USA > South Carolina > Marion County > A history of Marion county, South Carolina, from its earliest times to the present, 1901 > Part 42
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*William G. Davis died in 1900, leaving his widow and three or four children.
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Jackson Davis married and had three sons, viz: Foster, Ste- phen and Abraham Davis. James Davis emigrated to Georgia. Ervin never married (dead). Oliver Davis married Eugenia Richardson, and had six children-three sons, Orion, Shep. U. and Richelieu, and three daughters, May, Sarah and Lorine. Of the daughters, May and Sarah died unmarried ; Lorine mar- ried James Porter, of Georgetown. Of the sons, Orion and Richelieu went to Georgia. Shep. U. Davis married, first, Miss Maggie McWhite, and by this marriage four children were born-one son, Alva, and three girls (all small) ; the wife died, and he married, a second time, Miss Mamie Smith, of North Carolina. S. U. Davis is no ordinary man ; only a few years ago he commenced life with nothing comparatively, but by diligence and strict attention to business and good manage- ment, he has accumulated a comfortable living; yet compara- tively young, he may by continued good management acquire large wealth ; he is a man of high moral character; in 1898, he was elected as a Representative of the county in the lower House of the General Assembly, and declined re-election in 1900; a worthy, exemplary, good citizen and Christian gentle- man.
Another branch of this large and numerous family remains to be noticed-that of David Davis. He was one of the old Davis', a brother of Harry, Sr., or Harry, Jr., Jackey and James, David Davis had two sons, and may be others; the sons were Frank and Henry. Frank married, first, Miss Argent Gerald, and by her had Marion Davis and Sarah Ann. Marion Davis married some lady to. the writer unknown; he died, and left several children, none of them known, except Mrs. Sturgis, now residing in Florence; she first married a Mr. Timmons, who died and left her a widow, with one or two children-one I know, Miss Annie Timmons ; the widow mar- ried the late Morgan W. Sturgis, and he died, leaving his widow and one or two children; Mrs. Sturgis and daughter, Annie, are running the American Hotel, in Florence, which I understand they have bought and paid for, and are doing well in their hotel business. Sarah Ann, the daughter of Frank Davis, married, in July, 1847, John C. Bethea, Sr. ; they had one son, John C., Jr .; his father died when John C., Jr., was about
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two years old, leaving him a good property; the mother never again married ; she died, 9th April, 1893, at the age of seventy- five years ; she was a remarkable woman in many respects, of fine sense, and managed the large property left to her and her son with much success ; her son, John C., Jr., married, and has a family of seven children, resides at Dillon, and has already been noticed in or among the Betheas. Frank Davis married, a second time, the Widow Brown, the mother of the late T. F. Brown, whose maiden name was Julia Davis; by her, it seems, there were no children; his Brown wife dying, he married, a third wife, who was a Miss Port, and by her he had one son, Joseph P. Davis, who never married, though he lived to middle life or past it, and died at Port's Ferry, on the Great Pee Dee- which took its name from the Port family. Henry Davis, the other son of David Davis, and brother of Frank, married twice; don't know who his first wife was ; she was killed in the blow- ing up of the steamer Richland, Captain Brock, in or about 1848, she had no child or offspring; Henry Davis married, a second time, a Miss Bostick, of West Marion, now in Florence County ; by the Bostick wife, he had six sons. The eldest, John C. Davis, married a daughter of William J. Davis; he died some year or two ago, his widow surviving, with five children, daughters. Henry, the next son, married a Miss Sistrunk; they have no children. The next son, David, mar- ried a Miss Harrel; he is dead, leaving his widow and two children. Preston, the next son, married a Miss Harnagor, and has five or six children. Wardlaw, the next son, married a daughter of William J. Davis; they have three children; the youngest son, Joseph, is unmarried, is a physician and is in Georgia or Florida. Henry Davis, Sr., the father, is also dead, and I think his widow is dead, too.
Henry Davis was elected as a Whig to the Legislature, in 1840. The political contest that year, between the Democrats and Whigs, was very heated and bitter, not only in Marion District, but throughout the entire country. It was the Van Buren and Harrison campaign, and may be designated as "the coon-skin, log cabin and hard cider" campaign. The Whig party was successful, and Wm. Henry Harrison was triumph- antly elected President of the United States. The contest
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was very exciting in Marion District-each party had its can- didates. The Democratic candidates were, for the Senate, Ad- dison L. Scarborough, and for the House, John C. Bethea, Hugh Godbold and William T. Wilson. The Whig candidates were, for the House, David Palmer, Henry Davis and Dr. Daniel Gilchrist; and for the Senate, Benjamin Gause. The result was Gause was elected Senator by eighteen votes ; David Palmer, Henry Davis and John C. Bethea were elected as mem- bers of the House. Of the six candidates for the House, there were not fifty votes between the highest and the lowest vote. John C. Bethea was the only Democrat elected. In 1842, Henry Davis, Joseph Jolly and another were elected without opposition. The "coon-skin, log cabin and hard cider" fever had abated. President Harrison died in a month after his inauguration, and John Tyler was President, and he very much dampened the ardor of the Whig party.
Daniel Davis, a brother of Jacky Davis, was the father of Randall, William, George and James Davis. George Davis had sons, Hugh, John R., Benjamin and James. William Davis had two sons, John and Wiliam. Randall Davis mar- ried, first, a Miss Avant, and by her had two children, Henry and Sarah; the Avant wife dying, he married a Miss Lucas, and by her had several children. His son, Henry, married a Miss Wiggins, first, and by her had five children; his second wife was a Miss Lucas, and by her has one child, a daughter. Sarah, the sister of Henry, married Ira Avant, and has two children, boys (small) ; think she and her husband have sep- arated. Hugh Davis married Miss Annie White, daughter of the late Wesley White; Hugh is dead; he left four children, Hugh G., Julius and David, three sons, and one daughter, named Orilla. John R. Davis married a Miss Shaw; he died, and left several children, names unknown. William Davis married, and had two sons, John and William. Know nothing of James Davis, brother of Randall, nor of the sons of William Davis-have heard they were killed or died in the war; these all live or did live in Wahee Township. The Davis name and family are very numerous and extensive in its connections, and have ever been prominent and respectable.
Recurring again to the family of William J. Davis : He had
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and raised nine children; six of them are married and three single. Ella married Wm. G. Davis; he died last year, 1900, and left three or four children; they are at Marion. Richard F. married Miss Mary Louise Godbold, daughter of Dr. Wm. H. Godbold; they have two sons (small). Ida May Davis married John C. Davis (dead), as above stated. William Pres- ton Davis married Miss Cornelia Raysor, daughter of Rev. Dr. Raysor. Viola Davis married B. F. W. Davis, now living at Waycross, Ga. C. Keene Davis married Laura Brockinton, daughter of the late Dr. John Brockinton, of Kingstree. The three single children are George Pierce, Jennie and Gary Davis.
STANLEY .- Captain M. B. Stanley and his brother, Thomas E. Stanley, are importations from Darlington County. Cap- tain M. B. Stanley was a volunteer in the Mexican War as a private soldier, was in many of the battles and came out un- scathed. After the Mexican War, he came to Marion County, where he has since lived; he married Mary Jane Godbold, daughter of the late Asa Godbold, Sr., and settled where he now lives, below Marion, on the Big Reedy Creek, east of Legette's Mill. At the breaking out of the late war between the States, he was elected Captain of the first company from Marion County, composed of its best men, and left for Charles- ton harbor 4th January, 1861, and his company was mustered into the Ist South Carolina Regiment (Maxcy Gregg, Colo- nel), and was stationed on Morris Island, and participated in the first battle of the war, which eventuated in the capture and surrender of Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor, commanded by Major Anderson, on 12th and 13th of April, 1861. This act marked the beginning of the four years' war which fol- lowed-the bloodiest war on record. Soon after that action, owing to the terms of enlistment of the company, it was reor- ganized for service in Virginia or for the Confederacy, and a revolunteering for the war. The greater part of the company revolunteered and formed a new company, and the distin- guished Wm. P. Shooter was elected its Captain. The new company went to Virginia, and saw hard service during the remainder of the war. Captain M. B. Stanley did not enter the new company, but was an active partisan in other branches
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of the service throughout the bloody struggle. As before stated, he had married and settled ; he had and raised a family of three children-two sons, Elbert B. and William Edward, one daughter, named Charlotte. The eldest son, Elbert, mar- ried, first, a Miss Nesbit, by whom he had five children (small) ; the Nesbit wife dying, he married Miss Melvina Gregg, daughter of the late O. S. Gregg, of West Marion, by whom he has one child. William Edward married the only daughter of Robert Godbold, and has two children, both girls (small). Charlotte, the only daughter of Captain M. B. Stan- ley, married J. J. Richardson ; they have five children (small). Captain Thomas E. Stanley, the younger brother of Captain M. B. Stanley, came into the county just before the war, as a clerk for C. Graham; he volunteered in the first company from Marion, and continued in the service till the close of the war; was a gallant soldier, a very genial and good citizen; he mar- ried, after the war, a Miss Brown, daughter of the late T. F. Brown, and settled on Tyrrel's Bay, on his wife's patrimony, and has an excellent farm; they have had and raised two sons and four daughters, names unknown ; two of the daughters are married-one to James Godbold, and the other to a Mr. Owens; the other two daughters are single-said to be smart. Captain T. E. Stanley is a very intelligent man, harmless, hon- est and a good, patriotic citizen.
HARRELS IN BRITTON'S NECK .- Samuel Harrel is eighty-two years of age ; his father was Levi Harrel, from North Carolina; came here in 1806; married Elizabeth Jones; his grand-father was Ephraim Harrel, who married an Indian woman, on Roanoke River, in North Carolina, and moved to Fort Clair- borne, Ala., and died there. Samuel Harrel first married Anna Isgat; they had four children, all dead, but one daughter, named Frances Maurice, who is the wife of James G. Altman. Samuel Harrel's second wife was a Miss Fountain ; by her he had one son, George W. Harrel, who lives in Florence County.
ALTMAN .- James D. Altman is a son of Thomas Altman, who married Elizabeth Dozier ; had three sons and two daugh- ters; the sons were William, John and James D. Altman.
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William and John both died in the war; one of disease, the other from wounds received-he died at home. James D. Alt- man was also in the war, in Captain Crawford's company. Thomas Altman had three brothers, Stephen, William and Jack. Stephen Altman lived on "Big Sister" Bay, five miles east of Marion ; was a quiet and inoffensive citizen ; he married a daughter of Rev. Moses Coleman, and raised some family, don't know how many-one son, Preston, and one daughter, and perhaps other children. Of old William and Jack Altman and their families, the writer knows nothing. James D. mar- ried a daughter of Samuel Harrel; they have twelve children, all daughters, but three; one daughter dead; they have twenty- one grand-children; five daughters married-one to John West; one to Alexander McKethan, in North Carolina ; one to Alva Todd, in Horry; one to John W. Davis; and one to Ben- jamin James, in Williamsburg. The oldest son of James D. Altman, Benjamin E., married a Miss Foxworth; the other two sons not married.
WHALEY .-- John H. Whaley married Susan Carter; they had ten children, six sons and four daughters. Two of the sons were lost by the casualties of war. F. D. Whaley dead ; left wife and one child. Three of John H. Whaley's sons are now living, to wit : H. J., D. B. and W. Manly. H. J. Whaley married twice; first wife was Miss M. F. Altman, who had nine children ; his second wife was Miss Ella Guyton, children none ; he has three daughters married-one married Rev. J. D. Harrelson ; one married W. H. Thompson, and the other mar- ried Rev. H. D. Jones. D. B. Whaley married Miss Ida Davis ; they have seven children, five girls and two boys, names un- known. W. Manly Whaley married Miss Frances Regan, daughter of the late Charley F. Regan; they have three child- ren (small).
RICHARDSON .- This large family in name and its connec- tions, so far as Marion County is concerned, had its origin in the names of William Richardson and John Richardson, who came from Roanoke, Va., just after the Revolutionary War; they were brothers-William was much older than John. Wil-
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liam was old enough to go into the war, and, as tradition informs, served throughout the war four years in place of his father and three years for himself. John was too young to go into the war. The two brothers, soon after the war, came to South Carolina, married and settled in Marion County, and from these two sprang the large family and its connections now existing and remaining in the county-many having emigrated to other parts. Old William married (don't know who), and had sons, Hardy, John, Hopkins and William, and two daugh- ters, Polly and Alice; he married, a second time, Nancy Rob- erts, and by her had sons, Richard, Jackson, Thomas and Henry, and three daughters, Martha, Nancy and Betsey. John M. Richardson, now living, eighty-four years of age (and my informant was the son of William, Jr., who was the youngest son of William, Sr., by his first marriage). Hardy, the oldest son of William, Sr., married a Miss Davis, and went West. John, the second son, married Sallie Johnson, and by her he had Benjamin, John, Washington, James and Ebby, and daughters, Betsy, Sarah Ann and Catharine. Benjamin mar- ried a Miss Gasque, and had Graves, James, Preston and Sydney Richardson. Graves married, first, a Miss Altman, then a Miss Dill, and then a Miss Smith. James married a Miss Britton, and has a family, how many is not known. John died young. Washington married in Georgetown, and lived and died there. James never married, and died in the war. Ebby married a Miss Atkinson, and had two children ; he died in the war. Henry married a Miss Davis, and moved to Mis- sissippi. Hopkins and Richard never married. William Richardson, Jr., married Leasy Martin, a sister of old "Cuff Mose" Martin (well known in his day). "Cuff Mose" Martin was quite a character. It was said of him that he never wore any shoes or hat, but wore a cloth cap, which his wife spun, wove and made for him. This was his garb when the writer saw him last, in 1860; he lived then on the west side of Little Pee Dee, near the river swamp, on the Galivant's Ferry road. The writer, with several others, were on our way to the Horry Court, and passing Mr. Martin's house, close to the road, the old man was out in his yard. We stopped, and the old gentle- man came to his bars at the road, and we had some talk with
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him, principally about his bees and bee-gums. There was a line of bee-gums on each side of the path from his bars to the edge of his yard-forming a little lane or street from the bars to his house; he said there were a hundred gums there, and said that he had a hundred other gums back of his house (a little cabin), on the side of the river swamp. Those bees and bee- gums were his chief crop; he saved his honey and sold it. I suppose the old gentleman, in his apparent poverty, was a happier man than any of our crowd. He was then (1860) an old man and died some years afterward, at the age of ninety- one years. He was a true man, and as independent in his action and modes of life as King Edward VII. of England. I could relate other incidents in his life, illustrative of his unique character, but want of space will not permit. They had two children, sons, John M. and William. The Martin wife died, and William, Jr., as distinguished from the first old William, married a second wife, a Miss Richardson ; by her he had sons, Matthew, Hopkins, James, Ervin, Arna and Hampton; he then married Miss Chinnis, and by her had two children, one boy and one girl. The boy, Edward, died. John M. Richard- son married Polly Drew, and had three boys, William, Hamil- ton and Peter ; the Drew wife died, and then he married Caro- line Cribb, and by her had three sons, Lee, Hampton and Eng- lish. William, son of John M., died in the war. Hamilton married a Miss Deck, and moved to Horry. Peter married Milly Richardson, daughter of Ervin Richardson, and by her had Walter, Eddy, Byrd, Coy and twin brothers, Troy and Corde. Lee died, four years ago, unmarried. Hampton mar- ried a Miss Richardson, and has two sons (small). English married Miss Alice Cribb ; has no children. Matthew married Miss Sallie Johnson, and had one son, Marion, who died in the war. William married his cousin, daughter of John M. Rich- ardson ; he has Jessee, Ervin and Franklin, and Ann Eliza, Su- sannah Lee, Eugenia and Lena. Hopkins, when a young single man, was thrown by a horse and killed. James, brother of Matthew, married Miss Rebecca Cribb, and had sons, William, Avery, Arny and others, names unknown. Ervin Richardson married Ann Pace, and by her had Corne- lius, Henry, Preston and Allen ; first wife dying, he married, a
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second wife, Miss Boatwright, and by her had a son, Boyd- no daughters. Avery married a Miss Pace, and by her had John Calhoun, Robert, Sydney, Bradley and Sumter. John Calhoun married a Miss Foxworth, and has children. Robert Richardson married Miss Alice Sanders, and has two children (small). Sydney married Miss Nannie Carter ; they have no children. Bradley married Miss Patsy Baxley ; they have two children (small). Sumter is grown and unmarried. Hamp- ton Richardson married, first, a Miss Atkinson, and has some children (unknown) ; his second wife was a Miss Godbold, daughter of Vincent Godbold; had two children, one named Cicero; his third wife was Victoria Smith, and they have several children (names and number unknown) ; the third wife dying, he married, a fourth one, Nancy Richardson ; they have no children. John Richardson, the younger brother of old William, called "King John," married a Miss Fladger, the sister of old Hugh Fladger, and sister of General Thomas Godbold's wife; they had and raised four sons, Valentine, James J., William F. and Andrew Jackson Richardson, and three daughters, Charlotte, Martha and another. Charlotte married Jessee Legette; Martha married David Legette, and the other married Nelson Legette. Valentine Richardson married a Miss White and moved to Georgia. James J. Rich- ardson became a Methodist traveling preacher; he married in North Carolina. The South Carolina Conference then ex- tended into North Carolina, and included Lincolnton, Fayette- ville and Wilmington. He died in 1833-I think, at Lincoln- ton, N. C .- engaged in his ministerial duties. William F. Richardson, born in 1806, married Miss Elizabeth Palmer, a daughter of David Palmer, then a prominent man in his com- munity and county ; they had and raised daughters, Ervinia, Augusta Alice, Mary and Emma, and one son, James J. Rich- ardson. Ervinia, the eldest, married, first, Joseph Davis, and by him she had two children, the late William G. Davis, and a daughter, Addie Davis; Joseph Davis died, and she afterwards married Rev. J. B. Campbell, of the South Carolina Confer- ence, and by him she had two sons, Rev. J. A. Campbell and John S. The former is a traveling Methodist preacher, is mar- ried and has a growing family. James S. Campbell is unmar-
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ried, and is a druggist. Mrs. J. B. Campbell has five daugh- ters, four of whom are married and one single. The second daughter of William F. Richardson, Augusta, married James Godbold, and settled on the old homestead of Wm. F. Richard- son ; they have five children-two sons, Wade and Warren, and three daughters (names forgotten) ; these sons and daughters are all grown and unmarried-they are smart and promising. Alice, the third daughter of W. F. Richardson, married John H. Hamer, of Harlleesville; she is dead; she had and left surviving her five children, to wit: Edward R., Mary C., Tris- tram, Ovianna and John H. Of these, Edward R. married Miss Julia Berry, daughter of James Berry, now lives at Dil- lon, and has five or six children (small). Mary C. married Neill Berry, and has three children (small). Orianna married Lawrence Manning; they have no children. Tristram, a doc- tor, is unmarried, and has emigrated to Texas. John H., Jr., is grown and unmarried-a dentist. Mary, the fourth daugh- ter of W. F. Richardson, married John O. Willson, D. D., of the South Carolina Conference, and after having one child, Bessie, she died. Bessie grew up and married Captain Donald- son, of the United States army, a son of T. Q. Donaldson, of Greenville, S. C. Emma, the fifth and youngest daughter of W. F. Richardson, married Hon J. M. Johnson, now serving his thirteenth year as Solicitor of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina, and who resides at Marion; they have seven children, Flora, John M., Jr., Palmer, Louise, Robert, Rich- ardson and Alice; the four first named are grown and promis- ing young people. J. J. Richardson, the only son of W. F. Richardson, married Miss Charlotte Stanley, who has already been noticed among the Stanleys ; they have five children. Of the two old Richardson brothers, William and John (King John), the latter was the more prosperous, the former was the more prolific in his progeny. William F. Richardson, son of "King John," was a most excellent man, a solid, good citizen, of high character and remarkable for his fine sense. The writer knew him well; we served in ante-bellum days together on the Board of Commissioners of the Poor for the county, two or three terms; he died at the age of fifty-seven, in 1863, uni- versally loved and respected. Much more might truthfully be
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said of him, and his many fine traits of character, but want of space forbids. Andrew Jackson Richardson, brother of Wil- liam F., married a Miss Palmer, half-sister of William F.'s wife; he moved to Georgetown many years ago, and died in that old town. The writer saw his widow a few days ago.
STEVENSON .- The great-grand-father of J. Edwin Steven- son, Benjamin Stevenson, came from Virginit, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary War under General Greene. He settled in Horry County, on the Lake Swamp (don't know to whom he married) ; he had two children, a daughter and a son; the son was named Benjamin; the girl died. Benjamin, Jr., married three times-first, a Miss Booth, who was the mother of the late Samuel M. Stevenson; his second wife was a Miss Anderson ; she had one son, William, and two daughters, Anne and Margaret. Anne married Daniel Oliver, and was the mother of A. R. and D. J. Oliver, and another son, named Samuel. Margaret not known. A. R. Oliver married a Miss Legette, and has already been noticed in or among the Legettes. Daniel J. Oliver married Miss Sallie Fuller, daughter of the late Wyatt Fuller, and has several children, a son, L. Wyatt Oliver, and another name unknown ; they also have a daughter, Mary, who married Quincy Berry- the latter have no children. L. Wyatt Oliver married Miss Alice Jones; they have one or two children (small). Don't know what became of William Stevenson. Benjamin, Jr.'s, third wife was Martha Mc- Cracken, and by her he had two sons, James Norton and Ben- jamin Purefoy Stevenson. The latter, if living, in in Horry County. Samuel M. Stevenson, the son by the first wife, many years ago moved to Marion County, after marrying a Miss Sarvis, a sister of the late Cornelius Sarvis, of Horry ; he lived and died where W. W. Baker now lives ; had no child, was suc- cessful in life, was a very intelligent man, good citizen and, above all, an exemplary Christian gentleman. James N. Stevenson married, first, a Miss Hughes, of Horry ; by her he had one child, a son, J. Edwin Stevenson; his wife died; he came to Marion and merchandised there till the war, with seeming success ; he married, a second time, the Widow Gause, relict of the Hon. Benjamin Gause; her maiden name was
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