**Updated March 15, 2016**
One of the most elusive Davis ancestors has been Nicholas Phipps Davis who was killed in 1886 on the railroad tracks in Central City, Kentucky. I must caution the newspaper article is a gruesome account of what happened to Phipps and his young son James Davis. Our Grand Uncle Dan Davis called him Phipps Davis so I spent many hours deep in census records and published records prior to the evolvement of Ancestry.com and other websites searching for Phipps. In Official records he stated his name as N Phipps Davis. The N was the problem!
Uncle Dan Davis
Uncle Dan told me his name was Phipps Monroe Davis. That has proven to be incorrect. I also suspect he was unaware of his Uncle and Grandfathers fate since this tragic story was one he would have shared with me I have no doubt.
I have still been unable to locate their place of burial and I suspect the family was poor and could not afford markers for them. So their graves have been lost to the ages and are somewhere in Ohio County, Kentucky. Perhaps yet to be found I will keep looking. After reading in the article about Grandfather Phipps' tendency to be a drunkard I would imagine his death was of no great occasion in the community. Regardless of the man it was a victory for me to receive a copy of this article by posting an appeal to locate information on him on the Ohio County, Kentucky message board on Ancestry.com. A very nice lady looked him up in the newspaper archives she had access to and sent this to me within 24 hours! For those of you who know how long I have been researching this family you know what a find this was!
So tonight I introduce you to...
Nicholas Phipps Davis
born 1848 in Rosine, Ohio County, Kentucky to:
Garrett L Davis (1805-1870) & Mary Ann Polly Elms (1804-1877)
Mary Ann Elms was the Granddaughter of the well documented:
Christopher Elms (1743-1807)
Christopher was born in 1743 in Conococheague, then Cumberland now Franklin County, Pennsylvania. His parents John and Catherine Elms were immigrants from Ulster, Ireland and were Scotch-Irish who were fleeing the pursecution of the Scottish people who were forced by England to relocate in Ireland (Hence, creating the Scotch-Irish people) the family immigrated sometime around 1730. Christopher enlisted with Capt. McClughan's Company of Delaware May 6 1758 as a Drummer Boy. He was described as having a Brown Complexion, Age 15, and 5'3 1/2 in height. He is recorded in 1777 at the Courthouse, Montgomery County, Maryland he had given his **Oath of Fidelity.
This documented act by Christopher Elms qualifys us all to enter the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. If your interested you are welcome to use my documentation to make your application with your local DAR or SAR Chapter.
**The Oath of Fidelity and Support was an oath swearing allegiance to the state of Maryland and denying allegiance and obedience to Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. As enacted by the Maryland General Assembly in 1777, all persons holding any office of profit or trust, including attorneys at law, and all voters were required to take the oath no later than March 1, 1778.[1][2] It was signed by 3136 residents of Montgomery and Washington counties.[3]
Being a direct female descendant of a signer of the oath is sufficient condition to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Returning to my original subject,
Phipps Davis born in 1848 in Rosine, it was said by Uncle Davis the Faughts' and Davis' were kin to the family of Bill Monroe the father of Bluegrass music. I have not discovered any ties but I have not looked for them either so it is possible considering how tightly woven the farming families were in the days during slavery and the years following the Civil War.
In genealogy we have what is called a collapse in the tree, meaning we have a portion of the tree where a set of parents will appear twice to explain this for the Davis' of Ohio County I will attempt it here in hopes of as little confusion as possible.
In genealogy we have what is called a collapse in the tree, meaning we have a portion of the tree where a set of parents will appear twice to explain this for the Davis' of Ohio County I will attempt it here in hopes of as little confusion as possible.
Phipps married his niece who was the Granddaughter of his parents, daughter of his sister my 4th Great Grand Mother Rebecca K Davis Minton.
Phipps married niece Mary Polly Minton (1855-1879). In those days an Uncle marrying his niece must have been approved by the community due to limited access to non-related neighbors. Unbelievable, none of us would be here if the law was such as it is today. Uncle Phipps, er... I mean Grandpa Phipps would be in the state pen!
Phipps married niece Mary Polly Minton (1855-1879). In those days an Uncle marrying his niece must have been approved by the community due to limited access to non-related neighbors. Unbelievable, none of us would be here if the law was such as it is today. Uncle Phipps, er... I mean Grandpa Phipps would be in the state pen!
Phipps was a husband, widower, father, farmer, laborer, and coal miner.
Phipps & Polly Davis had 4 children that we can document.
Thomas Jefferson Davis 1871 – 1917
Mary Caroline Davis Hill Miller 1874 – 1965
James Davis 1876 – 1886
Sarah A Davis Gattis 1878 – 1967
Polly died in 1879 and in 1880 at Hartford, Ohio County, Kentucky Phipps married Lucinda Robertson.
We descend from Thomas Jefferson Davis who was murdered in 1917 in Baskett, Henderson County, Kentucky he was the father of
Richard Anderson Davis (1895-1966) who was also reported in the Gleaner as mortally wounded slashed with a knife in the neck by the attacker of his Father.
Updating with full story:
9/28/2021
COMING SOON!
Richard Anderson Davis 1895-1966
Thank Goodness he recovered from his wounds or we would not be here. Once again fate steps in and allows him to live to an old age. Momma told me Mom (Marge) would throw a fit when he would come over drunk to eat family supper, she would make Grandpa take him back home before anyone could eat. Richard Anderson died in 1966 at the home of his daughter Rose Horn at 18 N Wabash in Evansville. He was the father of Richard Davis "Jr"(1924-2009).
For those of you who may not know Grandpa was not a true Junior since he did not legally have the middle name of Anderson. He was named Richard Junior Davis.
Grandpa & Grandma Richard Anderson Davis & Mattie Frances Coleman
to be continued...