Background
Downing was born in eastern Tennessee in 1823 to Samuel Downing and his wife Susan Daugherty, who were both Cherokee with mixed European ancestry, as were many among the leaders of the Nation in those years. The young Downing attended school at the Valley Town Mission in North Carolina. When he was a young man, Downing and his family went west during the forced removal of the Cherokee and their slaves, now known as the Trail of Tears. The family was possibly part of the detachment party led by Jesse Bushyhead or the party led by Situagi and the Reverend Evan Jones.
In 1839, the Downings arrived in what is now Adair County, Oklahoma. They settled near the site where Reverend Jones organized the Baptist Mission. Downing continued his education at Baptist Mission.
Read more about this topic: Lewis Downing
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