Notes
Note N691
Index
Birth Certificate number 7089-013850
Notes
Note N692
Index
Served as a casket bearer for Carlina Hahn's funeral. Age given as 14 in 1930 census.
Notes
Note N693
Index
1900 Asthenane, Clay Co, Ks census gives birthdate as Jan 1875, age 25
Notes
Note N694
Index
Was a farmer. Following provided by Ellis source; the original is a Kearny County (KS) history. This account was authored by Laura Downs Hahn, one of Ira's daughters.
'My father, Ira Downs, was born January 7, 1873, in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Soon after he was born, his parents moved in a covered wagon to Clay County, near Industry, Kansas. He grew up in Clay County and went to school there.
On February 22, 1898, he married Permelia (Millie) Harriet Bates. They lived on a farm in that neighborhood and he farmed. On January 14, 1899, a baby boy was born. They named him Lloyd LeRoy. On October 31, 1900, another little boy, Glenn Vernon, was born. Two years later, along came a little girl, Laura May, in October of 1902. By this time, they were pretty busy farming and raising a family. On November 25, 1905, another baby boy, Ira Jackson, arrived.
It was about this time that Dad decided that he would like to come to western Kansas and take out a homestead. He and some neighbors, young men, came to western Kansas to see what they could find. As it turned out, nearly everyone filed on a claim.
My Dad's claim was in Kearny County, just south of the Wichita County line. He built a barn and said that the family could live in it while he built a house. He sent for his family to come out on the train. He met us at the depot in Leoti and took us to Mrs. Thurman's hotel. Vernon looked up at Dad and said, "This is some barn you built, Dad."
The next day, Dad took us out to the homestead. That spring was a very wet spring and, of course, the barn leaked through the cracks in the roof. Mother had a lot of bedding to hang out to dry every morning.
They drilled a well on the place but got very little water, so drilled a number of wells. All together, twenty-one wells were drilled, but never enough water to keep a head of cattle and water a garden. It cost so much to have the wells drilled that Dad bought a well drill and drilled wells for other folks to make a little money to help support his family.
He was down around Lakin, Kansas, drilling wells and staying at a hotel in Lakin. One night, the owner put another man in the same room with Dad. He awoke in the night to find this man had gotten his billfold out of his pocket and was going through it. Dad landed right on top of him and got the money back. The hotel manager heard the commotion and called the sheriff. The man was put in jail for awhile. That was all the money Dad had and he wasn't about to let it be stolen if it could be helped.
One time my father went to Lacrosse, Kansas, to work in the harvest field. Mother and us children were at home. A terrible hail storm came up and drove our few cows away. As soon as it let up hailing a little, Mother took a little wooden box and covered her head, put on a heavy coat and went after the cows so they wouldn't drift so far away from home.
We went to school at Prairie Center School southwest of our place four miles. We drove a horse with a buggy and picketed the horse out to eat grass during school hours. One day the horse got loose and went home. Well, we had a long walk and were a little late making it home.
One summer, Vernon got typhoid fever and was very sick. Then Jack got it, too. I remeber Dr. Shepard gave them a cupful of castor oil. They got over it, so I guess that was a cure-all in those days.
Lloyd was out helping turn broom corn one morning before school and a big rattlesnake bit him on the back of the leg. He was scared and ran all the way to the house. Mother had him sit down and she sucked that poisonout and spit it on the floor. It was awful looking green stuff. Dr. Shepard was out of town, so we couldn't get a doctor for two days. They came very near to losing him. He wasn't able to go to school for some time that winter. Mother's courage saved his life.
About this time, another baby boy was born, Leil Emil. Mrs. Eva McCoy and Grandma Brewer came to be with Mother when he was born, then Mrs. McCoy stayed and helped Mother for a week or two.
One day when we were at school, a big prairie fire started several miles to the north of the schoolhouse. The teacher sent us all home. The fire burned pretty close to the school house and all around it. Next day, when we went to school, it looked charred and black everywhere.
Dad decided that we couldn't make it any longer in western Kansas, so in the spring of 1911, we moved back to Clay county. Dad, Lloyd and Vernon went in a covered wagon and took our horses and cattle and drove back. Mother, Jack, Emil and I went on the train. We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Downs until Dad found a farm and leased it. He farmed wheat and corn and did much better than in western Kansas. In 1913, another little girl, Vardie Lucille, was born. Then in 1915, Horace Roland came to make his home with us.
The year 1916, Dad decided to try western Kansas again and we found our family moving. When we reached western Kansas, we stayed in the Dan Braden house until we found a house to live in. Dad bought the Jonny Merz homestead on the south edge of Wichita County. Then he bought two frame houses and moved them onto the homestead. He joined the houses together and we lived in them. We went to school at Grand Prairie.
I remember one spring they were having a school contest in Leoti. Well, we all had to go as we were taking part in the contest. Vernon coughed all day long. When we got home that night, he sat down by the heating stove and put a blanket around himself. In no time, he was broken out all over. Mother said. "You have the measles." We got credit for giving Wichita County the measles.
The month of August 1918, our little Loie Irel was born. She didn't get to stay with us long. She passed away when she was three years old. The doctor called it spinal meningitis. She had fallen off the chair and we thought the fall hurt her back. She just lived a day or two. She was laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery, later called Emmanuel.
The hard winter of 1918 and 1919 came along. The snow was so deep that Dad had to make a float out of foot boards to haul hay from Leoti for the cattle. It was a terrible winter and folks lost lots of cattle.
Three of the Downs family, Laura, Vardie and Horace still live in this vicinity. Vardie lives on the home place. Jack lives near Dallas, Texas, and Emil lives at Plains, Kansas.
Age in 1940 census given as 67. Age given as 57 in 1930 census.
"Ira Downs returned from Oklahoma recently. He is much pleased with the country. He will be looking for a fleet horse on which to make the run when the land is opened to settlers."--14 Mar 1901, The (Clay Center KS) Times
"Ira Downs and wife are the proud parents of a 12 1/2 pound boy."--30 Nov 1905, The (Clay Center KS) Times
"While in Garden City recently, Ira Downs had an unusual experience. The hotek was crowded and another man shared his room but in a separate bed. In the night, the gentleman attempted to examine Mr. Downs' trousers, which awakened him, and without any unnecessary ceremonies, he gave the fellow a jolt that made seek shelter. Mr. Downs called the landlord, and the culprit was taken before the County Attorney who siad they couldn't hold him on any charge as he had not stolen anything, and had got into the room in an honorable way. We suppose that if two men were hunting together and one would shoot at the other and miss him, he couldn't be held on any charge because he had not killed anyone and got his gun in an honorable way."--29 Apr 1909, The (Lakin KS) Advocate
"HIBBARD HAPPENINGS.--..Grant McCoy and Ira Downs are drilling a well in the southern part of Wichita county...Ira Downs had a colt badly cut in the wire last week."--2 Sep 1909, The Lakin (KS) Advocate
"Ira Downs has the contract of drilling several wells for Dickey Bors. at Leoti for the purpose of irrigating 40 acres of land."--4 Aug 1910, The (Lakin KS) Advocate
"PRAIRIE CENTER Ira Downs is drilling a well east of Kearny. Anyone wanting good drilling done and done quickly, call on Mr. Downs."--1 Sep 1910, The Lakin (KS) Advocate
"Notice For Publication. Notice is hereby given that Ira Downs of Lydia, Kansas, who on January 19, 1906 made Homestead Entry No. 25145, Serial No. 03843, for NW 1/4 Sec 12, township 21S, Range 38W sixth principal meridian, has filed notice of intentiion to make final five years proof to establish claim to the land above described, before Clerk District Court of Kearny county, Kansas, at Lakin, Kansa, on the 14th day of February, 1911.
Claimant names as witnesses: John M. Whitaker, Kearny, Ks; James H. McCoy and August Hahn of Lydia, Kas; William H. Alexander, of Conquest, Kas. H.F. Millikan, Register."--13 Jan 1911, The (Lakin KS) Advocate
'A STRANGE EXPERIENCE.--To be met at the station by his brother, whose obsequies he thought he was called upon to attend, is an experience not many people have the oportunity of going through,but such was the case Saturday of Ira Downs of this place last Saturday night.
That afternoon, Ira received a message from Kansas City stating as he thought that his brother had died there that day. Having just received a letter from his brother in which it was mentioned all were well, Ira was stunned by the sad message. The message was sent by Ira's cousin, whose brother Justin had died. In transportation somehow the telegram was twisted so Ira got it that his brother just died. It was therefore a sensation when the brother met him at the depot in Kansas City.
While the death of a cousin is not an occasion for rejoicing, yet there is no one who cares as much for a cousin as one does for a brother. The brother, Ora, visited here two years ago at the time of the passing on of Mrs. Ira Downs. Ira arrived home on Tuesday."--17 Jul 1915, Barton County (KS) Democrat
"Mr. and Mrs. Ira Downs and three younger children of Wichita county, formerly of this neighborhood (Mizpah), are visiting relatives near here. They made the trip in their car, arriving the first of last week. Their oldest son, Lloyd, is in the new draft and may be called soon."--24 Oct 1918, The (Clay Center KS) Times