REES JAMES DAVIS - Biography

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Commemorative and Biographical Record of Columbia, Sauk and Adams Counties, 
WI. Chicago: Ogle, 1901, p 647-648


An industrious and enterprising farmer's boy, who has risen unaided from 
humble circumstances to a position of affluence and comfort; prominent among 
the men of Sauk County [WI] who have toiled laboriously onward and upward. 
REES JAMES DAVIS, of Winfield Township, was born in Adams, Jefferson County, 
NY, 21 Jul 1834, and is a son of Amos and Rachel (JAMES) DAVIS. The father 
spent his entire life as a successful farmer in Jefferson County, and there 
died at the age of nearly 80 years. His ancestors were among the early 
settlers of [p 648] New England. His wife, who was of Welsh descent, her 
father being a native of Wales, departed this life at the age of 75. Her 
mother lived to be nearly 80 years old. Our subject is the only son in a 
family of six children, his sisters being Celestine, wife of C. D. HUNT, of 
Jefferson County, NY; Harriet, wife of David RANSOM, of Sauk County, WI; 
Mary, wife of D. LAIR, of Marshalltown [Marshall County], IA; Carolina, wife 
of James McGUIRE, of NY; and Martha, wife of Orrin DURHAM, also of NY.

The boyhood and youth of our subject was spent upon a farm in his native 
state, and his education was acquired in its public schools. At the age of 
16 he began to support himself as a farm hand, and on leaving home in the 
spring of 1855 came to Rock County, WI, where he spent two years. From there 
he came to Sauk County and purchased a farm of 100 acres in Winfield 
Township, which at that time was all wild land, over which the plowshare had 
never passed. He cleared, improved and cultivated the place for 20 years, 
then exchanged it for his present farm of 170 acres in the same township. 
This is divided into highly-cultivated fields, rich pastures and timberland, 
and is well adapted to stock raising, his specialty being the breeding of 
Hambletonian and Wilkes horses. Just after completing a fine farm house upon 
his place, in 1884, a cyclone swept over the farm, demolishing his residence 
and other buildings, together with 20 acres of wheat in shock, only three 
loads of the same being saved. Notwithstanding this misfortune he has 
steadily prospered in his new home and has a well-improved farm, which has 
been acquired through his own well-directed efforts and good management, for 
he arrived in Reedsburg [Sauk County, WI] with only 25 cents in his pocket, 
though he had paid $50 upon his land prior to coming hither.

On 16 Feb 1857 Mr. DAVIS was united in marriage with Miss Eliza Ann SEYMOUR, 
a native of the town of Florence, Oneida County, NY, and a daughter of Ransom 
and Mary C. (RAMSOM) SEYMOUR. The father, a carpenter by trade, was born in 
Winsted [Litchfield County], CT, 09 Jun 1804, and died in Lewis County, NY, 
27 May 1845. His parents were Abel and Nancy (HUMISTON) SEYMOUR, who died in 
Adams, Jefferson County, NY, at a ripe old age. He has a female relative who 
was shot by the Indians during the Revolutionary war. The children born to 
our subject and his wife were: John R., now a bookkeeper in a large feed 
dealing establishment in Minneapolis [probably Minneapolis in Hennepin 
County, MN, not Minneapolis in Anoka County or Minneapolis in Carver County, 
MN]; and Inez Adell, who died 24 Apr 1879, aged eight years. Mrs. DAVIS is a 
most estimable lady and a consistent member of the Baptist church. Since 
casting his first presidential vote for John C. FREMONT, in 1856, Mr. DAVIS 
has been an ardent supporter of the Republican party, but has never cared for 
the honors or emoluments of public office. He is well known and receives and 
merits the esteem of his many friends and acquaintances.