Biography of Asa Downs from the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa:
Mr. Asa Downs was born March 3, 1816, in Indiana, son of Ezekiel and Charlotte (Rowlands) Downs, natives of Indiana. Mr, Asa Downs began life as a farmer in Illinois, where he remained twelve years; then, in 1851, he came to Iowa and bought a claim near Weston, of Absalom Smith, a Mormon. This farm is still owned by Mrs. Downs. When the farm was first purchased, there was a saw and grist mill upon it, which was among the first mills of the county, and it was known as the Downs Mill, and was situated on Mosquito Creek, ten miles from Council Bluffs. The mill was destroyed by high water in 1852.
Mr. and Mrs. Downs were married, in Illinois, December 7, 1845. They had thirteen children, one of whom is dead. They are Mary E., born January 1, 1844; William, October 7, 1848; Emily, April 7, 1840; Anthony W., June 16, 1850; Willis E., June 5, 1852; Marion J., June 5, 1854; Alice J., April 28, 1856; Caroline, March 6, 1858; Thomas, November 11, 1800; George, September 17, 1862; Sidney, February 27, 1864; Albert, November 12, 1806; Charles, April 28, 1868; and Amy E., December 22, 1809.
November 3, 1879, Mr. Downs died, in Downsville, a village in Norwalk Township named in honor of him, and where he had lived many years. Mr. Downs was much esteemed by all who knew him, and in his death the county lost one of its best and most useful citizens.
Downsville Cemetery consists of 1.4 acres located in Norwalk Township. On January 3, 1933, the following was drawn up and signed by the township trustees. It is on file in the Pottawattamie County Recorder’s office in Book 517A, page 31.
“This is to certify that this plat correctly represents the subdivision into cemetery lots of the tract of land described as follows: Beginning with the east line of the SW 1/4 of SW 1/4 of Section 29, Township 76N, Range 42W, with point is marked by the corner post at the southeast corner of the tract said point being 222 feet south of the south line of the public road and running thence north along the 40 acre tract 222 feet east 194 feet to the beginning. Iron pins driven at all corners of the new lots. (recorded 3 January 1933, Pott. County Court House).
This document was signed by the trustees: J. C. Damitz, Henry Warncke and Adolph E. Krueger, as well as the township clerk, L. G. Schmaedecke.
Downsville Cemetery at Iowa Gravestone Project.