Sacramento County
Biographies
D.
L. Davis, farmer, born March 28, 1827, in Dayton, Ohio. His parents were Jacob
and Mary (Humphreyville) Davis, the former a native of Virginia, who emigrated to
Ohio in early day with his father, and followed the blacksmith business most of
the time. He removed to Iowa while it was yet a Territory, and was engaged in
agriculture near Tipton, Cedar County, until his death, at the age of
seventy-one years; his wife died in the same county at the age of sixty-five
years. They had six daughters and four sons. The names of the latter were:
Charles D., D. L., Jason H. and Jacob. Charles was in both the Mexican war and
the war of the Rebellion, and died at Baker City, Oregon, in 1875. Jason H. is
also deceased; and Jacob is in Nebraska. Mr. Davis, our subject, left Iowa in
1851 for California, sailing from New Orleans to the Isthmus and landing at San
Francisco March 8, 1852. On the same evening he took a boat to Sacramento,
landing here at the time of the flood and was taken by boat to the old fort. He
immediately started for the mines near Hangtown, where he followed mining until
the fall of 1853, with moderate success.
Returning to the Sacramento Valley, he located on what is now known as
the Jane Mahan ranch, plowed the land with ox teams and raised a crop of grain.
He continued there seven years, being very successful in agricultural pursuits.
In 1860 he returned to Iowa by water, by way of the Isthmus and New York city,
and the next year came again to California, this time overland, arriving here
in July, the trip hither occupying about four months. The greater portion of
this journey was made by himself and family, consisting of wife and four
children. He located upon his present ranch in 1861, the only man on that plain
at the time; to-day he has one of the finest ranches in this locality, well
furnished with good residence, beautiful yard and tasteful arrangements
throughout. Although he came to this
State without means, he now has a splendid ranch of 1,120 acres, all in a state
of good cultivation. His politics may be known by the fact that he cast his
first vote for Taylor and last vote for Harrison. In 1849 Mr. Davis married
Miss Elizabeth Murray, and they have six sons and three daughters living; three
children are deceased. The living are: John J., in Oregon; Mary, wife of D.
Watkins, of Nevada; Henrietta, wife of C. Cantrell; Lizzie, wife of Ed. Riley;
D. L., Jr.; Alexander, at home; Jason H., Thomas N. and Charles D.
Transcribed by Marla
Fitzsimmons.
Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Page 467-468. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.
© 2005 Marla
Fitzsimmons.