Iowa County WI Archives History .....Joseph T. Davey Interview October 13, 1940
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Nancy Poquette npoq@hotmail.com January 1, 2007, 5:49 am

On Oct. 13, 1940, Irene Persons Westling interviewed Joseph T. Davey, when he 
was aged 74 years, and his friend Nicholas Tredinnick of Linden, who was 84 
years old. Her notes are on file with the SW Wisconsin Room at the U of W 
Platteville campus. The following notes are transcribed from Becky Higgins 
notes:

	“Joseph T. Davey, about 74, and Nicholas Tredinnick worked together in 
Michigan mines in the 80’s. Like many Wisconsin Cornish miners, they left their 
homes for Michigan, worked until their little “pile” was made, and then 
returned home to Wisconsin. Nicholas said he went once to Michigan. Joseph went 
5 different times, working at Calumet and Bessemer, and he said he worked at 
Bessemer when there wasn’t a church!”

	“Linden, according to Tredinnick, was once called Pedlar’s Creek. Years 
ago, he said several married women with their children left Linden to 
join ‘their men’ in Michigan, but they were all drowned on the Lady Elgin.”

	“Joseph Davey said his father or his grandfather walked 8 English miles 
every day to work in Cornwall to the Dalcoath mines.”

	“Barreltown was probably about where Pendarvis House is located, or 
farther out in the vicinity of the brewery and so called because Cornish miners 
used barrels for chimneys on their houses.”-[the area called Barreltown is 
farther north of Mineral Point.] 

	“Cornish sayings as reported by Joseph Davey-“As I was going upstreet 
and father (something like fayther but not too broad) he was coming down, and I 
thought I’s seed fayther and fayther thought ‘ee seed me, and you knaw when we 
came to, it wasn’t nary one of us.”

	“Guss along-(goes thee along)”

	“Joseph Davey says black powder was used for blasting. Not as dangerous 
as dynamite. If water soaked the black powder, it was useless.”

	“Davey said he prospected around Elizabeth, Illinois in the vicinity of 
Galena. The farmer who owned the land kept him in room and board. He never made 
a cent. He was also asked to come down to an Illinois town [name not given] by 
a company to clean ore at a time when it was all done by hand. When he reached 
the place, another man had been hired and Davey refuse to take any money for 
the trip down and expenses involved. (What a fool!) He said he was paid in the 
end because they always bought his ore and evidently paid him a little more.”

	John Letcher, ‘batching it’- [living temporarily like a bachelor] with 
Joseph (Josie) Davey and a brother of Mrs. Frank Jenkins of Rewey, said how the 
place, before it was their cottage, was used by miners coming from the mines to 
clean up. Joe, contradicted, saying there was never enough water for that. 
Address of the cottage, West Spring Street, Dodgeville.”

	“He reported that Tom Stephens (his grandfather?) kept an old musket 
over his cabin door out near Mineral Point road. He was over 6 feet and very 
straight. One time a friend gave him eggs to set. It turned out that several 
were fighting cocks. Tom saved one, and kept him penned up and called 
him ‘Toppy.’”

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