Richard Davis

Not a known son of Richard H Davis, Sr.

Richard Davis Jr., served in the 7th Virginia Regiment of the American War for Independence. Signing up for service at age 13.

"In the fall of 1811 Richard Davis and Mr. Dunlap came to what is now White County (Illinois), and during the following winter gathered a crop of corn for Robert Land, the latter being an invalid. Mr. Davis was originally from Virginia."
-taken from a family transcript written by Richard's third great grandson George William Davis circa 1940, and printed in, The History of White County Illinois.

Richard left war ravaged Virginia like so many families, putting his home behind and traveling through the Cumberland Gap on the Great Kentucky Migration. His first wife Ann Chiles, died in Kentucky, after giving birth to their first child Richard. He then returned to Virginia and married Zilphia Bonham. They had 8 children; Solomon, Elizabeth Holly , Hezikiah and his twin James Bonham, Mary, William and Noah (who was born on their westward trek in Kentucky). They eventually headed north settling in what was still Virginia and would become Illinois. Traveling alongside on the same route were the pioneer Rotramel and Emerson families who would marry into the Davis clan by way of James B. and McKendry Davis, consecutively. The Davis family were amongst the first settlers of what would become White County .Richard became a prominent figure, where he was affectionatley known as "Uncle Dickie" It was a hazardous life. Despite sickness the danger of Native American conflict was very real. The passage below relates one such incident.

-It happened on this date, March 30 1813 in the evening just after dark. He and some of his sons were out in an old log house, shelling seed corn, getting ready for spring harvest planting. they had a fire in the old fireplace burning the cobs which gave light. A band of Indians (possibly Shawnee) came upon them and opened fired on the boys. It is said, one of the boys, (James Bonham) stomped out the fire barefooted, but Hezekiah was killed instantly, and one other boy (actually Richard Jr.) was shot in the leg. He (Richard) rode 40 miles to Shawneetown where the nearest doctor lived.

( It is said his leg tossed about as he rode to the doctor) His leg never healed leaving him crippled for the rest of his life causing to walk with the help of a cane.

The Indians went on west molesting the farmers, and the farmers got together and wiped out the entire band west of Grayville, in the Skillet Fork Bottoms.

They buried Hezikiah on the farm, and a short time later, they moved his body to a new graveyard just opened at Calvin Illinois. When they dug up his body they found a silver dollar in his pocket. Hezikiah had eight brothers so they divided the dollar into eight parts and each brother kept an eighth for a keepsake. Brother James B. Davis handed down his eighth to his son Fredrich Mack Davis who was my father and he handed it down to me, George Williams Davis, and i gave it to my daughter Eleanor.

Richard was distraught by the death of his son Hezikiah. So much so that he gave instructions upon his death to exhume his body and bury it with Richards. This was done so now Richard and his son Hezikiah share the same grave.

As relayed by Richard's fourth great grandson,

-Robert William Moon Jr.

-son of ; Nancy Sue Moon, Davis

-daughter of; Otto Emerson Davis

-son of; Delmer Davis

-son of; Fredrick McKendry Davis

-son of James Bonham Davis,

-son of Richard Davis Jr.