickey and wife Sarah into court at Portsmouth, accusing the latter of slander, for calling Mrs. Downing a drunk [NH Court Records, 1652-1668, pg 119]. After the defendant agreed to her words, the Downings withdrew their action, but the court continued with the sentencing. However, Sarah apparently had slipped away, a warrant was issued to find her, but no other court case is found regarding this.

Dennis also had ten acres of land near "Crooked Lane", which was granted to him by the town. On 21 Jun 1679, he sold this lot to Joanna Dyamont, the widow of William, who was lately in possession of this property [York Deeds, Vol. III, Fol. 47]. Son Joshua and his wife Patience also signed, Joshua stating he was his father's attorney (Dennis, just three years earlier, having deeded this and his other property to said Joshua). 

Old Kittery lists three sons for this Dennis: Dennis Jr (was he actually a son of Joshua?), John, and Joshua. The entire Downing property, both real and personal, would be granted to his "only and beloved" son, Joshua, on 16 Jan. 1676, the deed noting his son having been recently married to Patience Hatch. It did mention that son Joshua would give unto Joanna Downing, daughter of John, a cow at the day of her marriage [York Deeds, Vol III, Fol. 115]. This same deed was resubmitted into a later volume, reworded in a few places, and revoked the earlier version. It now said (of Joshua) "wel-beloved" son, instead of "only" [York Deed, Vol. VII, Fol. 104]. It also "deeded" 12 pence unto son John his dau's Anne, Alice and Joanna. This was dated 23 April 1690. 

Week 46 of the 52 Ancestors Challenge for 2018

​​A "Random Fact"... that, in May 1969, the 10.7 mile section of Route 236 that runs from the Kittery, Maine Traffic Circle to Route 4 in South Berwick was named for my Great-Uncle, Harold L. Dow.

The following photo, taken in "April 1921", is of the students of the District 1 school house in Eliot, Maine, which was located on Goodwin Road. The students are all numbered in the picture, with a corresponding list of names written on the back of the image. The numbering system is off, though, as the teacher was not numbered on the photo, but was so on the back. The female students are also misnumbered, as the list had restarted at #1 with their names, while the picture writing continued the numbering following the boys in the back row.

The following are the names of the students listed on the back of the photo. The numbers in ( ) represent those written on the image itself, which varies a bit from the description on the back side.  

Taken Mon. April 1921
                                                                                                                    Miss Doris E Nixon
​                                                                                                                                         Eliot Maine
Back rowe(sic). left to right.                                                     Front

​Teacher Mr Merrill (Grade 8)  1921

This undated photo came with the above class photo, only marked as "School No. 1 Eliot Maine". Sadly, none of the girls were named on the image.

Week 29 of the #52 Ancestors Challenge - "Music"

For this "music" challenge entry, I have chosen the "Four Jills", a singing quartet from my (former) home town of Eliot, Maine. Members of, and sponsored by, the John F. Hill Grange, they formed under that name in the spring of 1964 (though they were singing together the year prior). They participated in numerous events in town, including performances at the Grange, the High School, the East Eliot Methodist Church (where 3 of the 4 girls attended services), and the Girl Scouts (of which they were members). They would also enter into Grange contests within York County, as well as the state.

They sung together as the "Four Jills" until the summer of 1965, when ​two of the girls graduated from high school, and moved away due to college and/or marriage. The other two singers graduated from school the following year.

My Aunt Sharon (on left) would pass away in 1977, and Christine (far right) lives in PA, I believe. The two in the center of the photo, my mom and Debbie, both live in the town where they grew up, and actually still sing together, in the church choir.

Below is a clipping from a digitized local paper (dated 20 Aug 1964), with another picture of the quartet.

"Going to the Chapel" - Week 23 of the #52Ancestors Challenge

​

The East Eliot, Maine Methodist Episcopal Church [later First M.E., and afterwards United Methodist] was first organized in 1826, and was in existence at its Goodwin Road location until 1973, when the congregation merged with the Methodist Church located in South Eliot [and after moved to its current spot on Rt 236 in 1983].

In 2010, I purchased a collection of papers that were dated 1915, and was in regards to the much needed restoration and repairs of the old church in East Eliot, including the purchase of brand new pews. 

Within the "restoration papers", there was also a small booklet which listed the names of the donors who helped raise money for the new pews by purchasing plaques (or tags) "in honor of" or "in memory of" family members or the past ministers of the church. ​​There were 31 names who subscribed to the memorial pews, with a couple more names written onto back page. 

When the church location in East Eliot was shut down in 1973, the building was sold off, and is now a private residence. The parsonage down the street was also sold off by the heirs of the original grantors, as the deed included a provision that the home would return to the grantors once it was no longer used as a parsonage.

The pews that were purchased in 1915 must have been destroyed or sold off, as the South Eliot location was already furnished. The memorial and pew number tags were saved, however, as I recently found out last year. Stored in Eliot's current United Methodist Church are two wooden plaques, each one having (almost) all the memorial tags nailed onto them for display.

A few examples of the memorials (click on the images for a close view of photos):

There were 31 memorial tags (2 since removed and donated to heirs) on one plague, with 39 pew numbers on the other board (numbered 1-43, #22, 23, 26 (donated) and 42 not present). The pew numbers are interesting, and may have been from the original pre-1915 furniture, as the new order that year had called for 51 pieces (18 each of left end, center and right end sections). 

A few memorial tags differed from what was originally written in the donor booklet, and there is no list as to which numbered pew these memorials were attached to, if the numbers were actually used on the new (1915) furniture.

Below is a 2011 view of the church on the corner of Goodwin and Brixham Road, Eliot, pretty much unchanged today as a private residence, than it was as a place of worship.