Muhlenberg County Kentucky

Old Muhlenberg Map

Family Group Records

The Descendants of Jesse & Charity Hunt Davis

Part 1

(Other than from public and official records, much of the information on the families of Jesse and Charity Davis was gained from early research efforts made by the late Edward Manley and from Davis family members Jack Davis of Elkton, Alfred and Jo Davis and Sarah Dean Wood all of Penrod.)

The Davises, native of the Mud River country, gauge all time and generations from their foreparents, Jesse and Charity Hunt Davis.

Jesse Davis and Charity Hunt were married in North Carolina (probably Rowan County) on March 16, 1799. Soon thereafter, they came to Muhlenberg County with the venerable old John Hunt, a revolutionary war soldier, who obtained land along Mud River through military grants. Charity Davis was, of course, the daughter and fourth child of John and Charity Hunt.

Charity's lineage is easy to follow. It is filled with Hunts, Fitz-Randolphs and Marchands, all the way to Great Britain and France, via Princeton, N.J., where her Fitz-Randolph forefathers gave the land on which Princeton University was build and now stands.

Charity was born in North Carolina in the year 1780 according to Hunt family records.

Jesse's lineage remains relatively hidden to this day. His age would be about the same as Charity's - though he may have been some older.

Edward Manley, the California genealogist, whose roots were with the Hunt family in Butler County, searched diligently, but was never able to match Jesse as a child of any of the Davises in the area at the time, though he confided to this writer as he was extending the Davis line, that he felt Jesse was the son of Henry and Fanny Davis, who migrated to Kentucky with the Hunt entourage also. If so, then their brief recorded contributions need to be explored as well.

One thing which Mr. Manley uncovered, that is fact, is that when Henry Davis purchased a piece of land, his deed was witnessed by Isaac and Jesse Davis. In filling out family charts, Manley often suggested Henry and Fanny as Jesse's parents - but with a qualifying question mark.

Henry and Fanny's recorded history is very brief. North Carolina-born perhaps, Henry died prior to 1812, because both court records and marriage records show that Fanny remarried. A December 1812 marriage license is recorded at Greenville for John Hughs and Fanny Davis. To give evidence that this is Henry's widow, one need only turn to the Muhlenberg County Court book to January 11, 1813, when an order was entered for “Mrs. Fanny Hughs (late Fanny Davis) to give counter security on estate of the decedent (Henry Davis).”

Then, a succeeding order, entered on October 11, 1813 called for “John Hughes, who intermarried with Fanny Davis, executor of Henry Davis, dec'd., summoned to court to give counter security for estate.”

No further record for Henry Davis was found. Nor are there records to show the death dates or burial places of John Hughes and Fanny Davis Hughes.

There is another “however” to Jesse's parentage. In an article in both the Times-Argus and the Green River Republican, Manley states that he also believes that Margaret Davis of North Carolina might have been the mother of Jesse Davis. He based this on a will of Margaret Davis, recorded in 1816. He did not say if Jesse Davis was mentioned directly as a son in this will, or if he was going on supposition.

If Henry and Fanny had children, other than perhaps Jesse, it has not been brought to the attention of researchers. If Margaret had children, or a husband, neither were disclosed in public records. Until new evidence is found, most of us will continue to consider Jesse and Charity Davis as the progenitors of our lines in Kentucky.

Thus, Jesse Davis and his wife Charity Hunt Davis will be the focus of this continuing saga of the Davis family of the mid-Mud River area of Muhlenberg County.

Jesse and Charity Davis

Knowing that Charity Davis was born in 1780 in North Carolina, and Jesse being being about the same age, this would have placed the young couple in their early 20s when they came to Muhlenberg County. Married in 1799, their first born was Mary (sometime Margaret), on September 26, 1804. There is no record to indicate if Margaret was born North Carolina or in Kentucky.

There are several mentions of Jesse Davis in public records in Muhlenberg County.

On Page 51 of Muhlenberg County Court Order Book 2A, we learn, “Jesse Davis brought here into court, John Shearly, an infant child said to be the son of John Shearly Sr. and his wife, who have left the county and their children, the said infant being of them in distressed condition, without even the common ‘necessities of life’. It is ordered that said Jesse Davis be appointed to take care of said infant until next court of claims, or until the father returns (should he return sooner) and that he render account for keeping said child.”

Another account shows the child to be under seven months, and yet another, ordered by the court on January 14, 1817, binds the child (the spelling Shurly) to James Evans, “to learn the art and trade of farming”. It again reiterates that the child was abandoned by its parents and no mention was made of restitution to Jesse Davis for his support of the child in the meantime.

However, the court November 11, 1816, does mention both Jesse Davis and John Shearly again. Jesse, in the face that delinquent taxes held against him in 1813 were relieved, because he presented a receipt showing he had paid the taxes, and for Shearly, a notation concerning his taxes for 1815 being delinquent, and that he had left the county.

It is not know if Shearly was related to Davis, or why the child had been left in Davis' care.

We do know from court records and an old deed, that Jesse Davis owned land on Mud River. The land lay on the west side of the River (Muhlenberg side), contained 100 acres, and was purchased from a Phillip Kimmell in 1814. The same land had been procured by Kimmell from Abraham Billings, who got it as an original survey. Remember that Jesse produced a receipt for paying his taxes in 1813. This might have been Kimmell's receipt, or there is a possibility that Davis was also the owner of another tract of land elsewhere.

Jesse Davis, we believe, dies in 1830. Court records reveal a settlement of his estate on November 29, 1830. “A settlement with Jonathan Hunt, administrator of Jesse David, dec'd., returned to court and recorded“ read the brief statement. Jonathan Hunt, of course, was Jesse's brother-in-law, and brother of Charity Davis. Jonathan was the fifth child of John and Charity Hunt, and was about three years younger than his sister Charity.

Charity's death is not as easy to pinpoint. We know she dies after 1850 but apparently before 1860, since she is recorded in the 1850 [Census] but is not visible in any census of the 1860 enumeration.

In 1850, Charity was 69-years-old, North Carolina born and living near what is now New Hebron church. That is established by the fact that a neighbor was Elijah Hunt whose farm is well-documented as being that which was known as the Rosie Gardner farm, directly to the rear of the present church. Rosie was a granddaughter of Elijah Hunt.

Charity's daughter-in-law, Permelia Davis, widow of Gersham (Gasham) Davis lived nearby, as did Andrew Hall, who married yet another (and younger) Charity Davis; Jonathan and Nancy Hunt; and two of Charity's other grandchildren, John and Jesse Fleming. John [Fleming] was not married at the time, but soon would wed Polly Hope and Jesse already had married Amanda Harper from across the river in Butler County. Others nearby were Daniel and Mary Hunt, he the son of Elijah, and forefather of many, many of the Hunts still living near Hebron and Gus.

Living with Jesse's widow, Charity, is one of the real tragedies and mysteries of the Davis-Fleming family. She was Nancy Jane Fleming, then 4. She was the child of Margaret Ann Fleming, granddaughter of David L. and Margaret Davis Fleming, and of course, great-granddaughter of Charity Davis. Margaret, David Fleming's wife, was Jesse and Charity's oldest child. The unmarried Margaret Ann, David and Margaret's daughter, went to court in February of 1846, to seek support for the illegitimate child, claiming that James Hunt, who apparently was a neighbor, according to census records, was the father of that child. Hunt was ordered by the court to pay $240 in six installments as support for the child.

Margaret Ann, as we shall note in later paragraphs, then married Jesse Hall, but died in 1850. The child was first taken as a ward by John Hackett Fleming, but in 1850 showed up in Charity's home. When the 1860 census was taken, it is believed that Charity was deceased, but no further trace of the great-granddaughter, Nancy Jane Fleming, was ever found. She may have died. She may have married. She may have moved to another area. Does anyone out there know?

Burial places for Jesse and Charity are not marked, but it is a tradition that they are buried at Old Hebron.

Jesse and Charity Hunt Davis had at least seven children. Dates were taken from an old Bible record photostat owned by Ed Manley.

  1. Margaret (sometime Mary) born September 26, 1804.
  2. Joannah born December 15, 1811, though this may be in error since twins Gersham and Lucy, below, were said to have been born the same year.
  3. Gersham (Gasham) born March 21, 1811, twin with Lucy, may be in error, since Manley lists Joannah's birth in the same year.
  4. Lucy born March 21, 1811, twin with Gersham, may be in error, since Manley lists Joannah's birth in the same year.
  5. Ransom born December 23, 1813.
  6. Joseph born October 8, 1818.
  7. Sarah born November 12, 1820.

Part 2

(1) Margaret Davis

For some reason, Margaret was often known as Mary. Perhaps this was because her name was Mary Margaret, and there was nother Margaret in the close family. Perhaps Margaret liked that name better, and after a childhood of Mary, began calling herself Margaret in later year.

One only need look on the surface to find that Margaret's life was filled with troubles and sadness.

Born, possibly in North Carolina, maybe in Kentucky, on September 26, 1804, she married at 19. On June 23, 1823, she wed the widowed David L. Fleming, whose first wife, Lydia, had recently died, leaving David with three (or four as new evidence indicates) young children. In 1824, the first of her three children was born. He was Jesse D. Fleming followed by Margaret Ann on September 22, 1826, and John Hackett on November 21, 1828.

About 1830, David L. Fleming died, leaving Margaret with three small children. They were soon given in custody to their half-brother, Samuel C. Fleming, in 1834, and prior to that, Margaret had relinquised her dower rights to the Fleming property. All of this was documented in earlier articles concerning the Fleming family.

The time of Margaret's death is not recorded, but it could have been any time after 1834, but before the next [1840?] census, when she was not enumerated. Just over 30 years of age, she passed from this earth with little recorded about her life.

Her first son, Jesse, was to marry three times, to, in order: Amanda Harper, who died in childbirth; Susan I. Hope, who was, according to her testimony, abandoned; and to Zilpha Fleming, who was his widow at his death on September 11, 1864 in Warrick County, Indiana. His descendants are scattered in many western states, through his first marriage and are especially prominent in Butler County, through one son, Richard Franklin Fleming, by his wife Zilpha.

The present day Flemings, such as Jerry and Shellie at Greenville (through Clarence Fleming), and those in the Penrod area, Raymond, Ray, Stella Mallory and Susie DeArmond (through Pearly) can trace back through William (Uncle Billy) Fleming.

All in these families' search for family records should review an earlier published four-part article on the Fleming family which appeared in May in the Leader-News.

The second child, Margaret Ann, bore an illegitimate child in 1844, as related in earlier paragraphs. Margaret Ann then on August 30, 1849 married Jesse Hall, which was followed by her death on April 10, 1850. She is buried at Old Hebron. Her only descendant Nancy Jane Fleming, who lived with the great-grandmother Charity Davis as late as 1850, was not found in later records. Her whereabouts or disappearance will probably always be a mystery.

The third child born of Margaret and David L. Fleming left traceable descendants over a wide area. He, John Hackett Fleming, married Mary Ann (Polly) Hope, daughter of John J. and Susannah Jagoe Hope on May 5, 1850. Their first child was Mary Susan, called Mollie. She was followed by Missouri, John A., Lydia, James H., Samuel, William H. and Patience Fleming in that order.

Mollie married James Leonard (Jimmy) Anderson, and all descendants of Jimmy and Mollie (including Harry Anderson, Bessie Whitney, Edna McKinney and this writer) can trace their roots back to Jesse and Charity Davis.

Some of the Nanney family will be able to trace their ancestry in this manner through Missouri Fleming who married Scott Nanney.

(2) Joannah

Joannah, the second child of Jesse and Charity Davis, according to the Bible record possessed at the time by Edward Manley, was born December 5, 1811. However, this writer believes the date is incorrect for two reasons: First, there is too much time difference, 1804 to 1811, between Jesse and Charity's first two children; and second, because a set of twins, Gersham and Lucy, was born, according to the same record, on March 21, 1811, but were listed in the record after Joannah's birth. For these reasons, it appears logical that Joannah was born earlier, possibly 1805, 06 or 07. Nothing has been found in official records to either prove or disprove this, since she apparently died before 1850 when census records first listed wives and gave their ages.

Records do tell us however that she married Thomas Whitaker, son of another Thomas Whitaker, on January 1, 1826. Though Joannah was not in the 1850 census, and is believed to have been deceased, Thomas was listed. He was shown to have been born in North Carolina in 1785 (65 years of age), and was listed as a widower. He would have, according to the census, been 41 years of age, when he married Joannah, who would not have been 15 years old if 1811 was her true birth year. However, if she was indeed born earlier, she may have been 19 to 21 years of age.

Children listed for Thomas (and Joannah) were Thomas J., 19 in 1850, indicating an 1831 birth year; William, 16 (born 1834) and Mary J., 14 (born 1836). Since that was the last child, Joannah may have died in 1836, or some later and unknown year.

These Whitakers lived in the Dunmor-Rosewood area, just a farm or two away from Jesse and Alexander McPherson. Next door to Thomas Whitaker was William Whitaker, 30, with his family. This is Thomas' son by his previous marriage to Nancy Duvall, and who will later be shown to be the husband of Sarah Davis, another of Jesse and Charity's children. Also, on an adjoining farm, Andrew Whitaker lived with the Robert Shelton family.

There was no further record of Thomas Whitaker, or his children in Muhlenberg County after 1860. His death is not recorded, nor are the burial places of he and Joannah.

(3) Gersham

Gersham was born with Lucy, as a twin, on March 21, 1811. He would forever be known as “Gasham”, a name from the family of his grandmother, Charity Hunt. Her father was Gershom, called Gasham.

He married Permelia Whitaker in 1837 (?). Permelia was the daughter of John Whitaker, and was Indiana-born, but must have been living in Muhlenberg County in 1825 when a court record noted that her father was deceased. She was ordered to be bound out, since she was under the age of 14, and was placed by the court into the home of Isaac Wood.

Tradition, according to Edward Manley, is that she climbed down a ladder from an upstairs room, ran away with Gersham Davis on horseback to Rochester, where they caught a river packet to Indiana and there they were married.

That was 12 years after she was placed in the Wood home, so Permelia must have been very young: nine or under at the time that she was placed in the Wood home, if she, then, had to run away to get married. Otherwise, she would have been of age at 21 and legally able to give her own marriage consent.

With Gersham and Permelia comes the line of Davises that early on inhabited (and still does) the area around Gus, Penrod and Beech Creek. Most of them can count their lineage back to Gersham and Permelia through their first son, John P. Davis. With Gersham, the third child of Jesse and Charity, we will continue the long line of Davises to the present generation.

Gersham Davis was a farmer, and operated one of the earliest known ferries across Mud River, near to what is now Forgy Mill Bridge. Though details are sketchy, we know that Gersham died in 1847, for a Muhlenberg County court order in Book 5, pages 248 and 249 reveals, “Enos Hunt was appointed administrator of the estate of Gasham Davis, dec'd. (the widow of Parmelia (sic) consenting), John J. Engler and Parmelia Davis, his security. Bond $1,000. Then appointed James Hughes, Martin Blain, Jonathan Hunt and Daniel Hunt…” End of statement. The latter must have been appraisers of the estate.

The next order, on page 251, notes, “Mrs. Parmelia Davis, widow of Gasham Davis, dec'd., it is ordered that the ferry established by sd. Davis over Mud River be discontinued.” Thus ended the ferry operation, which was to be succeeded years later by the now-rusting iron bridge at Forgy Mill.

Gersham and Permelia were the parents of five children, the first being John P., who was born in 1839. He was followed by Ransom in 1840, Enos in 1842, Squire Harper in 1845 or '46 and Lydia Margaret in 1847.

Of the latter four, little is known, despite research by the Davis family, Edward Manley, and this writer.

Ransom, we know, married Sarah A.E. Pittman on June 16, 1861. She was the daughter of Thomas and Susan Pittman, farmers of near present-day Central City (perhaps nearer to Kincheloe Bluff or South Carrollton). She was born in Tennessee. In 1870, Ransom, Sarah and children were living on Mud River, near the Forgy Mill Bridge. His mother, Permelia, lived next door, and in locating their farm, it was found to be next door to the Rev. Jimmy Gardner's farm, which is still in the Gardner family where the New Hebron road crosses Mud River. Their children at the time were Amanda J., born in 1862 and Jesse J., born in 1867.

Neither Ransom Davis, nor his wife or children were to be located in Muhlenberg County after 1870. [Ransom and Sarah Davis are living in 1880 in District 6, Morgan Co., Tennessee with the following children: Jesse age 13, William age 9, Jerusha age 6, Balaam age 1. - JP]

We believe Enos Davis was born in 1842, according to existing census records for 1850 when he was living with his mother. He was not in the 1860 census, when he would have been 18. He may have either left home or was deceased. No further record has been found.

Squire Harper Davis was born in May 1845 and married Mary Ann Smith (born November 1843) on April 9, 1866. He and his family were visible in the Mud River section of the county for several years. Among their children were James, Charles and Lucy. As late as 1900, Squire Harper and Mary Ann Davis were living in the third district, along Mud River in Butler County. Son Charles, born November 1868, and his wife, Laura, lived nearby. Their [Charles & Laura's] included Leonard R., born November 1897 and Clarence E., born July 1899. Also nearby was another son [of Squire Harper's], James, who was born March 1867. His wife, Jane, was born January 1867 in Indiana. Their [James & Jane's] children were Louvenia, born November 1892; William H., born May 1897 and Rosie E., born May 1900. Another child had died previous to the 1900 census.

Lydia Margaret Davis was born in 1847 and married David Harper on February 4, 1866 in Muhlenberg County. Admittedly, an exhaustive search for this family has not been made, but it appears on the surface to be one of mystery. Following their marriage in 1866, the census of 1870 lists only David and two children, Presley, age 3, and Mary (who later will be listed as Lucy), age 11 months, having been born in July 1869. Presumably, Lydia Margaret is dead at this time, since the census does not show her with the family. [In the 1880 Census, Lydia Harper, age 37, is living with her mother Permelia Davis in Myers, Muhlenberg County. There is also a small child named Harper, age 1, listed as Lydia's daughter. Lydia IS marked as married. - JP] However no death or burial records have been found. In the 1880 [Butler County] census, there is David [also marked as married], now 42, with his son, Presley, age 12; Lucy [instead of Mary], age 10, and Permela, age 7. [Bobby Anderson indicates that the last child means that David has remarried: “But no wife is listed again, and no marriage record for this union has been found. There, however, was a marriage license in 1882 for David Harper and Mary Ann Moore, but we do not know if this is the same David, or a younger David, the son of Squire Harper.]

The David who married Lydia Margaret Davis appears to be the son of North Carolina-born Scott Harper, and it is not known what their connection is with Pennsylvania-born John Harper, the first of his name to inhabit Butler County and Quality Valley. David was in the Scott Harper home in 1850, and a farm laborer in the home of Lott Harper in 1860 prior to his marriage to Lydia Margaret. There has as yet been no one located who can give later details of the David Harper family, particularly his children, Presley and Mary (Lucy).

John P. Davis, whose line we will follow more diligently in later paragraphs, was born in 1839. He married the widowed Harriet Hall Engler on March 30, 1862. She had one son, Alexander, a product of her first marriage to David Engler. To Harriet, born in her marriage to John P. Davis, there were Joseph, Alfred Jackson, Nancy E., Sarah E., David A., Major Solomon, Josephine, Delia, Alice and Johnnie Hettie. From these come the Davises, Hunts, Carrolls, Harpers, Hopes, Flemings and many other names as generations increase, plus an intertwining of Englers, Agees, and others. The final paragraphs of this article will deal with those children of John P. and Harriet Hall Engler Davis and their families.

(4) Lucy

Lucy Davis was born to Jesse and Charity Davis on March 21, 1811 [twin sister to Gersham]. She married Wiley Whitaker on January 24, 1827. To the present time, we have been unable to locate any of their descendants.

(5) Ransom

Ransom was a popular name with the early Davises. This Ransom, the son of Jesse and Charity Davis, was the first, and should not be confused with Ransom, his nephew, the son of Gersham and Permelia Davis. However, it is difficult at times to distinguish between them, since little is known of the life or death of either. Ransom, the son of Jesse and Charity, was born December 23, 1813, and was their fifth child.

(6) Joseph

The sixth child of Jesse and Charity Davis was Joseph, born October (or September) 8, 1818.

(7) Sarah

Sarah was the seventh and last child of Jesse and Charity Davis, as recorded in the family Bible. She was born November 12, 1820 and was married to William H. Whitaker. William was the son of Thomas Whitaker, who earlier had married Joannah Davis. William was the product of Thomas' earlier marriage.

William H. Whitaker and Sarah Davis were married December 28, 1837 in Muhlenberg county. The most of the married life was lived near Dunmor and Rosewood, though there is a census indicating that for a while they may have resided near Greenville. Seven children can be attributed to this marriage:

  1. Nancy Ann was born August 8, 1839. She may have been the same Nancy Whitaker who married Isaac D. Noffsinger in 1870, though this is not confirmed and should not be taken as fact without further research.
  2. Mary Josephine (Phene), born August 7, 1841. She married Thomas Blaine, son of Martin Blaine. They were parents of James A., Mary E., William M. and Robert N. Blaine, among others. Thomas Blaine was born in 1832, and died in Butler County, where the family made their home, in 1904. Josephine died in 1924. Both are buried in the Blaine (Hamelton) Cemetery.
  3. Charity Angeline, born April 24, 1843, and was named for earlier Charity's in the family. She died June 16, 1863 and is buried in the McPherson Cemetery at Lake Malone. (Her tombstone reads that she was born in 1856, which is doubtful.)
  4. Camilla Jane, born December 19, 1853, married Silas N. King on December 19, 1871. Among their children were Charles, John, Theo, Mertie, Lela and Raymond. They, too, lived near Dumor; in face, at one time, next door to her parents.
  5. Susan Emeline, born August 16, 1856, married John McPherson and both are buried at Jason Ridge. After his death in 1885, she remarried to J.A. Rust. She died August 3, 1936.
  6. Louvenia Eudoxia, sometime spelled Lavenia and Luvenia. Born December 19(?), 1858, she married Henry F. Roberson (mistakenly listed in the marriage license as Robinson) on January 7, 1880. Their children include Richard (1882), Herbert (1886), Gertrude (1891) and Manney (1892).
  7. Thomas T., born about 1861, is listed in the 1870 census only.

In addition, Sarah and William Whitaker had at least four other children who either died as babies or were stillborn. The McPherson Cemetery at Lake Malone contains stones for an infant born in 1850, one in 1860, and another with not date, listed as their children. There is also a William J., born June 23, 1845 and died December 24 of the same year, buried there.

Sarah, who was born November 12, 1820, died February 6, 1871. After her death, William married the widowed Isabel Hall prior to the 1880 census. She then died in 1881. William, born May 19, 1815, died May 19, 1895 and is buried in the McPherson Cemetery.

Many of their Roberson, King and McPherson descendants still live in the area.

John P. Davis

John P. Davis, born in 1839, was the son of Gershom (Gasham) and Permilia Whitaker Davis.

Harriet Hall, his wife, was the daughter of James Hall of Mud River. Hall was born in Virginia, and his wife, Zilpha, in South Carolina. She [Zilpha] is listed in some records as Cynthia. James Hall apparently came to the area prior to 1860 to join his son, Andrew J., who was already here, and who had married Charity A. Davis, granddaughter of Jesse and Charity Davis on March 21, 1850. Harriet Hall married David Engler, grandson of the Revolutionary War soldier David Engler, probably in Butler County as a teenager prior to 1860. In the 1860 census, David was known to be deceased, and Harriet was back with her parents bringing with her a child, James Alexander Engler, later to be known as Alex. He was born in 1859. On March 30, 1863, John P. Davis and Harriet Hall Engler were married in Muhlenberg County. They were the parents of 10 known children:

  1. Joseph A., born shortly after their marriage, probably late 1862 or early 1863, though the 1870 census lists his as nine years old.
  2. Alfred Jackson, born 1864. He is the forefather of most of the Davises in the south area of Muhlenberg County today.
  3. Nancy E., born May 12, 1865.
  4. Sarah E., born 1867.
  5. David A., born September 1869.
  6. Major Solomon, known affectionately as “Uncle Bum”, born 1869.
  7. Josephine, born April 25, 1870.
  8. Delia (Aunt Deal), born 1872.
  9. Alice, born about 1874.
  10. Johnnie Hettie, born December 3, 1882.

The death dates and burial places of John P. Davis and Harriet Hall Engler Davis are not known, though it is thought that they are buried in the Gardner (Davis) Cemetery, near Forgy Mill Bride.

Following is the genealogy as available for the John P. Davis family of 10 children.

(1) Joseph A. Davis

Joseph A. Davis does not appear in any official records found for Muhlenberg or Butler Counties after his listing in the Muhlenberg Census of 1870. A Joseph Davis was listed in Butler County in 1880, as a farm laborer, but was too old to have been the son of John P. Davis. Two possibilities exist: First, he left home as a young man, prior to the 1880 census, when he was not listed; or two, he died prior to that time. Any other information from readers would be welcomed.

(2) Alfred Jackson Davis

Alfred Jackson, known to his friends and family as “Tine”, was born on Mud River around 1864. His death date is not recorded, but was about 1904-05. It is believed he is buried in the Gardner (Davis) Cemetery. Alfred Jackson was married three time, and the father of seven children, many of whom are widely known in the area.

His first marriage was to Eliza Christmas of Butler County on January 8, 1885 (Book 13, page 66). To this union was born on child, Jesse Elmer Davis in September 1887.

Elmer first married Myrtle Matherly Anderson, widow of Shelby Anderson. Their children were Marie (Mrs. Ed Hunt), Ermie (Mrs. Arley Johnson), Marvin, Collas and J.D. Davis, all of whom lived around Ebenezer. When Myrtle died in 1924, Elmer married Mary Ellen Gregory, and fathered Jewel, Melvin, Bobby, Ronnie, Lena (Blair) and Shirley (Tackett). After Elmer and Mary Ellen were divorced, Elmer married Nell Dwyer. They had four children, including Margie and Kathy. Elmer died August 7, 1976 and is buried in the Gardner (Davis) Cemetery. Nell still lives near Cleaton.

Elizabeth Christmas Davis died, and Alfred Jackson married Alice Christmas, thought to have been Eliza's sister, at the W.F. Rives home at Mud River on March 22, 1891 (Muhlenberg Marriage Book 18, page 267), the Rev. S.J. Hunt officiating. This marriage produced two children, Dicie and Estell Ester Davis.

Dicie was born, according to records, in June of 1890. However, it is believed the records are in error, for Eliza was already deceased at that time, and Alfred Jackson and Alice Christmas had not yet married. Dicie married Liburn Gaston of Butler County on January 12, 1908. They were the parents of two children, Ethel and Rena. Ethel married Jack Austin of Drakesboro, and to them were born five children, Gladis (Long), Carol, Rena (Gay), Hazel (Turff) and Edna (Smith). Rena married Colie Addison of Beech Creek. They now live at 470 Bumpaw Road, Lewisburg, where despite their advanced age, are very active. Their children, which include the “Addison Sisters Singers” are Hester (Coursey), Colene (DeArmond), Violet (Knight) and Mary (Allen).

Estell Ester, known as Ester, was born February 1894. He first married Laura Harper, daughter of David and Ellen Rives Harper, in Butler county on September 12, 1911, listing his age then as 18, and hers as 15. They were the parents of one daughter, Mae, who first married Albert McPherson, son of Cobe and Betty McPherson of New Hebron, and after his death, Mont Christmas of Butler County.

Albert and Mae [McPherson] had one daughter, Eunita Mae, who married Tom Miller. Mont and Mae [Christmas] had one child, Horace.

Ester [son of Alfred Jackson Davis], after Laura's death, married Olee Tooley. Ester Davis was shot to death at Browder by Charlie Burden, a town constable, who said he was trying to arrest Ester on a burglary charge. This death occurred April 18, 1923. Ester is buried in Gardner (Davis) Cemetery.

Alice Christmas Davis died shortly after Ester was born. Shortly afterward, Alfred Jackson Davis married for the third time to Sallie Buchanan, daughter of William Washington and Missouri J. Buchanan, at the Henry Smith home, by W.N. Wyatt on January 16, 1896 (Muhlenberg Marriage Book 20, page 525). This union produced four children, William Hershel, Henry Lauden, Lizzie (Stanley) and Fred Howard Davis. After Alfred Jackson's death about 1904-05, Sallie Buchanan Davis remarried to Allen Agee, a widower, of Beech Creek. Sallie lived into the 1930s and is buried at Wyatt's Chapel Cemetery at Beech Creek.

It could easily be said that Hershel Davis was one of the most respected men of his time in south Muhlenberg County. Born November 4, 1896, he was married to Burless Goodman on January 3, 1917 in Muhlenberg County with Rev. Jackie Goodman officiating. The wedding took place in a buggy, in front of the Jackie Goodman home, between Mt. Moriah and New Hebron, near to where James Shelton presently lives. The site was the original home of Harriet Hall Davis, Hershel's grandmother. Hershel died April 12, 1974, and is buried at Ebenezer. He was a coal miner.

After their first child died, Hershel and Burless were the parents of six other children: Louise, James William, Alfred Allen, Paul Edward, Rosa Lee and Hershel Ray.

  1. Louise, born October 6, 1919, married Obie Whitney of Beech Creek on February 27, 1937. They have two children, Shirley Whitney Hunt and Joan Whitney Mallory.
  2. James William, born March 27, 1922, married Clement Lee Wacks on August 17, 1946. Their children are Sandra Covington and Doris Robinson.
  3. Alfred Allen, who operated a grocery store at Beech Creek for many years, was born February 9, 1924, and married Jo Frances Hughes of Livingston County on May 12, 1946 in Evansville, Indiana. Their children are Allen Francis, Rebecca Cobb, Katherine Perry Kidder and Sharon D. James. Alfred and Jo live at Penrod.
  4. Paul Edward, born April 16, 1924, married Margaret Briles of Graham on August 21, 1948. Their children are Larry Wayne, Dianne D. Christie, Edward Lynn and Krista Davis. Paul and Margaret live at Greenville.
  5. Rosa Lee, born September 4, 1930, married Bobby C. Robinson of Greenville, where they now live, on June 17, 1949. Their children are Deborah Moore, Bobby Robinson and Pamela Baxter.
  6. Hershel Ray, born November 28, 1932, married Jane Mayes on November 16, 1954. Children are Anthony Ray Davis and Jonathan Mayes Davis.

Henry Lauden Davis was born April 12, 1898 and died July 30, 1957. He is buried at Ebenezer. Lauden was twice married, fathering eight children by his first wife, and one by his second. Lauden's first marriage was to Mattie Mae McPherson (born 1901 and still living in Dayton, Ohio), the daughter of Allie and Betty McPherson of Gus. Their children were Arthur Jackson (Jack), 1918; Arthur Lee, 1920; Charles Edward, 1922; Marjorie Nell, 1924; Carl Truman, 1926; Bobby Neal, Kenneth Wayne and Dortha Mae Davis. After divorcing Mae, Lauden married Mary Minton and was the father of one child, Dorothy Nell.

Jack Davis [Arthur Jackson] is a retired postal employee and business man, living at 416 E. Main Street in Elkton, Ky. He and his wife, the former Isabelle Greer, have one child, Jacquelin (1947), who married Arthur Rodney Seay. They are the parents of one child, Jason Todd Seay, born in 1980.

Arthur Lee was killed during World War II. He died in action at Normandy, France on July 5, 1945.

Charles Edward is a minister and lives in Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife, Christine, are the parents of four: Stephen Edward, who with wife Jan, has a daughter, Darlene; Glenn Lee who married Shirley Coffee, and has a son, Eric; Lynn Dale, who married Brenda McKinney, and has a daughter, Heather; and Minta Gay, who married Terry Hopson, and has a daughter, Teresetta.

Marjorie Nell married Donald Riber and lived in Dayton. They had two sons, Calvin Lee and Dale. Marjorie Nell died recently.

Carl Truman married a Hughes-Kirk classmate, Marilyn Underwood of Belton. They live in Dayton and have a son, Carl Truman Davis Jr.

Bobby Neal married Joyce Mitchell of Beech Creek, daughter of Brank Mitchell. They, too, live in Dayton and have three children, Kevin, Christopher Todd, and Melisa. Another child died about a week after birth.

Kenneth Wayne married Barbara Florkey, and has three children, Sheryl, who married Dana Clark; Ellen Marie, who married Rick Kancade; and Kenneth Wayne Jr.

The youngest, Dortha Mae married Frank Rowland. They have two children, Curtis Allen and Sandra.

Lauden's daughter by his second marriage Dorothy Nell married David Lee Buchanan, and has three children, David Allen, Michael Lauden and Jeremy Lee.

Lizzie Davis Stanley was born in 1900 and died in 1942. She is buried at Wyatt's Chapel beside her husband, Sanford Stanley (1896-1963). They were the parents of six children, James Glenwood (deceased), Roy Howard (deceased), Billy Jack, Glendell, Mose Jr., and Bonnie Stanley (Dickerson).

Fred Howard Davis was born August 12, 1902, and married Ava Kitchens on April 11, 1923. They had three children, Harold Lloyd, who after World War II, went to Dayton, married and had one son, but is now deceased; Cecil, who with his wife Eva, live near Cadiz, Ky., and have one daughter; and Betty Sue, who married a Steele and mothered a son and daughter. She presently is married to Jack Perkins and lives in Oaktown, Indiana. Howard Davis died in 1975 and is buried at Greenville beside his wife, who died in 1971. Howard and Ava also had one child, Howard Jr., who was born in 1923 and died in 1924.

(3) Nancy E. Davis

Nancy E. Davis was born May 22, 1865. One January 27, 1886, she married Green Riley Hunt, son of Jonathan Hunt. Green Hunt was born May 22, 1854, and died March 16, 1908. Following his death, Nancy was married briefly to a Latham. She died September 20, 1927. Green and Nancy are buried at Old Hebron. They had two children, Mary and Sena (Cenia?).

Mary Hunt married Bill Hunt, and they were the parents of Ray, who married Mamie Fleming; Lucille, who married Eldon Goodman and later Clydie Ferrell; and Mae, who married Elias Davis and later Charlie Parks. Cenia (Sena) Hunt, Mary's sister, married George Hardison. Their children were Cenia Ann, who married Ray Fleming; Mildred, who married Lee Simpson; and Edward, who married Ora Williams.

(4) Sarah E. Davis

Sarah E. Davis was born in or near the year 1867. She was listed as 3-years-old in the 1870 census. In the 1880 census, when she would have been 13, she is not listed with the family, nor has a record of her been found later than this. It is speculated that she died as a child. Information on Sarah is requested from anyone who has such.

(5) David A. Davis

The same can be said for David A. Davis. David was born September 1869, and was known to be nine months old when the census was taken in 1870. He is not again listed in vital records. It is possible that he also died as a young child.

(6) Major Solomon (Bum) Davis

Uncle Bum Davis was much a part of the community where he lived near Gus for many years, until his death in May 1951. One looking for an honest man would be directed to Bum Davis, more than likely, before anyone else in the community. He lived that kind of life. He was born Major Solomon Davis on January 18, 1868. He married Dora Dean Hall (1874-1936), daughter of Jesse and Mahala Knight Hall, in Butler County on April 16, 1893. They were the parents of seven known children: Bessie, Cora, Johnnie, Lucy and Lucian (twins), and another set of twins, Elisha and Elias.

In 1900, Bum and Dora lived in Butler County, but shortly after, he bought a farm in Muhlenberg County, southeast of New Hebron Church, where they spent their remaining years.

  1. Bessie was the first child, born January 27, 1897 in Butler County. She was first married on September 10, 1921 to Jeff Brumley, who was the father of Bessie's son Andrew. Andrew has one child, Inis Rose, who married Donald Hutton and lives in Ohio. Bessie later married Wesley Parks and at the time of her death, on December 24, 1976, was the widow of Sam Sumner. She is buried in the Gardner Cemetery.
  2. The second child, Cora, was born August 1898, also in Butler County. She first married Clarence Fleming, they being the parents of Shelly Fleming presently of Greenville. After Clarence's death, Cora married Henry Agee of Beech Creek. Among their children are James Allen Agee, Bob Agee, Ruth Collier and Margie Renfrow.
  3. Johnnie was the third child. He died while very young.
  4. (and 5) Lucy (and her twin, Lucian) was born November 27, 1903. Lucy married Tom Clark on March 16, 1921. (See recent Clark family history.) Lucy and Tom were the parents of Sarah Dean Wood of Penrod; Samuel, Harvey, Magdalene (Shelton) and Wavalene (Anderson). Lucy Davis Clark died May 12, 1986 and is buried at Mt. Moriah
  5. Lucian died at birth
  6. (and 7) The youngest children of Bum and Dora Davis were twins, Elias and Elisha Davis, born February 25, 1907. Elias married Mae Hunt, daughter of Bill and Mary Hunt, and his distant cousin, in 1926. He died on December 27, 1927 and is buried in the Gardner cemetery.
  7. His twin, Elisha, called “Lishy”, married Elsie Clark, daughter of George and Florence Clark, in 1927. He, likewise, is deceased. Neither Lishy nor Elias had children.

(7) Josephine Davis

Josephine (Josie) Davis was born April 25, 1870. She married William H. (Bill) Fleming, son of John Hackett and Polly Hope Fleming, on December 24, 1888. Their children included Pearlie, Clarence, Fred, Melvin and Della Fleming. All of the information on this family was dispensed in the earlier Fleming family files.

Pearlie married Della Rives and their children include Raymond, Ray, Mamie (Hunt), Stella (Mallory), Susie (DeArmond), Erdine (Whitney), Cassie (Hunt), and Roy Fleming.

Clarence married his cousin, Cora Davis, as noted in the earlier paragraph on Solomon Davis, and was the father of Shelly Fleming and the grandfather of Jerry Fleming of Greenville.

Fred married Vernie Hoops. Della and Melvin died as children.

Bill Fleming was born in 1869 and died in 1914. Josie died January 12, 1944. They are buried in the Hope Cemetery.

(8) Delia Davis

Delia, the eighth child, was born about the year 1872, though no record has been found which can set an actual date. She was married to John Harper, who died early in their marriage. Their only child was Ersa (or Ercie) Harper, who married Jim Carroll, son of Will and Sarah Steele Carroll of New Hebron. Jim and Ersa had two children, Hayden and Hazel Carroll. Hazel married L.A. Peay. Though the family has no record of her death, Delia is buried in the Gardner Cemetery.

(9) Alice Davis

Alice Davis was born around 1874 and married John Mar Hope. They had four children, Elvis, Herbert, Ivy and Ann Lee. Elvis is the father of Buddy Hope, who is the father of Catherine Hope Cline. Herbert is the father of Bernard Hope, who in turn is the father of Mrs. Roscoe (Peggy) Bivens Jr. Ivy married Jeff Hendrix. Among their children are Lawrence, Austin Sherman and J.H., who lives on Derrlick-Dunmor Road out of Lewisburg. Ann Lee married a Morris and has children, Bobby, Helen and Mildred.

(10) Johnnie Hettie Davis

The last child of John P. and Harriet Hall Davis was known as Hettie, and her family figured prominently in the affairs of the Hunt School-New Hebron area for many years. Hettie was born December 3, 1882 and died November 6, 1956. She married Elbert Hunt, who was born March 30, 1881 and died June 28, 1964. Both are buried at New Hebron.

Elbert was the son of Granville and Mary (Mollie) Buchanan Hunt. His father was the great-grandson of pioneer John Hunt and his mother a sister of Sallie Buchanan, who married Alfred Jackson Davis, older brother of Hettie. Elbert Hunt was a farmer, coal miner and blacksmith.

Their children include Estill, Bonnie, Marietta, Beulah and Connie. Connie died at the age of eight in 1923. Beulah married Garteen Hardison, and died in 1929. Estill married Adell Hudnell and still lives on Hunt property a few hundred yards from New Hebron Church. Bonnie married Thelbert Shemwell of Lewisburg, and is deceased. Marietta married Oscar L. Perry Sr., son of Milton and Logie Perry. Their children include Oscar Lee Jr., who starred at basketball at Central City and later at Bryan College, and now lives in Georgia; Wanetta Ellis and Barbara Carney, who live in the Louisville area. Oscar Perry Sr. died in 1966 and Marietta recently remarried to Granval Whitaker. They live in Russellville.

The Engler Connection

John P. Davis' step-son Alexander Engler, likewise, has many descendants in the area. He was the son of David Engler and Harriett Hall Engler. However, David, the grandson of the Revolutionary War soldier of the same name (buried at Old Hebron), died while his son was an infant. The mother Harriet, then, remarried to John P. Davis.

In the 1860 and 1870 censuses, Alexander was referred to as Joseph A. Engler. In the 1880 census, when he was 20, and in the home of his stepfather, he was first listed as Alexander Engler. In the 1900 census, the first to list him in his own household, after he married, the name was erroneously written as David J. Engler.

Alexander Engler married Mrs. Annie Hall on December 28, 1888 in Muhlenberg County. Annie was the daughter of William Washington and Missouri J. Mitchell Buchanan. Annie was also a sister to Mary J. (Mollie) Hunt, wife of Granville Hunt, and Sallie B. Davis, wife of Alfred Jackson Davis, a son of John P. Davis.

Annie had married Enos Hall, son of A.J. and Charity Davis Hall on January 30, 1887. Enos owned the property at Gus, now known as the Hackett Anderson farm. Enos lived only a short time after this marriage, and after his death, Annie married Alexander Engler.

Alex and Annie had eight known children. Among them were (not in birth order):

Alex Engler and many of his family members are buried in the Gardner (Davis) Cemetery between New Hebron and Mud River.

Citation: Anderson, Bobby. “The Descendants of Jesse and Charity Hunt Davis.” The Leader-News [Greenville, KY], 21 Feb 1990.

Notes:

Correction: Muhlenberg County Marriage Register Book 2, Page 106, Number 1125: Married on the 25 day of September 1855 by Rev. Abner Wood, David Engler and Harriet Hall at John Engler's in Muhlenberg County in the presence of Thomas Jenkins & John England.

Updated July 27, 2017