The Davidson Family.

John Goolman Davidson, born in Dublin, Ireland, a cooper by 
trade, came to America about 1755, and settled in Beverly Manor, 
in what was then Augusta County. Subsequently he removed with 
his family to the Draper-Meadow's Settlement, and from thence 
in the year of 1780, he removed and located at the head of 
Beaver Pond Creek, in what was then Montgomery County, Virginia, 
now Mercer County, West Virginia. During the same year he was
joined by Richard Bailey and family, and they erected a block 
house, orfort, a short distance below the head of Beaver Pond 
Springs. 

From John Goolman Davidson has descended all of the people of 
that name now in this and the adjoining counties. A portion of 
the city of Bluefield is built on lands formerly the property 
of Mr. Davidson. His descendants, or quite a number of them, 
have been prominent in civil affairs in the Counties of
Mercer and Tazewell. Honorable A. C. Davidson (Note: Died 
December 19, 1905.) , of Mercer County, is a great great 
grandson of John Goolman Davidson.

Andrew Davidson, son of John Goolman Davidson had married Rebecca 
Burke, granddaughter of James Burke, the reputed discoverer of 
Burke's Garden, and had made his settlement at the head spring 
of the East River, less than a half mile from what is now the 
east limits of the city of Bluefield, West Virginia. 

The spring of 1791 being late, Andrew Davidson
having some important business at Smithfield (Draper's Meadows ) 
from which his father and family had removed about ten years 
before, set off from home in the early part of April leaving at 
home his wife, his three small children, two girls and boy, and 
two bound children, orphans, whose names were Bromfield. Mr. 
Davidson had requested his brother-in-law, John Bailey, to look 
after his family. Shortly after Mr. Davidson's departure,
perhaps two or three days, and while Mrs. Davidson was 
gathering sugar water from sugar maple trees close by the house, 
there suddenly appeared several Indians, who told her she would 
have to go with them to their towns beyond the Ohio. 

There was no alternative although she was in no
condition to make such a trip, as she was then rapidly 
approaching motherhood. Taking such plunder as they could carry, 
they set fire to the house and with their prisoners departed; 
the Indians helping along with the children. Only two hours 
relaxation from the march was allowed her and
they again pushed on. The little stranger after a day's 
time, they drowned. On the fateful morning on which Mrs. Davidson 
and her children were captured, John Bailey being at the fort 
informed his people that he must go over and look after Andrew 
Davidson's family, whereupon one of his sisters, (he had but two), 
told him to get her a horse and that she would go with him, to 
which he assented and secured the horse for her. They set
out on the journey, going up Boyer's Branch to the gap in 
the ridge, where the livery stable of Mr. J. C. Higgenbothen 
now stands inside the city limits of Bluefield, and which spot 
has now been selected for the site of the Federal building 
shortly to be erected. 

On reaching this gap Mr.Bailey discovered a heavy smoke from the 
direction of the Davidson house, and thereupon told his sister 
to remain on her horse in the gap and watch while he went 
forward to a piece of ground in the valley, (the hill on
which lately stood the Higgenbothen residence, but which 
hill has been recently removed). He hurriedly returned, 
reporting the house on fire, and that evidently the Indians had 
been there and taken the people, as no one could be seen about 
the house. Mr. Bailey and his sister rode rapidly to
the fort, gave the alarm to the neighborhood, and a party 
gathered as quickly as possible and pursued the Indians, but 
the leaves being dry the savages had left but few, if any 
marks, and the party was unable to overtake them. On arriving 
at the Indian town, the little girls of Mrs. Davidson were tied 
to trees and shot to death before her eyes. The boy,
her son, was given to an old squaw, who in crossing a river 
with him upset the canoe and the boy was drowned. As to what 
became of the two bound children, was by the white people 
never known.

Mrs. Davidson was in captivity from April, 1791, until a date 
subsequent to Wayne's victory over the United Indian Tribes at 
Fallen Timbers in August, 1794. Mr. Davidson made the second 
trip in search of his wife before he found her. He had before 
his second trip received information through an old Indian which 
led him across the Canadian border, and stopping at a farm house 
to obtain a meal, observed a woman passing him as he entered 
the house, to whom he merely bowed and went in. Shortly the
woman came in with a load of wood and laying it down, looked 
at the stranger for a moment, then turned to her Mistress, 
(for she had been sold as a servant to a Canadian French farmer), 
and said, "I know that man;" "Well, who is he?" said the French 
lady. "It is my husband! Andrew Davidson, I am your wife." 

Mr. Davidson was not only astounded, but joyfully and more 
than agreeably surprised, for when he last saw his wife,
she was a fine healthy looking woman, her hair as black as 
a raven's wing, but had now turned to snowy white. Mr. Davidson 
returned, bringing with him his wife, and they settled at the 
mouth of Abb's Valley on a farm now owned by A. C. Davidson, Esq. 

Mr. and Mrs. Davidson raised another family of children, she 
long lived, and when she died, her remains were removed
to and buried in the Burke burying ground at the Horse Shoe 
farm on New River in the now county of Giles. At the time of 
the capture of Mrs. Davidson in 1791, the place where she was 
captured was then in that part of Wythe County, which is now 
Mercer County, West Virginia.


John Goolman Davidson, to whom reference has heretofore been 
made, had with his family resided for some time preceding his 
removal to the Beaver Pond spring with Richard Bailey in 1780, 
at Smithfield (Draper's Meadows).

While living at Smithfield, a man by the name of Rice had stolen 
a hog from Davidson, for which he was apprehended, convicted 
and sentenced to receive and did receive on his bare back well 
laid on forty lashes, save one. Rice was so enraged at Mr. 
Davidson, that he vowed her would have revenge, if he had to 
bring the Indians upon him. We shall soon see how
well Rice kept and performed his vow, and succeeded in having 
his revenge, although more than ten years had elapsed before 
the opportunity was afforded him.

Mr. Davidson having some unfinished business at his former home 
in the valley of Virginia, Rockbridge County, among others, 
the collection of some eight hundred dollars due him, determined 
upon a visit to the valley to close up his business and get his 
money. As was not unusual when some one was going from the 
frontier into the settlements, it was noised throughout the 
neighborhood, that Mr. Davidson was going to make the
journey. In the month of February, 1793, Mr. Davidson 
set out on horseback, reached his destination safely, settled 
his business, collected his money, and started on his way 
homeward, having with him an extra horse which he was leading. 
He came over the usual route of travel to Rocky gap, was seen 
to pass south of that point by a family residing near the
pathway. The spring of 1793 is said by the old people who then 
lived, to have been the earliest ever known by them, the timber 
putting forth its leaves the first of March.

The party immediately determined that Mr. Davidson had been 
killed by this gang, and his horse taken, and after
eating their breakfast, and gathering up the horses 
they started for their homes and to search for Mr. Davidson's 
body. Samuel Lusk was with Major Crockett's party, and on the 
return assisted in the search for the body of Mr. Davidson. 
So soon as the party reached the settlement, they sent out
men along the path leading through Bailey's gap in East River 
mountain, and on to the Laurel fork of Clear fork of Wolf Creek, 
and through Rocky Gap, finding on the path on the mountain a
hat band recognized as belonging to Mr. Davidson's hat. 

On inquiry it was found, that Mr.Davidson had passed the 
settlements south of Rocky Gap before noon on the
8th day of March, and it was discovered at an old waste 
place at the mouth of Clear fork, that he had there fed his 
horses. Further investigation at the point where the path left 
the Laurel fork starting up the mountain, evidence appeared of 
the blade of a hatchet having been struck into a
white oak tree, and that a gun had rested on the hatchet, 
and near by on the bark of a beech tree was freshly cut the 
name of "Rice," and under the root of the tree on the side of 
the creek, where the water had washed away the earth, the nude 
body of Mr. Davidson was found, so far advanced in
decomposition it could not be removed to his home, and 
was buried near by where it was found and where it still 
remains. The statement by some writers that the body was carried 
to his home and buried is incorrect according to the statements 
of Mr. Joseph Davidson and Captain John A. Davidson, two of 
his great grandsons.

Colonel Robert Trigg, in his report to the governor, dated on 
April 10th, 1793, states that Davidson was killed on the 8th 
day of March of that year, and that there were twelve Indians 
in the party, who stole a large number of horses and passed 
through the center of the Bluestone settlement.

Colonel Robert Crockett had reported in October, 1789, to 
the governor, the capture of Virginia Wiley, and the killing 
of her four children by the Indians on October 1st of that year.

On October 17th, 1793, Major Robert Crockett and fifty others, 
among them Joseph Davidson, John Bailey, James Bailey, Reuben 
Bailey, Richard Bailey, William Smith and John Peery, sent a 
petition to the governor of Virginia, informing him of the 
defenseless condition of the border, and asking for
assistance, and stating the killing by the Indians of 
John Davidson on the 8th day of March 1793, and that of 
Gilbert on the 24th day of July 1792, and the capture of Samuel 
Lusk at the same time.

The searching party for Mr. Davidson's body found evidences 
on the ground that satisfied them that Mr. Davidson, had upon 
being shot from the tree where the blade of the hatchet had 
been buried, fallen from his horse which took fright and ran out 
into the brush and vines on the creek bottom, by which one of 
the brass stirrups had been pulled off. No doubt
remains but that Rice and his party got the $800.00 which 
Mr. Davidson had with him when killed.

Several years after the killing of Mr. Davidson, Captain 
William Stowers, then a lad of some fifteen years, while 
plowing in the bottom where Mr. Davidson was killed, found a 
brass stirrup which was recognized by the family of Mr. 
Davidson as one belonging to his saddle, and missing
therefrom when his horse and saddle were recovered 
by Major Crockett and his men on the 15th day of March, 1793.