A Wilson Family Tree
Notes for James Davis
From the Parks manuscript:
The fourth child of Walter and Martha Davis was a son, James. He was a great favorite with his sisters, and I believe with the whole family. He was a noble, generous, and enterprising man, successful in acquiring property, and free to spend it on deserving objects, – particularly generous towards his sisters and brothers. His father at one time gave him or sold him the Rock Spring Farm, at that time not much improved. Afterwards when he saw prospects of success in the west he returned it to his father without price, that he might have it for settlement of another of his family. He married Deborah Miller, whose father at an early period had gone to Kentucky, acquired titles to considerable quantities of land, and died there, leaving his wife with two children, this daughter and son. These circumstances drew the attention of Uncle James to the then far west. I should have stated that he had served one campaign at least in the War of the Revolution, and had acquired a taste for adventure. Soon after his marriage, he went to Kentucky accompanied by his brother-in-law Donly and their families, also his wife’s brother Abram Miller, then a boy. Whether Brewer Reeves went this time or later, I cannot say. However, James Davis and Charles Donly with their families emigrated at an early period to Lincoln County, Kentucky, in which the land located by Mr. Miller lay. Donly [I think this means James -- mlw] as I stated, settled by Mr. Miller, and as I have understood, turned the larger portion of them over to Abram Miller, and soon afterwards proceeded farther west to Christian County, where he settled. I believe he represented that county in Legislature, and at the time of his death, which occurred not many years subsequent, was surveyor of the county, at that time a very profitable office, but his premature death deprived him of the advantages to be expected from it. He left a widow and five children, the oldest not much if any beyond ten. William Cunningham, Elizabeth, Sallie, Martha, and Abram. Abram died when a youth of eighteen or twenty. Martha married a man named Elliot and died soon afterwards, – childless. The other three lived to have families.
WFT 22 # 1690:
He served in the Revolutionary War. He later moved to Lincoln Co., KY. He settled in Hanging Fork of Dick River. He later moved to Christian county. He became surveryor for the county.
The histories of Christian Co., KY, by Perrin (1884) and Meacham (1930) have a bit of a mix-up about James Davis. They say that James Davis was one of the first two settlers of Christian Co., along with John Montgomery, who was his brother-in-law. They also say that his is the earliest known grave in Christian Co., and give his birth and death dates (from the gravestone) as 17 Apr 1755 and 29 Mar 1797. However, apparently there were two James Davises who were early settlers of Christian Co., KY. "Family Histories: Christian County, Kentucky, 1797-1986" (by the Christian County Genealogical Society) sorts them out -- they differentiate James Davis #1, who was the brother-in-law of John Montgomery and maybe one of the first settlers in Christian County, and James Davis #2, who was the son of Walter Davis and Martha Cunningham and husband of Deborah Miller. The gravestone and birth and death dates above are for James Davis #2, not #1. Another interesting fact about James Davis #2 is that his last will and testament was presented at the second meeting of the Christian County court (18 Jul 1797), and Brewer Reeves was one of the men appointed to appraise his estate. This is mentioned by Perrin and Meacham, though once again they confuse him with James Davis #1.
Meacham: http://www.westernkyhistory.org/christian/meacham/chap3.html
Perrin: http://westernkyhistory.org/christian/perrin/chap2.html
There are some interesting stories about James Davis in Perrin's and Meacham's books, but I don't include any of them because who knows which James Davis they apply to (or if they even apply to either of them)? In particular, there is a story about him being killed by Indians, but I am skeptical that it applies to "our" James Davis because you would think that Parks would have mentioned something like that. The following excerpt from Meacham, however, gives information about where James Davis settled, which should be correct because of the other names mentioned:
One of his daughters, Sallie Davis, married Robert Harrison and Naomi Harrison, her daughter, in turn became the wife of William H. Fortson. The Fortsons inherited the part of the original grant upon which Davis lived and it is now known as the Fortson place. It is about one mile from the Dixie Bee Line, about half way between Pembroke and Trenton, in the edge of Christian County, near the Todd County line.
The will of James Davis, from Christian County Will Book A, p. 1 (obtained 30 May 2020 from Diane's Genealogy web site; there is a note that it was transcribed by Laura Willis, that it was the first will in the book, and that it was a single paragraph but has been broken up for readability):
In the name of God, Amen. I, James Davis, being weak in body but of sound mind and memory, do make and ordain this my last will and testament. As for the worldly estate with which God has blessed me, I bequeath in the manner following.
It is my will that all my just debts be first paid.
I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Debora Davis, the whole tract of land on which I live, when at home, on the west fork of Red River, to my son, William C. Davis, arrives to the age of twenty-one years, and after that time. I leave her, my said beloved wife, the one third of said tract of land, enduring her life laid of any part she chooses. I also leave her, my said wife, my negroes, Chloe and David, forever, to dispose of as she thinks fit. I also leave her all my other negroes, to my son Abraham Miller Davis, arrives to the age of twnty-one.
And for the purpose of raising and scooling my children, I leave her the whole remainder of my moveable estate after my debts is paid, but should it be more convenient fo her to sell a negro or negroes to pay my debts, it is my will she shall sell any of them she chooses for the purpose. It is my will for her to keep the property or sell it at her pleasure without being accountable to any person for any of it.
I further will to my two sons, William C. Davis and Abraham Miller Davis, the above mentioned tract of land, to be equally divided between them, quantity and quality, each to bear their proportion of their mother's third, to them, their heirs and assigns. It is my will that in consequence of getting the land, my two sons shall each of them pay to each of their sisters, viz, Betsy, Salley, and Patty, forty pounds before they arrive at the age of twenty-four.
I will to my said three daughters, Betsy, Salley and Patty, my negroes that is not otherwise disposed of, to be equally divided between them, as soon as my son Abraham Miller Davis arrives to the age of twenty-one years of age.
I do hereby appoint my beloved wife Debora Davis, the sole Executrix of this my last will and testament, and I do hereby impower her to made a deed of conveyance to Brewer Reeves for three hundred acres of land which I sold him on which he now lives.
I do hereby revoke any former will by me heretofore made, and declares this my last will and testament. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 9th day of February 1797.
Test:
Thomas Murry
Abraham Miller
J. Davis
Produced in open court and duly recorded this Jul term of 1797.
John Clark [County Clerk]
Note: Some of the information in these pages is uncertain. Please let me know of errors or omissions using the email link above. ...Mike Wilson
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