|
 Charles Clayton...with his family, grew up in the
Downing Highway County Line area. As was the
case with all farmer's children, he and his
brothers helped their father with whatever was
to be done clearing and working the land,
planting and harvesting the crops, building and
maintaining the dwelling as well as the barns,
granaries, corn cribs, and hen houses. In
1904 and 1905, he and Irv hauled all the bricks from Azalia and Maybee to build the big brick house
on Downing Highway.
On December 6, 1911, he
married a school teacher named Camilla Jane
Wilson.
Camilla was born December
28, 1889, and was always called "Millie".
Charles was nicknamed "Chuck".
They set up housekeeping in
an old log house where his mother and father had
lived several years before. They lived here
until their new house was completed on the east
side of the Monroe Lenawee County Line. This is
where Thelma Henning lives now. Here they made
their home until 1921, when they moved across
the road to another new house where Robert and
Bonnie Downing now reside.
Chuck was a farmer all his
life, starting out on forty acres. During his
lifetime he was able to accumulate 260 acres.
Much of this land had to be cleared. From his
early training with his father and brothers, he
had become quite an accomplished carpenter. He
built two houses, the outbuildings, and in later
years two cottages at Portage Lake. Neighbors
and friends for miles around helped in the "barn
raising" during the summer of 1926, when his big
hip roofed bam was built.
Chuck
served as treasurer of the Getty School for many
years. He was instrumental in getting Detroit
Edison to extend electrical service to the
community. They were considered a progressive
couple in the neighborhood. In later years, they
both enjoyed traveling and spent many happy days
at their cottage at Portage Lake." |
Charles
Clayton "Chuck" Downing was born on August 26, 1889 in
Michigan. He was the son of
