Tallapoosa County AlArchives Biographies.....Josiah Sanford Elsberry Davis 1836 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/alfiles.htm ************************************************ submitted by Tommy Davis Mar 2003 Josiah Sanford Elsberry Davis JSE Davis was born September 1836 in Pike County Georgia. His birthplace was near the current towns of Griffin, Georgia and Zebulon, Georgia. The counties of Jasper, Butts, Spaulding and Pike County were close together and their boundaries moved from time to time. JSE was the fourth and youngest son of John Davis and Francina Norris Davis. His brothers were John Oliver (born 1821), Thomas Jefferson (born 1831) and George Norris Davis (born 1833). He also had 3 sisters; Mary Ann (born 1821), Amanda Melvina (born 1824) and Frances Araminta (born 1827). Josiah Sanford Elsberry Davis's Heritage It is believed that his grandfather was Thomas Davis who moved to Jasper County Georgia from Edgefield County, South Carolina in the 1790's and his mother was named Hannah. Thomas died around 1814 and left Hannah and the children with his estate. That Thomas was John's father has not been completely verified but there is some evidence to this account. More research is needed on this point. John did not seem to have a middle name but he named his second son Thomas, which meant that Thomas was most likely a close kin. There were several Davis men in Jasper County before 1820. They are listed in business transactions and census records. Their names include Thomas, Thomas Jr., Nathan, Joseph, John, James, George, Robert and David. Crispen Davis moved to Pike County from Edgefield county in the early 1800's and owned a farm adjacent to John. He raised a large family and was a prominent citizen of that county. There was a lot of interaction between these Davis men but it is not known if they were brothers, cousins or otherwise related. His paternal Grandfather was Joseph Needham Norris (born February 1770 in Johnson County, NC) and his paternal Grandmother Sarah Polly Elsberry Norris (born 1776 in Rowan, NC). They were married February 16, 1796 in Oglethorpe County Georgia. The genealogy of these two paternal grandparents can be traced back to Europe and to the years of 1300-1400. We know that Thomas and Hannah Davis were land owners in Jasper County very early in its history and they lived near the farm owned by Joseph Needham Norris. Joseph Needham Norris was a very prominent person in his time. As a young man he commanded the third division, third regiment of militia (Wilkes Co. Georgia) unit of the Georgia Militia and was Captain of the settlement known as Fort Norris. He lived in Oglethorpe County Georgia in the early years of marriage, moved to Jasper County Georgia about 1814, to Pike County before 1830 and then later to Chambers County Alabama in 1837. He died there in March 1842. His movements, like most of our early relatives, followed the opening of the Indian lands to settlers as the Indians were driven from their home lands. Joseph and Polly had 7 children. Two sons: Josiah Willis (born 1800) and Sanford R. (born 1805) and 5 daughters: Francina (born 1797), Sarah Frances (born 1802), Ann Emily (born 1807), Mary E. (born 1810) and Charlotte (born 1812). All of the girls lived more than 80 years, which is unusual even in our time. Most of them wound up living in Chambers County Alabama area and died there, as did grandma Francina at 83 years old. It is obvious that JSE got his name from his mother's brothers and the maiden name of his grandmother. John Davis was born February 2, 1796 in Georgia. Francina was born in 1797 in Oglethorpe Co., Georgia. John and Francina were married March 25, 1819 in Jasper County Georgia. John is shown frequently in the land and census records of Jasper and Pike County. He seems to have bought his first 40 acres of land in 1820 from Robert Davis and Nathan Davis. The price was $300 and the witnesses to the transaction were Joseph Needham Norris and Thomas Davis, Jr.. He continued to purchase land and received some from the land lottery of that time. In 1831 he paid taxes on 202 acres in Pike County. Between 1833 and 1846 the land records of Pike County show that John purchased over 2000 acres of additional land from various individuals. He also sold a lot of land during this time and by 1851 had sold much of it. Two deeds of sale were not recorded until September of 1857 when the family is thought to have moved to Chambers County, Alabama. An interesting point here is that there is no evidence before 1860 that John owned any slaves. In fact, the census records indicate that he did not. Apparently he and his sons, along with all the other relatives, handled the farming that was done on at least part of this land. In the 1860 census of Chambers County, Alabama, John listed his assets as $3500 in real estate and $10,000 in his personal estate. This seems to be quite a lot for his time when compared to the other men who listed their wealth value in this census. The 1860 census lists John as having 9 slaves: two males 32 years old, one female at 26 years old and 6 children. Most likely he thought he needed them since the boys were all gone except JSE and he (John) was now 63 years old. The settlement of his estate after his death in 1863 indicates the same in terms of the slaves. It is still a mystery how men thought and reasoned their participation in slavery. John was obviously a very religious man and a highly respected man in the community. He was a leader in the building and establishment of the Victoria Baptist Church in Pike County, Georgia. He was a deacon and took an active part. The same was true when he came to Alabama as a member of the Rock Springs Baptist Church in Chambers County. The fact is that thinking was different and conditioned by this practice that had been going on for several hundred years before this time. JSE grew up in this society and was also conditioned by its practices. Most people obviously did not think it a great sin. It was just the way things were. JSE was a professing believer. In 1858 he presented himself to the Rock Springs Baptist Church for membership on the basis of his "experience". It is not known what affect the war and the reconstruction period had on all who were in it. It had to be very difficult. There is evidence by the testimony of his children that his faith and interest in studying the Bible continued throughout his life. John died on July 4, 1863 at the height of the war and on the day of the battle of Gettysburg in which JSE was a participant and was wounded. His estate was settled by auctioning off all his processions. The money was then divided among the children and Francina. Any money gained was probably in Confederate currency that was not worth anything after the war. Francina remained in Chambers County and later in Tallapoosa County. The 1880 census shows her living with daughter Amanda Ison in Daviston, Alabama. She died the same year and is buried in Rock Springs cemetery along side John. All three of the daughters of John and Francina moved to Chambers and Tallapoosa County, along with their husbands. They were living there before John and Francina. There were many relatives in Chambers and Tallapoosa County from the Norris family, the Elsberry family and the Davis family. The 1860 census of Daviston, Alabama is full of relatives of the different names. John Oliver Davis came to Tallapoosa County long before his parents. He possibly followed his grandfather Norris and other cousins there. It is believed that he was the first postmaster of Daviston, Alabama and thus the town got its name from him. This has not yet been confirmed but he was definitely a merchant in Daviston in 1860. His brother-in-law, John Ison, who married Amanda, is also listed as a merchant in Daviston along with another brother-in-law Dock Pool, who married Mary Ann. The second son, Thomas Jefferson, was present with the family in the 1850 census but was not with them in the 1860 census. He apparently did not move from Pike County, Georgia with the family. Either he stayed in Georgia or left the family to seek his own fortune elsewhere. He was not a part of the estate settlement in 1863, which means that he was probably deceased by that time. Just how and when he died is not known. It is possible that he died in the war but there were many named Thomas J. Davis that fought for the North and the South and it is not known if he was one of them. George Norris Davis left the family about the time they moved to Alabama and went to Missouri via Arkansas. He married a young lady (Rebecca J.) from Arkansas in 1858. She was 14 years old. He lived and then died in Savannah City, Missouri in approximately 1915. George fought for the Union in the War Between the States. He was a Sergeant in the 25th Missouri Infantry, which later was incorporated into the 1st Regiment Missouri Engineers. The 25th was engaged in the battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, the siege of Corinth, Mississippi and in various other battles in Missouri. The latter unit was assigned to repair and protect roads and railroads in the Tennessee River/Nashville area. In August 1864 they were ordered to march to the Chattahoochee River, Georgia. They joined up with Sherman's army in Atlanta for the March to the Sea. They were a part of the Siege of Savannah in December 1864. They moved north to the Edisto River, Columbia, Bentonville, NC, Goldsboro, Raleigh and then on to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Virginia in April-May 1865. He was in Richmond at the same time as JSE but by this time the war was over so it is unlikely that they fought each other. It is likely, however, that George saw combat with some of the very men that he grew up with in Pike County, Georgia. He certainly would have gone near there on his march from Atlanta to Savannah. Many of the companies formed from Pike County were actively engaged in the defense of Atlanta. How he could have done that is unknown and one of the tragedies brought about by the war. Brother against brother. It brought a real separation in the family that was never repaired. He was not part of the estate settlement of John in 1863 and it seems that the family had little contact with him after the war. In a letter written by JSE to his son Wallis in 1899, this point is illustrated. JSE really did not want to hear from him again. George had written a letter to Wallis to be passed on to his brother. JSE said that he hadn't received it and really didn't care to receive it. In 1895 George had applied for his Union pension and listed the reason for the application as being an invalid. It could be that in the letters he tried to send to JSE he was trying to reconcile with the family while he was able. Apparently George did come back to Alabama after the war and actually sued his brothers and sisters for his share of the estate and won. In the 1900 census records where the question is asked about the birthplace of his parents, the answer was "unknown". His own family seemed to have very little knowledge of his parents. He and Rebecca had one son, Alfred O. and a daughter, Francis A. Josiah Sanford Elsberry Davis War Record: He joined the 14th Alabama Company E Regiment on August 7th 1861. The place of enlistment was Auburn, Alabama. I came to Auburn in August 1962 to begin college. I had no idea then of the history of this place to the Davis Family. JSE was made 2nd Lieutenant of his company. This honor seems to have been done by election or appointment by someone. In his case it was by election. There is no evidence that he had any prior military experience. He did come from the military background of the Norris family so it is possible that he was a part of the militia or home guard of that time. The 14th Alabama was made up of men from Montgomery and Auburn and the counties of Chambers, Jackson, Randolph and Tallapoosa. The unit went to Huntsville, Alabama and remained until October, then to Fredericksburg, Virginia to become a part of the Army of Northern Virginia. It arrived there in November 1861. It was sent to Richmond to rest after suffering camp diseases, especially measles. Proceeding to Yorktown, it was brigaded under General Roger Pryor of Virginia, Longstreet's Division. The 14th participated in all of the battles of the Northern Virginia campaign including Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Mechanicsville, Frazier's Farm, Malvern Hill, the 2nd battle of Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. During the last 10 months of the war the 14th participated in numerous struggles around Petersburg including Mine Run, The Wilderness and, Spotsylvania. It surrendered at Appomattox with 11 officers and 180 men surrendering. The original muster was 1317 names; 250 or more died in battle, 350 died in the service and 159 were discharged or transferred. JSE was among those who received a Parole of Prisoners of War at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865. He was wounded 3 times, at 2nd Manassas (August 29 1862), Gettysburg (July 3, 1863) and Mine Run (December 1, 1863). The first wound at Manassas seemed to be the most serious. He was in the hospital and on leave from September through December with what was noted by the hospital as a gun shot wound. He was again in the hospital for several short stays from July through September 1863 with a wound to the left knee. The wound must not have been too serious because he was returned to duty. This injury would have been related to the Gettysburg campaign. There is no record of what type of injury he suffered at Mine Run. When he applied for his pension in 1899 he noted that he was unable to make a living by manual labor due to age (63) and infirmities. Those infirmities were most likely due in part to the wounds suffered during the war. Some of the interesting things from his war records include: *He was elected as a second Lieutenant on July 13, 1861 (before official enlistment) *He was promoted to first Lieutenant on April 21, 1862 *He was promoted to Captain on January 3, 1863. *His pay as first Lieutenant was $80 per month, as second Lieutenant it was $90 per Month and as Captain it was $130 per month. All pay was in confederate money. *He received the Parole of Prisoners of War at Appomattox Court House which means that he was present when Lee surrendered to Grant at the same place. *His signature was on many requisitions for supplies during the war. This may mean that he was a supply officer or it could mean that he had to sign any requisition since he was their Captain. Josiah Sanford Elsberry Davis's Later Years: When JSE came back to Alabama after the war, things were very different. His father was dead and the farm was gone. He had no money because all the Confederate money he had received as pay was worthless. All he knew how to do was to farm. There were now 3-4 million slaves that also had to make a living by farming. Most of them chose to stay in the South. Reconstruction was extremely difficult for all in the South, both black and white. For many years, the government considered the soldiers to be paroled prisoners and the South as a conquered territory. It must have been very hard to live. He married Patricia (Patrie) Elizabeth Barron in August, 1866. They married in Wadley, Alabama. Not much is known about the Barron family. JSE and Patrie always rented, never owned a home. The census records show that they lived in Tallapoosa, Clay and Talladega counties. He had lots of nieces and nephews by his brother John Oliver and his sisters. Many of them remained in the same area. His sister Amanda Ison and her family remained in Tallapoosa County (Daviston) and some of their descendants still live there. Thomas J. Orr, his nephew by his sister Francis, lived in Tallapoosa County in 1900. John Oliver's son, John Matt Davis, also lived in New Site/Daviston. He married Patrie's sister Lanorah Barron. One of his sons, Simeon King Davis, later moved to Marshall County and raised a family there. There were many other nephews, cousins and near kin in the area. Life was hard and short for most of them. Many of the women died young, probably in child birth, including Lanorah and the first wife of Simeon King (Mary Lindsey). Both remarried and carried on with raising families. The same was true for the men. Families were very large with lots of kids. JSE and Patrie had 12 children. They reported in the 1900 census that only 10 were alive. We know the names of 11 but not the twelfth. Perhaps there was an infant that is not recorded in census records. The known Children were: Oda H. born May 1867, married George W. Blackwelder on December 25, 1887 They married in Tallapoosa Co.. No further record could be found. Ola F. born May 1867 (twin to Oda), married William A. Griffin on Jan. 14, 1896. They married in Tallapoosa Co.. William was a widower with several Children. They later moved to Florida and raised several children. Their first son was given the name Davis. William Wallis born August 26, 1869. He married Simmie O. McKissack on December 3, 1891. They first lived in Tallapoosa Co. but later moved to Hokes Bluff in Etowah County. Wallis died there on May 28, 1957. Frances M. born February 28, 1871. She died on September 21, 1872. She was one year and 7 months old. Fanny Mae born on June 2, 1873. She married J. W. Carter on January 21, 1894. They married in Tallapoosa Co. but not much else is known about them. Francina Elizabeth (Lizzy) born on august 20, 1876. She married Richard Peters in 1895. They were living in New Site in 1900 with their 2 children. Sometime Around 1910 Richard died and she married Melvin Stewart who was 10 years younger than she. They had additional children and continued to live in the community of New Site. Mary Etta born in November 1878. She married Milford Delonie Riggins and lived In Talladega County. She died Dec 1, 1959 in Fayetteville. John Milton born August 1879. He married Sara Bell Merritt in Marshall County. John died May 29,1957 in Marshall County. John and Sara lost one child at birth and could not have any other children. They adopted one son, Lavoice. Lanorah L. (Nora) born March 5, 1884. She married Lonza Looney in 1902. Nora Died March 4, 1923 in St. Clair County and is buried in same cemetery as JSE in Talladega County. Thomas Morgan born August 30, 1885. He married Hannah Eunice Collins in Marshall County. He died March 5, 1972. Amanda Montana (Minnie) born May 13 1888. She married William Gallman in Marshall County. JSE's final years were spent on a rented farm near Talladega Springs, Alabama. In October 1905 he died of complications from typhoid fever. He is buried in the cemetery of a Methodist church nearby. After his death, Patrie took the unmarried children (John, Thomas and Montana) and moved to North Alabama. They settled in Albertville, in the High Point community. They were somehow able to obtain some acreage and both boys ended up with small farms on which to raise their children. Patrie died on April 4, 1917 and is buried in the High Point Baptist Church cemetery. Each one of their children, with the exception of John, had several and some had many children. The descendants have thus multiplied and spread out over the country these many years until we do not know each other. It is hoped that this little summary can be expanded as other information surfaces in the future and that it will result in some contact with others who are kin. Tommy Davis Great Grandson