Robert Davenport Biography, Lapeer County, Michigan

This Biography extracted from “Portrait and Biographical Record of 
Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan…”, published be Chapman 
Bros., Chicago (1892), p. 1052-1053

This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives.

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ROBERT DAVENPORT, deceased, was born in Monroe, Orange County, N. Y., 
February 28, 1808, where he grew to manhood. At the age of sixteen 
years he was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade at Cornwall on 
the Hudson, working at that occupation for three years when he became 
his own master and followed blacksmithing until 1835.

   Our subject was married in the year above-mentioned to Miss 
Margaret, daughter of William and Betsey (Grady) Earl, and the 
succeeding year came to Michigan and "took up" quite a tract of land 
for himself and brothers. The country was then in a wild state and he 
was compelled to employ Indian guides to locate his land. He returned 
to New York in the spring of 1837 and brought his wife and daughter, 
Elizabeth J., who is now the widow of Gilbert Bates, to Lapeer County 
and located on his farm in the wilderness.

   The nearest market for our subject after coming to Lapeer County, 
was Auburn, at least twenty-five miles distant, and thither he hauled 
his grain and brought back with him provisions for the family. He 
carried on blacksmithing together with his farm operations and was very 
successful in all his under-takings. Mr. Davenport was one of the 
voters at the first town meeting held at Hadley, being one of fourteen 
who voted on that occasion. In politics he was an old-line Whig, but 
upon the organization of the Republican party joined its ranks and was 
always ready to vote for any measure that would be for the best 
interests of the community in which he resided.

   The parents of our subject were Jesse and Elinor (Sluyter) 
Davenport. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Davenport became the parents of six 
children, of whom we record the following: Elizabeth J., Louisa, 
Hannah, who became the wife of Joseph W. Pier-son, of Hadley; Sarah M., 
who became the wife of James B. Clark, of Elba Township; Ella, who 
married G. S. Hemingway; Permelia who died in in-fancy. The gentleman 
of whom we write passed from this life in 1885 in Hadley and his good 
wife followed him to the better land in January of the same year.



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