Person:William Davidson (44)

William Luther lived for a short time in London Kentucky with a family member. Lute, as he was called by many friends and family, was a Justice of the Peace in Clay County kentucky for several years before moving to Indiana.

In Nov. 1952, Luther was spending time in the Seymour Hospital before dying. When Luther was no longer able to take care of a place of his own, he and Sarah lived with their children. This was common for that period of time.

He had been staying with his daughter Flora and Oscar before he got sick enough to be taken to the hospital. Zabel Funeral Home handled the arrangements for his burial.

His funeral was held in the Blue River Baptist Church - which is not used as a Baptist Church anymore. His body was interred in the Blue River Cemetary alongside his son Taylor and his daughter Fhelma who were bured there in 1939. The cemetary lies beside this old church with a chainlink fence surrounding it. When his wife Sarah died, she was buried beside him.

The family attended Baptist Church which was held in the Hounshel Ben Elementary School, Clay County kentucky.

Luther sometimes loaded his family in the wagon and took them to revivals when they were held in Oneida.

Uncle Finley told me that his dad refused assistance when it was offered to the people in the area. People from the government came to Clay county and offered families bacon and cured meat to the people who would take it. He was a proud man and said the he would feed his family with no help from the government. Times were very hard for the people at that time. Soon after that, he moved the family to Indiana.

I was told by other family members that the real reason that Luther moved to Indiana was to keep Finely from getting killed by moonshiners who sold to the area. Finley and Foister, I think, were moonshining and selling and were competing with the big stills. Finley was threatened but wouldnt quit. So, to avoid any bloodshed, Luther packed up and moved. I think it was a combination of this and the hard times.

Luthers parents were already dead. His mother died not long before the move, He had been devoted to both parents.

Luther raised tobacco for a cash crop and was a good and successful farmer. He would have had to be good in order to raise enough food to feed 18 people and then be able to preserve enough to last the family thoughtout the winter months.

Per Carolyn Davisons research: Luther was considered the family doctor. Many of the children never had occasion to be taken or go to the doctor until they were young adults.

Spouse Research: It is rumored (according to several family members that William Luther was married at least once befoer he married Sarah. There is also the possibilty that he was married more than once before he married Sarah. He supposedly was married to a woman named Evans and she had twins. What happened to this family is unknown at this time. According to some, he was also married to another woman- I've never been told a name- who also had children by Luther. This family, it is said, died in a flu epidemic. Most likely, this was Luthers second marriage.

Carolyn has never seen an official document, but very reluctantly, the other family members have admitted to the fact that when their father was a young man, he shot and killed his first cousin in self-defense. I dont thnk any charges were ever filed, but some record msut exist. This cousin supposedly was the son of Betty Dezarn. Alfords sister. This is probably when Luther was sent to live with relatives in London, KY. She has since located written proof of the event that was so hush hush in the old members of the family.

The following article in the Mountain Echo, Laurel Co. Ky fist newspaper: December 27, 1895 - INSTANTLY KILLED - Between 9 and 10 last Tuesday night a bloody battle took place at the residence of Mr. Al Davidson, on Racoon Creek 8 miles northeast of London, between Matt and William Dezrn on the other side and Luther Davidson on the other which resulted in the killing of Matt Dezarn and slight wounding of Wm. Dezarn in the arm. The participants were cousins and the difficulty was the result of a family feud of about one years standing. The circumstances leading up to the killing are conflicting, each party giving his own version of it. William Dezarn, who escaped with only a slight wound in his arm, says that he and his brother were passing Mr. Davidsons when they were attacked, without any provocation whatever on their part, and after his brother fell he remarked to him that he (the brother) was killed and for him (the second brother) to save himself by flight, which he did, leaving Matt Dezarn in the fence corner. He reached London about 12, midnight, and secured warrants for Luther Davidson and his father, who the sheriff arrested and brought to London on Christmas Day.

Young Davidson says that he was at church with tthe Dezarn brothers that evening, that when they were leaving, Matt Dezarn asked him to let Dezarn ride behind him, which he declined to do, remarking that his company was going and he desired to go with them. Dezarn then drew his pistol, and hit his horse with it, that he intended whipping him again, making the 3rd whipping he had given him, that he and his brother intended being at Davidsons that night and fo him to prepare himself for a whipping and not lock himself up in the house or run off as he had done before. He says that he went home and informed his father and at about the time above mentioned someone hollered in the road in front of the house and he went to and opened the door and as he did this, a pistol fired upon them, that he only fired 4 shots, that he only had one pistol and it had only 4 loads in it, and that his father never fired a shot. The body of the dead man was not found until about midnight literally covered with blood, the ball took effect in the abdomen, about 3 inches above the groin and 2 inches to the left of center. This was sent to Carolyn by Donald Dezarn, a descendant of the Clay County Kentucky Dezarn Family.

"Mountain Echo" January 3, 1896 - Clay Countians: The examining trial of Al and Luther Davidson for the killing of Matt Dezarn Christmas Eve, heard before Judge Brown, Monday and Tuesday, resulted in their being held over for their appearance in the next Circuit Court in a bond of $1500 each.

No one has been able to find the outcome of the court proceedings. No one knows if there was a penalty for the Dezarn death or if charges were dropped.