Anna Dowd Biography

Biography for Anna Dowd (3^nd Great Grandmother)

Photograph of Anna Dowd from History of Dayton, NY, book.[1]

Anna was born April 11, 1794, in Connecticut.[2] She died April 14, 1876, in Dayton, Cattaraugus, New York.[3] She was 82 years old. Anna’s home for many years was in Dayton. She is buried in Markham Cemetery in Dayton.[4]

Gravestone for Joshua Markham and Anna Dowd.

There has not been any primary source evidence to show who Anna’s parents were. There is some evidence that her father could have been John Dowd. Other spellings of Dowd include Doud and Doude. A John Dowd was in Occanum, Broome, New York. This is according to the History of Windsor book.[5] Occanum is a very small place. He is also on the 1820 Federal Census in Windsor, Broome, New York. Occanum and Windsor are just a few miles apart and it appears that Occanum was included in Windsor on this census. Several Federal Census records for Anna indicate that she was born in Connecticut. John may have been from Connecticut. He may have moved his family to Occanum before 1814, when Anna got married. There are other possible parents shown on various websites, but they are not sourced and do not make a more compelling likelihood of parents for Anna. There is no information as to who John Dowd’s wife, Anna’s mother, was. More research is obviously needed.

In the Descendants of Deacon Daniel Markham book, it is stated that Anna is a Great Grandchild of former Connecticut Governor William Leete (1612-1683).[6] The source for this has not been found to include here. More research is needed to explore this.

Anna Dowd and Joshua Markham were married about 1814 in Occanum, Broome, New York.[7]

Anna and Joshua had the following children:

Henry Markham, born January 1, 1815, Windsor, Broome Co, NY; died September 18, 1896, Markhams Crossing, Cattaraugus Co, NY.
Calvin Markham was born and died in 1816 in Windsor, Broome County, NY. Twin to Caroline.
Caroline Markham was born and died in 1816 in Windsor, Broome County, NY. Twin to Calvin.
Orsman Markham, born 1818, Windsor, Broome, New York, United States; married Mercy Merrill, February 14, 1841, Dayton, Cattaraugus, New York, USA; died September 7, 1899, Wallula, Leavenworth County, Kansas, USA.
John (Joshua) Markham, born July 18, 1819, Windsor, Broome Co, NY; married Sophia Holt, December 11, 1873, Fredonia, Chautauqua, New York, USA; married Orissa Almanzo Parker, about 1845; died August 6, 1903, Jamestown, Chautauqua, New York, USA.
Julia Ann Markham, born about 1829/30, Conklin, Broome, New York, USA; married Leonard Metzker, 1868, New York; died March 20, 1904.
Emeline Markham, born January 6, 1832, Windsor, Broome County, NY; married Gorham P Dart, about 1857, Dayton, Cattaraugus, New York; died October 13, 1911, Spokane, Washington.

Anna was born in Connecticut. As previously stated, there is no solid information on her parents. Thus, her childhood years remain unknown. At some point before 1814 the family must have moved to Occanum, Broome, New York. This is where she met and married Joshua.

Their first child was born January 1, 1815. In Windsor Joshua engaged in the lumbering business with Henry Dusenbery. They afterwards moved to Binghamton, still continuing lumbering. In 1831 or 1832 they moved to Conkling where Joshua hired a large farm and did a $6000 lumbering job.[8]

In the fall of 1832, Joshua rode 210 miles on horseback in four days, going to Cattaraugus County, New York. Joshua moved his family to Dayton in April of 1833. He bought several pieces of land here, built a house and lived here the rest of his life. The area of Dayton they lived in became known as Markham’s Corners, later as Markham. They operated a tavern for over 30 years.[9] Anna must have worked the tavern, which was part of their house. She probably encountered some interesting people in doing this. Joshua was always a farmer, owning about 300 acres of land. About 100 acres were improved for farming, 200 or so were unimproved. The location of Joshua’s land can be seen on an 1869 map of Dayton.[10]

Joshua’s initial land purchases in 1835/36 in Cattaraugus County were from the Holland Land Company (HLC). The HLC was formed by a group of Dutch investors, who in 1793 bought over 3 million acres of land in Western New York from Robert Morris (who was at that time the richest man in the U.S.). They sold this land until about 1840.[11]

In the June 26, 1851 edition of the Cattaraugus Chronicle, there is this: “At an adjourned meeting of the inhabitants of the Towns of Dayton and Persia in the County of Cattaraugus, and the Towns of Cherry Creek and Villenova in the County of Chautauqua held at the inn of Joshua Markham in Dayton on the 21^st day of June 1851…”[12] Anna was probably busy serving all of the people who came for this.

In 1862 Joshua is on the U.S. IRS Tax Assessment List. He has a two-horse buggy valued at $80.00 and was taxed $2.00.[13] In 1865 he is listed as having a carriage and was taxed $1.00.[14]

In 1874 Joshua sold a small piece of land, 66 feet by 771 feet, to the Buffalo & Jamestown Railroad.[15] This railroad was the second to go through Dayton. The first was the New York & Erie Railroad, which opened in 1851. The Buffalo & Jamestown Railroad opened in 1875. This railroad went through Markham’s Corner where there was a train station.

Anna died April 14, 1876 and was intestate.

Anna lived in the following places:

1794 – She was born in Connecticut.

1814 – Married in Occanum, Broome, New York.[16]

1815 – Anna and Joshua’s first child, Henry, was born in Windsor, Broome, New York on January 1 of this year. They bought their first piece of land in Windsor on October 21.[17]

1820 – The family remained in Windsor.[18]

1825 – Still in Windsor.[19]

1830 – Still in Windsor.[20]

1833 –They moved their family to Dayton, Cattaraugus, New York in April of 1833.[21]

1835 – The family is in Dayton.[22]

1840 – Still in Dayton.[23]

1850 – The family remained in Dayton.[24] Joshua is a farmer. His farm is valued at $6270 with farm implements and machinery valued at $98. His livestock is valued at $857. He has 100 acres of improved land, and 318 acres of unimproved land. He also had 3 horses, 7 milk cows, 2 working oxen, 27 other cattle, 21 sheep, 9 swine, 75 bushels of wheat, 300 bushels of Indian corn and 250 bushels of oats.[25]

1855 – Still in Dayton.[26] They had a framed house and is a farmer. The farm is valued at $6000; value of livestock is $650; value of tools and equipment is $20.[27]

1860 – Still in Dayton.[28] He is a farmer with a value of real estate of $6100 and personal estate of $2100. He had 100 acres of improved land and 150 acres of unimproved land. His farming implements and machinery were valued at $200. His value of livestock was $600. He had 2 horses, 4 milk cows, 18 other cattle, 26 sheep, 2 swine, 25 bushels of wheat, 10 bushels of rye, 4 bushels of Indian corn, 100 bushels of oats and 66 pounds of wool.[29]

1865 – Still in Dayton and Joshua is a farmer.[30]

1870 – Still in Dayton and a farmer. Their real estate value is $13,200, personal estate valued was at $1000.[31]

1875 – Still in Dayton.[32] Joshua is shown to be a retired farmer. The value of his house is $600.

1876 – Anna died in Dayton at the age of 82, two years before her husband.

Joshua and Anna’s house in Markham’s Corner, Dayton; from History of Dayton, page 116.

Joshua and Anna’s house in modern times, picture taken June 2018 by Kem Marcum

The barn next to Joshua and Anna’s house, picture taken June 2018 by Kem Marcum