Death of Etna L. Davis

A letter written to my great-great-great grandparents, Rev. Andrew Nathaniel Jackson Davis and Sarah Greene O’Bryan Davis on the occasion of the death of their daughter.

Proctor, Indian Territory

April 29, 1896

Dear Mother, Father, and Family

It is with sorrow that I write to you stating to you that we have had some very grievous trouble.

You wanted to know when Etna would come to see you. I am sorry to tell you that you will have to go see her.

Etna has passed from this Vale of Tears and has gone to her place of rest. While it seems hard to give her up, there is one consolation, she was ready to go and this is the greatest and most important part in our existance [sic]. And soon in the Bye and Bye we will meet her in the New Jerusalem there to part no more and then and there our sorrows will be over, where the weary are at rest and the trouble[d] cease to mourn. When you read this and think of Etna, do not look toward the Creek Nation, but look toward Heaven, where she is at the present time. She is there singing the songs of the redeemed.

She was puny for some time but not confined to her bed all the time.

She was sick 5 or 6 days and seemed to be a great deal better, but last night at about 10 o’clock she took the cramp colic and that eased about 11 o’clock. About one o’clock she got very sick and at 3 o’clock she passed away.

The doctor says it was inflammation of the bowels — She died perfectly easy and had her presence of mind until the last.

We would have sent a telegram but did not think you could get here. Etna will be buried at Choat[e]s Prairie graveyard tomorrow A.M.

Bro. York will preach the funeral. The rest are all well as far as I know.

I will close for this time.

Your loving son,

T. J. Davis

 

Slave Schedules

A couple of years after I began my genealogy research, I learned that the Thomason Family of Georgia had owned slaves back in the 1840s. I think I mentioned this in one of my first posts on this weblog.

This weekend I looked into the U.S. Census Slave Schedules from 1850 & 1860 to see if other ancestors had owned slaves. I don’t know why I hadn’t looked before.

I found some VERY interesting information. Branches of my family that I didn’t think owned slaves in fact DID.

Here’s a list of what I’ve found.

1850 Slave Schedules

1850 – Berkshire Gwinnett Co., Georgia

Nancy Davis – My great-great-great-great grandmother – owned six slaves. She was the widow of George Davis, and mother of Andrew Nathaniel Jackson Davis.

• 27 Female, Black
• 8 Female, Mulatto
• 6 Female, Black
• 4 Female, Black
• 3 Female, Black
• 2 Female, Black

Nancy’s mother, Sarah Akers, my great-great-great-great-great grandmother also owned 10  slaves, and lived next door to Nancy. Both of the women were widows.

• 60 Female, B
• 48 Female, B
• 39 Female, B
• 35 Male, B
• 12 Female, B
• 11 Female, B
• 7 Male, B
• 6 Male, B
• 5 Male, B
• 3 Male, B

On my mother’s side, the Winton Clan lived in Polk County, Arkansas. George M. Winton, led a wagon train from Tennessee to Arkansas in the 1840s. He owned quite a few slaves as well. He was one of  the 15 slave owning families in the county.

1850 Polk County, Arkansas

George M. Winton -my great-great-great-great-great grandfather:

• 30 Female, Black
• 10 Female, Mulatto
• 8, Male, M
• 6, Female, M
• 5, Female, M
• 3, Male, M

My great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Richard S. Powell also lived in Polk County. His daughter, Pernella Pernicia, married Hiram Kinerson Winton, son of George M. Winton.

Richard S. Powell-

• 17 Female, Black
• 15 Male, Black
• 1 Female, Black

Thomas D. Cook – My great-great-great-great-great grandfather lived in Anderson County, South Carolina. He owned two slaves in 1850.

• 9 Female, Black
• 60 Male, Black

His father-in-law, Jacob Mouchet owned a few in Anderson County.

• 50 Female, Black
• 28 Male, Black
• 20 Female, Black
• 2/12, Black

Isham F. Davis, was a brother to my great-great-great-great grandfather. He lived in Wilson County, Tennessee.

• 37 Female, M
• 30 Female, B
• 28 Male, B
• 22 Male, B
• 14 Male, B
• 12 Male, B
• 10 Female, B
• 10 Male, B
• 10 Male, B
• 9 Female, B
• 8  Male, B
• 8 Male, B
• 6 Male, B
• 4 Male, B
• 2 Male, B
• 4/12 Female, B

His brother was Wilson C. Davis, also of Wilson Co., Tenn.

• 30 Female, Black

1860 Slave Schedules

George M. Winton – Polk Co., Ark.

• 17 Male, Mulatto

Catharine Winton- She might be George’s wife.

• 43 Female, Black

James Winton- son of George M. Winton

• 19 Female, Mulatto
• 5 Female, Mulatto

Stephen Winton – Son of George M. Winton

• 19 Female, Mulatto
• 7 Female, Mulatto
• 3 Female, Mulatto

Pancia Winton – I think this is Pernissa Powell Winton, daughter-in-law of George M. Winton and wife of Hiram Kinerson Winton.  She would have been my great-great-great-great grandmother.

• 9 Female, Black

Richard S. Powell

• 25 Male, Black
• 25 Female, Black
• 5 Female, Black
• 2 Female, Black

Geraldus McDonald O’Bryan – Rome, Floyd Co., Georgia. He was my great-great-great-great grandfather.

• 25 Female, Mulatto
• 6 Female, Black
• 2 Male, Black

Jacob Mouchet – Anderson Co., South Carolina. My great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather.

• 60 Male, Black
• 50 Female, B
• 35 Female, B
• 11 Male, B
• 5 Female, B
• 4 Female, B
• 4 Male, B.

 

Davis Portraits

Yesterday I received a package in the mail from my step-aunt, C. Thomas Murphy. She drew a couple of portraits for me.

The portraits are of my great-great-great grandparents, Rev. Andrew Nathaniel Jackson Davis and his wife Sarah Greene O’Bryan Davis.

The photograph I had of them was just a xerox copy, which was very poor quality.

The portraits are wonderful!

Sarah Greene O'Bryan Davis 1846 - 1901

Andrew Nathaniel Jackson Davis 1844 - 1938