Residents of the Settlement of Downsville/Downs’ Mill,
Pottawattamie County, Iowa

When Luke Johnson enumerated the 1850 U. S. Census in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, there was an overlap between those living in Pleasant Grove and Downsville/Downs’ Mill. Since the settlers of Downsville attended the Pleasant Grove Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Dwellings #1025-1032 may have been in this settlement. However, on November 12, 1850, Luke Johnson was definitely in Downsville beginning with Dwelling #1033 and extending to possibly Dwelling #1043. The following families with their ages and occupations were listed. Corrected names are listed in parenthesis and in bold print.


Smith, Absalom (age 31) (none) (Absalom Wamsley Smith)
Smith, Ana (age 26) (wife) (Amy Emily Downs Smith) (wife)
Smith, Albert (age 8) (Albert Francisco Smith)
Smith, Asa (age 4) (Asa Downs Smith)
Smith, Lavinia (age 2) (Lovina Jane Smith)
Smith, Frances (age 6/12) (Francis Marion Smith)

Came west with the Isaac M. Stewart Company in 1852

Downs, Ezekiel (age 59) (miller) 
Downs, Charlotte (age 58) (wife) (Charlotte Rawlins Downs)
Downs, Sidney (age 18) (none) (Sidney Beckworth Downs)

Other family members not listed
Downs, James (born 1815) 
Downs, Asa (born 1817)
Downs, Matilda Jane (born 1820) (married Isaac Mitten Stewart)
Downs, Amy Emily (born 1821) (married Absalom Wamsley Smith)
Downs, Susanna (born 1829) 

Ezekiel Downs stayed in Downsville. Charlotte and younger children came west in an unknown company in about 1852.

Stewart, Isaac (age 35) (none) (Isaac Mitton Stewart)
Stewart, Matildia (age 30) (wife) (Matilda Jane Downs Stewart)
Stewart, James (age 6) (James Zebulon Stewart)
Stewart, Mary (age 4) (Mary Emily Stewart)

Isaac was appointed the Captain of a Company bound for the Salt Lake Valley. The Company departed Kanesville with 53 wagons and about 245 individuals. They left on June 19, 1852, and started arriving in the Valley on August 28, 1852.

Barney, Charles (age 67) (none) 
Barney, Debrel (age 41) (wife) (Deborah Riffle Barney)
Barney, John (age 25) (labour) (John Franklin Barney) (son of Charles and Mercy Yeoman)
Barney, Margrete (age 16) (Margaret Matilda Barney) (daughter of Charles and Deborah Riffle Barney)
Barney, Jefferson (age 14) (Charles Thomas Jefferson Barney) (son of Charles and Deborah Riffle Barney)
Barney, William (age 9) (William Street Barney) (son of Charles and Deborah Riffle Barney)
Barney, Sarah (age 5) (Sarah Jane Barney) (daughter of Charles and Deborah Riffle Barney)

Other family members not listed
Barney, Mercy Yeoman (born 1783) (wife)
Barney, Luther (born 1806) (see Dwelling #1040)
Barney, Lewis (born 1808)
Barney, Lucien (born 1811)
Barney, Henry Charles (born 1816)
Barney, Walter (born 1819)
Barney, Lucinda (born 1825) (died 1827)
Barney, Emerine (born 1827) (died 1842)
Barney, Elizabeth (born 1830)
Barney, Benjamin Franklin (born 1832) (see Dwelling #1037)

Came west with the Henry Bryant Manning Jolley Company in 1852

Barney, Benjamin (age 18) (labour) (Benjamin Franklin Barney)
Barney, Caroline (age 24) (wife) (Caroline Beard Barney)
Barney, Benjamin (age 2) (Joseph Harrison Tippets) (son of Alvah Lewis Tippets and Caroline Beard)
Barney, Joseph (age 6/12) (Benjamin Kimball Barney)

Other family members not listed
Barney, Laura Alice (born 1852) 
Tippets, Alvah Lewis (born 1809) (died 1847) (husband of Caroline Beard Barney)
Tippets, Margaret (born 1844) (died 1844)
Tippets, Alvah (born 1846) (died 1847)

Came west with the Henry Bryant Manning Jolley Company in 1852


Dustin, Mary (age 60) (Aseneth Hurlbut Dustin) (wife)
Dustin, Franklin (age 16) (labour) 

Other family members not listed
Dustin, Bechias (born 1793) (husband)
Dustin, David (born 1817)
Dustin, Fornatus David (born 1820)
Dustin, Bechias (born 1823)
Dustin, Seth (born 1825)
Dustin, Joseph (born 1827)
Dustin, Asenath Cecilia (born 1829)
Dustin, Roxanna Mahala (born 1833)
Dustin, Christopher Columbus (born 1839) 

Traveled with an unknown company in 1850

Sevan, Asenith (age 20) (wife) (Asenath Cecilia Dustin Swan)
Sevan, Christopher (age 11) (Christopher Columbus Dustin) (son of Bechias and Aseneth Hurlbut Dustin)
Sevan, Asenith (age 2) (Asenath Swann) (daughter of Samuel and Asenath Dustin Swann)

Other family members not listed
Swann, Samuel (husband)

Came west with the Isaac M. Stewart Company in 1852

Hatch, Josephus (age 49) (labour) 
Hatch, Malinda (age 45) (wife) (Malinda Durfee Hatch)
Hatch, Mary (age 22) (Mary Rebecca Hatch)
Hatch, Sophrona (age 16) (Sophronia Elvira Hatch)
Hatch, William (age 9) (William Edson Hatch)
Hatch, Genet (age 4) (Jeanette Hatch) 
Hatch, Jeremiah (age 84) (father of Josephus Hatch) (died 1851)

Other family members not listed
Hatch, Nancy (born 1823) (died 1824)
Hatch, Minerva (born 1824) (died 1824)
Hatch, Oliver (born 1832) (died 1836)
Hatch, Harriet Eliza (born 1836) (died 1838)
Hatch, Royal Edwin (born 1846) (died 1848)
Hatch, Jennette (born 1846)

Came west with the Isaac M. Stewart Company in 1852

Barney, Luther (age 44)
Barney, Lucinda (age 27) (wife) (Lucinda Seymour Barney)
Barney, Ambrose (age 12) (Ambrose Mithel Barney)
Barney, Charles (age 11) (Charles Jefferson Barney)
Barney, Lucion (age 9) (Lucien Barney)
Barney, Hyrum (age 7) (Hyrum Jacob Barney)
Barney, Ebineeser (age 3) (Ebenezer Barney)
Barney, Elisha (age 1) 
Barney, Luther (age 6/12) (Luther Benjamin Barney)

Other family members not listed
Barney, Albert (born 1851) (died 1851)
Barney, Debra (born 1852)
Barney, James Rhoads (born 1853)

Did not go to the Salt Lake Valley. Some of the family stayed in Iowa but Luther went to Oklahoma.

Tidwell, Thomas (age 23) (none) 
Tidwell, Jane (age 19) (wife) (Elizabeth Jane Henderson Tidwell)
Tidwell, Ann (age 1) (Celestia Annie Tidwell)

Other family members not listed
Tidwell, James Absalom (born 1848) (died 1848)
Tidwell, Elizabeth Alice (born 1851)
Tidwell, Thomas Jasper (born 1853) (died 1854)

Came west with an unknown company in 1854

Hendrickson, Sarah (age 14)

No further information found

Hough, Samuel (age 32) (blacksmith) (Samuel Milton Hough)
Hough, Eliza (age 27) (wife) (Eliza Jane Allen Hough)
Hough, Martha (age 8) (Martha A. Hough)
Hough, Elther (age 6) (Esther Jane Hough)
Hough, Russel (age 2) (Russell Morgan Hough)
Hough, Warrin (age 1) (Warren Milton Hough)

Other family members not listed
Hough, Mortimer Delbert (born 1841)
Hough, Samuel Byron (born 1843) (died 1843)
Hough, Adelaide (born 1846) (died 1846)

Did not come west. By 1860 they were living in Crawford County, Iowa. They later affiliated with the RLDS Church.

Alred, Loiza (age 42) (wife) (Louisa Wing Aldrich)
Alred, Elsa (age 19) (Elsie Ann Aldrich)
Alred, Almira (age 17) (Almira White Aldrich)
Alred, Martin (age 14) (Martin Van Buren Aldrich)

Wane, Elcy (age 53) (Alice Elsie Wing) (born 1786) (sister of Louisa Wing Aldrich)

Other family members not listed
Aldrich, Levi (born 1804) (husband)
Aldrich, Lyman Wing (born 1827)
Aldrich, Amasa (born 1829)

Came west with the C. D. Howell Company in 1852. Eventually Almira married William Alma Allred, this could be the confusion on the surname listed on the census.

Name	Father’s Name	Mother’s Name	Birthdate
Jennette Hatch	Josephus Hatch	Madlinda Durfee	Nov 1846
Russell Morgan Hough	Samuel Milton Hough	Eliza Jane Allen	15 Dec 1847
Naomi Jane Downs	James Downs	Mary Ann Greathouse	1 Feb 1848
Lovina Jane Smith	Absalom Smith	Amy Emily Downs	18 Mar 1848
Warren Milton Hough	Samuel Milton Hough	Eliza Jane Allen	24 Apr 1848
James Absalom Tidwell	Thomas Tidwell	Elizabeth Jane Henderson	12 Jul 1848
Aseneth Anna Swann	Samuel Swann	Asenath Cecilia Dustin	10 Oct 1848
Elisha Barney	Luther Barney	Lucinda Seymour	1849
Lorena Ann Downs	James Downs	Mary Ann Greathouse	23 Apr 1849
Celestia Annie Tidwell	Thomas Tidwell	Elizabeth Jane Henderson	18 Nov 1849
Luther Benjamin Barney	Luther Barney	Lucinda Seymour	24 May 1850
Francis Marion Smith	Absalom Smith	Amy Emily Downs	30 Sep 1850
Albert Barney	Luther Barney	Lucinda Seymour	1851
Elizabeth Alice Tidwell	Thomas Tidwell	Elizabeth Jane Henderson	7 Dec 1851
Debra Barney	Luther Barney	Lucinda Seymour	1852
James Rhoads Barney	Luther Barney	Lucinda Seymour	22 May 1853
Thomas Jasper Tidwell	Thomas Tidwell	Elizabeth Jane Henderson	12 Aug 1853

Groom’s Name	Bride’s Name	Marriage Date
James Downs	Mary Ann Greathouse	11 Apr 1847
Ezekiel Downs	Frances M. Graham	13 Jun 1851

Downs, James (born 1815)
Downs, Mary Ann Greathouse (born 1827)
Downs, Naomi Jane (born 1848)
Downs, Lorena Ann (born 1849)

The settlers in Down’s Mill belonged to the Pleasant Grove Branch. James Downs was the appointed bishop of Pleasant Grove Branch for some time until 1850. They traveled west with the Warren Foote Company in 1850.