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WHO WAS WHO in PLUM TOWNSHIP
~ Titusville Herald ~
By H. W. Strawbridge

James Davison

James Davison was born in Mercer County, Pa., on April 26, 1810. He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Davison. When eight years old James moved with his family to Butler County. He was reared on the farm and received a common school education.
On New Year’s Day, 1835, James was married to Miss Margaret J. Bigham at Centreville, Butler County, with John Munson officiating. Margaret was born near Centreville on July 10, 1816.
For three years they lived in Butler County, then in February, 1838, they moved into the new village of Sunville, Venango county. It was during that same year that James and his brother, W.W. Davison, placed a pottery in operation in Sunville, but it never passed beyond the experimental stage.
James and Margaret lived in Sunville two years, then bought a 200-acre farm north of Sunville for $300. A certain Rev. Matthew Brown of Greensburg, Pa., sold the farm to James. James then built log buildings and commenced to clear the farm. Chestnut seemed to be the predominating timber on it. He lived on this farm the remainder of his life. He did however dispose of a few acres of the tract years later.
Eventually James built the present house and front section of the present large barn (W.A. Jennings built back section of barn years later.). When James began the foundation for the large stone wall under the barn, he hired two Dutchmen from Petroleum Center to build the wall. He gave $5 a day to them, the two starting to work as soon as it became daylight, and quitting when the evening became so dark they couldn’t see anymore. They dressed out the stone too.
James was a small man, but a good worker. Before he purchased a cradle, he used a tedious little sickle to cut his grain. It is said he could take his sickle, cut an acre of grain, lay it together and tie it in good time. The sickle was especially handy in those pioneer times to cut around stumps.
He kept a lot of sheep and sold the wool. The family had “loads of mutton for eating”. James took quite an interest in the small grain line too. He set out several fruit trees.
He was a very peaceful man, but would take no abuse. One time he and his neighbor, R.P. Seely, were peddling produce in a town. Some fellow nearby got smart and sauced them. James hustled around the wagon and cuffed the offender up.
James and Margaret had ten children. They with their birth years (except two that cannot be found) were: William w. Davison (1835), Thomas M. Davison (1837), Mrs. Sarah Jane Duncan, Isaac Pearson Davison, Mrs. Elizabeth Miles (1844), Erastus Davison (1847), Mrs. Lorinda Grove (1850), Mrs. Loretta Watson (1853), Jasper Davison (1856), and an infant son who died Aug. 18, 1859 at the age of two months.
The oldest, William W., enlisted as a private in Co. I, 57th Pa. Infantry, in October, 1861. He died of intermittent fever in Patterson Park Hospital, Baltimore, on June 17, 1862. He was buried in the Loudon Park Cemetery there. William had black eyes, dark hair and complexion, and was 5 feet 6 and three-fourths inches tall.
Thomas also enlisted as a private in the war in September, 1864, in Co. A, 211 Pa. Infantry. He was just an inch shorter in height than William. While on duty at a fort near Bermuda Hundred, Va., in October, 1864, Tom suffered from the effects of a fall resulting from the explosion of a shell. This caused some loss of memory, dizziness and inability to engage in active physical labor for the rest of his life. Consequently he had to be cared for by members of the family. He never married. He died at the home of his sister, Mrs. Sarah Jane Duncan, at Cooperstown on Feb. 1, 1899.
Sarah Jane married John Duncan. They lived for years on a farm between Sunville and Wallaceville. They finally retired in Cooperstown. They have one son living, Byron Duncan at Conneaut Lake.
Isaac Pearson, commonly known as “Pete”, also served a very short period of time in the Civil War. He enlisted in Co. E, 58th Pa. Military, in the summer of 1863. He married Miss Alma Pease from Troy Township. She died near Sunville on Feb. 6, 1886. Pete farmed for a while near Sunville then worked at the Cooperstown Milling Company for the Miles family, especially at the time they were making shingles. Pete was a small man and weighed no more than 135 pounds. He died on June 9, 1920 at the Veterans Home in Erie. Lee R. Davison, the only surviving son, still lives just beside the old Davison homestead. A deceased son was Riley Davison.
Elizabeth married A. P. Miles, and for a few years they farmed. Then they moved in to Cooperstown where he had a share in the Milling Company with his son, Ord Miles. About 1914 Mr. and Mrs. Ord Miles bought out his father’s interest and ran the mill for years. Elizabeth died in 1902, and A.P. in 1918. Their one daughter, Mrs. Elda Gurnee, R.D. 3, Franklin, still has a rocking chair which was presented to her grandfather, James Davison, on his birthday by his children.
Erastus married Miss Hettie Proper of Diamond. He was a schoolteacher. When the state of Kansas was opened for settling, Erastus and Hettie went out there and took up a homestead. Erastus died in Garden City, Kans., on Jan. 15, 1916. His one son, Ward Davison, became a senator in the state of Washington.
Lorinda married George W. Grove of near Sunville. They farmed there for a few years, then George was superintendent at the Venango County Farm for seven years. Following that, they went West. Their daughter, Flossie, married a Senator Farrar of California. Lorinda died in 1908, and her husband in 1918.
Loretta married John Watson, and he operated a livery stable in Conneaut Lake for years. Their son, Frank Watson, is deceased.
Jasper married Miss Alice Hawthorne of Troy Township. As a little boy Jasper remembered of his oldest brothers going to the Civil War. Also, when he was small he had a pet lamb. It followed him everywhere, even upstairs in the house. Jasper also went to Kansas and took up homesteading, but he let it go and came back. His family lived a ways east of Wallaceville for perhaps 10 years, then they moved up to a place located a distance southeast of Diamond, staying there for 18 years. They last lived in Titusville where he died in 1942, and she in 1945. They had seven children, two of whom live in Titusville today. They are Sherman Davison and Mrs. Alta Eastman.
James and Margaret Davison were charter members of the Sunville Presbyterian Church, organized on June 12, 1839. When the church received its lot, James was then one of the trustees mentioned in the deed. On April 6, 1851, he was installed as an elder in the church and he kept this position until his death. He was teacher of the Bible Class for a long time. He was indeed a loyal member of this church. In hi home James had devotions every morning.
James kept his family well dressed, which was well proved by their very neat appearance in church. His four daughters had silk dresses. Some of these daughters also played the family organ, and occasionally on an evening the family would have a singing session.
For a few years James carried mail on horseback from Sunville to Franklin via Dempseytown. He also carried to Titusville because on one of his trips to that town he reported to the Titusville Herald a tragedy that happened in Plum Township on Oct. 22, 1870. Little Elda Louisa Thomas, aged two, perished when she fell into a tub of scalding water.
For two years, 1877 and 78, James served as Plum Township assessor.
Mrs. Margaret Davison was an average sized woman. She was fast on her feet, it is said, and could do as much work as any other woman. She used to bake bread in an outdoor oven in the summertime. She died of flux on Aug. 5, 1880.
James stayed at home with his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. George W. Grove. He died rather suddenly on Friday night, Jan. 23, 1891. His pastor, Rev. S.L. Irvine, officiated at his burial service on Sunday.
After his death the members of the Session of his church wrote up resolutions in his memory and had them published in the county newspapers and recorded upon the minutes of Session. Mentioned in these resolutions was the fact that James was the senior member of the Session; that he was the last surviving charter member of the church; and that he had taught the Bible Class a long time. In fact he was at his post of duty teaching on the Sunday previous to his death. Many other facts are also mentioned in these resolutions which were signed by the surviving elders, John E. Smith, James F. Davison and William Duffield.
It appears that James and Margaret were camera-shy because no photograph of either could be located.

Transcribed by Paula Harry
dharry@pa.rr.com

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription of information from both early and late (current contributors) work.