David D. Davis

Source: The Oskaloosa Company, Last Wagon Train to Skinner's in 1847, by Charles George Davis.

My 4th Great Grandfather, David D. Davis led the Oskaloosa wagon train in the spring of 1847 to Oregon.

The Davis family, which included Hannah Donahoe Davis and their 8 children, left Iowa with 7 wagons and many oxen, cattle, sheep, etc., but by the time the arrived in Oregon they had one cart of belongings left.

For the most part, the trip was uneventful. Their pilot, Lester Hulin, kept a diary of their travel overland. Uneventful, except for the attack on Hannah Ann Davis.

According to Hulin's diary dated September 29, 1847, in Fandango Valley, 14 year old "Ann" Davis was baking bread over the campfire when the stillness of the evening was interrupted by a sudden Indian attack. Three arrows were shot at Ann, one hitting her in the calf of her leg and the other through her arm and into her side. She fell into the fire. She was quickly rescued, but the fire had burned her hair, clothes and severly burned the right side of her face. They operated on her by the light of the campfire. There was nothing to ease her pain and it took several men to hold her down as another cut the arrows out of her flesh with a sharp knife. Hannah survived the ordeal and later married Caswell Hendricks, another pioneer who arrived in Oregon in 1848. They had 10 children. Hannah and Caswell are my 3rd Great Grandparents.

The Davis wagon train reached Skinner's cabin on November 4,1847. David Davis settled in Soap Creek, Benton County, OR, after making a side trip to Salem to get medical attention for "Ann". An outbreak of measles claimed the life of his wife, Hannah Donahoe Davis. She died June 15,1848.

In 1852 David married Sarah Bowman, the widow of William Bowman, and needing a larger house, he built the first residence in Tampico, Benton Co. The Davis residence was used as a way station, store, post office, hotel and livery stable.

The "Oregon Weekly Union" for the week of September 14, 1860 reported David D. Davis's passing on August 31, 1860. He died of consumption at the age of 54.

Source: The Oskaloosa Company, Last Wagon Train to Skinner's in 1847, by Charles George Davis.

I highly recommend reading this informative book.

Submitted June 13, 2000, by Andrea Healy <MailTo:AhealyDS9@aol.com>, AhealyDS9@aol.com

Excerpts from "The Oskaloosa Company" by Charles George Davis

"David D. Davis was born in 1807 to a Welsh family in Pennsylvania. His mother was the former Ann Rees...Little is known of David D. Davis' father except that he was probably killed in action in the War of 1812...was a Welsh farmer. David learned farming from his stepfather who was a good farmer and blacksmith. David D. Davis apparently was fond of his step-father and half brothers and sisters, as well as his mother, Ann Rees Davis Roberts. It was said that he named his own children after his half brothers and sisters.

"The Donahoes probably emigrated from Germany to the United States several years earlier...The exact spelling of the family name is unknown, however Donahawer appears to be the spelling used by John's father.

"David D. Davis, Hannah, and family left Indiana and moved on to Iowa Territory in 1838. Family tradition says that they traveled down the Ohio River and up the Mississippi River to Burlington, Iowa on a flat boat or scow. David D. Davis purchased a farm in Green Bay Township, Lee County, Iowa. It was a few miles southwest of Burlington near the Mississippi River.

"...Alice Sims Davis...said that D D Davis started west...with seven wagons loaded with supplies for the trip and goods to start a business in the new country. [Seven wagons, Six full time drivers in addition to David, seven six-ox teams, men to drive the loose stock. 42+ oxen, 30-0 milk cows and calves, a band of sheep, saddle horses. There were twenty or more people in the Davis entourage during the journey westward...12 in their own family] David was leading a forty seven wagon train. She said that the Davises were very well off before they started on their overland journey to Oregon. They arrived in the southern Willamette Valley with only themselves, their worldly goods tied to the front end of a wagon pulled by two horses, and some loose stock. They left Green Bay IA the last week in April 1847 and headed in the general direction of Keosauqua, IA. At Keosauqua they crossed the Des Moines River into Missouri, then traveling west crossed the Missouri River into Kansas at Elizabethtown the last week in May 1847.

Some companies joined them along the way until they grew in numbers to about eighty-one wagons.

They soon found that it took too much time for all of those wagons to get in camp at night and out in the morning, and too long to corral the wagons if Indians attacked.

The Oskaloosa Company camped in two camp grounds some seventy miles west of St. Joseph. They picked up the pilot, Lester Hulin, the evening of May 31, 1847.

About forty-one wagons formed a separate Company, with Mr. McKee captain. He was with Davis in the Oskaloosa Company...Those leaving the Oskaloosa Company included Cooper, Fullison, Read, Cline, McKee, and the Abe Peak families.

Forty wagons remained with the Oskaloosa Company...Later seven wagons of the McKee Company returned to the Oskaloosa Company on June 17, 1847.

David D. Davis was camped at the forward camp ground and led the Oskaloosa Company as captain. James N. Harty reported the election of David D. Davis as Captain. Lester Hulin remained as pilot.