This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Davis, Claypool, Smith, Rice, Scott Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/DZB.2ACI/2475.1 Message Board Post: The Davis family came to Ohio from Virginia early in the century, certainly by 1808, when John R. D. Davis was born. There are half a dozen listed in the 1840 census in Licking County, and it is not clear whether they are all brothers or perhaps cousins or even some fathers and sons. They live very near one another. It is clear that William is the father of John, who is living with him in 1850. From "Early Ohio Settlers: Purchasers of Land in East and Central Ohio, 1800 - 1840", by Ellen and David Berry, 1989. John Renick Davis, residence Licking Co., purchased at the Zanesville land office, Range 10, Twp 4, Section 15, on January 18, 1836. This is the same Eden Twp land he is living on with his family in later censuses. There are no other Davis family purchases in Eden Twp listed in this source, though there are dozens of Davises listed. The listing would seem to indicate that he was living elsewhere in Licking Co. when he purchased the Eden Twp land. The name Renick seems a good clue, and I looked in the colonial censuses in VA for Renick, and found some in Greenbrier Va, along with some Davises, including one with the unusual spelling of "Aron". In the marriage records, however, there were no direct links of a Davis married to a Renick. In subsequent years, quite a number of Renick/Rennicks and Davises appear in KY in the same locations together. Is it possible KY was a stopping place for this group on the way to Ohio? 1830 OH, Licking Co., Eden Twp John Davis, 0-0-0-0-1/0-0-0-1-0 William Davis, 0-0-1-1-0-0-1/0-0-1-0-0-0-1 James Davis, 1-0-0-0-1/1-0-1-0-1 In the 1840 census there are already 5 children in the family of John R. Davis, and the oldest girl, between 10 and 15, would have been born before 1830. But she may be a sister or helper; it is hard to tell from this census. John is only 31 and Rebecca 30 at this time; they might have had a daughter this age. 1840 Ohio, Licking Co, Edan Twp J. R. Davis 1 male 5 to 10 1 male 30 to 40 2 girls under 5 1 girl 5 to 10 1 girl 10 to 15 1 female 30 to 40 By 1850 two more children, boys, are born, but only 5 children appear in the household. The girl 20 to 25 is gone, and there is only one girl under 15, Nancy. (The appearance of Nancy in this census, with the correct age, confirms that this is the correct Davis family. The plat map for Licking Co. at around this time shows that the Davis family farm is within a mile of the Smith family farm.) The listing is under the head of household, William Davis, the father of John. Baylis appears, in the first of his many spellings. 1850 Ohio, Licking Co, Eden Twp, p. 393, listing 1011/1016 William Davis, 76, farmer, $3000, born VA John R. D. Davis, 42, born OH Rebecca, 38, born OH William, 18 Elizabeth, 16 Nancy, 12 Aron, 7 Baylis, 1 By 1860 Nancy Jane Davis had married Robert Smith, who lived nearby, and they now lived in Clay Twp, Knox Co, a few miles away. (Robert T. Smith was the son of Robert S. Smith and Mary Donaldson, a sister of Rhoda Donaldson and Jared Donaldson, who was also an executor, along with John R. Davis, of Aaron Claypool's will in 1847) Older Davis children William and Elizabeth are also gone, and old William the grandfather has died. 1860 Ohio, Licking Co, Eden Twp, p. 258, listing 657/539 John R. Davis, 51, farmer, $4000 property/$675 personal, born OH Rebecca ----, 49, born OH Aaron ----, 17, laborer, attended school, born OH Baltis ----, 11, attended school, born OH By 1870, the mother, Rebecca Claypool Davis, has died, and John is left at home with Balis/Baylis/Balas. 1870 Ohio, Licking Co, Eden Twp, listing 129/128 Davis, John R., 61, farmer, $5600 prop/$850 personal, born OH ----, Balas H., 21, farm laborer, no prop/$100 personal, born OH, and noted that he cannot read, cannot write (notwithstanding his school attendance before) Next door, at listing 130/129 Davis, Aron, 26, farming, no property/$390 personal ----, Mary A., 24 ----, Robert, 2 ----, Olivia C., 1 Quite nearby, at listing 138/137, is the first son, William: Davis, William, 37, Farmer/laborer, no property/$300 personal ----, Eliza A., 36 ----, John R., 15 ----, William, 14 ----, Sarah E., 12 ----, Rebecca J., 10 ----, Isabella, 6 ----, Oliver, 1 In 1880, there is very bad handwriting, which is in addition very faint. It appears that widower John Davis, age 72, has remarried, a woman aged 56 whose name is written Mgrt. This is Margaret Mossholder. It looks as though both John's parents were born in VA, but it is very faint. The hapless Balis is here garbled into what looks like Borbas, or maybe Bohlas, or maybe Bailes H., and he is here given as 26, even though he was by now 31. He died in 1887, and his headstone spells his name Balas H. Davis. Spelling in the Souslin Cemetery, of course, is a little unpredictable, as I found in visiting there. In the Souslin Cemetery, Eden Twp: John R. Davis, 1809-1897 Rebecca Davis, 1810-1869 Balas H. Davis, 1849-1887 George W. Davis, 1812-1861 William Davis, 1774-1858 Mary, w/o Wm, 1779-1844 Edna Grace Davis, 1883 Josiah W. Davis, 1850-1903 James A. Davis, 1836-1907 Emma w/o James, no dates Angie w/o James A., 1832-1899 Descendants of JOHN RENICK DAVIS 1 JOHN RENICK DAVIS b: 01 Mar 1809 in Virginia d: 10 Apr 1897 Eden Township, Licking Co., OH . +REBECCA CLAYPOOL b: Abt. 1810 in OH d: 1869 Eden Township, Licking Co., OH .... 2 William Davis b: 1832 in Ohio d: Ohio ........ +Eliza A. --- b: Abt. 1834 in Ohio d: Ohio ............ 3 John R. Davis b: 1855 ............ 3 William Davis b: 1856 ............ 3 Sarah E. Davis b: 1858 ................ +Ezra Priest m: 26 Dec 1872 ............ 3 Rebecca J. Davis b: 1860 ............ 3 Isabella Davis b: 1864 ............ 3 Oliver Davis b: 1869 .... 2 Elizabeth Davis b: 1834 .... 2 NANCY JANE DAVIS b: 1837 in Eden Township, Licking Co., Ohio d: 1873 Martinsburg, Clay Twp, Knox Co., Ohio ........ +ROBERT T. SMITH b: Jan 1830 in Eden Township, Licking Co., Ohio m: Abt. 1856 Eden Township, Licking Co., Ohio d: Aft. 1910 Martinsburg, Clay Twp, Licking Co., Ohio ............ 3 Elmira "Allie" Smith b: Jun 1857 in Bladensberg, Knox Co., Ohio d: 11 Aug 1936 Bladensberg, Knox Co., Ohio ................ +Nelson Rice b: 16 Sep 1832 in Pennsylvania m: 12 Feb 1881 Ohio d: 14 Mar 1900 Bladensberg, Knox Co., Ohio ............ 3 Abigail E. Smith b: May 1859 in Martinsberg, Ohio ................ +Henry Lowell b: Sep 1853 in Ohio m: 1884 Ohio d: Bet. 1900 - 1910 Ohio ............ 3 MARY REBECCA SMITH b: 18 Jan 1862 in Martinsburg, Knox Co., Ohio d: 12 May 1946 Barberton, Summit Co.,Ohio ................ +WILLIAM AUSTIN SCOTT b: 14 May 1851 in Fallsburg, Licking Co.,Ohio m: 27 May 1891 Federal, Hamilton Co., Kansas d: 08 Oct 1918 Syracuse, Hamilton Co.,Kansas ............ 3 Rhoda M. Smith b: Jan 1863 in Martinsberg, Ohio d: 1928 Syracuse, Kansas ............ 3 Aaron Smith b: 1866 ............ 3 Olive M. Smith b: 1869 d: Mount Vernon, Ohio ................ +Brentlinger .... 2 Aron Davis b: 1843 in Eden Township, Licking Co., Ohio ........ +Mary A. --- b: 1846 m: Eden Township, Licking Co., Ohio ............ 3 Robert Davis b: 1868 ............ 3 Olivia C. Davis b: 1869 .... 2 Balis H. Davis b: 12 Jan 1849 in Eden Township, Licking Co., Ohio d: 20 Jun 1887 Eden Township, Licking Co., Ohio