Davis, David W. - Biography

DAVID W. DAVIS

Born: 25 Aug 1810 Place: Brokenog, Brecknock, South Wales son of William Davis and Ann Price
Died: 5 Apr 1889, Logan, Cache, Utah Buried: Logan, Utah
David emigrated to Farmington, Utah in the Fall of 1855.
In 1859 he moved to Summit, or Smithfield in Cache Valley.

David W. Davis was born 25 Aug 1810 at Brokenog, Brecknock, South Wales son of William Davis and Ann Price.

David W. Davis and his first wife, Mary Rosser had two children born to them, (1) Mary Ann Davis, born 3 February 1838 in Memoth Shire, South Wales. (2) Ann Davis, born 18 June 1840 in Memoth Shire, South Wales. Died 5 January 1845 in Brecknookshire, South Wales.

David W. Davis and Mary Rosser were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wales, 6 November 1846, and emigrated to America in 1847, settling at the coal mines in Pennsylvania. In 1853 they started to Utah with their own team and wagon. They got as far as the Platt river when winter set in, and they had to remain there all winter. Their daughter Mary Ann had emigrated to America with them in 1847. She received the gospel in 1849, and was married to Thomas Jaylan (or Gaylan) 18 November 1853.

In the spring of 1854, David and Mary went to California, where Mary died 5 September 1854. David moved to Utah in the fall of 1855, locating at Farmington. He moved to Summit, i.e. Smithfield in Cache Valley in the year 1859. Not long afterward he called on Morgan Evans in Logan to buy some pigs. It was then that he met Ann H Davis who had been widowed a year earlier when her first husband David Davis had died at the age of 28.

Ann H and her first husband David Davis were living in Bountiful when he died as the result of having had his chest crushed years earlier while working as a miner in Wales. As his health began failing he consulted with Doctor Phenois Young a brother to Brigham Young, and was told he could never get well. Before David Davis died he called in a friend, Morgan Evans and asked him to care for his family. It was just before the move South in 1858. Morgan Evans rigged up a wagon and hitched the two cows that Mr. Davis owned to it, and Ann with her two children moved with Morgan Evans' family as far south as Payson, but returned to Bountiful the same year. In the spring of 1859 Morgan Evans moved them to Logan.

They had only a wagon box to live in, Mr. Evans and family occupying one end and Ann Davis occupying the other end. She was an early riser and always milked the cows. Coming in from the milking one morning she heard Mrs. Evans crying and heard her say, "If I'd known you would marry another woman, I would not have left my home." Ann Davis decided then she would not marry him. Mr. Evans had a litter of pigs which Ann cared for. Mr. David W. Davis who had a farm in Smithfield came to Mr. Evans to buy some pigs. Ann was tired of caring for the pigs, she asked him when he would come to get the pigs. He answered her this way, "When you are ready to come and feed them for me." She told him she would if he wouldn't say anything about it. Next morning when she should go to milk, she took her children, met Mr. Davis, and they drove to Wellsville and were married 10 June 1859 by Peter Maughan.

Mr. Davis then built a log house with willow and dirt roof, with braided willows for the door. This was David W. and Ann H. Davis's first home in Logan. It stood where the Lyric Theatre now stands in Logan. Ann was a dress maker, but had been raised on a farm in the old country, and knew how to do everything. She was a great help to the saints as they entered her little town and to this "new and beautiful land" as she called it. Their first child Amelia Jane Davis was born there, 19 May 1860, the second white child born in Logan. Later they moved to 2nd North and 5th West where they cared for their small farm.

We raised cattle and sheep like all the neighbors in those days, and we learned to spin. Each year a young cow was set aside to pay a Scandinavian for cutting the hay. They were good hands with the scythe.

The grain was cradled by hand and the hay cut with a scythe. Ann Davis crawled on her hands and knees behind the cradle and bound the grain by hand as much as she could.

Four children were born to David W. Davis and Ann H. Davis:

CHILDREN	BORN	WHERE	MARRIED	DIED
Amelia Jane	19 May 1860	Logan, UT	11 Dec 1879	29 Apr 1940
Elisabeth Ann	28 Aug 1862	Logan, UT	19 Oct 1878	16 Sep 1903
William Henry	16 Aug 1866	Logan, UT	unmd	10 Jun 1875
Catherine Margaret	16 Aug 1866	Logan, UT	unmd	23 May 1875

The Indians often came for food and one morning while waiting for Ann to prepare food for them they exposed the children to Black Smallpox. The children were then isolated up where the Logan Cemetery is now. They were placed in a tumbled down shack with wide cracks between the boards and a rough wood floor. The children took turns with willows brushing the snakes from the beds of the sick children. After the smallpox epidemic, diphtheria entered the home and took the lives of the twins, William Henry 10 June 1875, and Katherine Margaret 23 May 1875. The other three children Maryann, Elizabeth Ann and Amelia Jane escaped the disease.

David W. Davis was always devoted to the church, doing all he could to help build Logan and Cache Valley. He was blessed with the power of healing the sick. He would go day or night when called to administer to the sick, although he was in poor health himself, from the time he came to Logan, until the time of his death 5 April 1889. Mr. Davis lived a true Latter-day Saint life to the end of his days. He was buried in the Logan City Cemetery.

Ann was a Relief Society worker for nine years, during that time the Relief Society met at her home for their meetings every two weeks and did much sewing to help all the people out who couldn't sew. She was very sincere and practical in her religion always helping to give to the emigrants when they came in.

David W. Davis
Born: 25 Aug 1810 at Brokenog, Brecknock, South Wales, the son of William Davis, and Ann Price.
Died: 5 Apr 1889 at Logan, Utah, and was buried there.

Ann H Davis
Born: 5 March 1823 in Pendairm, Glamorgan Shire, South Wales, the daughter of Henry Davis and Ann Lewellyn Davis.
Died: 22 Oct 1883 at Logan, Utah, and was buried there.

DAVID DAVIS (ANN H. DAVIS'S FIRST HUSBAND)

David Davis was born 19 February 1829 in Glenmorganshire, South Wales. He received the gospel there. His first wife, Margaret Price, received the gospel in Wales and died there. On December 25, 1853 he married Ann H Davis the daughter of Henry Davis and Ann Lewellyn Davis. She was born 5 March 1823 in Pendairm, Glamorgan Shire, South Wales. They were both Latter-day Saints and started to Zion as they called Utah a short time after they were married.

David listed on the ship's register as David Davies, collier, age 23. Ann was registered as age 30. Leaving Liverpool, England 4 February 1854 it took seven weeks on the Golcondo, a sailing vessel to make the journey and she was sick all the way. When they reached St. Louis all the emigrants were put in a large hall, several hundred of them, until they could buy oxen and wagons and get ready for the journey west. They were only there a few hours when cholera broke out among the saints. A great number of them died. In six weeks they started on their way to Utah.

Ann walked all the way. She was very crippled, which caused her to walk on the side of her feet. When the roads were good she was expected to walk as all the others were, and when the roads were bad she was afraid to ride.

They arrived in Salt Lake city in September 1854, and settled at Sessions, now Bountiful, Utah to the north of Salt Lake City. They built a small one room house with a rough lumber floor. She was a dress maker and sewed for everyone. She sewed a whole week for a pan of potato peelings to plant. The Lord blessed her and by His will the potatoes grew and she had a nice patch of potatoes.

Men and women had to do anything they could find to do so Ann got a job husking corn. While so doing she lost her wedding ring. She grieved over that as old country people were superstitious and they would look at that as a bad omen.

The 1858 Spring the saints were advised to leave everything they had and move South on account of Johnston's Army. By this time David and Ann had finished a nice one room adobe house with a planed lumber floor. They had also secured two cows.

On 26 September 1855 a daughter, Mary Ann was born to them, and in 1858 a son. Two weeks after their son was born, David Davis died at the age of 28. He was a miner in Wales and had his chest crushed in the mines. After coming to Utah his chest bones started to work out. Phenois Young a brother to Brigham Young was a doctor. He was called into the home and he told Mr. Davis he could never get well. He died just before the move south in 1858.

This history of Ann H. Davis (Davies) was written by her daughter Amelia Jane Davis Blanchard. I have edited it with the help of family records and Family History Library film Emigration Records Liverpool 1849-1855. Respectfully submitted by her great grandson Darwin L. Salisbury

Note: The birth place of Ann H. Davis is shown in the records as Pendaren, or Pendairm, Glamorgan Shire, South Wales, however a map printed in 1988 uses a spelling of Penderyn.