John Hughes Davies (1834 - about 1916)
1872 Genealogy and History Notes
Submitted by
Carol Ann Richie and Betty Richie Hansen
Editor's note: These notes have been transcribed by the author's great granddaughter (Betty) and sent to us by her sister (Carol). The underlined names are links to the Davies Family Tree [tree] or biographies [bio]. These notes are not in total agreement with the tree (e.g., spelling differences, order of children), but they provide us with many new details about the lives of these ancestors and contain some fascinating observations from a 19th Century perspective.
GENEALOGY OF THE DAVIES FAMILY
By John Hughes Davies * December 28, 1872
The Davies family is of Welch and English descent.
Nicholas Davies [bio], the father of my great grandfather (Henry L. Davies) came to this country while it was a colony under the British Government. He obtained a patent from that government of a large tract of land in the counties of Bedford and Amherst on both sides of the James River, reaching from near Lynchburg to the Blue Ridge Mountain, containing 40,000 acres and at the time of his location, it - Lynchburg was not in existence. The patent embraced some of as rich land as in Virginia on both high and lowland with the privilege of fishing the whole length of the patent and that a navigable stream from Norfolk to near its headwaters, in length to a hundred and fifty to three hundred miles passing through the patent, a distance of 30 or 40 miles.
In addition to this very valuable tract of land, he owned many slaves and had many settlements upon it - with agents or overseers, to manage the different settlements or farms for him. He, Nicholas Davies, was a merchant by occupation. I have no knowledge of his wife's name or family. When he died, he left only one son, of whom I have any knowledge, who inherited his whole estate. His name was Henry L. Davies [tree], my great grandfather. He it was from whom the Davies family derived. I am not certain whom he married, but I think it was a Clayton and by her, he raised four sons and three daughters. His sons were named Nicholas Clayton, and Boyle, Arthur Landon and Tamerlain Whiting. His daughters were named Editha, Catherine, and Henry Ann. The all married and raised families.
My Grandfather, the oldest son of my great grandfather (H.L. Davies), was named Nicholas Clayton [tree], who married a Miss Crawford of this county (Amherst) of a family of great respectability, moderate wealth, and fine mental endowment.
My Grandmother had 12 children and raised eleven of them. She had seven sons before having a daughter. Her sons were named Francis Kempis, Arthur Bennet, Mayo, Henry Landon, John, Beverly, Samuel Roderick, Nicholas, and Whiting.
The first daughter my grandmother had was named Elizabeth who died when very young and made the twelfth child (first girl).
All the foregoing children of Nicholas C. Davies and his wife married and raised families, except one, Nicholas, who died quite a young man. At this time (Dec 28, 1872) only four are living, Mayo, Whiting, Editha and Henry Landon.
The next oldest son of my great grandfather, was named Boyle, who married in this county (Amherst), a Miss McCulloch, and raised a small family of children, none of whom are now living. His grandchildren, however, are living and occupying the old homestead in Bedford County, Va.
Arthur Landon [bio], the third son of H. L. Davies, my grandfather, removed to the county, Glochester in the lower part of Virginia, when a young man, married in that county, raised a family of sons and daughters, some of whom are yet living. He became clerk of the court of the county when young and continued as such during his life, and one of his sons succeeded him after his death. Arthur Landon, was a very deaf man, consequently he was very silent yet he delighted much in music that he could (unreadable)---
Tamerlain Whiting [tree] the fourth son of H. L Davies, my great grandfather, was educated a lawyer but attended courts only for the society of the lawyers not needing its involvement, being a very rich man by inheritance and marriage. He married a Miss Payne of Campbell County, whose father was one of the wealthiest farmers in Virginia. They raised a family of two sons and two daughters, all married and raised families. The sons are living at this time and one of the daughters. You must not conclude, however, from the great wealth of T. W. Davies mentioned above that his children are proportionably well off at this time, The reverse is the case. But they have good educations and are making out to support their families comfortably. One of the sons, the eldest, a man of good education is teaching in an academy. His name is H. L. Davies. George, the second son of T. W. Davies is a physician of fine qualifications and is now pursuing his profession in Campbell County near Lynchburg. Elizabeth, the only living daughter, married a Mr. Merryweather, her first cousin. She is living near Lynchburg; has raised a family. Some of them have married and moved to either Mississippi or Alabama. They are yet in very good circumstances.
The oldest daughter of my great grand father, named Editha [tree], married a minister of the Episcopal church, named Charles Clay. He was a wealthy man and his and his wife's estate added together made a large (unreadable). He preached in Bedford County at the old Colonial church for a while. He was a very large fleshy man and locomotion became so irksome to him, that he declined preaching at middle age. Editha had four sons all of whom married and raised families, except one, the eldest and smartest son, named Cyrus B. Clay. He was educated a lawyer and was very promising and popular. He, however, died before his full worth was developed. The other three sons are living in and about Lynchburg. Their names are Aden G. Clay, Junius Clay, and Paul Clay, none of the living have followed their father's profession. Aden Clay, who is quite wealthy at this times, is quite a conspicuous man in public matters,. He had been to the legislature frequently from Campbell County before the war. He has risen in the military organization of our region to General and is commonly called General Clay.
The other sons, Paul and Junius are obscure, but are able men in society. They all have mechanical genius . So fond of the art, Junius had his shop with tools, working on some project or other.
Parson Clay, as he was generally called, was nearly, after he became so (Unreadable) he could not travel, engaged in making walking canes of many sorts and naming them and storing then away in one of his outer porches, until he had nearly filled to the roof. One of his amusement was, to keep one of his sons about him to bring them to him frequently, calling them by name and the strangest freak of his character was, a service he required of his sons to perform after his death; requiring one to dig his grave, and another to make a rock wall over and around grave, fifteen feet in circumference and four feet high; all of which they performed faithfully but mournfully.
Catherine [tree], the second daughter of Henry L. Davies, my great grandfather, Married a Mr. Meryweather from Albemart County. He was of a very respectable and wealth family, a farmer by occupation. He was a hospitable man, fond of society and entertained a great deal of company; yet industrious, energetic, and managing matters very judiciously. Catherine and her husband had four sons and two daughters, all of whom married and raised families, except one daughter who died shortly after marrying. Only two of the sons are living now, Addison and William. All were raised farmers, except Francis, who qualified and practiced medicine but died before middle age, leaving a family of one or two children, who are occupying the old homestead in Bedford County. They were and are all very meritorious men, and one of the daughters, a beauty and great belle when young, married a Mr. Meryweather, her first cousin, and soon afterwards died.. Neither one of the daughters lived long enough after marriage to have children.
Henry Ann Davies [tree], youngest daughter of my great grandfather, was a great belle when young. She was beautiful and interesting. She married a gentleman of Lynchburg, Doctor John Cabell of good reputation as a man and physician. He was also wealthy. His estate added to his wife's made a very large one. He had considerable property in Kanawha County, consisting of salt works. They had a small family, four daughters and one son. She lost, before they were fully grown, the only son and the eldest daughter. Her daughter's married gentlemen with who I had little acquaintance. Two of the daughters are yet living. One, I think, lives in Lynchburg, one in Kanawha.
The foregoing completes, partially, the history of the children of my great grandfather, H.L Davies, by his first wife. He married a second time, a widow lady named Manson. She was a lady of good family and great respectability. She had by my great grandfather, H. L. Davies, only two sons, named Addison, and Howell. They were great pets to their mother and raised to indulgence luxuries. They inherited an equal share of my great grandfather's large estate, which raised and supported them very comfortable and independently. My great grandmother moved to Lynchburg with them after the death of their father to educate them professionally.
The elder, Addison [tree], was educated a lawyer and attained some deserved celebrity as a judge of law. His opinions were often sought by the (unreadable) of Lynchburg in important cases. His health was too delicate to allow him to practice law, though he was very well qualified for it. He was a man of a fine mind and great intelligence. His life was one of great suffering, been afflicted from early life with stones in the bladder. It seemed that he had become so enured to pain, that he could be cheerful under it - and (unreadable) fine society to the great delight of his acquaintance. He had the sympathy of all his acquaintances who knew his condition. And they contributed as much as was in their power in every way to allay his suffering and cheer him.
Strange it was, with all his suffering and scarcely ever entirely at ease, without one thing to soothe his pain, he fell in love, courted a lady, and married her. She was a lady of exquisite beauty and fascinating manners. He married her and in a week or ten days his disease was so much intensified that he (unreadable) upon having the operation of lithology performed. The stone was taken out and in three days, thereafter, he died, much (unreadabe) and universally beloved, leaving a beautiful young widow with his whole estate, which was a large one.
Howell [tree], the younger son, qualified himself for the practice of medicine; but his health interfered so much with his prosecuting it, that he became an apothecary and continued with it as long as his health would permit. He married a lady of Lynchburg and raised two daughters, who also married in Lynchburg very respectably and are still living there.
The foregoing comprises, imperfectly, the history of the Davies family, commencing with my great - great grandfather, Nicholas Davies, Henry L. Davies, my great grandfather and his children.
A HISTORY OF MY FATHER AND HIS BROTHERS
By John Hughes Davies * January 28, 1872
My oldest uncle, Francis Kempis Davies [tree], was a successful farmer. He married in early life a Miss Me Daniel of this county, of good standing and some wealth. He had by her four sons and five daughters. All married in the county and are now living, most of them in the county still. except for two sons and one daughter who moved to Missouri some time before the war.
My next eldest uncle was named Arthur Bennett Davies [tree]. He married twice into respectable families, but raised no children with either of his wives. He has passed awav. He was the clerk of this county from early manhood. He amassed a good estate from his office, leaving most of it to his wife who was then living, but since has passed away as well.
My uncle Francis Kempis Davies and Arthur Bennett Davies were members of the Episcopal church during the greater part of their lives. It seems that this was the church of the family and all that have died as well as those now living attended..
Uncle Mayo [tree], the next oldest is now living . He married a Miss Taliafero of this county of a very respectable family. He has lost his wile and is now living, a widower. with some of his children at the homestead in Bed ford County. He is an older man of 77 years. He lived as a farmer all his life_ never seeming to have a fondness for any other life but that of a farmer and a Christian.
Henry Landon Davies [tree] is my fourth uncle. In early life he worked in the clerks office with his brother Arthur until the War of 1812. He left that office and volunteered in a company of Cavalry, at which time my father, John Davies, also entered the service in the same company and spent four or live months in the area of Norlolk, where John Davies was discharged. Uncle Landon continued in the service serving in the department of quartermaster in the city of Richmond. (My father became so fond of military life he continued his service in the war until it ended. He served in some of the stations round Richmond.).
After the War H.L. Davies Studied Medicine. He graduated from Pennsylvania University and commenced the practice of Medicine in 1819 in I.ynchburg. The next year he married a lady of Amherst County. A few years later they moved to Amherst Co., Virginia. He Practiced medicine as long as his health would permit. Since then he has lived on a farm which is his present residence. His circumstances in necessary matters are much reduced , having lost more than half of his estate by the emancipation of his slaves as well as all the money he had been accumulating for many years_ His wife was a Miss Franklin of Amherst County, Va., a lady of good family and some fortune. They had eight children, but only four are living at this time. Those living are named John Franklin [Civil War letters], Ann E. Scott, wife of Dr. L.. Scott, Catherine M., Wife of Calvin D. Jones, formerly of Lynchburg, now of Rome, Georgia, and Sallie F, wife of Richard M. Taliafero, a lawyer in Amherst Co.
John Davies [tree] (my father) left this state soon after the war of 1812. He performed his duties of soldier with credit to himself. He served heroically, indeed, in exposing himself to danger and hardship, any service, however, dangerous or unpleasant, he performed with alacrity and unswerving pleasure.
Uncle Beverly Davies [tree] was my fifth Uncle and worked part of his life in the clerks office of Amherst Co. After leaving the office, he retired to his farm and Married a Miss Carter of Amherst.. He died leaving a widow and a daughter. The daughter married a Mr. Ambler of fortune and good family. They now reside in Lynchburg.
Uncle Samuel Roderick [tree] was (unreadable) and practiced and married in Amherst Co. His wife was a Miss Franklin. He died young leaving a widow and two children, all of whom are dead, leaving only one grandson.
My next uncle was named Nicholas. He died before reaching manhood.
My Uncle Whiting Davies [tree] is the youngest of nine brothers and is now living in Amherst Co., Virginia. He married a Miss Parks of the same county and has raised six children, four daughters and two sons. He lost both his sons in the late war of rebellion. He and his family reside in the county in very dependent circumstances.
Aunt Henry Ann [tree] married a Major T'aliafero of Amherst Co. She raised seven children, four bays and three girls, all still living in the same county except two of her daughters who moved to the state of Missouri.
Aunt Editha [tree] married one of her cousins, a (unreaadable) B. Davies of Bedford county . She is still living with some of her children, having lost her husband. She is at present in very delicate health.