By
\nLarry Pearce
\n2\/18\/12<\/p>\n
This article is about my Dad\u2019s three times great grandmother Sarah E. Davis (b. 1802) who married Joseph Myler Moon, Sr. (b. 1795). Although Joseph was born in McCandless Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, we believe that he met, as did his son Joe, Jr., his mate in Venango County to the north before returning to the Depreciations Lands family farm to live out the remainder of their lives. Unfortunately, we don\u2019t know where the older J.M. Moons are buried. Sarah\u2019s parents were John (b. 1774) and Keturah (b. 1774) and, we believe, are also are buried in Allegheny County. Davis is a rather common name, so our search hasn\u2019t been easy. What follows is a study of the name origins and a list of other Davis\u2019s, some famous and others simply contemporaries and possible relatives of ours. Perhaps most challenging of all to future family historians is a list of research questions at the end with a cheery \u201cGood Luck.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to About.com<\/a>, Davis is the seventh most common name in America, coming from the Hebrew for \u201cSon of David\u201d or \u201cBeloved.\u201d Variations can be found throughout the English-speaking world, including Davidson, Davison, Daves, Dawson, Dawes, Day, and Dakin. Davies is uniquely Welsh and, indeed, some of the Venango County Davis\u2019s arrived there toward the end of the nineteenth century from Old World coal mines, stopping first in Utah. Henry Thomas Davis (b. 1859) was also a rancher and railroader. William P. Davis (b. 1883) was a bricklayer. Speaking of the Welsh, there is some controversy over the spelling of our two Joseph Myler Moons\u2019 middle names. Sources indicate that, while most in our family spell it \u201cMyler,\u201d an English derivative of \u201cmiller,\u201d meaning \u201cgrinder,\u201d the \u201cMylar\u201d spelling is uniquely Welsh, from clan origins. For further information go to \u201cMyler\/Mylar\u2014What\u2019s the Difference?\u201d Probably a family name, and in keeping with naming traditions in the British Isles, research of \u201cMyler\u201d or \u201cMylar\u201d may turn up additional ancestors and answer the questions posed in an earlier article, \u201cThe Mystery of Henry Moon.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps the most detailed genealogy I\u2019ve ever seen on any family belongs to Llewellyn Haverford Davis (b. 1670) who came from Wales to Chester County, PA. Running 22 pages and including Revolutionary War officers and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the document includes descendants alive today. Unfortunately, we didn\u2019t see our Sara Jane\u2019s name on it so apparently there is no connection.<\/p>\n Some of the more famous persons carrying the surname Davis are: Jefferson Davis<\/a> (b. 1808) President of the Civil War era Confederate States of America <\/a><\/a><\/p>\n Bette Davis<\/a> (b. 1908) American actress noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters<\/p>\n Nancy Davis Reagan <\/a>(b. 1921) <\/cite> <\/strong><\/cite> First Lady from 1981 to 1989 Sammy Davis, Jr. <\/a>(b. 1925)\u00a0<\/cite>dancer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, impressionist, comedian, and actor.<\/p>\n Miles Davis<\/a> (b. 1926) influential American jazz artist<\/p>\n Angela Davis<\/a> (b. 1944) political philosopher and black power activist<\/p>\n Geena Davis<\/a> (b. 1956) American actress who received an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Accidental Tourist<\/em> (1988)<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know that we\u2019re related to any of the above. Almost half are African Americans and arguably the most powerful Davis was from the South. If my understanding of that tradition is correct, many of the slaves took on their master\u2019s surnames, which might explain the Davis color line here. Read about more notable Davis\u2019s by clicking here<\/a>. We don\u2019t know when or why our John and Keturah went to Venango, but John died before son Nathan arrived, some 34 years before Keturah passed in 1860, at age 86. Another daughter, Caroline Eliza, sister to our Sarah Davis, was placed in guardianship under Susan\u2019s husband Joseph Moon at age 14, the year father John Davis died, 1802. Eliza, as she was known, never married, lived the rest of her 89 years with Joe and Sarah, and is said to have been the family historian.<\/p>\n One might think that tracing the name \u201cKeturah\u201d would be easy. It came from the Hebrew for \u201cfragrance\u201d and was name of the second wife of Abraham in the Old Testament. Puritans used if often after the Reformation. Fellow genealogist Christine Adams has located a Keturah Hamlen or Hamlin born around 1800 who married a John Davis in New Jersey. The only problem is that this is too late to have a daughter born in 1802. The family website Tooker.org reports the marriage of a Keturah Davis to Joseph Tooker (b. 1756) in New York State. They even named a daughter Keturah, as did our Sara Jane Moon. There may be a connection, but further research is needed. Other Venango County, PA, Davis\u2019s include Solomon (b. 1800), Euton (b.1794 in Vermont), and Samuel (b. 1780). Could any of these, perhaps family, have drawn our Davis\u2019s to the pre-oil, pristine hills and valleys of Venango? Perhaps one day soon we\u2019ll know.<\/p>\n So, in summary, and as we promised at the beginning, some research questions: Exactly where did our Davis family originate and why did they go to Venango County? What is our relationship to other Davis families, not only in Venango but elsewhere in 19th<\/sup> century America? Now, also as promised, \u201cGood Luck in finding the answers.” Please don\u2019t forget to share them with E-Gen readers and me.<\/p>\n Works Cited<\/p>\n Adams, Christine. \u201cKnown Descendants of Henry Moon.\u201d 2 Nov. 2001<\/p>\n \u201cDescendants of Nathan E. Davis.\u201d 13 Feb. 2012. \u201cKeturah.\u201d 18 Feb. 2012. See other associated family trees for documentation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Larry Pearce 2\/18\/12 This article is about my Dad\u2019s three times great grandmother Sarah E. Davis (b. 1802) who married Joseph Myler Moon, Sr. (b. 1795). Although Joseph was born in McCandless Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, we believe that … Continue reading
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\nOur John and Keturah\u2019s better documented off spring Nathan Elder Davis (b. 1811) and wife Sarah Jane Cross lived in Venango from 1830 until the end of the Civil War and raised fourteen children. Afterwards they sold their farm, probably to an oil company, and moved next door to Butler County. He died there in 1874. More is revealed in a 1922 letter from daughter Keturah Davis Funk to my great-great grandmother Susan Fleming Moon, cousins. Apparently, Joseph Moon, Sr. went off to the \u201coil fields\u201d with Nathan. Joseph Moon, Jr. joined them later, but both Moon eventually returned to Allegheny County, as we said above.<\/p>\n
\nhttp:\/\/familytreemaker.genealogy.com\/users\/s\/a\/n\/NAN-E-Sabulsky\/ODT2.0001.html<\/a><\/p>\n
\nhttp:\/\/www.meaning-of-names.com\/hebrew-names\/keturah.asp<\/a><\/p>\n