Viewing page 284 of 521

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

[[underlined]] 5 [[/underlined]]

Washing 1943. 

[[newspaper clipping]]
strong differences of political views, but he, although an uncompromising abolitionist, used such diplomacy as to prevent any outburst of open rupture in the church, and retained the confidence and affection of all the members. The first half of his long pastorate, he received only voluntary contributions as his salary, at times receiving only $6 for an entire year, but the latter half the church itself paid him a yearly salary which never exceeded $300. All these years, he maintained his family on his farm, doing lots of hard farm work with his own hands even to the midnight hour.

In 1876, he began a pastorate at the Salem church, which continued three years. In 1879, he returned to his farm near Jane Lew, and the next year he was engaged as a general field missionary for West Virginia, continuing in that service more than ten years. It is said of him that no Seventh Day Baptist can lay claim to greater service to the church that could he. His greatest delight, however, was to be called a minister of the gospel. he died March 7, 1907, aged 83 years. 

The will of the first Rev. Jacob Davis, bearing date of July 5, 1793, gave his son, Samuel, title to the Salem lot, where he lived. Jacob's widow, Mary, was given a one-third life interest in his estate; Samuel and Crandall, sons, $500 and jointly 550 acres in Ohio county; Lydia and Elizabeth, daughters, jointly 150 acres in Ohio county; Crandall, one lot, Salem; Zebulon, son, one lot near Salem; and Samuel and Crandall, jointly. one lot, Salem.

In 1851-2, Seventh Day Baptists owned and operated an academy at West Union. It was the first educational institution of the denomination in West Virginia. Many of its students later matriculated at Alfred university.

Some Early Davises

Several members of the early Davis families at Salem were named William, all lineal descendants of the first William. They were known as "Jarsey Billy," "Bottom Billy," "Flint Billy," "Rock Run Billy" and "Greenbrier Billy," so named because of their locations.

"Greenbrier Billy" and "Jarsey Billy" were cousins, and the latter was a brother of Capt. Nathan Davis, a soldier of the War of 1812, who married Anna Gifford. His father, Capt. Nathan Davis, who settled on lands where West Union stands, was a son of William Davis, son of the Rev. John Davis, son of the first William Davis in America. "Greenbrier Billy," who lived on Greenbrier creek, was a grandson of William Davis, son of the Rev. John Davis. He was the father of the Rev. Peter Davis, who was born September 16, 1783, at Shrewsbury, N.J., and came to West Virginia with the emigrant party. Peter Davis dies March 4, 1873. the Rev. Peter Davis served in the War of 1812.

The second Rev. John Davis, who figured prominently in the church in Harrison county, was a brother of Mary Davis Davis, great-grandmother of Orlando Davis. He was elected ruling elder in the Salem church November 16, 1799, and established his residence later on Brushy fork, Harrison county. He died June 22, 1842, and was buried in the Broad Run cemetery near Jane Lew. One of his sons was the Rev. Lewis A. Davis, who was born in West Virginia August 20. 1801, and began preaching as an ordained minister January 15, 1824, and died October 12, 1867, at Welton, Ia.
Eight-Room Residence

Septemius Orlando Davis lives on the farm where he was born more than eighty-five years ago and in a residence he erected half a century ago, consisting of eight spacious rooms, with additions erected from time to time as needed.

The farm of 130 acres was purchased August 27, 1817, by the Rev. Jacob Davis, the second grandfather of Orlando Davis, from Thomas Batton for $1,000 cash. It is located on McKinney's run, a branch of Hacker's creek. Orlando Davis now owns fifty-five acres of it and his son, Samuel Erlow Davis, seventy-five acres. Orlando Davis has preserved the deed Batton gave Jacob Davis.

In 1828, when persons in this section were being attracted to Ohio because of farming opportunities there, the grandfather had all but completed a trade of his farm to a neighbor for a four-horse team and an old schooner prairie wagon for the purpose of migrating to Jackson Center, O., but before the deal was consummated he died as a result of a fall from a horse, without a saddle, when he attempted to alight, breaking his neck. As the widow could not then make the title, as provided by law until the youngest child was of age, the transaction failed.

Fire Destroys Church

Orlando Davis points out that the first Lost Creek Seventh Day log meeting house stood at Sheets Mills, and after it burned the "old frame" church, which stood near the present residence of William Randolph, succeeded it, adjoined by a church graveyard. Early members of the Davis family were buried in the Van Horn cemetery near the first old church graveyard. In later years, the family dead have been buried in the Brick church cemetery at Lost Creek, including the Rev. Samuel Davis Davis, father of Orlando.
Joining the Seventh Day Baptist church at Lost Creek, in April, 1863, Orlando has been a member of it more than seventy-one years. He is a member of its board of trustees, and a year and a half ago gave up the office of moderator of the church after a continuous service of forty years as such. 

Not old enough to serve, Orlando Davis did not enter the army in the Civil war. As his father was a minister and away from home a great deal, the son was the only help the family had on the farm, and could not very well have gone to war if he had met the age requirements. As stated, his father was in full sympathy with the Union side in that struggle as he was avowed abolitionist. the son, Orlando, cast his first presidential vote for Gen. U.S. Grant in 1868. He is a stalwart republican, but never held political office other than of member and president of the district school board for eight years. He also served as school trustee a number of years.

Recalls Civil War

Recalling the Civil war period, Mr. Davis says the road between Clarksburg and Weston had been macadamized a year or two before the war began, but constant hauling of heavy war artillery and army supplies in the war wore it out. It was then operated as a toll road. He remembers one of the tollgates was at Jane Lew.

Bottom lands on and near the Davis farm were camping grounds for Union soldiers in the Civil war, the farm being a day's march from Clarksburg. The army campers burned many fence rails for fuel, he recalls, and tells of an incident when his father protesting the fence-rail burning was informed by the general in charge of the camp that they were burning the rails but chopping them in two and burning the pieces."
Another Union general camping there on a different occasion, sent a soldier escort for Mr. Davis's father, accompanying him to camp in military style, where the general told him the army must have fuel and was compelled to burn his fence rails, and asked him to set a price on them. The elder Davis replied he left the appraisement to the general. The latter thanked him and let him return home. Later Davis received good-sized checks for the burned fence rails. The son now refers to the two incidents showing the difference in men occupying similar positions.

Horses are Hidden

Father and son took their horses to Crooked run below Clarksburg when the news was received that Imboden's Confederate raiders were headed toward the Davis community and thus saved them. The raiders, however, drove the Davis bunch of three-year-old fat cattle away along with those of neighbors.

The neighbor followed the cattle rustlers and induced them to pay for the cattle they had taken from his farm, and at the same time did the neighborly act of collecting for the Davis cattle. However, he had accepted Confederate money, and when he offered the Rev. Samuel D. Davis, father of Orlando, a big roll of bills of the kind, the minister refused to have anything to do with them on the ground they were worthless because the Confederacy would not prevail.
He told the neighbor the money was his so far as he was concerned, although the neighbor had insisted it could be exchanged at Buckhannon and received greenbacks, as he said he could, and later went into Nicholas county where he bought 1,000 acres of land with the currency. The elder Davis never felt that he was entitled to anything in the transaction as he had made an outright, voluntary gift of the "spurious" bills to the neighbor. In refusing the Confederate bills, he marked: "That stuff is worth no more to me than that much brown paper," which was then used for wrapping purposes.

Hickory Tree Stands

When Orlando Davis was a boy, there were few houses at Jane Lew, he recalls. Some of the Jacksons lived there then, especially Isaac, Blackwell and James, and a Maj. Smith was there too. Edward Jackson had the mill and Van Flesher followed him. John Sheets, Daniel Bassel and David Bassel were old residenters near Lost Creek. Old "Ned" Jackson planted the hickory trees one now sees in the Walter Neely residence yard at Jane Lew. The old mill, built by Henry McWhorter in 1776, has been moved from Jane Lew to Jackson's Mill park.
recalling the escapade of Cummings Jackson accused of counterfeiting, Orlando Davis says that Eli Van Horn, who was on Jackson's bond to appear in federal court at Clarksburg, grew uneasy as the day for appearance approached, but on the morning fixed, Cummings Jackson, accompanied by Edward Jackson and Perry Statts, all mounted on spirited steeds, rode jauntily along, after telling van Horn all he need do was to accompany them into the court room for the purpose of Jackson's giving himself up to the marshal. No sooner had Jackson done so, than he and his two companions fled from the court room, mounted their horses and rode away at break-neck speed, never to be apprehended and they concealed themselves until night when they began an unintercepted journey to the Pacific coast. They were accused of making money from silver which had been mined in the neighboring regions. Van Horn was a relative of Orlando Davis's late wife.

Indian Graveyard

Speaking of the old Indian graveyard, already mentioned, Davis says it is located on a point just above his bar, and he has no doubt that an Indian for was maintained there long before white settlers came, and perhaps the land, cleared but later covered with a second forest, was cultivated by even the mound builders. Holes in the graveyard, indicating graves, were so thick when he was a boy he could not count them, he says.

The aged man never ploughed over that ground and his father ever expressed the desire the holes never be disturbed as he believed them the resting places of humans. The graveyard originally covered an acre of ground. Oak trees stood scattered over and around it when Orlando Davis was a boy. 

Just pride is taken by Mr. Davis in his home and surroundings when he remembers the two-room shanty he built and went to housekeeping in and occupied until 1884, when he erected the main part of his present residence. He has lived on the same spot where he now resides from the time of his marriage sixty-four years ago, with exception of three years, when he occupied his father's residence near at hand, while the latter was resident-pastor from 1876 to 1879 at Salem.
Speaking of his good friend Harvey W. Harmer, of Clarksburg, a former state senator, S. O. Davis recalls serving on a circuit court jury when Harmer tried and won his first case. He is a great admirer of Harmer.

Commanding Figure

The aged man is of commanding figure, being six feet tall and weighting 165 pounds. In earlier life his standard weight was 150 pounds. Eating what his appetite demands, he is healthy and reasonably strong. he never used tobacco, and does not really know how liquor tastes, at least not enough to tell one brand from another. Five or six years ago, after treatment in a Baltimore, Md., hospital for an affection of the heart, he was advised to use liquor as a stimulant but he found coffee far better, he says.
While retired so far as his accustomed hard work goes, he tended his garden last summer and looks after his horses, chickens 
[[/newspaper clipping]]