Monterey County CA Archives Biographies.....Davis, H. Lee 1843 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 17, 2007, 2:09 am Author: Luther A. Ingersoll, Editor (1893) H. LEE DAVIS, of Salinas, California, was born in Canada, January 18, 1843. A brief review of his life and ancestry is as follows: His parents, Thaddeus and Nancy A. (Hagar) Davis, were natives of Canada, the former born July 27, 1811, and the latter in 1820. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Davis were Jonathan Hagar, born August 4, 1765, and Azulah (Hopkins) Hagar, born in New Jersey, in 1770. Her marriage with Thaddeus Davis occurred October 20, 1836. Their happy union resulted in the birth of four sons and two daughters, of whom two sons and one daughter are now living. Thaddeus Davis comes of a long-lived and sturdy race, some of his ancestors having attained the advanced age of 107 years. In 1850 the father of our subject left Canada and came to California, being followed three years later by his wife and children, who made the voyage to this State on the steamer Uncle Sam on the Atlantic and the Cortez on the Pacific side, landing in San Francisco. Cholera and yellow fever broke out on the vessel after they left Panama, and sixty of the passengers were attacked with it, many dying. In the year 1859 Mr. Davis returned to Canada, but came back to California the following year. Mr. Davis and his sons have been engaged in farming, merchandising and stock-raising. They own about 1,300 acres, of which about 500 acres are sediment-rich and valuable land. It is said, and on good authority, that 180 bushels of wheat to the acre have been raised on the land, now owned by the Messrs. Davis. The floods of 1861 washed away half the house in which the Davis family lived. This was situated at Hill Town, three miles from Salinas, on the Salinas river. The other half of the house was moved to higher land, where it now stands. The channel of the river was narrow then, and the great volume of water was forced over its banks and spread over the entire plains to the depth of from two to four feet. The large sycamore, cotton-wood and live oak trees that bordered its banks have long since been washed away, and much valuable soil has also been carried away by the current. H. Lee Davis was married, November 10, 1887, to Florence Titus, and their union has been blessed with three children. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Memorial and Biographical History of the Coast Counties of Central California. Illustrated. Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the Earliest Period of its Discovery to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of its Auspicious Future; Illustrations and Full-Page Portraits of some of its Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers, and Prominent Citizens of To-day. HENRY D. BARROWS, Editor of the Historical Department. LUTHER A. INGERSOLL, Editor of the Biographical Department. "A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendants."-Macaulay. CHICAGO: THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY. 1893. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/monterey/bios/davis1056nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 3.6 Kb