In the book's own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1826
From History of Wapello County, Iowa, and representative citizens (1901)
ILLIAM DAVIS, one of the pioneer settlers of Wapello county, Iowa, owns a farm of 333 acres in section 14, Competine township. He was born May 3, 1826, in Washington county, Virginia, and is a son of Mo-ses and Mary (Smith) Davis.
Moses Davis was a native of Wirginia. ITe married Mary Smith, who was also a native (if Virginia, and who died in 1863. They reared six children, namely: James, who died in Keokuk county, Iowa, in 1893; David, who died at Martinsburg, Keokuk county, in 1899; Volney, whose death occurred in Indiana; William; rliriam, who married Hiram Smith, and died in Keokuk county, in 1886; and Isabel, who died in Indiana, in 1846.
As printed in History of Wapello County, Iowa, and representative citizens (1901). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1901. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.