USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Reading > History of Reading, Windsor County, Vermont. Vol. II > Part 14
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Mr. Coolidge m' Miss Smith of Woodstock, and one son, Paul, is the result of their union.
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CHAPTER XVIII.
· Biographical and Family Sketches, Continued.
John Davis and His Descendants; Lysander M . Davis, Attorney ; Rev. Samuel A. Davis ; Capt. Chas. L. Davis.
John Davis and His Descendants, Compiled by Fred C. Davis.
The early history of John Davis is not very well known. The most that we can learn is, that he and his two oldest sons, Samuel and John, were revolution- ary soldiers, and fought at Lexington, and Bunker Hill.
He moved from Shirley, Mass., to Reading, Vt., in the last part of the eighteenth century, and he and his son Levi, took up a tract of land now owned by Elroy Fullam and Carlos Hawkins, and they built a saw- mill where C. Hawkins' mill now stands.
John Davis and his wife spent their declining years clearing the land, and their remains now lie in the cem- etery at Bailey's Mills. They left nine children :-
Samuel, who settled in Chelmsford, Mass. ; John, who settled in Shirley, Mass. ; Jonathan, who settled in Windsor, Vt. ; Eliakim, who settled first in Reading, and then in Errol, N. H .; Cornelius, who settled in Windsor, Vt .; Ezekiel, who settled in Reading, Vt. ; Levi, who settled in Reading, Vt. ; Huldah, who m Holden and settled inTownsend, Vt. ; and Thank - ful, who m - Palmer and settled in Brookfield, Vt.,
We find that all of these boys have owned land in Reading, prior to the year 1798, and in their various deeds, Cornelius was described as a gentleman ; Samuel as a brick-layer ; Jonathan as a cord-wainer; Eliakim as a yeoman. Ezekial Davis owned small farms in va-
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rious parts of the town, but the most of his children were b and raised on a small farm about one-half mile north of the farm at one time owned by L. G. Coolidge, on a road that formerly run from the farm, belonging to the late Alamander Wilkins, north of Felchville, over the hill to So. Reading, which road and farm however, have long since been abandoned.
He was a teamster by trade, and drove a team to and from Boston ; was fat, genial, and a pleasing story- teller. He was b in 1770, m Bethiah Grandy, d in 1849, and they brought up eleven children, namely :-
Edmond, who settled in Reading ; Betsey, who m Shattuck, and settled in West Windsor ; Solomon, who settled in Ogdensburg, N.Y ; Almond, who settled in Reading, in the Burrough ; Clarrissa, who m --- Amsden, and settled in West Windsor ; Sophia, who m Henry Megrath, and settled in Reading; Cynthia, who m - Child ; John, who settled in Cavendish ; Chris- topher, who settled in Akron, Ohio; Lorintha, who m
Curtiss, and settled in Boxford, Mass. ; Lucy, who m --- - Grandy, and settled in Sherburne, Vt.
Edmond Davis was b Oct. 10, 1792, m Rebeckah Philbrook, Nov. 20, 1816, and d Sept. 3, 1880. About 1815 he bought 100 acres of land on the north side of the road, and about one-half mile west of where Andrew A. Parker formerly resided, and lived thereon until March, 1819, when he bought the farm where Frank H. Davis now resides ; and on this farm he reared a family of nine children, and all of the Davises now residing in Read- ing are his descendants. Their children were :-
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Sabria G., who m Asa A. Burnham, of Reading ; L. Carlos ; Aurelia E., who m -- Marsh, and Jonathan Hapgood, of Peru, Vt .; Salome T., who m Silas A. Robinson, of Reading; Eliza A. who m first Silas W. Pike, and is now wife of John Durand, of Reading; Chas. A., who resided at Reading (now deceased) ; Fannie R., who m Benjamin Barnard, of Elmira, N. D .; Justin S. ; Cor-
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nelia A.
All except two of his children have made their homes in Reading.
L. Carlos Davis was b March 29th, 1819. m Ruth Hapgood, Nov. 22, 1842. He d Dec. 11, 1891. In 1841 he bought the home farm of his father and always resi- ded on it up to the time of his death. . He held the office of Overseer of the Poor, and other town offices, and raised a family of four children, viz :-
Myron A. ; Frank H., now on the old farm ; Nellie C., who m Frank S. Griffin, of Masonville, Ia. ; and Fred C. Davis, a lawyer, now residing and practicing his profession in Springfield, Vt.
Charles A. Davis, b Aug. 15, 1827, lived on the old Sawyer farm, and had a family of nine children, of whom Alba now resides on the same farm.
Justin S. Davis, b March II, 1832, m Ann Tarble, and d Aug. 30, 1889. They had two children, Edmond J., now residing in Reading, and Ina L., a school-teacher, now deceased.
Myron A. Davis was b Aug. 19, 1848, m Belle M. Byron, and d Oct. 16, 1893. He was educated in the common schools of Reading, and at the Black river acad- emy. At the age of twenty-two he entered into partner- ship with Levi K. Weatherbee, and they built a steam mill at So. Reading on the old tannery site.
After running the mill for a short time in partner- ship, he bought out his partner, and until June 14, 1879. manufactured horse-rakes, mop handles, and chairstock in this mill, when it burned to the ground. The follow- ing autumn, Mr. Davis bought out the chair factory propa erty, built on the old woolen mill site at Felchville, and at this place did a large and flourishing business in mak- ing maple and cane seat chairs, which he shipped to al- most every state in the union, and to foreign countries. This has been the principal industry in town. ever since he took hold of it, up to the time of his death.
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John Davis and His Son Eliakim, and His Descendants, By Lysander M. Davis, of Pine Hill, Alabama.
John Davis was b in England about the year 1725. In the year 1745 he was at the capture of the city of Louisburg, in the British or Colonial Army, I am not certain which. The next year he was in Halifax, N. S., where he dressed a powder horn in a very artistic man- ner, and engraved on it his name and date, in the quaint style of that time, "John Davis, his Horn, Halifax, August 6th, 1746."
At the breaking out of the American revolution, he was in Shirley, Mass., with a family of six sons and two daughters. He was a "minute-man", and when notified of the battle of Lexington and Concord, left his oxen and plow in the field, and taking his gun and powder- horn, joined the army at Cambridge, and served through the war.
That horn is now in the possession of his great grand-son, A. L. Davis, of Errol, N. H., and is regarded and preserved with reverence, as a historic relic of his ancestor, and of the revolutionary war.
Sometime later, John Davis moved to Reading, and improved a valuable farm on the brook, at some distance from Bailey's Mills. He d there, and was buried at the Reading cemetery.
Of the seven sons of John Davis, three have settled in Reading. Levi, the youngest, stayed with his father and inherited the homestead. Ezekiel had an adjoining farm, but sold it and moved to a farm near Felchville. Quite a number of his descendants are still in Reading, and I believe they are the only posterity of John Davis remaining in that town. My father, Eliakim, settled in the Borough district, and was the second settler in that district, Daniel Goddard being the first. In 1830, father sold his farm and moved to Errol, N. H., he died in
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Stirling, Mass., while there on a visit to his oldest son, Rev. S. A. Davis, aged seventy-five. His three sons and seven daughters all left Reading and settled in other places. Ezekiel and Levi Davis each reared large fami- lies of sons and daughters, as was the custom of the country at that time ; a good custom, but like some other good things has become very unfashionable. I wan- dered westward, lived in Iowa, California, sailed on the Pacific ocean to Panama, and finally settled here. In 1854 I was admitted to the Wilcox County bar as an Attorney and had a good practice for twenty-five years. During that time I was administrator or executor of a good many estates and had to furnish bonds, some of them rather large. I can think of two of $80,000 each.
I was named executor of one estate, the property of which was appraised at $60,000. You must not think I held property enough to make such amounts, for I really had but very little ; but I was able to get the names of property holders that made the bonds pass. Some of the sureties voluntarily offered to put their names on my bonds.
In 1884 I was candidate on the Greenback state tick- et for Attorney General, but according to the custom of the time, was counted out. Recently I have entirely re- tired from legal practice, and devoted my attention to farming. My brother, Rev. S. A. Davis, was at the Centennial of Reading in 1872. He d in 1897. His daughter, Minnie S. Davis, resides at Hartford, Com., and is gifted as a writer of poetry.
My maternal grandfather, Collins Hathorn, (as they now spell it, the original name being Hawthorne) of Jaffrey, N. H., was also a revolutionary soldier. His son, I. B. Hawthorne, now resides at Alden, N. Y. Collins Hathorn settled in Reading, and a more full ac- count of him and his descendants will be found later in this volume.
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Rev. S. A. Davis.
Rev. Samuel Armin Davis, son of Eliakim
and Davis, was b at Reading, Vt., in the Borough, March 11, 1810, and died at Hartford, Conn, March 17, 1897. He was educated at Chester Acad- emy, and afterwards prepared for the Universalist Ministry under the instruction of Rev. Wm. S. Balch. We quote at length, from the Universalist Year Book of 1898 :-
"Rev. S. A. Davis preached his first sermon in 1833, and was ordained in June, 1834. He began his Ministry in Pittsburgh, Penn., where in 1836, associated with Rev. M. A. Chappell, he began the publication of a small paper called the Glad Tidings, and Ohio Universalist, published simultaneously, semi-monthly, at Pittsburg and Columbus, Ohio. With the beginning of Vol. 3 the name was changed to 'The Glad Tidings and Ladies' Universalist Magazine,' and was published weekly at Akron, Ohio, where Mr. Davis was then located.
At the close of Vol. IV it was merged into 'The Star in the West'. In 1837, he was associated with Rev. Mr. Chappell in compiling 'The Western Universalist Hymn Book, which was published in Pittsburg. After a year or so spent in Missionary work in Ohio (where the Universalist faith was then almost unknown) he settled in Mass., having pastorates at Hingham, Quincy and Ster- ling; his latest pastorates were in Bethel and South Woodstock, Vermont. In 1862, he established his home in Hartford, Conn., and was for many years State Mis- sionary (minister at large), at the same time conducting the Conn. department of the Gospel Banner.
Early interested in anti-slavery, Mr. Davis' home was, for many years, a station for the underground rail- road, where many a fugitive slave found shelter and help. He was also actively interested in the temperance re- form as well as in every work which sought the good of
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the unfortunate. A long life crowned with usefulness, was God's blessing upon him."
For the last six or seven years of Mr. Davis' life, he did little preaching, but always interested himself in the Hartford church, gladly supplementing, in many ways, the work of the pastor. Mr. Davis carried' the love of hospitality almost to an extreme, aud his genial, sweet nature won him hosts of friends among young and old.
For many years before his departure to the heaven- ly home, he was affectionately addressed as "Father Davis".
Mr. Davis was twice married, the first time to Miss Mary Partridge, of Rockingham, Vt., and the second to Miss C. Elizabeth Keyes, of Sterling, Mass. Mrs. Mary Davis d in Sterling, Aug. 1848, leaving five danghters, the eldest, thirteen years of age, and the youngest, three months.
The second wife. who still survives him, had also five daughters. The eldest of the family, Miss Minnie S. Davis, has been quite successful in the line of author- ship. She has published several books which have been well received by the public. These books are en- titled, "Marion Lester", "Clinton Forrest", "Rosalie", and "Ideal Motherhood". In later years she identified herself with the so called New Thought movement, and has written and lectured on metaphysical subjects.
Mr. Davis was very happy In his daughters' success and always sympathized with her work and her progres- sive ideas.
L. Carlos Davis, By the Editor.
L. Carlos Davis was one of the most respected citi- zens of Reading. He was a man of strict integrity and fair dealing, a strong advocate for the principles of tem- perance and morality, and perfectly reliable as a neigh-
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bor and friend. When a school-boy, in his own district, he served as secretary of the first temperance society in this section, and later was secretary of the Windsor County Temperance Society. He spent his life on the same farm on which his father, Edmond Davis, had. for- merly lived. He was m in 1843, to Ruth Hapgood, of Peru, who survives him.
He left three sons and one daughter, all set- tled in life. In 1857, he built a stone house on his farm which he occupied until his death. Eminently social and industrious, to his pleasant home his friends were welcome and found sure entertainment at his board, as well as listening to one of extensive and varied informa- tion, and viewing the thrift forwarded by an industrious life. He found comfort in spiritual philosophy that gave him tangible assurance of a living hereafter.
Charles L. Davis,
Son of Asa and Mary (Hosmer) Davis, was bin Chester. Windsor County, Vermont, Aug. 23, 1833.
Was educated in the public schools and at Chester Academy. The first of May, 1851, he went to Keene, N. H., and was apprenticed to J. W. Prentiss &Co., of the New Hampshire Sentinel, staying there until the spring of 1853, when he went to Boston, Mass., and was employed as a printer on the Boston Journal, Boston Traveller, and in the book and job office of Damrell & Moore.
In 1857 he went west, stopping the first year in Chi- cago, Ill., and from thence to Red Wing, Minnesota, Nov. 26, 1858, and went into partnership with Lucius F. Hub- bard, in the publication of the Red Wing Republican, afterwards the Goodhue County Republican.
He sold to Mr. Hubbard in 1861, and bought the office again in the spring of 1862. Aug. 16, 1862, he was commissioned by Gov. Alex. Ramsey, as Second Lieutenant, mustered into the United States service,
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went to Red Wing and assisted in raising what was af- terwards Co. D, roth regiment, Minnesota Volunteers. On the formation of the company at Fort Snelling, Minn., was elected First Lieutenant. The Indian outbreak oc- curred in Minnesota in August, 1862, and all the regi- ments raised in the state at that time were kept in the state, and these included the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th regiments of infantry. As soon as the regiments could be supplied with arms and equipments, the different companies were sent to the frontier, Co. D marching up the Minnesota river to Mankoto, and went into camp at the junction of the Minnesota and Blue Earth rivers, guarding some 300 Indians who had surrendered and been brought to this point.
On this march, he was appointed Quartermaster. Co. D remained in camp until Dec. 6, 1862, when the Indians were removed to the village of Mankoto, where better and more secure quarters for them had been provided.
While in camp at Mankoto, the soldiers were provi- ded with tents only, Co. D having Sibley tents. Just before their removal, the thermometer went to 20 de- grees below zero.
From Mankoto, Co. D marched to Henderson, Sibley Co., and went into winter quarters. At this post, Lt. Davis was again appointed Quartermaster and Commis- sary, and had a large amount of government stores for which he was responsible.
In March, 1863, this company was ordered to the frontier, then only 16 miles west of Henderson, to build a stockade for the better protection of the settlers. The place selected was on the road to Fort Ridgeley, on one of the highest points on the rolling prairie, near Lake Titlow.
In May, of that year, Co. D was ordered to Camp Pope, on the Minnesota river, near where the town of Redwood Falls is now situated, to join an expedition then being fitted out against the Indians. Being on de-
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tached service, Lt. Davis had to go to Camp Pope to se- cure an order for turning over the government property in his hands, making the journey, some forty miles, on the back of a mule, and along the trail to Fort Ridgely, and further up the Minnesota river to Camp Pope.
June 16, 1863, the expedition, under command of Gen. H. H. Sibley, started on the march to the Indian country, going up the west bank of the Minnesota river, to what is known as "Brown's Valley", a plot of nearly level land situated between Lake Traverse and Big Stone lake, the waters of the former flowing northward to Hud- son Bay, and the latter to the Gulf of Mexico. Co. D camped here several days awaiting supplies, and then marched northerly, west of the Red River of the north, to the Cheyenne river, spending and celebrating the 4th of July on its banks.
From there the command moved westerly and north- erly, crossing the Cheyenne again further up. At a point about 30 miles south of Devil's Lake, Camp Atchi- son was formed, and one company from each regiment, a section of a battery, and a squad of cavalry were left as a guard under the command of Maj. Michael Cook, of the 10th, and Lt. Davis was appointed Adjutant.
At this camp were left the sick and disabled, and all the supplies not needed for a forced march towards the Missouri river, the balance of the command going in light marching orders. But two or three days from Camp Atchison, the command struck an Indian Camp at what was called Indian Mound, and a fight ensued, the Indians being driven off, and across the Missouri river near where the city of Bismarck now is.
On the return of the expedition to Camp Atchison, the homeward march was begun, the route being by way of Fort Abercrombie on the Red River to Sauke Center in Minnesota, when the Ioth regiment was sent directly south to Fort Ridgely, keeping outside of set- tlements. From Fort Ridgely the regiment returned to
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Fort Snelling.
Early in October, 1863, the regiment embarked on a boat for Dunleith, Il1., and from that place went by rail to St. Louis, Mo., where it remained on guard and provost duty until the spring of 1864. During the stay of the regiment in St. Louis, Lt. Davis did guard duty, was detailed, and was one of a general court martial for about six weeks, was on a council of administration to dispose of deceased soldiers' effects left at hospitals whose relatives were unknown, and acted for a while as Adjutant of the regiment.
Feb. 16, 1864, he was promoted to Captain. While at St. Louis, Capt. Davis made one trip as far south on the Mississippi river as Vicksburg, taking about 100 re- cruits. stragglers, deserters, etc., to the front. It was on this trip that the guerillas were firing from the banks of the river, and at Friar's Point, (below Helena) the ma- chinery of the boat became disabled, and the boat was beached.
There were about 100 armed men on board, and they formed a line behind the levee to protect the boat if necessary. Resuming his journey, and passing one point, the men lay under arms, guns loaded, expecting a volley, but they did not fire. Capt. Davis made another trip up the Cumberland river to Nashville, Tenn., with about 90 men, mostly deserters and strag- glers. From St. Louis he made other and shorter trips. In the spring of 1864, April 22, the regiment was or- dered to Columbus, Ky., and from there, companies D and E were sent to Island No. 10.
When that island was abandoned, the companies re- turned to Columbus, and the regiment was sent to Mem- phis, Tenn., and made a part of the 16th Army Corps, and were in the Ist Brigade, Ist Division, the corps being under the command of Gen. A. J. Smith, the Division under Gen. Joseph A. Mower.
Soon after the arrival in Memphis, the whole Corps
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marched along the line of the Memphis & Charleston R. R., protecting a corps of bridge-builders who were re- placing the bridges destroyed at the time the Confeder- ates abandoned that section, all the rolling stock being stored at Memphis and disabled.
At the village of LaGrange, Tenn., the command remained several days, his company being quartered in an abandoned cottage, and the men doing guard duty.
In July the command marched south into Mississ- ippi, going by way of Ripley, and arriving at Pontotoc July 11th. All of that day they were in the advance Division, and they could hear the guns of the advance guard.
Just before entering Pontotoc, the Ist Division was formed in line of battle, and a section of a battery shelled the woods. The battle did not take place, and they marched through the town, camping on the south- ern side on high ground. The next morning the long roll was sounded, and again a line of battle was formed, the enemy doubtless thinking we were too strong for them, or had the best position. The second day, or about July 13th, the command marched through the town again, but turned to the east, aiming to reach Tupelo and de- stroy the trestle on the line of a rail-road leading, I think, to Mobile.
Capt. Clarke's division was this day in the rear, and while on the march, were attacked by the rebels under Gen. Forrest. They fired into the 7th Minnesota, killing one of the surgeons and some others. His regi- ment was formed in line of battle several times, but was not attacked. They had to double-quick over several miles of road to protect points where the enemy was threatening, exposed to a constant fire of solid shot and shell ; but they had no casualties, the shots going over their heads. The heat was intense, and prostrated some of the men. Gen. Smith secured an advantageous posi- tion, and went into camp.
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The next morning, July 14th, the rebels, some 12,000 strong, made a determined attempt to capture the whole outfit, making three charges, but were repulsed each time. The Ioth Minnesota regiment was on the extreme right of the line, supporting an Iowa battery, hugging the ground as closely as possible, and listening to the whistle of bullets, as they passed over their heads.
The casualties were one killed, and twelve wounded in the regiment, only one of the wounded being from D company, and only slightly wounded at that.
Gen. Smith accomplished what he was sent to do- burned a long trestle. It was a move to protect Sher- man's communication, then moving towards Atlanta, it having become known that Gen. Forrest, and the western Gen. Lee, were gathering a force for that purpose.
After taking care of the rebel and their own wounded, the command marched back to Memphis, the rebels at- tacking their rear, but doing no particular damage.
On arriving at Memphis, Capt. Davis, with others who were unfit for duty, were sent north to Fort Snel- ling. At that post, Capt. Davis was put in command of Co. A, permanent garrison, in what was known as the Draft Rendezvous. This company was composed of un- assigned recruits, those who had been sent to this camp for the same reason, incapacitated for active duty.
While at the Fort, Capt. Davis was sent with re- cruits to Cairo, Il1., and in March, 1865, with about 90 recruits and conscripts, to City Point, Va., then the head- quarters of Gen. U. S. Grant, in front of Petersburg. He was there when the last battle of the war commenced.
Capt. Davis remained at Fort Snelling until mus- tered out with the regiment, Aug. 19, 1865. Nov. 1, 1864, Capt. Davis was m at Red Wing, Minn., to Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Hon. Chris Graham, and com- menced keeping house at Fort Snelling. Shed July 20, 1876. After the war he returned to Red Wing, and re- sumed publication of the Goodhue Co. Republican ; and
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in 1868, he sold his interest to Maj. Snider, and in 1869, bought the Red Wing Argus, which he continued to pub- lish until Sept. 1, 1897. This paper supported the princi- plesof the Democrat party.
Sept. 24, 1878, he was again m to Agnes Celinda, daughter of Wm. H. Norton, of Red Wing. The issue of this marriage were :-
Gilbert Norton, b March 18, 1880 ; Charles Asa, b Oct. 19, 1881 ; Agnes, b Nov. 18, 1883 ; Albert Henry, b Jan. 3, 1887.
Capt. Davis has several times visited his brother at Reading, and has enjoyed the delightful scenery of that town.
In 1898 Gov. Lind appointed Capt. Davis as post- master at the State Capital in St. Paul, Minn., which position he now holds, and this has necessitated his re- moval to Minneapolis, where he now resides, and his two oldest sons are students in the University of Minne- · sota.
Capt. Davis has been a musician of much celebrity, having been the leader of choirs, and in charge of mu- sical conventions.
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CHAPTER XIX.
Brown Genealogy ; Estabrook Genealogy ; Dr. Ripley Clark.
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