top of page

DOWNIE
FAMILY HISTORY

Most of the information in the Downie Family Section has come from an album titled, 

​

A CHRONICLE OF THE FURNELL FAMILY

compiled by Jessie Menzies Furnell

​

This album consisted of old photos and paper clippings and handwritten notes of the family which had been collected and saved over the years.  We can be thankful that Jessie had the foresight, time and patience to preserve these memories for us to enjoy today.

Unfortunately the album was not of archival quality and had sticky pages which created quite a challenge to remove some of the photos and especially the old fragile paper clippings.  I have now compiled an album of archival quality which I hope will preserve the photos and paper clippings into the future. However, we can be grateful their value was appreciated by our forebears and saved for us to enjoy and learn from today.  

With modern technology the contents of the album are now no longer only available to a few and can be shared with all via the internet.  For those who are featured in many of the portraits this technology would be beyond their dreams for after all, electricity, telephone and the car were still new discoveries to them.  

I am not trying to include all birth deaths and marriages for each person as these can be traced through Ancestory websites.

PA040099.JPG
PA040095.JPG
PA040098.JPG

A CHRONICLE OF THE FURNELL FAMILY compiled by Jessie Menzies Furnell has been an invaluable resource in researching the Downie Family.  

Downie 2.jpeg
Jessie re Menzie Family.jpeg
Glammas Castle Scotland 1 2.jpeg

The introduction page in Jessie's book had this old postcard of Glamas Castle and a  hand written note stating the Downie Family came from near this Castle.  The post card of the Menzies Tartan was next to it representing our Menzies heritage. The paper clipping of John Downie was also on this page.  This paper clipping appears to be original so I assume it was sent to the Australian family at the time of his death in 1893.

Menzies Tartan.jpeg
Menzies history 1.jpeg

This information was on another website which confirms but adds detail to Jessie's notes.

Mary Downie

W & M Downie 1.png
Downie Obit.png
Mary Downie Obit 1.jpeg

Grave at Rannock NSW

Margaret Menzies
Great Grandma Menzies.  (Jessie's generation)
She was a very close to the family from Jessie's comments and was also present at Jessie's birth. For this reason she left Jessie her 5 diamond ring. This ring and another ruby and diamond ring given to Jessie by a friend, has been reset as one beautiful ring which I now treasure. 

Grandma Menzies 2.jpeg
Downie.jpeg

Margaret Menzies

Margaret Menzies 1.png
G Gma and Albert.jpeg

Margaret Menzies
Great Grandma Menzies with Albert Furnell

menzies Obit 1.png
menzies Obit.png

Margaret Menzies
Portrait taken from above photo

Further information of the Menzies Family is at the bottom of this page.

downie Tree.jpeg
George Downie 18 yrs.jpeg

George Downie 18 years old

George Downie.jpeg

George Downie 

Written by Jessie Furnell
Referring to her Grandfather, George Downie

Downie history by Jessie.png
Ann Downie  1.jpeg

Ann Menzies  

George & Ann Downie .jpeg

George and Ann Downie

Downie Family.jpeg

Standing:William, George, Margaret Downie
Seated: Mary, Ann and Andrew Downie

William Downie.png

Willam Downie

George Downie

George Downie.png
Margaret Downie.png

Margaret Downie

Enlarged portraits from above photo.
Love Aunts (Mary) beads, were they a bribe to sit still?
We will never know.

Mary Downie.png

Mary Downie

Ann Downie

Ann Downie.png
Andrew Downie.png

Andrew Downie

Downie 64.jpeg

Ann and George Downie

Ann Downie 1.jpeg

Ann Downie

Geo Downie.jpeg

George Downie

Downie Farewell 9.jpeg

The source of this above paper clipping has not been found.  
The back of the clippings have advertisements for Albury and Narrandera businesses.

A Grandson's recollections of his Grandparents Golden Wedding Anniversary published in paper.  Note the mention of electric lights and the storm early in the evening.

Downie Farewell 3.jpeg

Golden Wedding Celebrations for
George and Ann Downie

golden Wedding ani .jpeg
Ann Geo Golden Wedding.jpeg
Ann Geo Golden Wedding 3.jpeg

Printed in Numurkah Leader (Vic) Wednesday 4th April 1928 page 3

Ann Downie

Ann Downie.jpeg

Ann Downie

A Downie Obit 1.jpeg
Ann Downie Obit.jpeg
A Downie Obit.jpeg
Ann Downie .jpeg
Geo Downie Obit.jpeg
 Jessie with Grandpa.jpeg

Jessie Furnell with her Grandfather George Downie whom she helped nurse at home prior to his death

Geo Downie 1.jpeg

George Downie

George Downie  1.jpeg

George Downie

G Gma, GMa Downie, Aunty Lizzie and Ann.jpeg

Ann Downie,(Grandma) Lizzie Downie, Margaret Menzies (G Gma Menzies) and baby Anne Downie. 

GPa Downie, GMa Menzies Uncle Willie, Ann Downie.jpeg

George Downie, (Grandpa) William Downie, Margaret Menzies (G Gma Menzies), Anne Downie 1906

G Gma Menzies, Annie, George, Albert.jpeg

Anne Downie, Margaret Menzies (G Gma Menzies) 
with Albert Furnell on knee, George Downie Jnr 1909

 

Margaret Menzies 2.jpeg

Great Grandma Menzies
Margaret Menzies
Portrait taken from above photo

Andrew Menzies.jpeg

Andrew Menzies.  Husband of Margaret

David Menzies.jpeg
A Menzies Obit.jpeg
Menzies.jp2
Aunt Dinah NZ.jpeg

Dinah Menzies

Aunt Dinah NZ.jpeg
Aunt Dinah.jpeg

Back of photo reads:
Di waiting her turn to ply croquet.
Govt. grounds Rotarua NZ

Dixon Menzies Wedding.jpeg
Aunt Dinah 3.jpeg

Back of photo reads:  To Annie, With love from Di.
Bride: Dinah Skene Dixon
Annie refers to her eldest sister Ann Downie

Aunt Dinah 1.jpeg

Aunt Dinah, Jessie Furnell and friend Win Clapp

Memorial Pipe Organ Aunt Dinah.jpeg
Aunt Dinah 2.jpeg

Back of Organ Photo reads:
To Margaret with love,
Skene Dixon Memorial Organ
To the glory of God and in memory of my Skene Dixon and my sister Miss Jessica of Melbourne - 1932. Rev.2.
Presented by DJ Skene Dixon 1938

 

Dixon.jpeg
bottom of page