JOHN C. DOWDING (1846 - 1919)

DOWDING, MCCULLOUGH, NEVILLE, WHITEHEAD, BREWER, LANE, HUPP, BEAZLEY

Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 5/18/2020 at 08:34:58

John C. Dowding was born July 23, 1846 at Wiltshire, England and was a son of James and Alice Dowding. He was the third child of a family of three sons and one daughter.

The family emigrated to the United States when Mr. Dowding was about ten years old, and lived for a few years in Duchess county, N.Y. In 1854 they came west and located in Clayton county, where until he was 21 years of age he assisted his father on the farm.

The spring of 1870 he came to Cherokee county and took up a homestead.

He was converted when a young man; as there was no Baptist church in that vicinity he joined the Cherokee church, where he remained a member until the church was organized at Mt. Olive. He then took his letter from the Cherokee church and was among the charter members at Mt. Olive, where he was a deacon in that church as long as he lived there.

Sixteen years ago next spring he moved to Cherokee, where he has been a member and deacon of the church for several years.

He passed away Nov. 29, 1919, at his home on Roosevelt Avenue.

On February 21, 1871, Mr. Dowding was united in marriage to Miss Carrie McCullough of Clayton County, who shared his hardships and privations during his first year on the Cherokee county homestead. She passed up to the other world on August 15, 1885, leaving the four daughters, who were present to pay a last tribute to a devoted father.

Mr. Dowding was married a second time January 25, 1887, to Miss Lizzie Neville and in November 1908, he was again called to be separated from his devoted helpmate. On August 29, 1912, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Andrew Neville, who survives him.

The deceased bears an enviable record among the people and at the scenes of his earl day struggles in Diamond Township. His Christian character, his integrity and his influence for the better things in life have left their impress on the community. His devoted wife, who is left to mourn his loss, was one of his greatest blessing during the last years of his life and is held in high esteem by his children.

He leaves a wife and four daughters – Mrs. E. H. Whitehead of Brookings, S.D.; Mrs. L. S. Brewer of Quimby, Iowa; Mrs. J. W. Lane of Brookings, S. D. and Mrs. Oscar Hupp of Schenectady, N.Y. All were present at the funeral. The funeral services were conducted by the pastor Rev. M. O. Keller, in the home on North Roosevelt Avenue. Rev. Hupp, a former pastor and old time friend, offered many complimentary remarks.

The following pall-bearers were among his many friends: M. F. Dubes, Henry Lane, D.C. Thomson, Dan Dubes, J.A. Champion and S. W. Carr.

Mrs. E. C. Beazley came up from Washta Tuesday to be present at the funeral of her grandfather, J.C. Dowding. Mr. Beazley, owing to the grain being late in arriving here, failed to get here in time for the services.

Source: The Cherokee Times, Cherokee, IA, Friday, Dec 5 1919, pg. 6