Person:Sarah Litsey (1)

Notes

http://www.geocities.com/watsgw1155/slack/pafg03.htm

9. Sarah Litsey (Susanna Slack , Randal ) was born on 9 Dec 1766 in Augusta County, Virginia. She died about 1843 in Harrison County, Indiana. She was buried in Davis Cemetery, Spencer Township, Harrison County, Indiana.

Sarah married John Davis son of Edward Davis and Mary on 21 Aug 1790 in Nelson County, Kentucky. John was born on 11 Jul 1767 in Frederick County, Virginia. He died about 1851 in Harrison County, Indiana. He was buried in Davis Cemetery, Spencer Township, Harrison County, Indiana.

The Litsey Family formerly Litching and Litsey and Their Descendants, by David Randolph Litsey (1952) - Permission for their marriage was given by Randel Litching (Sarah's brother). Randel Litching acted as Surety.

Mercer County, Kentucky, Deeds, Book B, Page 658 - This Indenture made this November 5, 1796, between John Davis of the County of Mercer and state of Kentucky the one part and Edward Briscoe of the County of Washington and State aforesaid of the other part... For and in consideration of £60... one certain tract of land containing 290 acres lying in the county of Washington on the beech fork and bounded as follows... Beginning at a Hickory and Ironwood running N 22 W 280 poles to 3 white oaks corner to the old patent line, thence S 70 W 187 poles to 3 sugar trees, thence S 22 E 222 poles to the creek a sugar tree and buckeye in the division line now by Samuel Taylor, thence with the swirl meanders of the creek 199 poles to the beginning... Witnesses: Jeremiah Briscoe, Edward Briscoe, and George Dry.

Washington County, Kentucky, Deeds, Book A, Page 453 - This Indenture made this March 7, 1797 between John Davis and Sarah his wife of...County and State of Kentucky of the one part and Benjamin Hardin of Washington County and State of Kentucky of the other part... for and in the consideration of £28... on certain tract or parcel of land situate and being in the county of Washington on the waters of the Beech Fork...28 3/4 acres... Witnesses: Henry Hardin, James Davis, and Joseph Rounder.

Washington County, Kentucky, Deeds, Book J, Page 210 - This Indenture made this August 12, 1828 between John Davis and Sarah his wife of Harrison County and State of Indiana of the one part and James Bentley of Washington County and State of Kentucky of the other part... for and in consideration of $2,250... a tract or parcel of land situation and being in the county of Washington on the waters of the Beech Fork... 225 acres.

Washington County, Kentucky, Deeds, Book J, page 216 - This Indenture made this August 12, 1828, between John Davis and Sarah his wife of Harrison County and State of Indiana of the one part and Henry Hardin of the County of Washington and State of Kentucky of the other part... for and in consideration of $1,837.50... one certain tract, piece or parcel of land situate lying and being in the county of Washington and state of Kentucky and on the waters of the Beech fork, containing 183 acres, two roods and thirty eight poles...

Washington County, Kentucky, Will, Book B, Page 129 - May 22, 1811 - John was named an Executor of the will of his long-time friend John Champion. They estate, recorded in Washington County, Kentucky, was witnessed by Henry Hardin and James Davis.

Jefferson Land Entries, 1808-1818, by Janet C Cowen (1984):

1. 10720 October 14, 1816 - John Davis of Washington County, Kentucky, 160 acres, SE quarter Section 34, T02S, R03E.
2. 10947 November 5, 1816 - John Davis of Washington County, Kentucky, 160 acres, SE quarter Section 08, T03S, R03E. This tract is the quarter section east of the Moberly Church and Cemetery in Spencer Township, Harrison County.
3. 11000 November 9, 1816 - same as #10947.
4. 12934 July 7, 1817 - John Davis of Harrison County, Indiana, 130 acres, NE quarter Section 03, T03S, R03E.
5. 12935 July 7, 1817 - John Davis of Harrison County, Indiana, 134 acres, NW quarter Section 03, T03S, R03E.

In addition to the tracts that John Davis bought from the US Government, the southwest quarter, section 8, T3, R3 (Moberly); the southeast quarter, section 34, T2, R3; the northwest quarter, section 34, T2, R3; the East half northwest quarter, section 35, T1, R2 (Blue River Township); the northwest half, section 3, T3, R3; the northeast quarter, northeast quarter, section 3, T3, R3.

Harrison County, Indiana, Deeds, Book B, Page 88 - 16 Aug 1817 - John Davis bought: the southwest quarter of section 34, T2, R3 from John Mathis.

Harrison County, Indiana, Deeds, Book D, Page 38 - John Davis bought the East half, southeast half, section 33, T2, R3 from Jonathan Peter.

John also bought the northwest half, section 1, T3, R2 from John Hollowell May 3, 1820. This last tract was located on the Blue River on the East side of Harrison County. During the 1820s and 1830s John Davis had a mill and distillery there. John's sons, Thomas and Edward, also used the site to load flatboats with whiskey and produce for transport to New Orleans. Thomas and Edward would float their goods down the Blue River to the Ohio River and follow the Ohio River to the Mississippi River and continue on until they reached New Orleans. After arriving in New Orleans, they would sell the flatboat and cargo and return to Harrison County.

1830 Census of Blue River Township, Harrison County, Indiana, page 067.

John later sold most of this land to his children on December 19, 1834. The deeds for these transactions can be found in Harrison County, Indiana, Land Records Book H, pages 304-309.

1840 Census of Blue River Township, Harrison County, Indiana, page 316.

The 1850 census of the 45th District, Harrison County, Indiana, page 292, lists John as living with his daughter Nancy and her family. Sarah is not on this census, which supports family tradition that says she died at their home in 1843. John died in 1851 probably at the home of his daughter Nancy. Both John and Sarah are buried in the family cemetery located on what is today the Jerome Davis farm in Section 34, Township 2 South, Range 3 East in Spencer Township. There are no stones in the cemetery. From a conversation with Jerome Davis in 1980, I learned that the stones were removed from the cemetery during the late 1800s at the request of Lucinda (Seacat) Davis, who had reported seeing ghosts in the cemetery.

THE LIFE OF WALTER QUINTIN GRESHAM by Matilda Gresham, 1919, a two volume biography on John and Sarah's grandson Walter Quintin Gresham, tells more about John Davis' family. In 1815 he [John] moved to Harrison County, Indiana, taking with him the minor children of his large family of ten sons and six daughters. Of the sixteen, fourteen lived to be three score and ten and seven past ninety, and all reared large families... John Davis, the grandfather [of Walter Gresham], lived to be almost one hundred, dying in the early '50's [1850s]. From the time Walter Q Gresham knew him, he lived with and was cared for by Aunt Nancy [Askren]. Although his strong anti-slavery views caused him to seek, with his growing family, the wilds of Indiana Territory, John Davis was a considerate, charitable, and kindly man, and to the last a Democrat. But he was a strong Union man, and he read Daniel Webster's speeches. His sons, Thomas, Henry, and Robert, joined the Republican Party, while Anthony, Anderson, and John adhered to the Democratic. Several brothers of John Davis, great-uncles of Walter Q Gresham, with their growing families, settled in that neighborhood. Many of the offspring migrated to Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. At one time one of them said tome [Matilda Gresham], "We had 900 on the list, and then we quit counting." The women were good housekeepers, and the men were then, and still are [1919], mainly prosperous farmers... The mother of Walter Q Gresham, Sarah Davis, was born near Springfield, Washington County, Kentucky, September 15, 1807... Among the California gold seekers were Anthony, brother of the mother of Walter Q Gresham. Anthony turned all his resources into cash and moved his family to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, where his descendants have prospered... An ex-office holder under Andrew Jackson, Anthony Davis remained a Democrat to his death. On behalf of the Gresham family, Walter Q Gresham became the correspondent with Uncle Anthony... Uncles Henry, John and Robert Davis [to Walter Gresham], with their families, lived on sections adjoining the John Davis homestead. Aunt Betsy, married Enoch Martin, Aunt Mahaly to George Seacat, and Aunt Nancy to David A Askren, lived with their growing families near by. Aunt Polly, married to Abraham Stevens, lived just over the line in Washington County, not far from Fredericksburg, and close to John Rankin, the keeper of the first station on the Underground Railroad north of Corydon...

John and Sarah had the following children:

+ 52 F i Mary Polly Davis was born on 13 Nov 1791. She died on 31 Jan 1882.

+ 53 M ii James Davis was born on 11 Feb 1793. He died before 1850.

+ 54 M iii Anthony Litsey Davis was born on 4 Mar 1794. He died on 3 Aug 1866.

55 M iv Edward Davis was born on 26 Aug 1795 in Washington County, Kentucky. He died in 1834 in Leavenworth, Crawford County, Indiana.

He never married. During the 1830s Edward ran a store in Leavenworth, Indiana. He died there in 1834. The probate of his estate is recorded in Harrison County, Indiana. His father was named Executor. Many of the documents in the file are in his father's handwriting.

+ 56 F v Nancy Davis was born on 16 Oct 1798. She died on 6 Feb 1889.

+ 57 M vi Jacob Davis was born on 8 Apr 1800.

+ 58 M vii Thomas Davis was born on 13 Oct 1801. He died on 26 Dec 188

+ 59 M viii John Davis was born on 25 Mar 1803. He died after 1880.

+ 60 F ix Elizabeth Davis was born on 2 Dec 1804. She died on 29 Oct 1858.

+ 61 M x Henry Davis was born on 23 Jun 1806. He died on 7 Mar 1885.

+ 62 F xi Sarah Davis was born on 5 Sep 1807. She died on 7 Mar 1906.

+ 63 F xii Mahala Davis was born on 11 Mar 1809. She died on 8 May 190

64 M xiii Anderson Davis was born on 25 Jan 1810 in Washington County, Kentucky. He died before 16 Jan 1839 in Carroll County, Indiana.

Shortly after their marriage they moved to Carroll County, Indiana, where Anderson bought land in Section 8, Jefferson Township on February 23, 1836. Anderson bought the west half of the northwest quarter of section 34, T2, R3 in Harrison County, Indiana, from his father September 7, 1838. He died soon after this transaction took place and on January 16,1839, his widow, Lucy A Davis, sold the tract back to her father-in-law John Davis. No further mention of her has been found. Apparently, they had no children. Anderson married Lucy A Cole on 1 Oct 1836 in Cass County, Indiana.

+ 65 M xiv Robert Davis was born on 14 Feb 1814. He died on 14 Feb 189

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 .

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