The Davis Families of Morrow County, Ohio

, widow; P. O. Chesterville; is the daughter of David James; born in Pembrookshire, South Wales, and

Elizabeth (Breeze) James, born in 1791 in the same country. They were married in Pennsylvania, and soon after came to the Welch Hills, Licking Co., this State, and in 1816 settled where Mrs. Davis now resides, and here endured the trials of going to mill on horseback, attending church barefooted, etc. The father began preaching in the Baptist Church, and continued for fifty years. They had ten children; Elizabeth and Sarah are the only survivors, and live together. The father died in 1862, and the mother in 1855; she was a church member since she was 16 years old; Sarah was born May 5, 1817, and in her girlhood days attended school in the log cabin; she was married in 1839 to David P. Davis, a son of David and Margaret (Pugh) Davis. He was born May 2, 1816, in Wales, and came to Ohio when a boy, and learned carpentering and cabinet making; after marriage he farmer, and died in 1845. They had two children — Lafayette enlisted in Co. F, 136th O. N. G., and died in the service. Luther enlisted in Co. E, 121st O. V. I., in which he also died. She owns eighty-five acres of well-improved land, the greater part of which she has obtained since her husband’s death by her own careful management; she manager the same by hiring the work done, and makes a good profit; she and her husband united with the Baptist Church at an early day, in which she takes deep interest. Her sister Elizabeth, who lives with her, is also a member of the same church; they can both remember going to church barefooted, as a case of necessity, and also riding to mill on a packsaddle.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

J. M. DAVIS, farmer; P. O., Iberia Station; was born in Greene Co., Penn., June 12, 1829; his father was engaged in farming in that State, came to Ohio in 1831, and settled immediately in Washington Township, Morrow Co., on the land where Mr. Davis now resides. Mr. Davis has spent his entire life on this farm; hi was married Nov. 15,

1840, to Elizabeth Dalrymple, whose early home was in Gilead Tp.; they have had four children, three of whom arc living — Harriet Louisa, was born Sept. 4th, 1850, (is now the wife of Wilber B. Thomas, and is living in the vicinity;) Mary Jane, born Aug. 28, 1852, and died June lath, 1875; George Melville, born Aug. 29, 1850; (married Miss Rosa Sheffer, and is living on apart of the home farm,) and William Curtis, born Oct. 22, 1859; Mr. Davis has interested himself somewhat in politics; he is Democratic, preferring to vote for men of character, rather than follow strictly partisan principles. For several years he has held the office of Justice of the Peace, which office he has employed to keep the peace, harmonizing discordant elements, without allowing them to come to trial; such a character is very desirable in any community, and renders its possessor worthy of preferment.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

WILLIAM DAVIS, Marengo; son of Nathaniel and Martha (Doty) Davis; was born in

Kiiox Co., Ohio, Sept. 30, 1822; lie remained with his lather until he died, which was Aug. 0, 1839. His schooling was very limited, consisting of but two or three terms of winter school; the school house he remembers as a log cabin, with a portion of one of the logs sawed out for a window, and oiled paper served in the stead of window glass. In this poorly constructed concern he received only the rudiments of an education; since that time and out of school he has acquired quite a good knowledge of books and sufficient to pass a teacher's examination. When Mr. Davis Hrst attended school, children that could read, write and cipher were considered graduates. William remained with his mother after his father’s death, until she married John Lash. On the 30th of Nov., 1844, he was married to Lovina Vining, daughter of John and Abigail (Ganong) Vining. No family lias ever been born to this union. They have raised two orphan children from infancy and partly raised two others. James Rice and Juliet Davis were brought up by Mr. and Mrs. Davis. These children now are married and occupy responsible positions in the neighborhood in which they live. Mr. Davis started in life with scarcely a shilling, but by industry, frugality and hard labor, he has amassed quite a fortune. His place is nicely situated on the Mt. Vernon road, one mile east of Marengo, and consists of 269 acres of good land. He has acquired this by farming and stock-dealing, and is said to be one of the most extensive stock-dealers in Morrow Co. Though successful in business, Mr. Davis has been unfortunate in having met with severe accidents by flood and field. Once, when only a child, he fell in a deep spring, and was only rescued from drowning by the timely arrival of his sister. At another time he was on a steamboat in Lake Erie when it collided with a lumber-laden brig, and only escaped drowning by a miracle. He was also in the great railroad mirror that occurred in Iowa in 1877. In this wreck there was over thirty killed and a great number wounded. In this accident Mr. Davis received severe injuries, the Iowa State Register to the contrary. His last accident occurred the latter part of June, 1880. While riding in his carriage the horse took right and ran away, throwing Mr. Davis out and kicking him on the hip so severely that the high bone was broken about two inches from the hip-socket. Though an old man, the vigorous constitution he possesses will carry him through, so that he may again assume his usual prominent position in society. He is a staunch Republican in politics, but has steadily declined positions of honor and trust tendered him. He is one of the most prominent and upright men in Bennington Tp. and south-eastern Morrow Co.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

J. W. DAVIS, physician; Shaucks; is the only son of John and Sarah J. (Wickersham) Davis. He was born in Adams Co. Ohio, April 15, 1855. He assisted his father in agricultural pursuits, going to the public schools of his neighborhood until he was eighteen years old, when he became a clerk in a store at Locust Grdve, where he remained about two years. In the fall of 1873, he entered the Commercial Department of the West Geneva College at Logan Co. Ohio, where he graduated in the spring of 1874, when he began reading medicine in the office of Dr. J. L. Wright, of Bellefontaine, Ohio, attending lectures at the College of Indiana located at Indianapolis; on his return he became a partner with Dr. Wright, which lasted until the fall of 1875, when Dr. Davis retired to enter the P. M. College of Cincinnati, from whence he graduated Feb. 20, 1876; he first located at Carey, Wyandott Co., O., where he remained about one year, and afterwards for a brief period at Mexico, O.; he located in his present office at Johnsville, in Oct., 1877, where he has a good practice in Morrow and adjoining counties; June 5, 1877, he was married to Laura A..Meckley, a daughter of Andrew and Mary (Hosier) Meckley, born Jan. 16, 1859, in Troy Tp., of this comity. Dr. Davis and his wife are both members of the Evangelical Association at Haldemans; his parents were both natives of Adams Co., O.; they were married Feb. 17, 1852, by Rev. Huston; his mother, Sarah J. Davis, departed this life Jan. 22, 1855, aged 20 years and 6 months, leaving our subject, the only child; his father again married Elizabeth Sharp, Nov. 18, 1856; of this marriage seven children have been born: Edwin, Sarah Belle, Rhoda, Mary, William, Miiton and Leonidas; they lived in the path of John Morgan's raid, in 1863, and the Doctor, then a lad of ten years, was out plowing when three rebels came up and demanded the team; but our subject not willing to be interrupted, said to the near horse, "a-et uo Joe," but when a revolver was presented he reconsidered their request, and said: "Whoa ! Joe;” they took three horses, which were never recovered, and when his father came home and found them gone he was very indignant, and snatching his gun he followed them to his father’s porch, when two of the “raiders” came up, leading a valuable grey horse; they asked why he had his gun and told him to go home; he said lie would show them, leveling his gun, they fled in great haste, leaving the horse which they were leading; but they soon returned in numbers, and Mr. Davis sought refuge in a coi n field near by, which they were surrounding, and as he fled to the woods they fired seven shots at him; some of them were so near that he could hear the whizzing of the balls; he passed on through the woods just as the main army passed along; they came so near that he was obliged to lie flat upon the around; in the haste with which he made preparations in starting out, he filled one of his pockets loosely with powder, and now, as he lay phone in a rut filled with water, the powder in his pocket became thoroughly saturated.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.