Crenshaw County AlArchives Biographies.....Davis, Ransom L. 1831 - living in 1893 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ann Anderson alabammygrammy@aol.com May 18, 2004, 10:44 am Author: Brant & Fuller (1893) RANSOM L. DAVIS, lumberman and farmer of Beat No. 2, Crenshaw county, was born in Fairfield district, S. C., in 1831. He is a son of David and Mary (Woods) Davis, both natives of South Carolina, where they were reared, given a good education, and in 1834 came to what is now Elmore county, Ala. The next year, on account of their suffering with chills and fever, they removed to Harris county, Ga., remaining till after the Indian war, and while there Mrs. Davis died. Mr. Davis then removed to Chambers county, Ala., and lived there some years. He then moved to Russell county, remaining there but one year, when he removed to Macon county, and in 1854 to what is now Crenshaw county, where he lived until his death, in 1863. He was a farmer, hard working, industrious, honest, and one of the earliest citizens of the state. He was twice married, and reared two sets of children, was a member of the Missionary Baptist church and one of a large family born to Thomas Davis, a Scotchman, who came to South Carolina soon after his marriage, and spent the rest of his life in that state. Grandfather Woods was probably a South Carolinian, was a farmer, and died in the state of his birth. Ransom L. Davis was the youngest of three brothers, two of whom, John and Lawrence, died before the war. There were several half-brothers, viz.: Thomas, who died in the army; James, now of this county, was in the Tennessee army; Green, now of Texas, was in the same army; Burrell, of Ozark, Ala. Ransom L. Davis was brought up on the farm and received a common school education. He began life for himself at twenty-five years of age as a farmer, and then learned mechanics, afterward milling, and has followed the latter ever since in different places. He was married, in 1855, to Nancy M., daughter of Reuben and Theresa Isom, natives of South Carolina, who removed to Alabama and later to Texas, just before the war, when Mr. Isom died, Mrs. Isom following him a few years later. Mrs. Davis was born in what is now Crenshaw county, and is the mother of six children, viz.: John Robert, of Montgomery county: Rosetta, wife of John Thomas Best; Jeff F.; Mary, wife of James Fields, of Texas; Helen, wife of Joseph McMillan, from Scotland, now of this county, and William T. On February 1, 1862, Mr. Davis joined company A, Seventeenth Alabama infantry, as a private soldier, and began operations at Pensacola, and after a time joined the Tennessee army and participated in the battle of Shiloh, where he was captured and taken to Camp Douglas. He was retained until September, when he was exchanged to Vicksburg, rejoined his command at Mobile, and served in the battery until the battle of New Hope Church in 1864. He then joined Johnston's army and fought down to Atlanta and back with Hood, participating in the battles of Franklin and Nashville, at which latter battle he was captured on picket line and again taken to Camp Douglas, where he was held until June, 1865. He was never wounded, but always ready for roll-call, was never furloughed, nor in the hospital: After the war he worked at his trade, and later engaged in milling and farming, which occupations he has since followed. He has erected and operated several mills, and now owns, in different tracts, some 600 acres of good timbered land. He has acquired all his property by his own exertions and economy. He belongs to the National Lumber association of Chicago. He is one of the most substantial citizens of the county. His wife belongs to the Christian church, and both are highly respected members of society. Additional Comments: from "Memorial Record of Alabama", Vol. I, p. 775-776 Published by Brant & Fuller (1893) Madison, WI This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 4.2 Kb