The Relationship of Susan Davis and Martin L. Schenck

Susan E. Davis was born around 1879 or 1880. She first appears in the 1880 census as a 6 month old baby in the home of her parents, Benjamin Franklin and Julia Ann Sibley Davis.

Members:	Name Age Benjimine F. Davis 51 Julia A. Davis 42 Louvena Davis 17 Thomas F. Davis 15 Eliza M. Davis 13 Hartwell Davis 11 John S. Davis 9 Mary Davis 6 Catharine Davis 5 Sallie Davis 2 Susan Davis 3m

Twenty years later, she is the only daughter in the home with her mother "July" (pronounced Julie) Davis, brother Hartwell Alexander Davis, and a niece, 8 year old "Victory", whose identity I have not determined.

NameSusson July
Age20
Birth DateMar 1880
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Home in 1900 Tyson, Stanly, North Carolina
Race White
Gender Female
Relation to Head of House Daughter
Marital Status Single
Father's Birthplace North Carolina
Mother's Name Davis July
Mother's Birthplace North Carolina
Household Members

Name	Age
Davis July	71
Alexander July	33
Susson July	20
Victory July	8

1910 finds Susan, or Susie as she was called, as in inmate at Broughton State Hospital in Morganton, North Carolina.

Name	Susie David
Age in 1910	32
Birth Year	abt 1878
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1910	Morganton, Burke, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Female
Relation to Head of House	Patient
Marital Status	Single
Native Tongue	English
Able to read	No
Able to Write	No

However, she was  not alone there. Also there were her sisters, Sarah,( or Sallie), Davis Whitaker and W. C. (or Kitty) Davis Cox.

In a land dispute in 1911, sister Sallie Davis Whitaker is still alive and Susie is still a Davis.

I have no proof, but it may be possible, that Susan met her future husband, Martin Luther Schenck, of Rowan County, there. 

Name:	Martin Luther Schenck
Gender:	Male
Marriage Date:	9 Jan 1916
Marriage Place:	Rowan, North Carolina, USA
Spouse:	Susie E Davis
Spouse Gender:	Female
Event Type:	Marriage

Luther and Susie would be married in Rowan County, NC, 6 years later. I know that this is the correct Susie E. Davis, because her address is Norwood, North Carolina, which is in Stanly County and near the farm where she was raised, and also, because later land divisions and court actions after the death of her mother Julia in 1914, and sister Kitty, in 1922, gives her name as "Shank/Shenk". 

Despite being married in 1916, Martin Luther Schenck's draft registration for World War I lists him as single. 

Name:	Martin Luther Schenck
County:	Rowan
State:	North Carolina
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Birth Date:	26 May 1891
Race:	Caucasian (White)
Age: Occupation: Nearest Relative: Height/Build: Color of Eyes/Hair: Signature:	View image

The other interesting thing that this document gives is his reason for exemption, "Off in Mind". This is why I believe Susie may have met him in Broughton. They both obviously had been released by 1916.

The document gives his occupation as a farmer, working for his father and living in China Grove. He is tall, slender, and had light gray eyes and light brown hair. 

The 1920 census finds Luther living with his parents, and no Susan, although it does list his marital status as married.

Name:	Martin L Shank
Age:	28
Birth Year:	abt 1892
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	China Grove, Rowan, North Carolina
Street:	Gold Hill Road
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Son
Marital Status:	Married
Father's name:	Augustus G Shank
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Maggie Shank
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Laborer
Industry:	Farm
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Augustus G Shank 57 Maggie Shank 50 Martin L Shank 28 Douglas A Shank 21 Beulah F Shank 15 Sherly B Shank 14 Bessie F Shank 13 Burleson T Shank 12 Richard E Shank 6 Spencer F Shank 4 [4 6/12]

Maybe his death record would shed some light on Martin's life and perhaps Susan's.

Name	Martin Luther Schenck
Event Type	Death
Event Date	06 Jul 1969
Event Place	Lumberton, Robeson, North Carolina
Birth Year	1892
Burial Date	08 Jul 1969
Burial Place	Rowan, N.C.
Cemetery	Ebenezer Lutheran Comt.
Residence Place	China Grove, Rowan, North Carolina
Address	Rt. 2
Gender	Male
Age	78
Marital Status	Married
Race (Original)	White
Occupation	Farming
Birth Date	26 May 1892
Birthplace	North Carolina
Father's Name	Augustus G. Schenck
Mother's Name	Margaret R. Roseman

Buried in China Grove, Martin L. Schenck passed away in Lumberton. Was he residing there, or was he being treated in a hospital?

A quick look at his death certificate does give a little more information. The informant was his brother, S. F. Schenck of China Grove, and Martin Luther Schenck was at the Cancer Institute and passed away of Cancer of the Bladder. His usual occupation was given as farming and his parents as Augustus G. Schenck and Margaret Roseman Schenck. His marital status is given as married, but in the blank for spouses name, it is recorded as "UnKnown", His address was given as Rt. 2, China Grove.

His death record declares that he was married. Was he still married to Susan, and was she still alive, or had he married someone else? His Find-A-Grave Memorial does mention that he married Susie E. Davis, although she is not buried with him.




Susan E. Davis Schenck was still alive, at least in 1922, when she was a part of a land division due to the death of her sister W. C. "Kitty" Davis Cox, who had no children.


The Stanly News-Herald
(Albemarle, North Carolina)11 Jul 1922, Tue • Page 3


There are no indications that Susie and Luther Schenck had any children. It actually appears that they split up by the 1920 census, four years after their marriage, but Luther is still shown as married that year, however by 1930, he is not.


Name:Luther M Schenck
Birth Year:abt 1892
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birthplace:North Carolina
Marital Status:Single
Relation to Head of House:Son
Home in 1930:China Grove, Rowan, North Carolina
Map of Home:View Map
Street address:Concord and Salisbury Road
Dwelling Number:24
Family Number:26
Attended School:No
Able to Read and Write:No
Father's Birthplace:North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:North Carolina
Able to Speak English:No
Occupation:Laborer
Industry:General Farm
Class of Worker:Unpaid worker, member of the family
Employment:Yes
Neighbors:View others on page
Household Members:

Name	Age
Augustus Schenck	65
Maggie Schenck	55
Luther M Schenck	38
Trexlor Schenck	21
Richard Schenck	16
Spencer Schenck	15

What I find most interesting about this census, is that although he is an unpaid family member working on his fathers farm, it claims he is unable to read and write, which was not unheard of then, but also that he was not able to speak English, although he was born in Rowan County, as was both of his parents. Did this mean he was unable to speak at all?

After the 1922 mention in the Stanly County Newspaper, Susie falls off the map.

Perhaps a trip to Rowan County can shed some light on this mystery.


Codicil: The trip to Rowan really answered no questions. It produced the actual marriage certificate, with further information that cemented the fact that Susie Davis who married Martin L. Schenck was indeed the right Susie. There were two other Susie or Susan Davis that married in Rowan County. One was African American and the other was much younger and with different parents.

The Obituary of M. L. Shenck provide no information at all on Susan:

"China Grove- Martin Luther Schenck, 77 of Rt. 2 China Grove died Sunday at 3:40 pm at the Lumberton Hospital after an extended illness. 

He was born May 26, 1892 in Rowan County, the son of the late Augustus and Maggie Roseman Schenck. He was a member  of Ebenezer Lutheran Church. 

Surviving are five brothers, Douglas of Salisbury and wife Shirley, Trexler, Richard and Spencer Schenck, all of Rt. 2 China Grove; and a sister, Mrs. Della Snider of East Spencer (Della was a witness of the wedding). Funeral Services will be conducted Tuesday at 4 pm at Ebenezer Lutheran Church by the Rev. Everette Horne. Burial will be at the churh cemetery. 

The body will remain at  Linn-Honeycutt Funeral Home, Landis, until placed in the church 30 minutes before the services. The family will recieve freinds at the funeral home tonight from 7 to 5.

-The Salisbury Post, July 7, 1969  page 15.

The Children of Benjamin Franklin Davis

A few years ago, I posted on the Family Bible of Benjamin Franklin Davis. He religiously recorded the dates of his children's births and a tad bit of other information.


Oddly, some of the names of his children repeat themselves, as if younger children were perhaps named for older ones who had passed away. Also, in several cases, the dates on records, such as marriages, tombstones and census records, do not match up with the dates in his Bible, at all.

A few of his children stayed in Stanly County. Others would raise their families in Richmond County, where Frank and his wife, Julia Ann Sibley Davis, would move to for a while. Still a few others would relocate to northern South Carolina, or just travel widely. Others, I have not been able to trace with any true success.

Of the most mysterious, are a few of his daughters. Some were obviously married more than once.




The 1860 census shows the young couple only with 2 young sons, Holm and Mathew.

Name:	B F Davis
Age in 1870:	40
Birth Year:	abt 1830
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1870:	Tyson, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age B F Davis 40 Julia Davis 31 Holm Davis 12 Matthew Davis 11 Lorena Davis 7 Thomas Davis 5 Eliza Davis 3 Hartviill Davis 1

By 1870, the family is still living in Tyson, near the old Davis plantation of Frank's grandfather, Job Davis and on grounds that once belonged to his Great Grandfather, Peter Winfield. Their family had grown to include 6 children.

Holm was the childhood nickname of Henry Edward Davis, seen sometimes as "H. E." while Hartwell Davis is seen as "H. A."  Mathew is Mathew Addison, or "M. A. Davis". Lorena is sometimes seen as Lou or "L. A. Davis". Thomas is Thomas Franklin or "T. F." Davis  and Elijah/Eliza is seen as "E. M. Davis". For the daughters, Mary Ann appears to have 3 initials, M. A. E. Davis McIntyre or MaryAnn Eliza. Nannie is "N. E." and Kitty is "W. C." for Wincy Catherine. Susan is "S.A." while Sarah or Sallie is "S. E. ".

Name:	Benjimine F. Davis
Age:	51
Birth Year:	abt 1829
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Steeles, Richmond, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Self (Head)
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Julia A. Davis
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Occupation:	Farmer
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Benjimine F. Davis 51 Julia A. Davis 42 Louvena Davis 17 Thomas F. Davis 15 Eliza M. Davis 13 Hartwell Davis 11 John S. Davis 9 Mary Davis 6 Catharine Davis 5 Sallie Davis 2 Susan Davis 3m

By 1880, the family had moved to Steeles in Richmond County. Hartwell is followed by John S., Mary, who marries a McIntyre, Catherine, who is Wincy Catherine, aka Kitty, who marries a Cox, Sallie, who appears to have married a Whitaker, and Susan, who marries a "Shank" or Schenck. Not in this census was Nancy Ann "Nannie" Davis McIntyre or Lillie Mae Davis McIntyre, both pictured above, whom I believe were born later.

Land records and newspaper articles about the division of properties concerning this family, give a little bit of information that leads to more mystery.

H. A. Davis was Hartwell Alexander Davis who never married. He died in 1902  and is buried with his father in the old Frank Davis cemetery off of Boone-Caudle Road in the southernmost reachs of Stanly County, below Cottonville.



The larger portions in this division are siblings and the smaller portions ($7.20) were the heirs of Thomas Franklin Davis, who was murdered in 1906.

E. M. Davis is Elijah. Susan, aka Susie, is still a Davis. W. C. is Kitty and has married E. W. Cox. Sarah aka Sallie has married a Whitaker. and Lorena is shown as L. A. Davis.

Old House in White Pond, SC

Sallie and Lorena are two of the biggest mysteries amongst the Davis daughters. Lorena A. Davis, also known as "Lou", was born on February 19, 1862 in Stanly County, NC and passed away on November 25, 1936. She is buried at the Old White Pond Cemetery near Aiken, South Carolina.



I was able to find her through her death records. She died at the age of 74 of TB, which was rampant at the time. Aiken might have been the location of a hospital, and not her actual residence, as an address of "P. O.  Cottonville, NC", which would be the area she grew up in. The informant was a man named "Arthur Antonson" of White Pond, South Carolina and she was noted on her tombstone as the wife of "O. Antonson", which further research revealed was "Oscar Antonson", whom she married on July 24, 1928 in Boone County, Arkansas, both of them giving an address of Hasty, Newton County, Arkansas.




In the 1930 census, Lorena should be going by the surname of Antonson, being she was married in 1928 and buried under that name in 1936, however, I have not been able to locate her in the 1930 census under any name. A search for "Oscar Antonson's" in that year turns up six.
1) Born in Iowa in 1893, in an institution for the Insane. I believe this one would be far too young to have married Lou.
2) A machine operator in a Glass Plant born in 1885 in Pennsylvania and married with four children to a Jenny. Not this one either. Oldest child was 20.
3) A 38 year old roomer from Norway, boarding in Astoria, Oregon and working as a "dredge" along with a 34 year old Arthur Antonson, probably brothers.
4) The 16 year old son of John and Hilma living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
5)  Oscar with a wife Hilda and 4 older children working as a railroad car repairer in Blue Earth, Minnesota.
6)  A 41 year old dredgehand from Norway living in Portland, Oregon.

Of all of those, I would place my bets on her having married one of the guys in Oregon. Or a different one entirely. There were no Antonsons in either Arkansas or South Carolina.

With the "Cottonville" mention, I even looked to see if she was back among her sisters, the McIntyre's, who remained in Stanly County, but she was not.

What is known, is that at the time of Hartwell's passing, Sallie was alive and had married a Whitaker and Lorena was going by Davis. By 1912, Lorena was going by "L. A. Whitaker" and labeled a widow. And she was "L. A. Whitaker" when she married Oscar Antonson in 1928 in Arkansas, where her brother, E. M. Davis lived.

Name:	L A Whitaker
Gender:	Female
Age:	50
Birth Year:	abt 1878
Residence:	Hasty, Newton, Arkansas
Spouse's Name:	Oscar Antonson
Spouse's Gender:	Male
Spouse's Age:	45
Spouse's Residence:	Hasty, Newton, Arkansas
Marriage Date:	24 Jul 1928
Marriage License Date:	17 Jul 1928
Marriage County:	Boone
Event Type:	Marriage
FHL Film Number:	2026573

And of course, like a lot of women in those days, who married younger men, she fibbed about her age.



It is not known what ties Lorena may have had to White Pond. No other interments in the cemetery seem to have any ties to her. Her informant, Arthur Antonson, whether brother-in-law, or son-in-law or whatever relation he may have been, is not to be found in South Carolina, either. So a great deal of questions remain surrounding Lorena.

By 1922, when the properties of sister Wincy Catherine "Kitty" Davis Cox are divided, the Davis family shows up in this court action:



H. E. is Holm, Lilly has married a McIntyre, Lorena is now a Whitaker and Sallie is not mentioned and who is Mabel Davis?  The lands of sister Nannie Davis McIntyre is mentioned, along with brother Mathew (incorrectly spelled "Nath"). So, in 1922, another mystery is added to the mix....who is Mable Davis? She is an heir of W. C. Cox. Possibilites are that she was the only child of E. M. Davis, who is not mentioned and likely deceased by then, who has a right to her father's share. Another possibility is that she was a daughter of Kitty herself, born before her marriage to Mr. Cox. Kitty can not be located in 1900. In the 1910 census, which also listed number of children born, she is in Broughton, and no children are listed, however, that question is not answered for any of the women listed. I find it hard to believe, in that day and time, that none of the "inmates" as they were called were not mothers, so I believe, in their case, that question was just not answered.

There were a number of Mable Davis's living in the 1920's and 1930's, but with no specific location, or link to a parent, or approximate age, I've not been able to determine who exactly Mable was.

By 1923, more confusion ensues:


The Albemarle Press
(Albemarle, North Carolina)4 Jan 1923, Thu • Page 3

Lorene is still a Whitaker, Lillie McIntyre, M. A. Davis and J. S. Davis and the heirs of T. F. Davis are clearly the children of B. F. and Julia. This Mabel Davis is mentioned again, but who is Sadie Dunlap that Lillie is an Admin. of?






The Stanly News-Herald
(Albemarle, North Carolina)4 Jul 1922, Tue • Page 8


It soon gets a little more twisted. Susan Davis apparently has married a Mr. Shank, but who is Mr. Shank and where did she move to? I can not seem to find her. (After writing this, I found out that Mr. Shank was instead Martin Luther Schenck of Rowan County. He and Susan were married in Rowan County on January 9, 1916. I know it was Susan due to her name, "Susie E. Davis" and her residence, "Norwood, North Carolina."

It must have not been a happy marriage, because in the 1920 census, Martin Luther Schenck is living with his parents, without Susan, but is listed as "married", not widowed or divorced, so she was alive, somewhere...



There was a deep, mysterious problem that seemed to affect most of the daughters of Frank and Julia.



An earlier article may have a clue about what happened to Sarah Davis Whitaker.



The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)6 Aug 1903, Thu • Page 3

In 1903, she escaped from the Insane Asylulm in Morganton. I found Sallie in 1910, still in Morganton, but she was not the only one I found there.

Name	Age
Martha A Robinson	42
Viney Philmon	43
Elizabeth Chapman	43
Salie Whitaker	35
Sam Bennett	39
Thos P Alexander	72
Susie David	32
Wallace M Lewis	44
Anna L Vandergriff	65
The "Susie David" age 32, underneath 35 year old Sallie Whitaker, was actually Susie Davis, looking at the actual document.

I already knew from several years ago that Kitty Davis Cox aka Wincy Catherine Cox, had lived for most of her adult life at Broughton, and had died there in 1922. Discovering that her sisters Sallie and Susie were also there was a bit of a shock.

I turned to the microfilmed lunancy records available in the history room of our local library. I was searching for any information on Sallie or Susie, when they were admitted and maybe, just maybe, a hint why.

It was clear that Susan had been released before her 1916 marriage to Martin L. Schenck, but what of Sallie? There is no more information about her after 1910.

I did not find any information on either of them in the Lunancy records, however, what I did find was even more of a shock.

Mary Davis McIntyre, another of the sisters, was admitted under a charge of lunacy, to the same hospital on September 1, 1913.

Name:	Mary Mcintyre
Age:	36
Birth Year:	abt 1884
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Center, Stanly, North Carolina
Street:	Papler Springs Road
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Jesse Mcintyre
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	None
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Jesse Mcintyre 53 Mary Mcintyre 36 Nellie Mcintyre 18 Lucile Mcintyre 16 May Martin 21 Piner Martin 7 Paul Martin 7 Willie Martin 3 [3 6/12]

But she was back at home with her husband and children by 1920.

To make matters even more confusing, in the lunacy records was a release form for  Nannie McIntyre, a fifth Davis sister, whose status was given as "improved" by June 7, 1928.

Mary and Nannie both remained home, Mary passing away in 1938 and Nannie living until 1955.

That means, that of the 7 daughters of Frank and Julia Davis, five of them spent at least some time at Broughton Hospital in Morganton. Only the oldest, Lorena, and the youngest, Lilly, have no records of being there, although that does not mean they were not.

What was the mysterious mental illness that plagued the Davis daughters?


This post ends with a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions, more than it solves any mysteries.

When and where did Susie and Sallie pass away?

What Whitakers did Sallie and Lorena marry? Were they perhaps the same one?

Where are those 3 sisters in the missing censuses?

Who were Annie Campbell, Mable Davis and Sadie Dunlap?

Why did five Davis daughters end up committed to an Insane Asylum?

I do have a theory to perhaps the Whitaker dilemna.  In Burnsville, Anson County, not far from the Davis lands, where two of Frank's brothers settled, a William Whitaker is found with a wife Sallie in the 1900 census.

Name:	Sallie Whitaker
Age:	22
Birth Date:	Sep 1877
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	William Whitaker
Marriage Year:	1894
Years Married:	6
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother: number of living children:	0
Mother: How many children:	0
Occupation:	View on Image
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age William Whitaker 38 Sallie Whitaker 22

He is working as a farm laborer and the couple have been married 6 years and are childless. It reveals she has given birth to 0 children and 0 living. In 1903, Sallie is in the paper as having escaped from Broughton and having been recaptured. In 1910, she is an inmate there, and then, nothing else about her. In 1909, during the division of lands, Lorena is now a Whitaker, and by 1912, when she sells her inheritance, she is called a widow.

I believe William and Sallie are Sallie Davis Whitaker and that he may have divorced her while she was in Morganton. He then married her sister, Lorena. William dies before Lorena sells her property in 1912.

Wm. A. Whiteker [Wm. A. Whitaker]
Age:	10
Birth Year:	abt 1870
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Tysons, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Son
Marital Status:	Single
Father's name:	B. F. Whiteker
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Beneta C. Whiteker
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age B. F. Whiteker 33 Beneta C. Whiteker 47 Geo. W. Whiteker 12 Wm. A. Whiteker 10

The Burnsville William is the right age to be William A. Whitaker, son of Benjamin Franklin and Beneter Randle Whitaker, neighbors of the Davis family in the Tyson community in earlier days.
He also falls off the planet, but I have no proof of this.

To uncover more about the Davis daughters, I may have to give a closer look to the Whitaker family.