This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: tunnelm1 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.russell/2836.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Giles Davidson (born about 1762; died about 1848) married Jemina Pendleton. Giles left Buckingham Co., VA after serving in the Rev. War (he was present at the surrender of Cornwallis), and he then lived (and died) in Amherst Co., VA. Giles had a younger brother who was named Josiah Davidson (born 1766-1767; died 1850s in Appomattox Co., VA), and Josiah maried Rebecca Giles. Josiah and Rebecca had a son who was also named Josiah Davidson ("Junior"; born about 1790), and this Josiah "Junior" married Elizabeth Hardiman. Josiah "Junior" died in Limestone Co., AL about 1825, and his widow Mrs. Elizabeth (Hardiman) Davidson continued to appear on the censuses in Limestone, through 1870. Giles Davidson and his brother Josiah Davidson mentioned above were sons of David Davidson (died by 1798 in Buckingham Co., VA). David Davidson had married Mary Giles, and she had a close relative who was named Josiah Giles (hence the given names of "Giles" and "Josiah" in this branch of the Davidson family). David Davidson had apparent brothers who were named Edward Davidson and William Davidson (all three siblings were born circa-1710-1720, it seems). It strongly appears that this William Davidson had a son named William Davidson "Junior" (born circa-1740s; died in the 1830s in the Orange Co., NC area), and this William Davidson "Junior" had a son of his own who was also named Josiah Davidson (married Mary "Polly" Unknown....but it now appears that her maiden name MIGHT have been "Tatum"). Josiah and Polly eventually lived in Hickman Co., TN (Josiah appeared on censuses there in 1830, 1840 and 1850), and they also had a son who was named Josiah Davidson "Junior" (so th! is Josiah "Junior" was the fourth person named "Josiah Davidson" mentioned in this post so far). That Josiah "Junior" married Mary Finch in the 1820s in Rutherford Co., TN, and they appeared on the 1850 census in Fulton Co., KY. At least one person seemed to believe that the Anna Davidson who married Josephus Russell was a daughter of the above Josiah and Mary "Polly" Davidson of Hickman Co., TN. Others seem to believe, however, that Anna was a daughter of Edward W. Davidson and Mildred Lavender. Edward W. Davidson was a son of Giles Davidson mentioned above....and I suspect that this is the "correct connection"...but I certainly have no proof of that (were Anna's parents mentioned on the marriage bond)? Either way, however, it would all be part of the same overall Davidson family. Edward W. Davidson appeared on the 1840 census in Williamson Co., TN, and then he appeared on the 1850 census in Maury Co., TN. There was a John Davidson who married a Nancy Potts in 1817 in Williamson Co., TN. The parents of this John Davidson have been debated for some time, but I would not be surprised if he was a son of Josiah and Polly Davidson in Hickman Co., TN (albeit, no proof). This John and Nancy (Potts) Davidson had sons that included yet another Josiah Davidson (a "fifth one"), as well as a Gabriel Davidson. This "fifth" Josiah Davidson is shown on a later record to have moved to KY by the mid-1840s, and Gabriel Davidson appeared on the 1850 Hickman Co., TN census (at the age of 30). Gabriel Davidson lived next door to a Tatum family, and the Josiah Davidson who married Polly had two Tatum teenagers living with him in 1850 (the main reason that I suspect that Polly MIGHT have had the maiden name of "Tatum"...and there were Tatums in Orange Co., NC, where Josiah Davidson lived as a young man from 1780 until around the early-1800s when he moved to TN). The David Davidson mentioned above (who was the father of Giles Davidson) was on the 1746 Goochland Co., VA tithe list and then on the 1764 Buckingham Co., VA tithe list (as were David's apparent brothers Edward and William Davidson). David Davidson was "first found" in an account record book that was maintained by Sheriff John Nash in the 1730s in the part of Henrico Co., VA that became Chesterfield Co., VA a lttle later (south of the James River). I have traced this overall Davidson family back to James City Co., VA by at least 1682 (where an earlier David Davidson and an earlier William Davidson each died in 1687). Do you know of any living Davidson males that trace back to Giles Davidson who could take the DNA test (www.davidsongenes.org)? By the way, I suspect (albeit no proof) that the 18 year old Stephen Davidson who appeared on the 1850 Williamson Co., TN census MIGHT have been a grandson of Giles Davidson and Jemina Pendleton. There had been an older Stephen Davidson in Amherst Co., VA who was another son of Giles Davidson....and one record in Amherst mentioned a Stephen Davidson, JUNIOR (who COULD have been the young Stephen Davidson in Williamson Co., TN by 1850). Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.