Biography - George S. Davis
GEORGE S. DAVIS. It gives us pleasure to represent in this volume the
native-born sons of this county who are now helping in various ways to carry
forward its interests. Among these figures the subject of this brief life
record, who is a successful farmer residing in Pickaway Township, Shelby
County. He was born in Ridge Township March 8, 1853, and is the son of James
Davis, who was one of a family of pioneer settlers of Illinois. His father
was a native of Nicholas County, Ky., of which his father, Joshua Davis a
native of Maryland, was an early pioneer. He resided in the wilds of
Nicholas County until 1833, and then with his wife and five children
emigrated to the still more recently settled state of Illinois. The journey
to their new home was made by the way of the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois
Rivers to Naples, and thence to Morgan County, where the grandfather of our
subject rented land for a time. He subsequently removed to this county,
which at that time was sparsely settled, and deer, wolves and wild turkeys
were found in abundance. There were no railways, and the farmers used to
take their grain to St. Louis as the principal market, going thither with
ox-teams, and also driving their hogs and cattle there to sell. Grandfather
Davis cleared a good farm from the tract of unimproved land which he bought
after he came to the county, and in the comfortable home that he built up
thereon his eyes closed in death January 4, 1868, at the ripe age of eighty
years. The maiden name of his wife was Leah Still. She died in 1857 at the
age of fifty years. Both were faithful Christian members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and carefully reared their children in the same faith.
The father of our subject was young when his parents brought him to
Illinois, and here he grew to manhood and married, taking as his wife
Margaret Leach. She was born in Ohio, a daughter of Amos and Susan (Moyer)
Leach. She reared eight children, six of whom are living. After marriage the
parents of our subject resided in Ridge Township a few years, and then his
father bought a tract of wild land in Pickaway Township, to which he removed
his family. He labored hard to improve a farm, which under his management
became one of the most desirable in the vicinity, and there in the midst of
his usefulness he was taken from his family and friends by the hand of
death. He left behind him a good record of a life well spent.
In the district school our subject received a practical education, and on
his father's farm was well drilled in agricultural pursuits. He remained an
inmate of the parental home until he was twenty-four years old, giving his
father needed assistance in tilling the soil, and he then married and began
farming for himself on rented land in Okaw Township. Four years later he
bought the farm on which he now resides in Pickaway Township. He has its
eighty acres of rich prairie land under admirable cultivation, and has
provided it with neat and substantial buildings, all of the improvements
indicating that he is a thrifty, careful manager, and has a clear
understanding of the best methods of conducting his work.
In the making of a home Mr. Davis has had the cheerful assistance of a
helpful wife, to whom he was married May 13, 1877. Mrs. Davis bore the
maiden name of Emma Day. She is a native of this county, and a daughter of
England and Mary (Foot) Day. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have four children, whom
they have named Dora, Fred, Millie and Earl. Our subject and his wife are
sociable, hospitable people, who have many friends in the community, and in
them the Methodist Episcopal Church has two active working members. Mr.
Davis is a decided Republican in his political views.
Extracted 10 Apr 2018 by Norma Hass from 1891 Portrait and Biographical Record of Shelby and Moultrie Counties Illinois, pages 517-518.
