William Davis (abt. 1839 - 1886)

Born about 1839 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Ancestors

Died 11 Apr 1886 at about age 47 in Mount Pleasant, Henry, Iowa, United States

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Biography

William was born about 1839 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first child of Garrett B. and Elizabeth (Keech) Davis.

When he was a teenager, he moved with his parents and six siblings to southeastern Iowa, landing in the spring of 1855 in West Point in Lee County ^[1], then moving by 1856 to New London in Henry County. ^[2] In 1857, his father left with William's brother Joseph for Chicago, leaving the rest of the family in Iowa.

In 1860, William was living and farming in Morning Sun, Louisa, Iowa, with John and Rachael Lanning (natives of Ohio);^[3]

On 18 Aug 1869, he married Annie Frazier in Rock Island, Illinois. Their son, Frank, was born about 1868 in Iowa.

By the late 1870s, he and his wife and son were living in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The 1880 U.S. census lists his occupation as quartz miner. Newspaper reports beginning in 1879 often refer to him as "Doc" Davis and describe him prospecting for a variety of ores, including gold and silver, as well as quicksilver (mercury). The Cheyenne Daily Sun reported 1 Nov 1881: "Wm. Davis has returned from a prospecting tour upon Horse creek, north of West Mover's ranch, and reports having struck some fine mining outlooks. Among his finds, besides gold quartz, was a quicksilver mine, a ledge of cinnabar."

Failing Health

Did the mercury and toxic materials used in extracting ore take a toll on William's health? In July 1884, the Democratic Leader newspaper of Cheyenne reported that Doc Davis and another man departed for a several weeks stay in Manitou Springs, Colorado, ^[4], which was known for its healing waters.

In late 1884, he apparently was hospitalized, perhaps in Iowa. The Democratic Leader reported December 23, 1884, that his condition has worsened and his wife had returned to "the East" to be by his bedside. In January 1885, the newspaper said she had received a letter telling her that he was improving, his head clearing.

On 11 April 1886, he died in an insane asylum in Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa.^[5] In a letter 27 June 1886 to another son, his 72-year-old mother, who lived in Jefferson County, Iowa, said she did not see him after he went to Mount Pleasant. She wrote that "the last words he said to me, 'Mother don’t work too hard.'"

His wife, Annie, buried him in a then-new cemetery in Fairfield, Iowa, according to William's mother's letter. Evergreen Cemetery, which opened in 1870, does not have a record of William Davis being buried there. However, a listing by local genealogist Verda Baird for the cemetery includes a "body" Davis in a grave with no stone in Old plot 194, owned by Annie. The death date is listed as 16 April 1886. Could that date have been the burial date instead?

Sources

1. ↑ obituary for sister, Susan, "Death of Mrs. W. C. Gobble," Batavia News, March 16, 1916
2. ↑ Iowa state census
3. ↑ U.S. Census, 1860
4. ↑ The Democratic leader., July 19, 1884
5. ↑ Fairfield (Iowa) Tribune, 15 Apr 1886