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John Ezra Davis
(1803-1871)
Mary Ann Mooney
(1810-1880)
Thomas Howard Davis
(1832-1902)
Louisa Christina Copeland
(1840-1885)
John William "Will" Davis
(1866-)

 

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John William "Will" Davis 2063

  • Born: 24 May 1866, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, USA 2063
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bullet  General Notes:

His death date is unknown and is not given in his father's Bible. He is a man of mystery. As far as known by his family, he was never married in the length of time that they were in contact with him. He has been described as well educated, well read, etc., but no one has ever indicated his profession. He read, among other things, Robert Ingersall, and enjoyed arguing with others about religion. It is safe to surmise that he irritated his father very much. The story of his last homecoming is sad, but it shows that father and son shared a quality that drove them apart. This trait was a single mindedness, an inability to see the opposite of a situation, and they were both hot headed. Will, as he was called within the family, had been gone from home for quite some time, and was at home on a visit sometime prior to 1891, when the break with his father came. He must have been about 24 years of age, surely old enough to be offended at being ordered about. His father was of the old school, we imagine, and believed that any child under his roof, was under his command. It was in May or June when Will arrived home as it was the harvest season for the oats and wheat. Thomas Howard was short of help and was probably anxious for Will's help. After Will had rested for one day, his father ordered him to put on work clothes and to help with cutting the oats. Will answered that he had not come to work, that he wished to rest. Thomas assured his son that there was work to be done, and said, "And as long as you are under my roof you are going to obey me!" Without answering, Will finished his noon meal, rose and went upstairs to his room and started to read. His father followed and repeated his order to change clothes and to go to the field. Will refused and the words of the continuance of the argument are lost, but the actions are not! When Will refused to obey his father, Thomas Howard knocked him down. His fists were still to be reckoned with although he was in his late fifties. Will picked himself up off the floor and who knows what thoughts ran through his mind as he prepared to leave? He departed, and his family had not further direct news of him. He neither wrote, nor returned.

From this point, legend takes over where no truth is known. There are two versions of Will's supposed death. One source stated that Will was reported as murdered at a distant place. The story was that his father did not believe it, and as it had been a month since the supposed crime was committed, he thought it would be of no help to go there. He did not think it to spend the money on the trip. The second version of the legend is that he was reported to have committed suicide in the Dakota Bad Lands, but that none of his [personal] effects were ever returned to his home. For this reason the suicide report was not believed. His oldest sister, Betty, always thought that he may have gone to Alaska during the Gold Strike. To date, no one knows what really happened to Will. 1965



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