This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: DAVIS, MAYFIELD, BAKER Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/kkB.2ACE/28.45.101.105 Message Board Post: I'm on a research trip at the East Texas Research Center and I have a little updated information on William and Sarah. It appears to be true that William J. Davis served in the Civil War in Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, Texas State Troops. Some of us were concerned that at age 45 he would have been too old to serve. However, the librarian found the muster roll and the entire unit is composed of people mostly in their 40's. The Texas State Troops may have been something like a reserve unit. I am identifying the W. J. Davis on the muster roll as our William J. Davis by his age, given as 45 on the roll dated 16 Mar 1864. This is very consistent with his age as given on censuses. The additional information given on the muster roll is as follows. W. J. Davis, Private, age 45, joined 15 Jul 1863 in Nacogdoches County, enrolled by Brig. Genl. F. B. Sublett, enrolled for six months, no value assigned to horses, equipment or arms provided by himself, "continued in service six months longer by the Governor of the State". The other names on the muster roll for that unit are as follows. Captain S. M. Hyde, 1st Lt. Tom A. Garrett, 2nd Lt. N. B. Branch, 2nd Lt. Philip D. Sanders, 1st Sgt. W. A. Winnord, 2nd Sgt. Eliel Rowe, 3rd Sgt. S. N. Bullock, 4th Sgt. J. T. Childers, 5th Sgt. V. J. Simpson, 1st Cpl. Wm. Anderson, 2nd Cpl. W. B. Campbell, 3rd Cpl. Thos. Hubbard, 4th Cpl. Samuel Hayter. Privates: James Briley, T. L. Blakey, John Byron, J. W. Burke, E. B. Campbell, Louis Chirino, W. H. Crawford, W. R. Cone, W. J. Davis, David Denny, W. R. Donohoo, W. H. Durrett, Matt Finch, A. L. Hudiburgh, D. Jackson, Wm. Lamb, Antonio Lafleur, G. B. Lofton, J. T. Lindsay, Robt. McMullens, W. O. McKey, W. L. Massey, A. B. Patton, Xavier W. Presler, Ansel Red, A. W. Rogers, Isaac Rogers, A. N. Self, J. R. Stark, A. Stinson, Santiago Toscano, J. T. Vondersmith, W. H. Weaver, S. Watson, Sanford T. Wilson, H. H. White, Thomas L. C. Wade. The indexer noted that J. B. Johnson, J. R. McKnight, Jesse Wallace and James H. Wallace were originally on the roll but were crossed out because they changed to Eubank's Company. (Sorry, but I didn't copy the detailed information for any of the other individuals on the muster roll except for W. J. Davis, so I can't answer questions about them.) Regarding the date of William J. Davis' death, the best information I have found is a tax roll summary from the Blake Collection at the ETRC. For pieces of land in the Jefferson Wilson Survey, the summary indicates that the following tax assessments were made: 1853-1856 "W. I. Davis" and "William I. Davis", 100 acres 1864-1865 "W. J. Davis", 150 acres 1877-1885 "W. J. Davis", 200 acres 1886 "Wm. J. Davis", 200 acres 1887-1889 "Mrs. Sarah Davis", 200 acres 1890 "Mrs. Sarah A. Davis", 200 acres (Tax payments continue for some years after that as well) So it looks to me like William J. Davis died about 1886 and Sarah started paying the taxes.