Mr. Downing seems to have resided permanently on his farm, and to have
been identified with the agricultural portion of the community. His
house-lot in the town bounded south on Essex Street, extending from
Newbury to St. Peter's Street. He may not, perhaps, have built upon it
for some time, as it long continued to be called "Downing's Field."
Two of his daughters married sons of Thomas Gardner: Mary married
Samuel; and Ann, Joseph. They came into possession of the "Downing
Field." Mary was the mother of John, the progenitor of a large branch
of the Gardner family. Mr. Downing had another large lot in the town,
which, on the 11th of February, 1641, was sold to John Pickering,
described in the deed as follows: "All that parcel of ground, lying
before the now dwelling-house of the said John Pickering, late in the
occupation of John Endicott, Esq., with all the appurtenances
thereunto belonging, abutting on the east and south on the river
commonly called the South River, and on the west on the land of
William Hathorne, and on the north on the Town Common." The deed is
signed by Lucy Downing, and by Edmund Batter, acting for her husband
in his absence. On the 10th of February, 1644, he indorsed the
transaction as follows: "I do freely agree to the sale of the said
Field in Salem, made by my wife to John Pickering: witness my hand,"
&c. The attesting witnesses were Samuel Sharpe and William Hathorne.
This land was then called "Broad Field." On his estate, thus enlarged,
Pickering, a few years afterwards, built a house, still standing. The
estate has remained, or rather so much of it as was attached to the
homestead, in that family to this day, and is now owned and occupied
by John Pickering, Esq., son of the eminent scholar and philologist of
that name, and grandson of Colonel Timothy Pickering, of Revolutionary
fame,--the trusted friend of Washington.

Emanuel Downing was the father of Sir George Downing, one of the first