Roy Charles Davis Biography This biography appears on pages 689-690 in "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm ROY CHARLES DAVIS. Among the native sons of South Dakota who have decided to east in their lot with that state is Roy Charles Davis, who was born near Vermillion, February 27, 1878. His parents, John P. and Elsie (Betillion) Davis, were natives of Chicago and Joliet, Illinois, respectively. The father purchased land in South Dakota at an early day and resided upon his farm for a number of years, devoting his attention to the cultivation of the soil and the raising of stock. He also did some contracting, an occupation which he had followed previously in Chicago. His later years wore passed in San Francisco, California, where he lived retired and he passed away there in August, 1914. His widow survives and still makes her home in that city. They were the parents of six children, all of whom live in San Francisco, save our subject, and all are following professions, including that of medicine and law. Roy Charles Davis was reared at Beresford, South Dakota, and entered public school until he was about seventeen years of age. He then went to Le Mars, low-a, and entered the Northwestern Normal School at that place, where he was a student one year returning to South Dakota, he next entered the State University taking up chemistry and other courses. He spent about five years attending the university but for a part of that time was in the employ of Alfred Helgerson, a druggist of Vermillion, who established the first drug store in the state. Mr. Davis learned the drug business under him and in August, 1907, became the owner of the store, which does one of the largest exclusive drug and prescription businesses in the state. The building in which the store is housed is owned by Mr. Davis and is a two-story and basement brick structure, twenty-five by ninety feet in dimension. Only the purest drugs are carried and the utmost care is taken in the filling of prescriptions so that an error seldom if ever occurs. Mr. Davis owns city property, including his residence, which is one of the finest in Vermillion, and owns five hundred acres of farm land in Stanley and Corson counties. He is also one of the original stockholders of the First National Life and Accident Insurance Companies of South Dakota Mr. Davis married Miss Fern L. McGinnis, a native of Iowa and a daughter of a successful merchant. Her mother is still living and resides in Vermillion, being connected with the University of South Dakota The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Davis was solemnized September 6,1907, and they have one son, Alfred Marshall, six years of age. Mrs. Davis is a member of the Congregational church and is very active in the work of that organization. She is also well known in club circles of Vermillion. Mr. Davis is a charter member of the chapter of Phi Delta Theta at the State University of South Dakota, a leading college fraternity, and is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Yeomen. He is a man of cordial, social nature and has won many warm personal friends in Vermillion, where he also enjoys the respect of all who have had dealings with him.