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Davidson Family Photos
- 1. DAVIDSON FAMILY PHOTOS Perry County Kentucky Buckhorn LakeRed River Gorge Eastern Kentucky Appalachia
- 2. Brinton, Vertie, and Ned Davidson Dock & Henry Davidson Darcous’ sister Nannie and Robert Lee Hurt Darcous Hensley Davidson (Left) (Photos courtesy of Doris Sponsler)
- 3. Darcous Hensley Davidson Alice Davidson Davis Brinton Davidson Elliott Davidson (Photos courtesy of Doris Sponsler)
- 4. Goodlow & Georgia Ann Davidson Garfield & Laura Davidson Eileen Spenser & Chief Davidson Alafair, Manda & Kerman Davidson (Photos courtesy of Doris Sponsler)
- 5. Vertie Davidson Spencer Kerman Davidson Garfield Davidson Manda Davidson (Photos courtesy of Doris Sponsler)
- 6. Ned was no stranger to hard work. He grew up handling timber, as his father, Dock, owned a timber business and they operated a sawmill on Dock’s Branch. He also farmed and raised some livestock. Alafair also did her share of work without any modern conveniences. They cooked and heated with wood, and they also did without indoor plumbing and only got a little electricity after the kids were raised.
- 7. Buster Davidson Dock Davidson Beecher Davidson Ned DavidsonDock
- 8. Dock’s Green House Buster Davidson
- 9. Ned & Buster Davidson in Barnyard KM Davidson & Daughters Doc’s Branch on Haddock Fork Buster, Wayne & Ol’ Bob
- 10. Garfield & Grandsons with Buster
- 11. Road & Coal shed in front of Ned & Alafair’s with Lois, Wayne, Don and Dan
- 12. Alafair Holmes Davidson Ned Davidson & Joe Boots & June Gladys, Arnold & June Gladys & June
- 13. Phyllis, Lois & Edythe Edythe, Phyllis, Lois & Doug Phyllis & June Phyllis, Wayne & Edythe Phyllis
- 14. Chet, Dale, Lisa & B. Ray in front B. Ray, Chet, Lisa, Diane & Dale Doug on Ned & Alafair’s porch Doug & Joe at the gateLisa at the Green House
- 15. Lois holding a newborn cousin? Ned, Joe & Wayne at the Coal/Smokehouse
- 16. Uncle Shorty (Army) heading to the car and Doug wondering what he’s got
- 19. Hubert & Marie Barger Arnold & Gladys Combs Arbutus & F G Armstrong June & Oscar Combs
- 21. Bill Barger Jean & Carol Jean BargerCarol BargerMarvin, Boots & Boys
- 22. Dan Combs, Rita & Kids Don Combs, wife & kids Lois, Jimmy and John Arnold Arnold & Gladys Chris at Gladys & Arnold’s
- 23. Boots & June June, Gladys, Marie & Boots Jill & Karen Raulerson Bud Thomas John Arnold Maggard
- 24. Boots & EdieAunt Boots, Uncle Shorty, Edythe & Dusty (1963) RaulersonsArmstrongs
- 25. Doug EdythePhyllisJoe Joe Jimmy, John Arnold & Lois
- 26. Buster Davidson Cela & Buster Davidson Beecher Davidson Katie & Beecher Davidson Buster, Army & ? Paul, Beecher, & Army
- 27. Beecher’s Family
- 28. Beecher Ray Lisa Marie & MikeChet Beecher & Ol’ Bob B. Ray Davidson Dale Davidson
- 29. Juanita Noble & June Davidson in Cincinnati, Ohio Juanita & June in FloridaJune & Gill June
- 33. Mountain Top Removal mining in Perry County Kentucky
Editor's Notes
- The history of the Eastern Kentucky Davidson family is a Frontier’s Family Fable, and starts with Revolutionary War Veteran Daniel Davidson, Sr. He migrated to Kentucky from Virginia in 1801 to claim the land grant he earned with his enlistments during the Revolutionary War. He was accompanied by his son, Samuel and the rest of his children, along with Samuel’s wife, Elizabeth and her parents. Elizabeth was the granddaughter of Chief Red Bird of the Cherokee Nation, and her parents were Ned Callahan and Mahala Brock, Chief Red Bird’s daughter. They settled in the area known as Bullskin on the South fork of the Kentucky River. Samuel’s first wife, Elizabeth, passed away at an early age in 1822, when her youngest child, Daniel was just a few years old. Samuel remarried and had ten more children, most born in Kentucky. After 1840, Samuel moved on to Indiana and later on to Missouri and Iowa. Samuel’s father Daniel, and his youngest son with Elizabeth, Daniel stayed on in Kentucky and our family descended from the younger Daniel. Born in 1820, Daniel married Sarah Duff and they raised eleven children of their own. It is believed that Daniel was a blacksmith by trade as well as a farmer and hunter as means to support his large family. All of this came natural to him as his father and grandfather were farmers and long hunters, which is how they found the new country they settled in, Kentucky. The following slides with photos and text are of my maternal ancestral homeland and my perception of how that evolved over 4+ generations.
- Some think the first photo is Dock and Wesley Combs instead of his brother Henry. According to Vertie’s note on the back of the second photo this is Darcous with Carlie Duff-Hogg, Alice (Sister), Haley Napier (Cousin), Arnold (Nephew), and herself. Dock Davidson was born in 1858 and named after his father, Daniel who was named after his grandfather, Daniel (Sr). Dock’s first wife, Letty Duff passed away at an early age, leaving Dock with two young daughters and he soon remarried, to Darcous Hensley. Family legend had attributed Darcous with Cherokee heritage, but I have yet to confirm that. She was quite a bit younger than Dock, but proved to be a loyal and loving mother, as she raised Dock’s two daughters as her own and gave birth to another 11 children. Most of Dock’s siblings learned to farm and how to blacksmith from their father and Dock also started harvesting timber and milling lumber with his children. At one time, Dock and some of his sons were producing quite a bit of lumber, not only for their own use, but as a means of earning cash with a sawmill they built on Doc’s Branch at Haddock fork. The creek that ran the length of their hollow carried an abundance of water and the flat land there was ample room to harvest plenty of food that they cultivated their self. With livestock they raised, wild game and fish they lived a pretty good life living off the land. However, it was still considered the Wilderness and life was rough and it took a lot of work and cooperation to withstand the cruel winter weather and the hard work farming is, under the best of circumstances.
- Here, Darcous is watering her plants around the ‘Green’ House in which she and Dock lived and raised their family. Alice, Brinton and Elliott are shown here in their own homes. It should be noted that Brinton was a barber by trade, successfully owning and operating a barbershop in Chavies for many years. He also served in the army and cut Dwight D. Eisenhower’s hair and later on was asked to be Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal barber, to which he declined. Elliott moved to Lincoln County and was a successful tobacco farmer and is buried there.
- Garfield and Kerman basically lived their whole lives on Doc’s Branch at Haddock Fork, raising their families there, and are both buried in Red Hill Cemetery. Chief lived there a long time, but eventually moved to Indiana, probably in the mid to late 1950s, and is buried in there as well.
- As depicted in the photo of Ned, the area of eastern Kentucky is well known for feuds. Everyone has heard of the Hatfield and McCoys, some called it the Appalachian version of Romeo and Juliet. I think it started over a border dispute and an argument about a pig, exacerbated by lingering resentment from the civil war, but years later, there was one couple that defied the feud. Then there was the Rowan county war in Morehead, KY., a fued between the Martins and the Tollivers. Closer to our neck of the woods, there was the French/Eversole feud in Perry County, the Baker/White feud in Clay County, and the Turner/Howard feud in Harlan County. Hundreds of people died as a result of these and other feuds, with hundreds more wounded and settling arguments with guns became a way of life around the turn of that century. Through out the first part of the 20th century, several sides of my family tree experienced the loss of loved ones to violence. Our great grandfather John Holmes, Alafair’s father was shot and killed on election day in 1911, and here is the story of my paternal grandmother's brothers, the Stidhams. Lottie had three brothers shot and killed between 1919 and 1939. Her oldest brother John, was shot and killed around 1919 as a young man, before he ever married. I don't know the details, just that it happened. Then there was William, who was shot and killed in 1934 by a relative at a store while trying to buy candy for his three year old son who was with him. I don't know why, just that it was a family grudge. And then finally in 1939, her brother Woodrow was shot on a roadside. There are some who believe that he may have been a deputy sheriff at one time and after he left that position, someone took revenge for actions he may have taken in the line of duty. Thankfully over the years the area has changed in regards to the level of violence. However, back then, it may have been a large contributing factor for people like my family who left in search of a better life. Good jobs may not have been the only thing they were searching for. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French%E2%80%93Eversole_Feud https://www.google.com/search?q=French+-+Eversole+Feud&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb#rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&q=french+eversole+feud+perry+county&revid=508350388
- Chief Redbird’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Callahan, married Saumuel Davidson. Having died shortly after giving birth to their youngest, tenth child, Samuel remarried and eventually moved westward to Missouri and Iowa. Their youngest, Daniel stayed and started his family, to which I am a descendant (Daniel, Samuel, Daniel, Dock, Ned, June, and then me). Buster, my uncle, is shown revisiting his grandfather’s home in 1965.
- The stream ran the full length of Doc’s branch and this photo is near Dock’s homestead, the farthest up the hollow, and is now buried by mountaintop removal coal mining, with a sludge pond near my grandfather, Ned’s homestead. (See the last photo slides)
- Garfield, I. J. Sandlin, Roger Sandlin, & Buster (August 1965)
- Photos taken when Ned & Alafair’s children would come home every year for visits. Gladys was the only child to live her whole life in the area she grew up in.
- Doug & Joe @ 1956 – Doug @ 1957 Beecher and most of his kids lived on Doc’s Branch with their mother for several years, finally moving to Georgia where the youngest two (twins) were born.
- Ned & Alafair’s homestead
- View of the side gate and barn from the backyard of Ned & Alafair’s homestead (1958)
- Ned & Alafair’s home in 1986, 23 years after Alafair passed away and 8 years after Ned passed away. Missing the picket fence, barn, chicken coop, pig pen, and footbridge. Others are either missing or hidden by the trees, especially the big rock at the creek.
- Our grandfather, Ned was born in 1892 and he lived further up the hollow than the rest of his siblings. He married Alafair Holmes and they raised seven children, with six surviving childhood. There were only two sons, both with older sisters and Ned relied on relationships with his siblings for most of his life. While he was able to do most of his work with only the aid of his children, there were things that required outside assistance, however, he was able to give as much as he got from his siblings and the arrangement was mutually beneficial for everyone. Ned lived most of life in the 20th century without ever owning a car, or having a driver’s license. He and Alafair never had indoor plumbing and the only electricity was only for a few lights and they didn’t get that until the 1950s. They never owned a TV or had a telephone. They cooked on a wood burning stove and heated their home with fireplaces. Both of Ned’s sons served in the military with the oldest serving during World War II. All but one child left Kentucky looking for work as the population was exceeding the land available as technology was making that way of life obsolete. Coal companies were encroaching from the mountain tops as civilization was encroaching up the hollows. About ten years after Alafair passed away, Ned moved in behind the only remaining daughter to live out the remaining half dozen years of his life. That was the first time he lived with indoor plumbing or other conveniences. He even had a TV, but more for the visiting great grandchildren than for his own use. All of my ancestors born after 1800, all of my siblings, and all of my children and my oldest grandchild were all born and raised in Kentucky. I however, was born in Cincinnati and raised in Florida. Alafair’s father was shot and killed on election day in 1911. Alafair was 14 years old and had at least 6 siblings still living at home when that happened. The young man that shot him was buried less than three years later, but I have no idea what his punishment was or how he died. Home, Sweet Home. There's no place like Home. Those are familiar sentiments because most of us are lucky enough to live somewhere that has some redeeming qualities that we are drawn to. Downtown where the action is, or in the country with Mother Nature, or near the Ocean and the beach. Yet, a lot us long for the memories that live at grandma's house. My grandparents, Alafair and Ned Davidson, lived up towards the head of the hollar on Haddock's fork, in the area known as Grapevine, located in Perry County Kentucky. It was a very magical place, especially for a boy from the outside world, that was heavily wooded with a creek that ran the full length of the road. There were no modern conveniences at all, just a little electricity, yet some of my fondest memories are from when we would spend a couple of weeks there during the summer. There were many reasons that we enjoyed those times. Seeing lots of relatives at once and doing new things like a sled ride up the creek to the head of the hollar, or swimming and sunning at the big rock by the creek. Simple, yet important things, that cemented our memories for a lifetime. My grandparents raised their family and lived their entire lives there. Never owned a car, TV, and didn't even have a telephone. No running water and a wood burning stove. They did have a refrigerator and washing machine with a ringer, but they looked like the first model of each that were ever sold. You can just imagine all of the chores that were needed everyday just to maintain the household, not to mention all the work to tend to the crops or the livestock. Different brothers, for different generations, did different things and they shared their bounty for the benefit of all. They farmed, cut timber, raised livestock and hunted for sustenance and it was hard work, but it was honest and they found their share of enjoyment and appreciation. I remember they had a radio, but it rarely played. Occasionally they would listen to the Renfro Valley Barn Dance that was broadcast on Saturday night. I don't remember the Grand Ol' Opry, maybe it was considered to western(?), but I do remember how they liked that Bluegrass music. In a lot of ways, it was the best years of our lives, 'cause there's no place like home!
- Bill Barger – Jean & Carol – Little Boots and her husband Marvin and sons, Derek & Eugene – Carol – Jean
- Joe – Phyllis – Edythe – Joe – Jimmy, John Arnold & Lois – Doug
- The lower center photos are of Buster, Army, and friend; then there is Paul (Army’s brother), Beecher and Army. Army was also known by most of his nieces and nephews as ‘Uncle Shorty’.
- Ethel June Davidson is my mother. She was the youngest of five daughters and next youngest of seven children, six surviving childhood. He was born in 1927 and raised in the hollow known as Doc’s Branch at Haddock Fork, on the north side of Grapevine creek in northwest Perry County Kentucky during the ‘Great Depression’. The depression had little affect on this area, as most lived off of the land, which was a tough way of life, but one they were accustomed to and relatively successful doing. She married Oscar Combs, my father, in May of 1946 and they lived in the Blue Diamond coal camp where my father was a miner. My sister was born there in June of 1947 and they lived that life for about four or five years. After my sister suffered a bout of Rheumatic Fever, my parents decided to leave Kentucky in search of a better life. They first went to Jacksonville, Florida where her sister, Boots was living with her husband who had served in the Navy during WWII. Here, Oscar found work in the shipyards, however, they were not comfortable living so far from the rest of their family. Afterwards, they moved to Cincinnati and Oscar found work in the restaurant industry. This is where their son was born in 1954. Unfortunately, the marriage ended and June moved back to Florida in 1959 to where her sister was now living at Kingsley Lake. She found work as a seamstress at Big Dad and after a few months, she had saved enough money to get a place of her own. In 1963, she remarried to John H. Gill and lived the rest of her life in their home on Kingsley Lake. Devoted to her family and friends, she worked hard to make a good home for her family and loved to entertain her friends and extended family. She was an excellent cook and always provided plenty of food. With the help of her sister, who shared in the bounty, she also canned or froze massive amounts of her own food that her retired husband grew himself.
- 1995
- 2012