Allen R Davis (1821-1902)

Allen R Davis
Born: 11 Aug 1821
Georgia
Father: Unknown; born in SC or GA
Mother: Unknown
Spouse: Louisa F Shaddix
Married: 16 Mar 1848
Tallapoosa Co AL
Sons: 2
Daughters: 4
Died: 1 Jun 1902
Tallapoosa or Coosa Co AL
Buried:
Harmony Cemetery
Coosa County, AL

Our family's Davis brick wall is currently Allen R Davis. Thanks to y-111 DNA results that arrived in late Jan 2018, we hope to break through that wall this year.

We don't know much about Allen's life, but here's what we think we know.

Timeline Summary

We believe the following things to be true. Allen R Davis was:

• Born on 11 Aug 1821 in Georgia
• Married Louisa F Shadix (or Shaddix) on 16 Mar 1848 in Tallapoosa Co AL
• Lived in Tallapoosa Co AL at age 28-29yo in 1850 with his wife Louisa, age 23, and (presumably their) daughter Sarah A Davis, age 2
• Died on 1 Jun 1902, presumably in Tallapoosa County AL
• Buried in Harmony Cemetery, Coosa County AL

Birth

The birth and death dates of both Allen R Davis and his wife, Louisa F, appear on their tombstone. Some could argue that this isn't "original source" information, but it's about as close to original source as is posibble in the early 1800s deep south.

Marriage

Civil War Service

Allen served in Company C of the 50th Tennessee Regiment. He enlisted on 15 Sep 1861 in Montgomery AL. He was honorably discharged on the 6? day of April? 1865. He was wounded at the Battle of Burnsville in AL. Source: Alabama Department of Archives and History: "Alabama, Texas and Virginia Confederate Pensions". A.R. Davis from Tallapoosa Co AL; spouse Louisa Davis.

U.S. Census Data

There are several unexplained issues in Allen's Census records. We'll take them decade by decade.

1850 Census

• The family's home was in Township 24, Tallapoosa County, Alabama
• Allen R was age 29, Lovisa (sic) was 23, and Sarah A was 2
• Allen's profession is farmer
• Allen and Louisa were born in GA; all three children were born in AL
• Two other children lived with the family: George W Davis, age 10, and Edwin R Davis, age 7. Presumably these are not Louisa's children due to her youth when they were born. It's not yet known if they were Allen's sons by a previous spouse or relationship, or if they were related another way (such as nephews).

1860 Census

• Allen R was listed as age 49 Louisa as 32, and both born in GA. Everyone else is listed as born in AL.
• Children listed were Rebecca age 11, Mary age 8, and Alana age 1 (all female)
• Elizabeth Shadwick was listed as age 17
• Sandal Davis was listed as an age 42 female
• At $800, the family farm was valued at twice as much as their adjacent neighbors

I believe that Allen's age was recorded incorrectly and that he was 39 at the time of the Census.

As speculation, it seems likely that Elizabeth Shadwick was a misspelled version of Elizabeth Shaddix and that she was a sister, niece or cousin of Louisa (Shaddix) Davis. Sandal (propably misspelled) was likely a sister of Allen.

1870 Census

I haven't yet found one - but presumably the family still lived in Tallapoosa County AL.

1880 Census

• The family's home was in District 140, Tallapoosa County AL
• Allen R is listed as a 59yo farmer, with birthplace GA. His father is listed as born in SC; mother as born in GA
• Louisa is 49. She and her father were born in GA; her mother was born in SC
• Children living with them were daughter Rebecca, age 30; son Allen, age 20; son Roburn, age 18; daughter Almelie, age 15; daughter Joanna, age 13
• They had a boarder, James S. Mcallister, age 23. He was reported as born in AL; his father born in SC and mother born in AL
• One of their close neighbors was Mark Thornton, age 46, born in GA along with his parents. Wife was Adella H, age 36, born AL

1890 Census

None. Almost all 1890 U.S.Census records were destroyed in a fire.

1900 Census

• The family's farm in 1900 was in Goldbranch, Tallapoosa County, Alabama
• A R Davis was 78; his birth date is listed as Aug 1921 in GA. Both of his parents were listed as born in GA
• Luiza (sic) F Davis was listed as 71, and born in GA in Aug 1828. Both of her parents were listed as born in GA

Death and Burial

Maps

I'll add more information here soon.

• North Carolina Formation of Counties

Research needed: historic Alabama county maps. Some of the county maps show property ownership. Properties could be compared to Davis neighbors from Census data.

Historical Notes

Georgia

English settlers arrived in present-day Georgia in the 1730s. The original charter set the western borders as the "south seas" (the Pacific Ocean), but the establishment of the Georgia Colony in 1752 set its western border as the Mississippi River.

Georgia joined the other British Colonies in revolt in the 1770s and created its first Constitutions in 1776 and 1777. The state ratified the U.S. Constitution a decade later, in 1788. Eight original counties were created in 1777: Burke, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Richmond and Wilkes.

After a number of boundary disputes and land scandals, Georgia's current western boundary was established in 1802. Most of the eastern border had been set in 1787, but the current border between Georgia and South Carolina was finalized in 1816.

Alabama

Spain had long disputed British claims that the Georgia Colony extended to the Mississippi River. The United States finally established the Mississippi Territory in 1798. After a series of further annexations from Spain, the state of Mississippi was formed on 10 Dec 1817 and Alabama was formed on 14 Dec 1819.

Indian Lands

Tens of millions of acres in Georgia and Alabama remained in Indian hands until the early 1800s. By 1827, all Indians had been removed from Georgia to Oklahoma. They were evicted from Alabama in the late 1830s after the Second Creek War. Many new counties were formed in both states from these vast lands, and settlers (including presumably our Davis ancestors) moved in to occupy these fertile and inexpensive agricultural lands.

Evolving Counties

Based on yDNA tests, some of our related Davis family lines lived in the following counties in the past:

• North Carolina: Edgecombe Co was formed in 1741. Originally very large, it was slowly reduced in size in 1746, 1768, 1777 and 1855. Wake County was formed in 1771 from parts of the original Edgecombe Co. Raleigh is located in today's Wake Co; current-day Edgecombe Co is to the east of it.
• Georgia: Decatur Co was formed in 1823 from Early Co (which had itself been formed in 1818 from Indian lands stemming from the Treaty of Fort Jackson). Portions of Decatur Co were used to create Thomas Co in 1825, Grady Co in 1905, and Seminole Co in 1920. These counties are located in the very southwest corner of the state, adjacent to FL and AL.
• Georgia: the final Indian lands in the state were ceded in 1825 under the infamous Treaty of Indian Springs and used for the formation of the very large Lee, Muscogee, Troup, Coweta and Carroll counties. These counties lie adjacent to or near AL in west-central GA and were further divided at later dates.
• Alabama: fourteen counties were created in 1832 from Creek Indian lands.
• Alabama: Tallapoosa Co was established in 1832. Current boundaries were finalized in 1866 after a portion of the county was used to establish Elmore Co.
• Alabama: Elmore county was formed in 1866 from portions of Tallapoosa, Coosa, Autauga and Montgomery counties. The area was the home of the 1717 French Fort Toulouse.