Serendipity was at work this past Monday, when I visited the Sparta Public Library to view a copy of the 1907 Atlas for Jackson County, Illinois. It happened to be the closest library to Jackson County that was open on Monday, otherwise I would have gone to a library in Jackson County. They have only a single call number for their roomful of genealogical history books: GEN HIS. That meant that in order for me to find what I wanted, I literally had to look at each and every volume. In doing so, I happened upon an abstract of early Kaskaskia newspaper notices. One such notice reads as follows:
"Vol. 5, #33, Tues, June 19, 1821
Mr. John Gathers, 19 [sic], and Mrs. Patsy Davis were married in Brownsville, Jackson County, on May 21. The ceremony was attended by the children and grandchildren of the bride."
It is hard to imagine a 19 year old marrying a grandmother in 1821 Illinois, so that is likely erroneous information (possibly 79?).
I got to wondering how many Davis widows living in Jackson County in 1821 were old enough to have married children, and thus grandchildren? The answer: very, very few. After all, 1821 was still a very early time in Illinois (just three years after statehood), and the vast majority of pioneers did not yet have grown sons who had married. After all, the average pioneer family was fairly young.
The one possibility that to me seems very likely is that she may have been the widow of Mathis Davis. When he sold land in Livingston County, KY, the deed was acknowledge by this wife, Martha (Patsy being a common nickname for Martha).
If Mathis was the father of James, Aaron and Amos, as I have speculated, then he was likely near 80 years old in 1820. So his widow would probably have been of a similar age, and in 1820 they were living just a few miles south of Brownsville, where this wedding took place.
If there were any record of the groom, John Gathers, it would help immensely in determining if all of my speculating is correct. But that name does not show up in a search of Census records from 1818 to 1830. The one possibility is that the name was not transcribed accurately, which would greatly complicate any efforts at finding him. Could it have actually been Gaston, which is the name of a close neighbor?
The next step would be to determine how to get a copy of the actual newspaper notice, in order to determine if there is a transcription error. I will see if there is a research library that might be willing to find that information for me, but I suspect it appeared in the Illinois Intelligencer, which was published in Kaskaskia from 1818-1832. There are copies on microfilm at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, so if we happen to pass near there when they are open, I will get a copy of the actual notice.
In my mind, if there is record of her groom living in the vicinity of either James Davis or Aaron Davis, the odds would be very high that she was the widow of Mathis Davis, and that Mathis was the father of James, Aaron and Amos Davis.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Ralph Davis Descendants?
Jim Davis
While visiting Jackson County last month, I received some family lore from Carole Burroughs about a brother of William "Uncle Billy" Davis named "Rafe" Davis (probably Ralph Davis). It stated that he had a son named Jim, who had married Hulda Roach.
I found a Hulda Gray (age 29) in the 1850 Census, whose daughter was Mary Ann Gray, b. about 1845. There is a marriage record for Caleb Parks Gray and Hulda Joiner in 1843. But Hulda's age suggests she could have married as early as 1839, and since the courthouse in Brownsville had burned down in 1843, there would be no record of an earlier marriage. So she could have been the Hulda Roach who had married Jim Davis...
In the 1850 Census, I found 29 year old James Davis listed last in the household of William "Uncle Billy" Davis. The others in the household were listed in birth order and thus were Uncle Billy's children, so it is likely that James was a nephew, since he was added after the youngest child. I had always wondered just how he was related to the others in the household, so this perhaps explains that.
In the 1860 Census, I found Mary Ann Gray (age 15) living in the household of James and Mahala Davis. There was also an Adaline Roach age 7 (listed last, just after Mary Ann Gray), plus Delia Davis (age 6 months), Maville Davis (age 2) and Leonard Davis (age 7 years).
James had married Hulda at the end of 1853, so Leonard was likely their child. There is a five year gap between him and his sister Maville. It would seem most likely that Mahala was the mother of both Maville and Delia: that Hulda had died around 1856 or so. Mahala was likely also the mother of Adaline Roach by an earlier marriage. Unfortunately, there is no marriage record to corroborate these assumptions.
William Davis' son John had married Mavel Roach, and he had a brother named Leonard. So it is plausible that Hulda was Mavel's sister, and that Mahala was their sister-in-law.
And these facts and assumptions support the family lore provided by Carole Burroughs. As such, it is likely the best proof that we will ever find that this James Davis was the son of Ralph Davis, and that Ralph Davis was the brother of William "Uncle Billy" Davis.
Unfortunately, there is no evidence that any of his children survived. But at least there is some evidence that he had existed...
It is also worth noting that I think this Jim Davis was the James Davis, Junior who had witnessed an 1838 deed for James Davis (William's father). My presumption is that Ralph had died by then and the younger James was being looked after by the elder James.
Bett Davis
Carole had also noted that "Rafe" or Ralph Davis had a daughter named Bett (presumably short for Elizabeth). She was said to have married Charles Rich. No such marriage record could be found, though there was a marriage between Elizabeth Davis and Chester C. Rich (which should be Richie). Upon investigating this marriage, it was found that Chester had married Mrs. Elizabeth Davis and that a Civil War Pension record for Chester established that her maiden name was Jarrett. So this wasn't Ralph's daughter.
If Bett had married, it was likely prior to 1843, making it very unlikely that we can determine what happened to her...
While visiting Jackson County last month, I received some family lore from Carole Burroughs about a brother of William "Uncle Billy" Davis named "Rafe" Davis (probably Ralph Davis). It stated that he had a son named Jim, who had married Hulda Roach.
I found a Hulda Gray (age 29) in the 1850 Census, whose daughter was Mary Ann Gray, b. about 1845. There is a marriage record for Caleb Parks Gray and Hulda Joiner in 1843. But Hulda's age suggests she could have married as early as 1839, and since the courthouse in Brownsville had burned down in 1843, there would be no record of an earlier marriage. So she could have been the Hulda Roach who had married Jim Davis...
In the 1850 Census, I found 29 year old James Davis listed last in the household of William "Uncle Billy" Davis. The others in the household were listed in birth order and thus were Uncle Billy's children, so it is likely that James was a nephew, since he was added after the youngest child. I had always wondered just how he was related to the others in the household, so this perhaps explains that.
In the 1860 Census, I found Mary Ann Gray (age 15) living in the household of James and Mahala Davis. There was also an Adaline Roach age 7 (listed last, just after Mary Ann Gray), plus Delia Davis (age 6 months), Maville Davis (age 2) and Leonard Davis (age 7 years).
James had married Hulda at the end of 1853, so Leonard was likely their child. There is a five year gap between him and his sister Maville. It would seem most likely that Mahala was the mother of both Maville and Delia: that Hulda had died around 1856 or so. Mahala was likely also the mother of Adaline Roach by an earlier marriage. Unfortunately, there is no marriage record to corroborate these assumptions.
William Davis' son John had married Mavel Roach, and he had a brother named Leonard. So it is plausible that Hulda was Mavel's sister, and that Mahala was their sister-in-law.
And these facts and assumptions support the family lore provided by Carole Burroughs. As such, it is likely the best proof that we will ever find that this James Davis was the son of Ralph Davis, and that Ralph Davis was the brother of William "Uncle Billy" Davis.
Unfortunately, there is no evidence that any of his children survived. But at least there is some evidence that he had existed...
It is also worth noting that I think this Jim Davis was the James Davis, Junior who had witnessed an 1838 deed for James Davis (William's father). My presumption is that Ralph had died by then and the younger James was being looked after by the elder James.
Bett Davis
Carole had also noted that "Rafe" or Ralph Davis had a daughter named Bett (presumably short for Elizabeth). She was said to have married Charles Rich. No such marriage record could be found, though there was a marriage between Elizabeth Davis and Chester C. Rich (which should be Richie). Upon investigating this marriage, it was found that Chester had married Mrs. Elizabeth Davis and that a Civil War Pension record for Chester established that her maiden name was Jarrett. So this wasn't Ralph's daughter.
If Bett had married, it was likely prior to 1843, making it very unlikely that we can determine what happened to her...
Monday, September 25, 2017
Du Quoin, Illinois & the Bicentennial Property
We have camped just north of Elkville, IL at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, Site C-197.
On the way here, we stopped at the library in Sparta to get copies of the various Davis properties of interest from a reprint of a 1907 Atlas of Jackson County. It is combined with an 1878 history of Jackson County, so I also reviewed all the pertinent Davis citations, all of which I had previously found elsewhere. It pointed out that the Aaron Davis property had left family hands at a very early date, so it won't take long to figure out exactly when that happened.
Regarding John Spear, the son of William Madison Spear and Sarah Davis, I looked through the probate records of his father-in-law, Uncle Billy Davis. It establishes that his middle name was "Matterson" [sic: Madison] and that his youngest daughter was Mary Spear. She appears in the 1860 Cenus as Caroline Spear. She married John E. Vancil on 10 Mar 1880 (the record was mis-transcribed as Mary Spencer). It seems they both died prior to the 1900 Census - he in 1891, her date unknown. There are public records that establish that they had three children (an unsourced family tree suggests they had at least three others): Margaret "Maggie", who married Arthur Guy Wilson; Emily Marie, who married Arthur Grover Thompson; and Arthur Milton, who married Mary Kaufman. It appears only the latter had children: Sylvester and Edith. I will attempt to do some deed research for William Madison Spear while at the courthouse in Murphysboro.
I got a surprise e-mail from Carole Burroughs, which included a title abstract of the James/William Davis bicentennial property. It turns out that the property left Davis hands and into the ownership of H. P. Burroughs. Later, a male descendant of H. P. Burroughs married a female descendant of William Davis, so it came back into Davis hands. So it will be easy enough to get the facts straight about all of that for the book. That has saved me a huge amount of mind-numbing work, so I will likely have more time to do some other research while we are in the area.
She has also included some information about James' son Ralph (or "Rafe") Davis, who supposedly left at least a few descendants. I am following up on those leads, to see what public records might support the information that I was provided. More on that later, once I chase wherever that leads...
On the way here, we stopped at the library in Sparta to get copies of the various Davis properties of interest from a reprint of a 1907 Atlas of Jackson County. It is combined with an 1878 history of Jackson County, so I also reviewed all the pertinent Davis citations, all of which I had previously found elsewhere. It pointed out that the Aaron Davis property had left family hands at a very early date, so it won't take long to figure out exactly when that happened.
Regarding John Spear, the son of William Madison Spear and Sarah Davis, I looked through the probate records of his father-in-law, Uncle Billy Davis. It establishes that his middle name was "Matterson" [sic: Madison] and that his youngest daughter was Mary Spear. She appears in the 1860 Cenus as Caroline Spear. She married John E. Vancil on 10 Mar 1880 (the record was mis-transcribed as Mary Spencer). It seems they both died prior to the 1900 Census - he in 1891, her date unknown. There are public records that establish that they had three children (an unsourced family tree suggests they had at least three others): Margaret "Maggie", who married Arthur Guy Wilson; Emily Marie, who married Arthur Grover Thompson; and Arthur Milton, who married Mary Kaufman. It appears only the latter had children: Sylvester and Edith. I will attempt to do some deed research for William Madison Spear while at the courthouse in Murphysboro.
I got a surprise e-mail from Carole Burroughs, which included a title abstract of the James/William Davis bicentennial property. It turns out that the property left Davis hands and into the ownership of H. P. Burroughs. Later, a male descendant of H. P. Burroughs married a female descendant of William Davis, so it came back into Davis hands. So it will be easy enough to get the facts straight about all of that for the book. That has saved me a huge amount of mind-numbing work, so I will likely have more time to do some other research while we are in the area.
She has also included some information about James' son Ralph (or "Rafe") Davis, who supposedly left at least a few descendants. I am following up on those leads, to see what public records might support the information that I was provided. More on that later, once I chase wherever that leads...
Friday, September 22, 2017
John Speer or Spear, b. about 1847
John Spear was one of the sons of Sallie Speer, who was a daughter of William "Uncle Billy" Williams. In William's 1868 will, he gave $50 to the seven children of his deceased daughter Sallie Speer.
Sallie was married before the 1843 courthouse fire, so there is no record of her husband's name. But there are two 1838 deeds from Madison Speers and his wife Sarah to William Davis for two 40 acre properties near James Davis' third homestead.
The 1850 and 1860 Census for Jackson County shows the family of William M. and Sally/Sally Speer, containing a total of 8 children. The eldest is Americus, b. 1835. He would have been too old to have been Sally's son, so he was a child of Madison's first wife, whose identity is unknown.
On 9 Sep 1869, John Spear married Nancy Spear, the daughter of Charles and Polly (Walls) Spear. The relationship of Charles Spear to Madison Spear, if any, is unknown. They are found in the 1870 Census living in Perry County in Township 6 South, Range 3 West.
In the 1880 Census they are living in Clay, Dunklin County, Missouri. They had two children: Martha, age 5 and Simon P., age 3.
I could not locate a 1900 Census record for John, Nancy or their two children.
On 8 Nov 1905, Mrs. Nancy Speare married William Cross in Dunklin County, Missouri. They are found living together in the 1910 Census for Salem, Dunklin County.
In the 1920 Census, they are living together, and also in the household are stepdaughter Bell Couch [sic: Couts], age 30; Goldie M. Rodgers, age 9; William F. Rodgers, age 6; and Robert D. Rodgers, age 4. Who was Bell Couch?
On 30 Aug 1903, Belle Spear married James Henry Pendergrass in Homersville, Dunklin County, Missouri.
On 16 Aug 1904, Bell Pendergrass married W. F. Rodgers in Geneva, Dunklin County, Missouri.
On 28 Jul 1918, Mrs. Bell Rogers married W. P. Couts in Dunklin County, Missouri.
Thus Bell was the third known child of John and Nancy Spear. The three children found in the 1920 Census record above were Bell's children by her second marriage.
Nancy (Spear) Spear Cross died on 17 Oct 1924. Her death certificate information was provided by her husband, William Cross. It states that she was born in Illinois on 27 Oct 1850 to Charles and Polly (Walls) Spear.
Sallie was married before the 1843 courthouse fire, so there is no record of her husband's name. But there are two 1838 deeds from Madison Speers and his wife Sarah to William Davis for two 40 acre properties near James Davis' third homestead.
The 1850 and 1860 Census for Jackson County shows the family of William M. and Sally/Sally Speer, containing a total of 8 children. The eldest is Americus, b. 1835. He would have been too old to have been Sally's son, so he was a child of Madison's first wife, whose identity is unknown.
On 9 Sep 1869, John Spear married Nancy Spear, the daughter of Charles and Polly (Walls) Spear. The relationship of Charles Spear to Madison Spear, if any, is unknown. They are found in the 1870 Census living in Perry County in Township 6 South, Range 3 West.
In the 1880 Census they are living in Clay, Dunklin County, Missouri. They had two children: Martha, age 5 and Simon P., age 3.
I could not locate a 1900 Census record for John, Nancy or their two children.
On 8 Nov 1905, Mrs. Nancy Speare married William Cross in Dunklin County, Missouri. They are found living together in the 1910 Census for Salem, Dunklin County.
In the 1920 Census, they are living together, and also in the household are stepdaughter Bell Couch [sic: Couts], age 30; Goldie M. Rodgers, age 9; William F. Rodgers, age 6; and Robert D. Rodgers, age 4. Who was Bell Couch?
On 30 Aug 1903, Belle Spear married James Henry Pendergrass in Homersville, Dunklin County, Missouri.
On 16 Aug 1904, Bell Pendergrass married W. F. Rodgers in Geneva, Dunklin County, Missouri.
On 28 Jul 1918, Mrs. Bell Rogers married W. P. Couts in Dunklin County, Missouri.
Thus Bell was the third known child of John and Nancy Spear. The three children found in the 1920 Census record above were Bell's children by her second marriage.
Nancy (Spear) Spear Cross died on 17 Oct 1924. Her death certificate information was provided by her husband, William Cross. It states that she was born in Illinois on 27 Oct 1850 to Charles and Polly (Walls) Spear.
Additional Property of William Davis in Perry County, Illinois
It just occurred to me that William Davis (son of James Davis) might have owned property in Perry County, as part of James Davis' third homestead was located less than a mile from Perry County.
I found where a William Davis had made a land entry on 2 Mar 1839 for 80 acres described as the E 1/2 SW 1/4 of Section 6, T6S, R1W. He received patent to the property on 10 Oct 1840. The patent states that he resided in Jackson County, Illinois. Here is a link to the patent image:
https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=IL1410__.189&docClass=STA&sid=raeub213.ua3#patentDetailsTabIndex=1
Since there was only one William Davis known to have resided in Jackson County in 1840, it would follow that the person who patented the above property was William "Uncle Billy" Davis.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
SLC Research
Alea and I have started heading east and we plan to stop in Salt Lake City on Monday and will perhaps stay over on Tuesday to do some research (we can stay longer, if needed). I have a general research outline put together and will create a list of specific microfilms and books to look for this evening. That way, I will be able to get to work right away after we get checked in to the local KOA.
From there we will work our way towards Murphysboro, and I suspect we won't be interested in doing more than about 350 miles per day. So once we leave Salt Lake, it will take us at least four or five driving days to reach there (perhaps longer if we opt to avoid the freeways). There is a possibility that we will stop around Ray/Carroll/Caldwell counties in Missouri, if we happen to pass through at a time when either the courthouses or local genealogy societies are open. We will have a better sense of that once we leave Salt Lake and have a chance to create a potential research list for those counties.
If anyone has any Davis related research ideas for Salt Lake City, please pass them on. I will mainly be focusing on Davis research in Moore and Cumberland Counties, North Carolina, but may also see if there are any family histories that may be of interest.
I still haven't heard from Carole Burroughs, but I will likely try again soon, as that is a big part of the reason for returning to Illinois. It would be great to see the surviving portion of James Davis' homestead. The remainder of my time there will mostly be focused on tracing the chain of title for that property, as well as possibly also for Aaron's property. The latter will depend upon what is shown on the 1907 plat maps - if the property hadn't been split too many times, that research could likely be done in a reasonable amount of time.
From there we will work our way towards Murphysboro, and I suspect we won't be interested in doing more than about 350 miles per day. So once we leave Salt Lake, it will take us at least four or five driving days to reach there (perhaps longer if we opt to avoid the freeways). There is a possibility that we will stop around Ray/Carroll/Caldwell counties in Missouri, if we happen to pass through at a time when either the courthouses or local genealogy societies are open. We will have a better sense of that once we leave Salt Lake and have a chance to create a potential research list for those counties.
If anyone has any Davis related research ideas for Salt Lake City, please pass them on. I will mainly be focusing on Davis research in Moore and Cumberland Counties, North Carolina, but may also see if there are any family histories that may be of interest.
I still haven't heard from Carole Burroughs, but I will likely try again soon, as that is a big part of the reason for returning to Illinois. It would be great to see the surviving portion of James Davis' homestead. The remainder of my time there will mostly be focused on tracing the chain of title for that property, as well as possibly also for Aaron's property. The latter will depend upon what is shown on the 1907 plat maps - if the property hadn't been split too many times, that research could likely be done in a reasonable amount of time.
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