Sarah "Sally" Downing
Sex: F
Individual Information
Birth Date: Abt 1790 Christening: Death: 1840-1850 - (Izard Co., Arkansas) 1 Burial: in Flatwoods Cem., Mtn. View, Stone Co., Arkansas Cause of Death:
Parents
Father: John Downing (1744-1802) 2 Mother: Mary Pagan (Abt 1746-1832) 2
Spouses and Children
1. *William Hinkle (7 Dec 1792 - 15 Apr 1867) 3 4 Marriage: Children: 1. Jesse Hinkle (1814-1891) 2. John D. Hinkle (1816-1852) 3. Andrew J. Hinkle (1818-Abt 1869) 4. Catharine Hinkle (1819-1863) 5. Mary Hinkle (1821-1877) 6. Serena Hinkle (Abt 1822-Abt 1863) 7. Baltis Hinkle (Abt 1825-Bef 1853) 8. Francis Hinkle (1826-1870) 9. William Riley Hinkle (1828-1902)
Notes
General:
Most researchers say that William Hinkle's wife was Andrew Downing's youngest sister Sarah (Sally). What evidence supports that claim?
In the Downing Bible, the names and birthdates of Andrew Downing's 11 children follow his name. After those names are the names and birthdates of four Hinkles: 2 children of Baltis Hinkle and Ann Downing, and 2 children of William Hinkle. Thus it seems obvious that William Hinkle had a very close relationship with the Downing family, specifically with Andrew Downing, and the most likely explantion is that his wife was a member of that family, either a daughter of Andrew Downing or a sister. She died before the 1850 census, and so far as I know her name does not appear on any document associated with her husband.
According to the 1830 and 1840 censuses William Hinkle's wife was born about 1790. That is a reasonable birth date for Andrew Downing's youngest sister, Sally, who in 1811 was still unmarried. See notes under John Downing, her father. The following two letters come to me from Judy Damewood. The people mentioned are mostly the children of John Downing and Mary Pagan. The mention of Sister Sally in the first letter immediately after mentioning William Hinkle suggests (but does not prove) that she is his wife.
[addressed to] Mr. John Downing, Dark County Ohio New Madison P. Off.
State of Indiana
Monroe CountyJuly 6, 1830 at School
Dear Brother & Sister
With pleasure I undertake to inform you that on yesterday I received your satisfactory letter dated 30 May last, which truly gave us all much pleasure to hear after so long a lapse of time, that you were still in the land of the living and enjoying health and strength. At the same time I wrote to you, I also wrote to Brother Andrew and fortunately for us all his answer came to hand yesterday also and they furnished me with an opportunity of complying with some of your requests stated in your letterHe informs me in his letter (it was dated June 11th last) that they were all well at that time, and that William Hinkle and family were also well, Sister Sally had been ailing for some time but was got better. He informed me also that Katy was married last December to a young man by the name of Patterson and Brother to his son William's wife. He states that he has had no late account from Carolina or from any of our relations. I think from the drift of his letter he has some notion of coming to this country, but did not speak positively on that subject. I do not recollect whether in my last letter to you I informed you of my son William's marriage. If I did not he was married two years ago last march to a woman the name of May. They have got one daughter, and are living now close by us. He married very young and contrary to mine and his mother's inclination, but he appears very industrious and I am in hopes he will make out very well. I have not settle myself as yet on a place of my own, neither do I intend so doing provided I was able, until I can have an opportunity of exploring the country some farther. I intend as soon as my school is out, which will be the first or second week of September to explore the Waubash Country and some part of the Illinois, and if I should like it my calculations are at present to move this fall or in the spring. I moved from Tennessee with the intentions of finding a country more to my mind than it was, and such a one I have found but from every information I can gather the above named countries must be far superior to this. You state in your letter that yourself or some of your sons expect to pay us a visit after corn is laid by. If you should come I want you try and come betwixt this and the first of September or about that time. If not more than one of your can come, I hope you will come yourself, and I do not want you or any of your family to think hard of me for telling you so, for I should be truly glad to see you all I intend writing tomorrow to Brother Andrew and will request him also to come by the first of September, and I have same hopes that he will obey me. Will you come?_________Something whispers and me thinks I hear you say yes. As to procuring a support for my family, we have made out tolerable well so far, and I am in hopes there is not much danger we will suffer on that account. As I am not settled in my mind in what part of the country I shall station myself and family, I think if I could have the opportunity of conversing with you on the subject you might perhaps be of great service to me in that head, as you must have a more perfect knowledge of these parts than I can possibly have. As to my circumstances as it respects this worlds good, they are at a very low ebb at the present, I have had to make several sacrifices of property in order to get along, since I have been here. If it should so happen that none of you come to see us, I want you to write to me as soon as the fact is ascertained. I would be glad to know how your mind is effected as it respects religion, and whether or not you have associated yourself to any religious society or not. As to my own part, my contiments on that head are the same as they were the last time we separated in Tennessee White County, which has been several years ago. I would be truly glad to talk with you on the subject of Religion, it is a theme on which I delight to dwell, and ought to be the chief concern of mortals here below, I must now come to a close as it is now time to call Books. I therefore recommend you all into the hands of him who is able to save to the uttermost all who put their trust in him hoping, that provided we should never meet here below we may meet where parting is no more. We must subscribe ourselves your ever affectionate Brother and Sister. Robt and Sarah Downing
NS. The family all join in sending their best respects to you and family.R. G. D.
[addressed to]
Mr. John Downing, State of Ohio, Dark County, Long Prairie, Harrison Township
State of Alabama
Madison CountyJan [or June] 1, 1826
Dr. Brother and Sister,
With the greatest pleasure I now undertake to inform you by letter that in myself and family are all in good health at present for which blessing we feel ourselves thankful and we hope that these few lines when they come to your hand, they may find you all enjoying the same. I have never received any letters from you since I have been in this part of the country except one, that several years since. You certainly must have forgot us, I have wrote to you several times at least three what the reason is that we cannot hear form one another I cannot tell, unless our letters have been miscarried, I cannot impute it altogether to your neglect or forgetfulness of us that we have not received any, but there must be neglect somehow in there. The rest of the connections here are all in good health at this time. William Hinkle lives within half a mile of me at this time. My son John lives within four miles. There has been no deaths in my family lately not I suppose since you heard from me and not many marriages my children all live with me that are not married and those which are close at hand. Brother Robert is now at my house and his family was all well when he left home. He lives in White County Tennessee and tells me he has wrote to you several times, but has never received any in return. Brother William was at Robert's this fall and all were well when he left home. Mother is still alive and able to go about when William left home. He was under a complaint himself call, the Dropsy. Robert received a letter from him since, he went home, which stated he was not any better than when he left his house. He also informed him that three of John Gill's family died last fall, viz. Ellen, Sally and John. Leander is also dead, but I suppose you have heard of it before now. Write to me as soon as you receive this letter, and let me know whether you are permanently settled or not. We have all got in a notion of moving to the Province of Texas, we have not any of us seen it as yet, but from information it is superior to any country that has every yet been settled. Every head of a family gets one league of land by paying one hundred and Eighty Dollars. Examine your geography and let us know whether you are willing to go with us or not. Your relations all desired to be remembered to you. I have not any more worth your attention only that Robert desires to be remembered to you and family. So I conclude with subscribing myself your ever loving Brother and Sister.Andrew & Elizabeth Downing
1 "Find-a-Grave," Memorial # 29571688.
2 Brent H. Holcomb and Elmer O. Paker, Early Records of Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church, Chester County, South Carolina, 1799-1859, 1980, pg 158. Repository: Clayton Library, Houston, Texas.
3 Shirley Drury Patterson, Hinkle/Patterson Families of Hardin Co., Tennessee, Hardin County Historian, Vol 1, No 3, July-Dec 1997, pg 40. Repository: Clayton Library, Houston, Texas.
4 Edgar D. Byler III, "Modified Register for Jesse Hinkle," unpublished.
5 Shirley Drury Patterson, Hinkle/Patterson Families of Hardin Co., Tennessee, Hardin County Historian, Vol 1, No 3, July-Dec 1997, pg 41. Repository: Clayton Library, Houston, Texas.
6 A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region, Goodspeed Brothers, Publishers, Chicago, 1894, pgs 168-69. Repository: Clayton Library, Houston, Texas.
7
H. Neal Parker, Visit to Flatwoods Cemetery, Mt. View, Stone Co., Arkansas, June 2008.
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