For the benefit of those who don't know me, I will include a few short paragraphs about myself in this introduction. I was the tenth child of Emiel Friedrich Wegner and Martha Ellen "Nellie" Downing. My mother died in childbirth August 28, 1929, when she was 36 years old. The following spring my sister, Josephine, and I went to live with my dad's sister and husband, Aunt Minnie and Uncle Johnny Morey, whose farm home was near Wellsville on the Adrian Deerfield Road in Southern Lenawee County.

Shortly after, their daughter, Lois, my sister and I, all had the hard measles. By the time we had recovered, Josie had become homesick and she returned to my dad's house. I was young enough to adjust readily and I stayed on to be raised as their own child by Aunt Minnie and Uncle Johnny. My mother, Nellie, was the sixth child of Charles James Downing and Martha Estella Carman. Charles was the only child of Charles Henry Downing and Nancy A. Getty. Nancy was the second child of James A. Getty and Matilda McCaughey.

Once every summer, on a nice sunny day, my Aunt Marie Prochnow with her daughter, Ruth, would come and get my Aunt Minnie and me and take us to visit Grandma Downing. I thought Grandma was surely the oldest person I had ever seen. Through those yearly visits I became acquainted with Aunt Marion and Uncle Bob Barrett and Aunt Fannie and Uncle Leland Downing. Grandpa Downing died April 11, 1932, when I was five years old. I do not remember him.

The compilation of this family history began in the 1950's when my mother's two sisters, Aunt Nora Squires and Aunt Marion Barrett, collected names and dates of many descendants of James and Matilda Getty, as well as of William Carl and Mary Morrison and Lewis and Mary Cannan. Aunt Nora's arrangement of information was titled Downing Family History. In 1970 I was asked to update Aunt Nora's booklet. After sorting through the material given to me, I decided to do some extensive researching and to compile a family history of my own. Little did I realize that it would take me fifteen years. I wasn't familiar with a good share of the names listed, so Aunt Nora's booklet was an excellent source for starting my research.

All through the winter of 1970-71, I spent many hours sorting through the material at hand, and studying the booklet, trying to familiarize myself with the names. For quite some time the telephone line between Aunt Marion's house and ours was busy with questions about our ancestors. When problems arose, Aunt Fannie, with her splendid memory, was a great help, too. At last my outlines began to take form so I started writing letters to various descendants.

One of my first contacts was Veyirl Wittkop, a daughter of Ervin Getty. She provided me with names and dates of the Ervin Getty family and of many descendants of George Francis Getty. Selma Moore, a daughter of George F. Getty, gave me additional information. Others who contributed to my early Getty outline were Florence Toburen, Eugene Getty, Alberta Yon, Evelyn Mikocz and Rilla Greco.

The years 1972 through 1974 were busy years for me. In my continued search for information, I left no stone unturned. The early part of 1975, Frances Eberhardt, an Underwood descendant, suggested I contact William Underwood in northern Michigan for information on his grandparents, Eliza Jane Getty and William Underwood, and their descendants. Mr. Underwood responded immediately to my inquiry, and sent me the information I had requested. I continued to correspond with Bill, grateful for his profound interest in my project.

I asked Pauline Clark for information on the family of Bertha Williams Adams, who was a half sister of my Grandpa Downing. Pauline complied with my request, and has since then devoted much of her time to helping me in my research. Without her dedication and perseverance, this story may not have been possible, for there were times when she found missing ancestors where I had failed.
 
Pauline put me in touch with Alice Getty Gretsinger, who so kindly furnished us with old letters, documents, pictures and poems which belonged to James Getty. This brings to my mind an incident which I will pass on. In one of her letters, Alice mentioned that more than fifty years ago, when she lived with her folks in Dundee, Michigan, she had stored some old family portraits in the attic, which was accessible only by a crawl space.

Ervin and Lena Getty had sold their farm, and bought a smaller home in Dundee. Previously this house had caught on fire and the elderly owner had died from the burns. Ervin repaired and remodeled the home, closing off the only storage area. A thought occurred to me that the portraits might still be there. After finding out the name of the present owners, I wrote to them explaining my interest in Getty history, and asked if I could come and look in their attic for the pictures. They promptly replied, giving me permission. Armed with a stepladder, a trouble light with a long cord, a flashlight, a small broom for sweeping away cobwebs, and dressed in my oldest clothes, one day after work I set out.

They were waiting for me, and had a trouble light with extension cord all hooked up. I didn't need the stepladder, because the small 2' X 2' door was close to the floor in an upstairs room near the stairwell. Mr. Perry opened the door, and I got down on my hands and knees so that I could shine my flashlight around. What a disappointment!

All I could see was the empty slanting area under the eaves. Then I directed the light to my extreme left, and there in a little room beyond a tiny tunnel were some old picture frames. I said, "I'm going in!" I wrapped my head in a shawl, stretched out flat on my stomach, and proceeded to wriggle through the small doorway, trying to turn at the same time in order to position myself on two loose boards lying side by side. These boards extended through the crawl space over the open joists. I had to slide very carefully so as to not tip the boards or touch the electrical wiring with the old style white insulators which seemed to be strung everywhere. After I once lay straight on the boards, I inched along, pulling myself with my elbows. I couldn't raise my head, because the crawl space was not only narrow, but shallow.

After what seemed a long time, I finally slid out of the six foot long tunnel and found myself in an eight by eight windowless room. This room had a floor in it, and I was able to rise up on my knees, but I had to keep my head down because the ceiling was so low. I passed several picture frames through the tunnel and Mr. Perry reached in and pulled them out. Next there was a cardboard box filled with newspapers which the mice had nearly pulverized. Then an ancient walking stick, handmade from a gnarled hardwood branch. Lastly, a wooden box filled with old teacher's magazines, farm magazines, sheet music, etc. I tried to force the wooden box through the opening, but it got caught, then I couldn't push it any further, nor could I get it back out.

I started to panic, thinking I was trapped and they would have to call the fire department to get me out. With strength I didn't know I had, I managed to wedge my arm under the box; lifting it just enough so that I could force it through and Mr. Perry could reach it. Then I wormed my way back through the crawl space and took my first deep breath since I had started in.

The Perrys gave me permission to take the treasures home, so their son and I carried everything down and loaded it into our station wagon. When I got home, I'm sure my elation by far outshone the 50 year old black dirt that covered me from head to foot. I spent several hours cleaning and restoring the frames.

Four were beautiful black walnut, the others were plaster of Paris which had badly deteriorated. Among the portraits were: a beautiful tintype portrait of Matilda McCaughey Getty; charcoal copies of an elderly lady and an elderly man believed to be the parents of James Getty; a lovely charcoal copy of Bettie Getty and a tintype portrait of Matilda Adeline Getty (daughters of George K. Getty); a picture of the Ervin Getty family; and three of Ervin's steam engine and sawmill.

This was probably my most harrowing experience during my years of researching this history. I would like to thank the Perry family for their kindness.

During the past fifteen years I continued to research the four branches of my mother's family: the Gettys, Downings, Morrisons and Cannans. My intentions were to include all the histories in one book, but in no time I realized I had accumulated enough Getty material to be compiled in a book by itself. Unfortunately I have not succeeded in clearing up the mystery of the Downing ancestry, but I'm still hoping that something will come to light by the time I finish the Morrison Cannan History.

I have written countless letters to people in many states of the Union and to various places in Ireland, also to the National Archives and to courthouses and historical societies allover the country. We even visited the Historical Society at Elmira, New York. We have tramped over a good share of the cemeteries in Lenawee County, frequented the Lenawee County, Monroe County and Otsego County courthouses, and the Adrian, Tecumseh and Monroe Libraries, as well as the Detroit Public Library, Mormon Stake Library, the State Library at Lansing and the large library at Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Through the years we have met wonderful people; some in person, and others through continued correspondence. Jud Bentley has helped in many ways, in the researching and publishing of this history. He engaged the Irish Genealogical Association of Belfast, Ireland, to do extensive research on the Gettys in County Antrim, Ireland. He furnished a great amount of information on the William John Getty family, he made several of the sketches which appear throughout the book, and he wrote the Prologue which follows. My deepest gratitude to Jud, and to Kathleen Neill, Director of the Irish Genealogical Association.

I would like to pay a special tribute to the late Ruth Hunt, who furnished me with books, letters, and memorabilia which came from the William John Getty family. I was also able to purchase from her an antique desk, a bookcase, and a small tapestry rug which had all belonged to that Getty household. After her death, Ruth's son and daughter-in-law, Dennis and Jan Wyckoff, saw to it that I got many more books, old letters and newspapers, diaries, pictures, etc.

The old photographs and snapshots in this book came from allover the country. Some I borrowed and some were given to me. The pictures without captions were among the old items from the William J. Getty estate. They were included in this story to further illustrate the life and times of our ancestors.

Below is a list of people who were instrumental in furnishing information for this history. My thanks to each and every one.

Monita M. Fergus
March 17, 1985