Joseph Emery Downing was born on September 12, 1891 in Ridgeway Township, Lenawee County, Michigan.  He was the son of Charles James and Martha (Carmen) Downing.

In 1913, he married Iva Estelle Spencer and they had six children:

1. Donald Charles Downing

2. Helen Arlene (Downing) Weyher

3. Audrey Louella (Downing) Palmer

4. Charlotte Leone (Downing) Bigelow

5. Dean Spencer Downing

6. Shirley Ann (Downing) Wertenberger

Joseph died on May 8, 1972 in Tecumseh, Lenawee County, Michigan at the age of 80. He is buried in Ridgeway Cemetery in Ridgeway Township, Lenawee County, Michigan.

Iva died from injuries received in an auto accident on August 29, 1955. She was 61 years old at the time of her death and she is also buried at Ridgeway Cemetery.

"Their first home after they were married was a log cabin on the second 40 acres south of Downing Highway on the County Line where Geigler lives now (1985), and they had their first child, Donald, while living there. Helen Arlene was born in the big two story brick house just east of the County Line on Milwaukee Road, where they were tenant farmers.

At the time when the cyclone went through on the Ridge, in 1920, they were living in an old house at the end of a lane on County Line north of Welch Road. They watched the cyclone as it passed. Shortly afterwards they bought a farm on the east side of North County Line, a short distance south of Nora and Ransom’s farm. They spent the rest of their lives here."