Edmund Morse Downs (8/16/1816-1879) was born in Groton, Vermont. He married Caroline Ordelia Lathrop (9/1/1824-1804) on 5/1/1841 in La Porte, Indiana. He was 25 and she was 17. They had seven children. Edmund was a physician. The family relocated several times from Indiana, to Iowa (where they purchased land in 1849) to Texas to Tustin CA.
The Edmund Downs and Peter Adams Families relocated from Texas to Los Angeles County, Tustin Township in the mid 1870’s. Peter was married to their daughter Henrietta. They were joined by Horace and Hiram King Snow Sr. and families. Hiram was married to their daughter Cynthia.
Caroline Downs is credited with founding The Advent Christian Church at a meeting in her home on Main Street in 1880. The Family built one of the first houses in Tustin. Their property extended from Main St South on Pacific to 6th St. (Source: W M Huntley).
Edmund died in 1878 in Tustin Township at age 63. Caroline raised her remaining children and then moved in with her son in law, Peter Adams, until her death in 1904 at age 80. Edmund and Caroline are buried at Fairhaven Cemetery.
The life story of their children follows:
Cynthia (1842-2/4/1886) married Hiram King Snow Sr. (11/15/1834-11/7/1913) on 10/3/1858 in Osage Co Iowa. He was 23 and she was 16. She died in 1886. (See Horace and Hiram Snow file).
Edwin (1844-2/26/1929) went to Texas in 1858 spent his life raising live stock in Uvalde County in South Central Texas. His wife Margaret was from Texas. He served in the Texas Calvary during the Civil War and applied for and was granted a pension in 1924 at age 79.
Nathan Harry (1848-) migrated to Tustin with his parents. On 4/6/1880, at age 31, he married Sylvia Sallee who was related to Tustin pioneer Joseph W Sallee. Later, Harry was married to Amy Moore from Canada and lived in Arizona. Census and voter registration records confirm that he lived with his brother, Jefferson, from 1916-1924 in Yuma Arizona.
Elizabeth Henrietta (3/9/1848-5/5/1892) married Peter Taylor Adams (11/22/1934-12/3/1924) on 10/25/1865 in Uvalde County, Medina Texas. He was 30 and she was 17.
George (1857) Migrated to Tustin with his parents. He died in 1888 at age 31 and is buried in Fairhaven Cemetery.
Jefferson (1862-5/12/1930) migrated to Tustin with his parents. On 8/6/1888 he registered to vote in Ventura County stating he was a farm laborer. He was issued a land grant on 4/26/1906 in La Paz County Arizona. He was reported on the 1910 and 1920 census as residing in Yuma Arizona. He died at age 68 and is buried at Fairhaven Cemetery.
Lucinda (6/17/1865-12/13/1964) migrated to Tustin with his parents. She married Hiram King Snow Sr, her brother in law, on 4/27/1887 in Tustin CA. He was 52 and she was 21.
Albert (1869-9/13/1899) migrated to Tustin with his parents. Albert was the Tustin Postmaster from 1894-1897. Albert died at age 28 and is buried at Fairhaven Cemetery.
Biographies about Peter “P.T.” Adams and Hiram King Snow are also available.
Revised: 9/30/2021. Researcher: Vicki Gray
