Comments regarding RW Daniel Davi

Comments regarding R.W. Daniel Davi(d)son, wife Sarah, and his children as they relate to the “Descendants of Daniel Davidson and Sally White” as shown in the Kentucky collection of records on the Davidson-Davison Family Resource Website.

Submitted by Sue Elfving

This Daniel Davidson is part of Family 13 found in the FTDNA Davidson DNA Study. The surname was primarily spelled Davison in early Virginia records but evolved into Davidson as the family moved west.

These comments address some specific errors relative to his children and provide additional information and clarification about the identity of his wife Sarah and the possibility of other wives.

Re: Death of Daniel Davidson

It is not known when RW Daniel Davidson died. The last record located for him was an 1823 Perry Co., Ky., court record wherein he was exempted from paying the public levy. He drops off the tax list and Robert is then shown with the 30 acres of land and may have been taking care of Daniel.

Re: The wives of R W Daniel Davi(d)son.

Several different women have been reported as having been married to this Daniel Davidson. No records have been located to substantiate multiple wives although he may have been married more than once. There appears to have been a thirty year gap between the first child (1774) and the last child. (1804). There is documentation for only one wife and her name was Sarah, maiden name UNKNOWN. It is speculation that her surname was White and should be so noted. Russell Co., Virginia court records show Daniel and Sarah as being married by 1792 at the latest.

Re: Sarah, wife of R W Daniel Davi(d)son

Sarah may have been a White; however, the only basis for this speculation is that Daniel had a son named White Davidson. If one uses the fact that Daniel named a son White as the basis for identifying the surname of White’s mother, then one might also speculate that Sarah could have been an Enyart since Daniel named a son Silas, and one Silas Enyart was a neighbor in Russell Co., Virginia. Both Silas and White Davidson were born after 1792. Neither Silas nor White are names found in the Davi(d)son family and likely came from an allied family or close friends. If one did not know Daniel had sons named Silas and White, one would not speculate that Sarah was a White or an Enyart. A review of the records does not lead one to any conclusion about her surname.

Following are records and considerations relative to the Sarah, wife of R W Daniel Davi(d)son.

Daniel’s first child, Mary, is believed to have been born circa 1774, the same year that the James Davison I family first settled on Big Moccasin Creek in what was then Fincastle Co., Virginia. The date of January 1, 1774, is the date given by James Davison II (Daniel’s brother) in an 1810 deposition. A later survey record for the original grant to James Davison (I) show settlement occurred in 1774. Assuming we are reasonably accurate about the year of birth for daughter Mary, Daniel was married prior to 1774 or shortly after his father settled on Big Moccasin. Silas Enyart settled in the area in 1771.

Records also show that Daniel Davidson, James Davidson, Joseph Davidson, Jonathan Wood, Robert Tate, Jesse Cain and many other neighbors and friends of the Davi(d)sons served in Capt. James Thompson’s Company of militia raised for Dunmore’s 1774 Expedition (original images of payroll and public claims compensation paid in 1775, Library of Virginia Digital Database “Dunmore’s War”).

While Daniel Davidson appears in numerous early Washington and Russell Co., Virginia records, he does not sell any land before 1805. As a result, we have no early deeds that show the name of his wife.

The first occurrence of the name Sarah Davidson is in an 1792 Russell Co., Virginia court record:
On 22 November, 1792, John White, Lucy White, Daniel Davison, Joseph Davison, Sarah Davison, and Rachel [could not read last name but believed it was Mattinee] were in attendance for 1 day in Blakemore vs Hugh Daniel (RC-Court Law Order Book 2, p. 2).

Since there was no other adult Sarah Davison in the area, this Sarah is likely the wife of Daniel Davison and indicates a marriage by 1792. However, this record does not prove Sarah was a White. No record has been found for a Sarah White in early Washington or Russell Co., Virginia.

On 1 March, 1794, Silas Davison, son of Daniel and Sarah Davidson, was born.

On 27 October, 1795, James Howard is ordered to pay Sarah Davidson and Mary White for 1 day’s attendance in his suit vs Champion Faris (RC-LCOB2: 259). Deed records show Champion Faris sold land to John White. The Farris family were also close neighbors of the Davidsons.

The last record for Sarah Davison is in 1805 when Daniel and Sarah sold their land to James and Ruth (Davison) Tate. They were preparing for their migration to Kentucky along a very large group of families.

There are no further records in Russell Co., Virginia, or Clay or Perry Cos., Kentucky, that include the name Sarah, and there is no reference to a widow in any Clay or Perry Co., Kentucky land, tax, or court record.

Given the above, we can state that all children who were born c1792/3 and later definitely belong to Sarah. These children were Silas, Susanna, White, and Robert. It is possible that children born before 1792 may not have been her children.

Neighboring Whites in early Washington and Russell Cos., Virginia, were Samuel, John, Lucy, and Mary White. John is found in several records with the Davison's and other Moccasin Creek families, while Silas Enyart and his son John are found quite frequently in records with the Davison's which may or may not mean anything. Silas Enyart was deceased by 1788 and court records show his wife Sarah was the executrix of his estate. Unfortunately, wills in Russell Co. prior to 1803 are not extant; therefore, we have no documented list of Silas’ children.

We believe that Daniel’s eldest child Mary was born circa 1774, some 18 years before the first record for Sarah. Daniel’s last child Robert was born 1804. These years represent a span of 30 years between the first and last child. The date of Mary’s birth is a guess. There also appear to be some gaps between the years of birth for some of the children.

Re: Children of Daniel Davi(d)son

The order of the children is incorrect. A November 1834 Perry Co., Ky., deed between the heirs and representatives of Daniel Davidson states that Daniel Davidson made a deathbed request that the thirty (30) acres of land on which he lived descend to his two youngest sons Robert and Whitt. The heirs conveyed all their right and interest in this property (Perry Co., Ky., DBA, p. 584, original copy on FHC Microfilm #0968252). Census records for Robert and White [Whitt] corroborate they were the two youngest. Daniel’s son Robert has also been incorrectly identified. Assumed son Daniel [?Jr.] cannot be documented.

The following information just represents information pertinent to age, order, and documentation.

1. Mary Davidson. As previously stated, it is believed Mary was born c1774. She died before 1850. She was the second wife of Samuel Cornett who was divorced from first wife Mary Benham per Russell Co., Va., court records. There is no definitive information about the year of Mary’s birth or death. She and Samuel removed to Kentucky.

2. John Madison Davidson. John’s year of birth is estimated to have been 1776/77 which fits with Daniel being recorded as having two males over the age of 16 in the 1793 Russell Co., Virginia tax list. In 1798, John is listed under his own name. His first son, Tyre, was born c1799. John was married three times and left many descendants. He resided in Clay Co., Ky.

3. Samuel Davidson was born c1779/80. This range of years is confirmed by his 1850 Page Co., Iowa census record. Samuel’s father Daniel shows 3 males over 16 in the 1796 tax list. Samuel can be easily tracked in records. He eventually removed to Andrew Co., Missouri and then further west to Iowa.

4. James Davidson was born 1 March 1785 and died 13 April 1868 in Hendricks Co., Indiana. He is well documented and appears in both Russell Co., Va. records as well as Clay and Perry Cos., Ky., records before he removes to Hendricks Co., In.

5. Thomas Davidson was born c1787. No age related records have been located for Thomas Davidson, but tax records indicate he was born after his brother James. He was listed in the 1805 Russell Co., Va., tax list under his own name. He appears as a witness in records in 1805, the same year Daniel sold his land and removed to Kentucky. Clay Co., Ky., marriage records show he married Sarah Sweeton on 13 July 1807. Davidson researcher Frank Davidson states Sarah’s father was a minister and asked them to go to Ohio with him. Thomas signed as one of the heirs and representatives of Daniel Davidson in the 1834 Perry Co. deed.

6. Daniel Davidson is estimated to have been born c1789/92. There is great confusion about this Daniel Davidson [Jr]. This Daniel has not been located in any tax records in Virginia or Kentucky which is unusual since he is the ONLY reputed son of RW Daniel Davidson that NEVER appears in a tax record of any kind. While Clay Co., Ky., marriage records show that Daniel Davidson married a Mary Miller on 6 Aug. 1812, this Daniel was NEVER in the tax lists as were the other sons of Daniel Sr. The tax lists only show the old Daniel. It has been assumed but not proven that this Daniel who married Mary Miller was Daniel Jr. Sometimes RW Daniel Davidson is listed with a wife named Margaret Miller. This Daniel Jr. has been borrowed by other lines and even confused with the Daniel Davidson (b c1790/3) of Russell and Scott Cos., Va., who married Margaret Dyer, the documented daughter of Francis Dyer. To my knowledge, no subsequent records have been located for this Daniel Davidson and wife Mary Miller which warrants the question as to whether the marriage record was for the old man RW Daniel Davidson.
7. Silas Davidson, born 1 March 1794 is easily tracked in records. His appearance in the 1815 Clay Co., Ky., tax list fits with his year of birth since males in Kentucky were enumerated on the tax list at the age of 21. The name Silas, like his brother White, may hold clues to his mother Sarah’s name. Silas is not a name found in any other James Davison I branch of descendents, and the only Silas in the Moccasin Creek area was that of close neighbor Silas Enyart who is found in many records with all of the Davidsons. Silas Enyart was married to a woman named Sarah. He was deceased by 1788 and court records show his wife Sarah was his executrix.

8. Susannah Davidson, born c1797/8 married first John Strong and secondly Robert Morris. Her 1850/60/70 Owsley Co., Ky., census records confirm her estimated year(s) of birth.
9. White Davidson, born c1798-1801, and his brother Robert, are named as the two youngest sons of Daniel Davidson in an 1834 deed from the heirs and representatives of Daniel Davidson wherein they state Daniel Davidson left his land to his two youngest sons, Robert and Whitt. White Davidson first appears in the 1820 Clay Co., Ky. census and next in the 1821 Perry Co., Ky. tax list. By 1826 he pops up in Lee Co., Va. records. He sells his land in Virginia in 1829 and migrates to Hendricks Co., Indiana by 1830. By 1870 he is in Morgan Co., In., where he remained until death. White’s ages in census records (51 in 1850, 60 in 1860, 69 in 1870, and 82 in 1880) confirm his approximate year of birth.
10. Robert Davidson was the youngest son, born circa 1804-6 per census records. Robert has been shown incorrectly to be much older; however, the 1834 Perry Co., Ky., deed clearly identifies White and Robert as the two youngest sons. Robert can be tracked in the Perry Co. and Breathitt Co., Ky., tax records because of the 30 acres of land inherited from his father. Earlier researchers have been somewhat confused about which Robert was the son of Daniel, but we now know which Robert was his son because of the deed, the land, and the statement about him being one of the two youngest. Robert married Nancy Combs, the daughter of Jeremiah “Chunky Jerry” Combs and his first wife Syntha Sumner. Perry Co., Ky., records relative to Nancy’s inheritance from her father’s estate documents the name of her husband. Researchers show that the Robert who married Nancy Combs was born 24 Dec. 1804. His Breathitt Co., Ky., census records are consistent with this date (45 in 1850, 55 in 1860, 65 in 1870, and 74 in 1880).

Heirs Of Daniel Davidson
Conveyance To Robert And Whitt Davidson

Whereas Daniel Davidson on his death bed did desire that the thirty acres of land on which he lived should descend to his two Youngest sons Robert Davidson and Whitt [sic] Davidson, Now, we the heirs and representatives of the said deceased, being desirous of confirming to the wishes of our deceased ancestor & in consideration of our love and affection to the sd Whitt & Robert Davidson, and the sum of One Dollar to each of us paid do hereby for ourselves, our heirs &c, relinquish, release & quit claim, all our right, title & interest, in and to sd tract of thirty acres unto the sd Robert Davidson to Whitt Davidson, their heirs and assigns forever. In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands affixed our seals this 10th day of Nov., 1834.

Test.

John Akeman
Thomas Strong
Edward Strong
Claiborn Davidson
Henry Duff

Signed.
Thomas Davidson
Abner W. Cartney
John Akeman
William Callihan
Samuel Davidson
Silas Davidson
John Strong
John Spencer
Abner McCartney

[This conveyance was proved by Henry Duff on 13 Nov. 1832.]

SE Notes:

I do not know why the oath date was earlier than the date of the conveyance. There may be a mistake in the recording.

Source: Perry County, Kentucky Deed Book A, p. 584, original copy on FHC Microfilm #0968252