Patrick Downey of Kilkenny and Anastasia O'Hearn of County Kerry, were born in Ireland between 1780 and 1790. About that time Penel Laws of England were forcing great number of Roman Catholics into voluntary exile. In 1809 or 1810 Patrick and Anastasia met on a ship bound for Newfoundland, and were married at St. John's Nfld. All their children were born there. Patrick was a tailor by trade, but in a new country did not prove successful. Patrick, his wife, and family moved to Mabou, Cape Breton. He left his family in Mabou, taking his oldest son, James, with him to work in the woods at Fredrickton, New Brunswick. When he returned to Mabou his family were grown up. James, Michael, Tom, Mary, Ann, Elizabeth. The family moved to the Codroy Valley, on the west coast of Newfoundland about 1840. The first grandchild, Jane, was then 6 months old. ************************************************************************************** * The story of Patrick Downey is gleaned from his grandchildren Long-Pat, who was probably his oldest grandson (son of James Downey and Margaret Ryan), Tom, Jim, and Ann Downey (scions of Michael Downey and Esther Hall). During a massacre in which twelve members of his family of thirteen, nine year old Patrick saved his own life by crawling under a ditch. He saw English soldiers tossing the baby on the points of their weapons. Before being found he(Patrick) spent three days alone amid the dead and the dying. Judging by the numerous Downey's who are Anglicans it is quite possible that Patrick imbibed the religion of his Foster Parents. He was well educated and very overzealous in practicing his Roman Catholic Religion. Patrick was apprenticed and bound to a Tailor for seven years. In time he made clothing for seamen and sails for their ships. Sometimes he worked as an "able seaman". He had a strong voice, a seemingly endless repertoire of hymns, sea chanties, and Irish songs and he loved to sing. Patrick was fluent in Irish, English, and French and he had practical understanding and use of Scotch, Micmac, and Latin. He knew all the Latin-Mass prayers by heart. On Sundays when there wasn't a priest in his area Patrick would together with his family recite (in latin) the prayers of the Mass. The 15 decades of the rosery, preceded by the meditation of the mystries and followed by 2 or 3 litinies, for Sunday was a day of prayer. Deciding to settle in Newfoundland, Patrick Downey and Anastasia O'Hearn were on board the ship. They settled in St. John's Nfld. at least Staws(Anastasia) did while Patrick followed the Sea, during which time he made one trip back to Ireland. He disappeared after the birth of his first 4 children (all sons) and he was absent for seven years. WAS HE SHANGHIED? DID HIS BOAT GET WRECKED? OR DID HE DESERT HIS WIFE??? Only the Fates know and they won't tell. Seven years later he was working in Fredrickton in the lumber woods. Patrick returned to his wife and family following the sea for a few more years and increased his family with daughters. James marred Margaret Ryan. Michael married Esther Hall. Patrick married Ellen Lahey. Thomas married 1)Mclean 2)Comier. Mary married William Lahey. Ann married Dan Jennings. Anastasia married Peter Murphy. Elizabeth married Edward Kenedy. Patrick Downey selected husbands for his daughters. He demanded three things. Patrick drank heavily and the man who married his daughter must be able to match him drink for drink without becoming drunk or disorderly. He must be willing and able to crawl out of bed any hour of the night, kneel up straight and answer or rather participate in the 15 mysteries of the rosery, and he must be a man of means. Hauling the whole family out of bed at any hour of the night to assist him in repetition of the Rosery was a common occurrance in the life of Patrick Downey After his second sojourn in Nfld. Patrick moved his family to Mabou taking his oldest son James with him to work in the woods. During the 1840's our forefather, Michael, with his brothers James and Thomas, and their wives emigrated to Nfld. with Captain Hall, who was emigrating with his wife, his sons, and their families. They landed near the beautiful Codroy Valley. They were met at the sandbar by earlier emigrants named Gale and had to fight their way a-shore. In 1847 Michael and his bride-to-be, Esther Hall were married in Mabou. Granny and Grandaddy Downey emigrated to the Codroy Valley with them. The earlier Downeys had settled near the mouth of the Codroy Valley River, but Patrick wandered farther up stream till coming opposite a beautiful island, which reminded him of an island in the lakes of Kil-something or other. Michael helped his father to build a little house on the north side of the river across from the island he loved and later he built a house for himself beside his father's. Like his father, Michael was a very religious man. Everyone joined in th Grace that was recited at every meal. Friends, family and transients joined in the Rosery which was said every night. Michael Downey was a very industrious provider for his family. Besides farming, he caught fish in season, i.e. Herring in spring and fall, salmon and cod in summer. He had a fish-house in Codroy large enough for his own use, but not large enought to shelter all who wished to join him and participate in his evening devotion. Codroy was and still is a Protestant Community. They had a small church, but they did not have a Minister. Like the Catholics in the Valley every few years they gathered up a shipload and took them to Halifax, Louisberg, or Lunninberg to be christened and married. One summer they formed a committee which approached Michael Downey and asked him to say his evening prayers in their unused church and to tell them and their children about God, in between his fishing expeditions in Codroy. For a time all went well. Then the powers that be....sent a French priest from Quebec to minister to the needs of the Catholic people. This priest spoke only french and micmac. His Micmac interpreter spoke English and Micmac. While the Catholic Penitents spoke English Irish and Scotch as well as a smattering of French. A story was told about the Interpreter dragging a big scotchman out of the confessional and beating him over the head declared that the "Thushter keep him mouth shut". As a result of his misinterpretation, under threat of excommunication was forbidden to pray in the protestent church or to hold outdoor prayer meetings near his fish-house in Codroy, but he could and did continue to pray as he wished in his own house. Michael welcomed all who came his way. Aunt Annty (Anastasia) told me that on one occasion she cooked a breakfast of herring and potatoes for 40 men and 40 dogs. On one very special occasion they sheltered a Catholic Bishop and a Church-of England Bishop. There were many micmac Indians in the Codroy Valley. Friendly people who helped the settlers. Michael and James Downey built a small school in which Grandaddy Downey bestowed the rudiments of education on old as well as young. In fine weather there was plenty of work for everybody. In stormy weather there was school. Michael Downey cut and hauled logs for boat-plank, timbers, and spars using oxen to haul the logs out of the woods. One year when they had much wood to haul Aunty hauled logs with the bull while her father and 4 brothers hauled logs with oxen. Those logs enclosed booms, towed to Nova Scotia and sold or traded for necessities. When Ann was 8 years old her father bought her a Singer-sewing machine which today, 122 years later, is still in good working condition. Another time he brought home a horse. He brought copious supply of corn and calico, a puncheon of rum, a puncheon of molasses, one barrel of flour, one barrel of tea and one pound of sugar....one must remember that white sugar cost $7.00 a pound and that $7.00, roughly one pound nine was more than a year's wages for the working man at the time. Pork was plentiful because pigs didn't need to be fed during the summer. Cabbage stumps were kept over winter and planted to produce seed. Uncle Tom often mentioned the barrells of sourcrout, fermented by "poor mother. God rest her" that smelled so maloderious while fermenting and tasted so good with a dinner of salt pork and potatoes on a cold winter day. Michael and Esther lived up in the valley in an area now known a Great Codroy, but they died down-river in the home of Peter Murphy. They were buried in the old graveyard on the point, as were Granny and Grandaddy, Uncle Jim, and Aunt Peggy, and Granny and Captain Hall. and THE DEAD BURIED ITS DEAD. About five years ago some interested person who had discovered two headstones while walking through a forest requested (through the media of a newspaper) information anyone might be able to provide. I wrote a short article in reply. GRD