Grandfather (John Lowry Davidson) and Grandmother (Maretta Axtell) lived in Mechanicsville on stage line between Erie and Pittsburgh.  Got list of brothers and sisters.  Great Grandfather's name was Patrick.  (Dad knew this.  When he was quite young he had a new testament which belonged to Patrick.  It disappeared and Dad never found what happened to it.)  He knew Papa's brothers and sisters.  Got a little info about Axtells, ie, there was an uncle named Axtell.  Possibly some about Condit.  Ruth Condit who married a Rudolph was a teacher of Papa's in Venango Co.  Grandmother's parents were named Thaddeus Axtell and Bathsheba Condit.  Dad still has the piece of paper.

 

Great grandfather Patrick was supposed to have been born in Indiana Co. in 1795 or 1796.  Dad wanted to find record of his birth.  Went to Court House to inquire about Patricks birth.  Found that Court House had burned down a year or two after his birth.  They said any records that existed at that time would have been in Greenville, because there was no Indiana Co at that time.  We went o Greenville Courthouse.  No records.  Went to Historical Society building.  Found quite a bit of stuff on microfilm, Etc.  Nothing about our Patrick.  Went on to Venango Co. Began to hit pay dirt.  Found wills of three different Patricks.  One was G-Grandfather and one was GGG Grandfather and one was a son of Patrick, revolutionary soldier.  At that time did not know about William.  

 

Before they were married, Mama (Dollie Catherine Langford) and Papa  (Linus Meade Davidson) were going on a trip to another town from Yates Center, KA.  On the way, the horses got spooked and ran away and Wreaked the buggy.  Mamma and Papa had to stay at a farm house over night.  Dad thinks that was kind of embarrassing.  What would the folks back home say.  Theft of Papa's house before he was married.  Have in print. So can get details from that.

 

The cemetery at Yates Center is between where Dad's family lived and the town.  Dad lived 1 mile North of town.  The cemetery was north of town and a little east.  Grandfather and Grandmother and infant brother of Dad's are buried there.  In recent yrs, Cecil Davidson, a child of Cirus Riggs Davidson asked Ruth Whitaker if she could be buried there. So she is.

 

Papa was a member of the Modern Woodman Lodge. Must have had a Women's Aux.  Mama said she met Papa at the Lodge.  Mama thought she was treated more like a hired girl than one of the children.  Wasn't told anything about her father and mother. She supposed that the man that took her to Vaughns was her father.  The legal paper said that he gave money for her upkeep and schooling.  Given by George C. Hayes.  She could have been turned over to George C. Hayes and he then turned her back to Vaughns.  Paper was signed by William Hayes.  He was the one that was given the money for her.  But paper said it was for George C. Hayes to pay for her Schooling and upkeep.  Her mother was the one that Mamma was real close to, just like sisters.  The cousin of hers told her that when she passed away, she would like to be willed her Diary.  Her diary did have several references to Mamma.  But when she died, the Diary could not be found.

 

Robert asking, did Grandmother live in Vaughville?  Dad, well, I was understanding that she lived about 1 mile from Vaughville. (Robert begins to quote from Grand Mother’s tape.)    She was 5 years old when her mother died.  Took her to a foster mother when she was about 7.  Father was English.  Mother was Scotch.  Lived in AL with the Vaughns for 14 years.  Mrs Vaughn’s brother and his wife took her to KA when she was about 20 and went to school in KA.  They gave the Vaughn’s $100 or $200 to care of her and she was in the yard playing when her father left.  She didn’t know exactly when she left but she felt he was terminally ill and going to die.  Took a trip to KA with Uncle George and Aunt Kate Hayes.  Mrs Vaughn went to visit her daughter in KA.  Stayed there till she got married.  Went to school and worked a while and then got married.  Went to a small Methodist Church one evening and Grandpa was there.  He asked if he could see her home.  Later both of them belonged to Knights Templer Lodge.  Grandpa was one of the officers.    She went with Grandpa about a year before they got married.