HELLO BELINDA,
I AM GOING TO QUOTE YOU INFO FROM OUR REAL COUNTY HISTORY BOOK , WAGONS HO!,
PGS 452, 453
JOHN HENRY
DAVIS WAS BORN IN HENRY COUNTY
MISSOURI OCTOBER 17, 1847. HE WAS THE SON OF JAMES CORNELIUS
DAVIS AND SARAH
BEATY. HE CAME TO
TEXAS ABOUT THE CLOSE OF THE CIVIL WAR AND MARRIED NANCY SUSAN
BLANTON IN COLLIN COUNTY, TX IN 1871. EIGHT CHILDREN WERE BORN TO THIS UNION, 5 DAUGHTERS OF WHICH 3 DIED AS YOUNG CHILDREN. OF THE TWO OTHERS, DOVIE MARRIED HENRY
STREIB AND THEY WERE THE PARENTS OF GUSSIE, AND FRITZ
STREIB. VIRDIE MARRIED JOHN
EVANS AND ALSO REARED A LARGE FAMILY. THE THREE
SONS WERE BOB, JOHN, AND CHARLEY. BOB AND JOHN REARED THEIR FAMILIES IN THE
LEAKEY RIO FRIO AREA AND CHARLIE DIED WHILE SERVING IN WWII. JOHN HENRY
DAVIS WAS A RANCHER FARMER WHO LIVED IN COKE COUNTY, LATER BUYING A RANCH ON BULLHEAD NEAR
VANCE. AT A LATER DATE, HE OWNED THE PROPERTY NOW KNOWN AS PRADE RANCH. LATER HE SOLD IT AND BOUGHT THE RANCH SOUTH OF
LEAKEY. IT WAS LAND FROM THIS PROPERTY THAT HE DONATED FOR THE ALTO FRIO BAPTIST ENCAMPMENT. (STILL HERE) HE WAS CONVERTED AT THE FIRST SERVICE AT THE FIRST ENCAMPMENT MEETING. NANCY SUSAN
BLANTON DAVIS WAS THE DAUGHTER OF CHARLES WESLEY AND ZILPHA
BLANTON. SHE PASSED AWAY NOV. 29, 1905 AND IS BURIED IN THE LOCAL FAMILY PLOT. LATER JOHN HENRY MARRIED MRS. MARTHA
HICKS, WHO WAS THE MOTHER OF WILL
HICKS. AFTER HER DEATH IN 1915, HE MARRIED MRS. CLAUDIA SLOVER. HE PRECEDED HER IN DEATH ON 3-23-1932.
SECTION II
BORN APPLETON
MISSOURI AND GREW TO 16 YEARS THERE ON A FARM, FATHER JAMES
DAVIS AND MOTHER SARAH
BEATY DAVIS NEPHUS WHO HAD TWO
SONS FROM MARRIAGE TO
BEATY. JOHN HENRY SAID HIS FATHER AND MOTHER BOTH OF IRISH BIRTH, MET ON A BOAT FROM SCOTLAND TO AMERICA IN THE EARLY 1840'S. THAT WAS THE TIME OF THE POTATO FAMINE.
IN 1849 JAMES
DAVIS,JOHN'S DAD, WAS EARLY GOLD RUSH PROSPECTOR IN
CALIFORNIA. HE RETURNED AS FAR AS NEW
ORLEANS WITH TWO
MISSOURI NEIGHBORS, ALL WITH SUBSTANTIAL GOLD GLEANINGS. THERE IN NEW
ORLEANS , THEY MET TWO MORE
NEIGHBORS HEADED FOR
CALIFORNIA. JAMES
DAVIS DECLARED, "
BOYS, THEY'LL NEVER FIND GOLD OUT THERE WITHOUT HELP." HE SENT THE BULK OF HIS GOLD HOME TO HIS WIFE BY WAY OF THE
NEIGHBORS. JAMES TURNED BACK TOWARD
CALIFORNIA FROM NEW
ORLEANS AND WAS NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN. IN 1863 A HALF BROTHER OF JOHN, ONE OF THE BEATYS AND A CONFEDERATE CAPTAIN, VISITED
MISSOURI AND TOLD THE FAMILY THAT THE SOUTH WOULD LOSE THE WAR. HE ADVISED HIS BROTHER, JOHN HENRY
DAVIS TO GET A BLUE SUIT IF HE EXPECTED TO EVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING IN LIFE. JOHN WAS A FIDDLER AND WHEN HE WENT TO ILLINOIS TO JOIN THE UNION
ARMY THEY MADE HIM A BUGLER. HE REACHED RANK OF CORPORAL, SERVED THE UNION
ARMY AT GETTYSBURG AND OTHER BATTLES. WHEN HE RETURNED HOME TO
MISSOURI IN 1865 AT AGE 18 AND STILL RIDING THE SAME OLD HORSE HE HAD RIDDEN AWAY TO WAR, HE FOUND A NEST OF HOSTILE
NEIGHBORS. BOTH
BEATY BOYS WERE KILLED IN BATTLE. HALF A DAYS RIDE FROM HOME, HE WAS SHOT AT FROM AMBUSH. HE HID IN THICK WOODS UNTIL DARK THEN WENT HOME. HIS MOTHER ADVISED THAT HE GO TO
TEXAS UNTIL THINGS SETTLED DOWN. HE LEFT BEFORE DAYBREAK LEAVING HIS BLUE COAT BEHIND. JOHN COWBOYED IN
TEXAS AND WHILE WORKING FOR METHODIST FARMER PREACHER CHARLES WESLEY
BLANTON IN BROWN COUNTY, HE PROPOSED MARRIAGE TO NANCY SUE
BLANTON, THE PREACHER'S DAUGHTER. "JOHN, HOW CAN YOU MAKE HER A LIVING?" THE GIRL'S FATHER ASKED. "SHE WON'T BE HARD TO MAKE A LIVING FOR. SHE CAN PICK MORE COTTON THAN I CAN." THE UNABASHED HIRED HAND REPLIED. JOHN AND SUSIE'S OLDER CHILDREN WERE BORN NEAR BLANKET IN BROWN COUNTY,: VIRDIE (
EVANS), DOVIE (
STREIB) AND ROBERT FRANKLIN (BOB). THEY MOVED TO COLORADO CITY AND TOOK UP CATTLE RAISING. FROM THERE THEY MOVED TO BULLHEAD
CREEK NEAR PRESENT DAY
VANCE TX. TWO YOUNGER DAUGHTERS ARE BURIED AT
VANCE CEMETERY; 13 YEAR OLD MARY ALICE AND TWO YEAR OLD ZILPHA. TWO
SONS WERE BORN THERE, JOHN
NOBLE AND CHARLES.
STORIES TOLD CREDIT HIM WITH DUE CONSIDERATION FOR THE WOMEN OF THE FAMILY. EVERY TIME IT GOT TO BE TOO FAR FOR THEM TO DRAG FIREWOOD, HE WOULD MOVE HIS COW CAMP NEARER TO FRESH WOOD. JOHN
NOBLE TOLD OF A YOUTHFUL CHORE DURING ONE DROUGHT OF HAVING TO SCARE THE BEES AWAY FROM THEIR CAMP SPRING TO KEEP THEM FROM CARRYING AWAY ALL THE WATER. THEIR FIRST CAMP ON THE FRIO WAS NEAR THE WEST PRONG HEADWATERS ON A TRACT BOUGHT FROM ALEX AULD, JUST SOUTH OF AULD'S HOME SECTION. AFTER BUILDING UP A SUBSTANTIAL RANCH OPERATION THERE, HE SOLD OUT AND MOVED SOUTH OF
LEAKEY TO THE MOUTH OF
PATTERSON CREEK ON THE MAIN FRIO RIVER. THE RANCH ON THE WEST PRONG HAS MORE RECENTLY BEEN KNOWN AS PRADE RANCH. WHILE AT THE
PATTERSON CREEK RANCH, WHERE HE LIVED OUT HIS LIFE, HE GAVE HIS LAND EAST OF THE
LEAKEY RIO FRIO ROAD FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ALTO FRIO ENCAMPMENT. PASSED AGE 70, BECAME THE FIRST CONVERT BAPTIZED THERE. HIS FIRST WIFE SUSAN HAD BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ESTABLISHING THE FIRST CHURCH AT BULLHEAD, NOW
VANCE. NANCY SUSAN
DAVIS DIED IN 1905 WHEN THE HOUSE AT THE MOUTH OF
PATTERSON CREEK BURNED. HER HEART FAILED AS SHE RACED UP AND DOWN HILL TO AND FROM THE SPRING FOR WATER. A FUTILE EFFORT TO STOP THE FIRE. SUSAN'S GRANDFATHERS CAME TO
TEXAS IN 1828 AND THEIR FATHER JOHN
BLANTON SR. CAME IN 1821, ALL THREE FOUGHT AT SAN JACINTO FOR
TEXAS INDEPENDENCE. JOHN HENRY WAS AN ORGANIZER OF FIRST STATE BANK OF
LEAKEY TEXAS AND SERVED AS PRESIDENT UNTIL SUCCEEDED BY HIS SON BOB. OTTO TAMPKE WAS CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER AND CASHIER. SEVERAL OTHER RANCHER FRIENDS WERE
STOCK HOLDER DIRECTORS. HE WAS AN INVESTOR IN THE JACK HOXIE
STOCK AID MOVIE VENTURE ALONG WITH MANY OF THE SAME
NEIGHBORS. HE WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY SON CHARLES, THE YOUNGEST CHILD OF FLU IN THE
ARMY ENROUTE TO WWI AND BY DAUGHTER DOVIE
STREIB. THE REPLACEMENT HOUSE AT THE MOUTH OF
PATTERSON CREEK STILL STANDS. GRANDSON HENRY I. DAVIS , 82 YEARS OLD IN 1990 WAS BORN IN THAT HOUSE. THE CONCRETE HOUSE WHICH JOHN HENRY LATER BUILT IS ON THE NORTH BANK OF
PATTERSON CREEK. JOHN HENRY DAIS IS BURIED IN THE
LEAKEY CEMETERY BETWEEN NANCY SUSAN AND SON CHARLIE. CLAUDIA
DAVIS DREW A SMALL WIDOWS PENSION BASED ON JOHN HENRY'S CIVIL WAR SERVICE. HE SENT HER DAUGHTER ELSIE THROUGH OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.
THE ABOVE INFORMATION WAS RECALLED BY ROBERT K. DAVIS FROM TALKS WITH HIS FATHER BOB
DAVIS.
I hope this helps. in the book is additional info about John
NOBLE DAVIS but I would like to know if you want it before I type it all in.
May Thompson Yoss