The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-01-25
SEARCH OF
YEARS ENDED
Son of David Z. DOwner
Found Sister at Last.
PARTED AS CHILDREN
Mother Died When Father Was in the
Army-step Mother Did Not Know Oh
children's Existence Until Some Time
After Her Marriage.

children's Existence Until Some Time
After Her Marriage.
After a search which has continued
through the years Of wandering lite,
George Downer of North Bennington mas
discovered the home of an only sister,
from whom he was separated when the
TWO were children, and he has sold his
comfortable home in that village that
he NAV hereafter live near the long
lost relative. The sister is in comforta'
HE circumstances and lives in Worces-
ter, Mass, with her husband, Charles
Sibley. 10 whom she was married about
eighteen years ago. Mr.. Sibley con
duets a shoe store in that city.
II was only a few days ago that Mr.
Downer returned from visit to his
sister. They were born in the town OF
SALISBURY. Mrs Downer is ~ years
old and Mrs. Sibey is about year
Younger and each has been searching
for the other for years. Each has been
writing TO aequaintances and even to
persons they did not know for informa'
tion and il was through these inquiries
that Downer learned where Mrs. Sibley
resided. He went TO Worcester at once
and thus. after years of search, with
but little hope that they would ever be
together again, the brother and sister
were united. Having recovered her lost
relative Mrs. Sibley was anxious that
Mr.. Downer come to Worcester TO live.
Mr. Sibley also urged him to make his
home in that city and offered TO find a
position for him there Mr. Downer did
not need much urging and before he
returned to North Bennington 1t was
arranged that he should dispose of his
property in that village and be in readi'
ness TO move when he should receive
word from the Sibleys.
The story OF Mr. Downer's early life
and his persistent search Tor his sister
L interestingly told in the following spec
ial despatch from Bennington to the st.
Albans Messenger:
George Downer and Ellen Downer were
the children OF David Downer, who was,
for a time, an inmate of the Vermont sol
diers' home in Bennington but who Is
now in the Brattleboro retreat. Al the
time the children were born the family
was living in Shaftsbury. David Downer
enlisted in the. Fourth Vermont Nolun'
teers at the outbreak OF the Civil war
and while he was in the service his wife
died of consumption. The children, who
were both under seven years OF age,
were cared for by two families in Shafts
bury and Arlington, the two agreed to
take them until the father returned from
the army.
According to George Downer's story
his father must have married Tor the sec
ond time in Brattleboro soon alter be,
ing mustered out OF service, and 1t would
also appear that he must have taken
1 his wife informing her that he already
i had two children living IN tins vicinity.
1 Mr.. and Mrs. Downer soon after their
marriage came to SALISBURY from Brat,
tleboro to move quantity OF household
goods to their new home on. the other
4 Side of the state. When Mrs. Downer
/ for the first time learned of the exist
/ tence of the two children there was
4 trouble. The little girl went from one fam
Iilv to another where the assistance she
was able to give in the care of the house
! was received in nayment for her living.
I Her life could not have been a happy one
/ but il was far more comfortable that that
/ of the boy who was bound out, hrst 10
different farmers and later to men IN
charge of lumber jobs in the mountains.
/ He was too small for heavy work and was
]
lthe horses. He thus became an expert
! teamster when yet a mere lad. George
asserts that his father kept him at work
and collected most of his wages until he
finally broke away and left the country.
1 Because of this he was never able TO
secure any education. At first the boy
heard from his sister occasionally IN an
| indirect way but later she drifted across
the state to Brattleboro and then went
| into Massachusetts, where he lost all
! trace of her.
During the years that followed the close
of the war the elder Downer accumulated
considerable property in Brattleboro,
some Of it in the shape of real estate,
and a son and daughter were born to
| him bv his second wife. Mrs. Downer
never became reconciled to the, step
children and once the two waits became
lost to each other she. and the other
members of the family refused to give
either any information that would bring
the two together. George asserts that
the purpose of keeping him and his SIS
| ter apart was to prevent any JOINT aetion
to secure their portion of their father S
property.
Through all his life Downer has appear,
ed to have but one object in view, and
that was to find his sister. He is unable
TO write himself but he frequently inter
ested his employers in his quest and his
letters were written for him. For SIX
wears he worked as coaehman for Brook,
isn man, who with his family, passed
the summers in southern Vermont, and
the wife of his employer took special
interest in the case. She wrote many
letters for him, some to his father and
others to postmasters in Vermont towns.
The letters to his father were never ans
wered and the replies to others contain
ed no encouragement. 1t was while the
necessary steps were being taken to place
his father in the retreat at Brattleboro
that letter went astray and accidentally
gave him the information he had worked
so many years to obtain. He Is now now
patiently tSs rsmoya Of fnf himself n and family
TO Worcester. While in Brooklyn he
married and now has three children.