Pvt. Thomas Benton Davis, (USA)

DAVIS, THE SETTLERS OF SALEM, WEST VIRGINIA, by Susie Davis Nicholson, Salem, West Virginia, 1992. p. 54

• ***************************************** The Emporia Weekly News, 07 Sep 1916

HIS PRAIRIE GROVE BULLET

The following, of interest to Gazette readers, appeared in Notes of the Encampment, in Friday morning's Kansas City Times:

A battered lump of lead that was once a confederate rifle ball is the cherished pocket piece of T. B. Davis, Emporia, Kan., Company A, Tenth Kansas Infantry. It was removed from Mr. Davis's thigh after the Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., December 7, 1862."

• ****************************************** The Emporia Gazette, 02 Jun 1924, Mon

NOTICE G.A.R.

Members of Plumb Post, G.A.R., are expected to meet at 928 Exchange tomorrow at 1 o'clock to attend the funeral services for Comrade T. B. Davis.

• ****************************************** The Emporia Gazette, 02 Jun 1924, Mon

LADIES OF THE G.A.R. Notice

All members of Garfield Circle, Ladies of the G.A.R., are requested to attend the funeral of Comrade T. B. Davis, at the home, at 1 o'clock Tuesday afternoon.

• ****************************************** Emporia Gazette, Wednesday, June 4, 1924; page 2, column 3

FUNERAL OF T. B. DAVIS

Funeral services for T.B. Davis, who died Sunday afternoon in the Newman Memorial County hospital, were held Tuesday afternoon at the Davis home, 928 Exchange. The services were conducted by Rev. J. Calvin Jones, and G.A.R. services were in charge of members of Plumb post. The Bethel quartet, composed of Mrs. Evangel Nicklin, Miss Emma Sutton, Ned Watson and Albert Brown, sang at the services, with accompaniment by Mrs. Ned Watson. The pallbearers were sons of Mr. Davis – W.E., Gordon M., A.E., Charles A., T. Bernard and F.F. Davis. Interment was in Maplewood cemetery.

Thomas B. Davis was born November 20, 1884 (sic) [1843], near Salem, West Virginia. In 1857 he came with his parents to Kansas, and the family settled at Gardner, in Johnson county, 30 miles from Kansas City on the old Santa Fe trail. He enlisted for service in the Civil war when only 17 years old, and served four years. After the war Mr. Davis moved with his parents from Johnson to Lyon county, and they settled on Dow creek, in the Rosean neighborhood. Mr. Davis was married February 8, 1870, to Miss Katherine Saffer, who moved from Illinois in 1865 and settled in the Rosean district.

In 1874 Mr. and Mrs. Davis bought from the government a tract of Indian land in the Frost district on Allen creek, where they lived 46 years. In May, 1909, they sold the farm and moved to Emporia, which since has been the family home.

Mr. and Mrs. Davis raised a family of eight boys and two girls. One of the girls, Mamie, died when she was twelve years old. The nine children who with their mother, survive are: Walter V. Davis, Seattle, Wash.; Harry C. Davis, Fort Worth, Texas; Charles A. Davis, Kansas City; W.E. Davis, Alpheus E. Davis and Fay F. Davis, who live on farms north of Emporia; Gordon M. Davis and T. Bernard Davis, of Allen, and Mrs. Jennie Larkin, Kansas City, Kan. A niece, Mrs. Cordell Lambert, of Plymouth, also brought up by Mr. and Mrs. Davis. Mr. Davis is survived also by 19 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren; two sisters, Mrs. H. Clark, of Emporia, and Mrs. Molly Butler, of Valejo, Calif., and one brother, Darius Davis, of Iola.

Mr. Davis’ military service was with Company B, Tenth Kansas Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted July 16, 1861. His first battle was at Newtonia, Mo., where two advances were made. He was severely wounded in the battle of Prairie Grove, December 7, 1862. When carried off the field, he was taken to a double log house used as an emergency hospital, and lay on the bare dirt floor two days. From the log house he was taken to a hospital at Fayetteville, Ark. He guarded prisoners three months at Alton, Ill., during his convalescence, and it was June before he got back to his regiment. In the fall of 1864, at the expiration of his term of enlistment, Mr. Davis re-enlisted, and was wounded a second time in the battle of Nashville. His injury kept him in camp two weeks, during which time he was detailed to ambulance corps duty. Later he was sent to New Orleans, had a part in the capture of Fort Blakely, and helped to guard Mobile until the day of Lee’s surrender. He was mustered out in August, 1865, at Montgomery, Ala.

Mr. and Mrs. Davis celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary four years ago, at which time all their children except three were home. Another family reunion was held five weeks ago.

Mr. Davis was a member of Plumb post, Grand Army of the Republic, and of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Note: Obit said he served with Company B but the tombstone has Company A so he may have enlisted in B but was transferred to A after one of his wounds.