Job's Children: The End of TF Davis

Thomas Franklin Davis was the son of Benjamin Franklin Davis. Benjamin Franklin Davis was the oldest son of Henry Davis and Henry Davis was the oldest son of the namesake of this blog, Job Davis.

T. F. Davis was a middle child, born fifth in line in the march of children. He first appears in the 1870 census, when the family was still living in Tyson Township, Stanly County, North Carolina.

Name:

B F Davis

Age in 1870:

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

The neighbors surrounding the family at this time included Lee's, Crumps, Mortons, Easley's, Shankles, Carpenters and Aldridge's; names reminiscent of the Tyson and Cottonville area.

Thomas was likely born within a year after his father's return from the Civil War. The area was devastated and his Grandfather, Henry Davis, had passed away just before his birth.

Name:

Thomas F. Davis

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1865

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Steeles, Richmond, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Son

Marital Status:

Single

Father's name:

Benjimine F. Davis

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's name:

Julia A. Davis

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

View others on page

Occupation:

Laborer

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

It was in Richmond County that Thomas Frank Davis would meet Susan Peele. Susan Peele was also the member of a large Victorian era family, daughter of Fletcher Peele of Marlboro County, South Carolina and Anna "Nannie" Livingston Peele of Richmond County, North Carolina.

Name:

Susan Peelle

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1866

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Williamson, Richmond, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Daughter

Marital Status:

Single

Father's name:

Fletcher Peelle

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's name:

Anna Peelle

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

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Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

View image

Household Members:

Name	Age
Fletcher Peelle	48
Anna Peelle	38
Matilda Peelle	20
John F. Peelle	18
Lou Peelle	16
Susan Peelle	14
Anna Peelle	12
Sarah Peelle	7
Mary Peelle	5
Hugh Peelle	3
Henry Peelle	10m

Thomas and Susan would marry in 1886 and were living together in 1900 in the Mark's Creek area of Richmond County. After the death of his father, Benjamin Franklin Davis, his mother, sisters and single brother Hartwell Alexander Davis, had moved back to Stanly County. Hartwell died in 1902 and brothers, Holm, Math and John S. Davis had remained in Richmond County and raised their families there, along with Thomas F. Davis.

Thomas F. Davis and wife Susan Peele Davis would have 6 children, 5 daughters and one son.

Name:

Thomas Davis

Age:

Birth Date:

Jul 1865

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1900:

Marks Creek, Richmond, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Head

Marital Status:

Married

Spouse's Name:

Susan Davis

Marriage Year:

1886

Years Married:

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

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Neighbors:

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Household Members:

Name	Age
Thomas Davis	34
Susan Davis	33
Anna C Davis	12
Cora E Davis	9
Flsie M Davis	7
Katie M Davis	5
Pearl Davis	3
Frank Davis	7/12

It appears that Tom had the sad inheritance of his grandfather Henry Davis's curse of alchoholism. The 1900 census is the only one that he and his wife and children would appear in. Below is the Stanly County account of what happened.

Source Citation

By 1880, older brothers Holm and Matt had struck out on their own and the family had moved to Richmond County. It is unknown what countered the move. The size of the family had increased and two sisters, Nannie and Lilly Mae had yet to make an appearance.

The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)25 Jan 1906, Thu • Page 2

This is the Richmond County account of what occured.

The Randolph Bulletin
(Asheboro, North Carolina)25 Jan 1906, Thu • Page 1

Henry Robert Peele was the youngest son of Fletcher and Nannie Peele. In 1910, four years after the shooting and death of Thomas F. Davis, he was single and living at home with his parents. He would later marry Mattie Smith and have his own family, passing away in 1941 of throat cancer at the age of 61. So, what was the final verdict in the case of the death of T. F. Davis?

During his WWI draft registration,in 1917-1918 he is described as being of medium height and build and having blue eyes and gray hair at the age of 39. He aged very rapidly.

But it appears H. R. Peele was never charged or tried for a crime in the death of T. F. Davis. It seemed a matter of self-defense and defense of his mother Nannie. Sadly, T. F. Davis had brought his ending upon himself and it was not a good one.

Henry R. Peele continued to live a good life, it appears, even serving in the local government in small offices and

Rockingham Post-Dispatch
(Rockingham, North Carolina)7 Apr 1921, Thu • Page 1

Mark's Creek Presbyterian Church Congregation 1911 near Hamlet, NC

Susan Peele Davis never remarried.

Name:

Susan Davis

Age in 1910:

Birth Year:

abt 1868

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1910:

Blue Springs, Robeson, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Head

Marital Status:

Widowed

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Native Tongue:

English

Occupation:

Farmer

Industry:

General

Employer, Employee or Other:

Employer

Home Owned or Rented:

Own

Home Free or Mortgaged:

Free

Farm or House:

Farm

Able to Read:

Yes

Able to Write:

Yes

Number of Children Born:

Number of Children Living:

Out of Work:

Number of weeks out of work:

Neighbors:

View others on page

Household Members:

Name	Age
Susan Davis	42
Annie Davis	22
Corah Davis	20
Flossie Davis	18
Katie Davis	16
Pearl Davis	14
Frank Davis	12

After the death of her husband, Susan moved the family from Mark's Creek, Richmond County to Blue Springs in Robeson County, which later became part of the new county of Hoke, in 1911.

She is shown in Blue Springs in the 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940 census records.

Blue Springs is south of the town and Raeford, North Carolina where Native Americans outnumber Caucasians, making up 25% of the population, while African Americans are the majority at 40%

Races in Blue Springs township:

White Non-Hispanic: 22.3%
Black: 40.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native: 25.8%
Asian: 0.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
Hispanic or Latino: 8.9%
Two or more races: 1.4%
Some other race: 0.4%

Susan Peele Davis passed away on January 15, 1946 and is buried at Tabernacle Cemetery in Scotland County, North Carolina.

Susan <i>Peele</i> Davis

The Children of Tom and Susan Davis were:

1) Anna Lee Davis - born November 1, 1887. Married Charlie H. Campbell.
Died January 27, 1973 in Hamlet, Richmond County, North Carolina.

2) Cora Ethel Davis - born Oct. 17, 1890. Married 1st) Malcolm B. Fletcher. Married 2nd ) Clifford Thomas Hill. Two daughters: Ethel Blanche Fletcher Overton (1921-2006) and Lula Mae Fletcher Cain Lewellyn (1924- ). Cora Ethel Davis Fletcher Hill died January 5, 1886 in Asheboro, Randolph County, North Carolina.

3) Flossie Mae Davis - born Oct. 27, 1892. Married Belton John Livingston, Sr. Seven children: Eunice Davis Livingston Odum (1916 - 2008), Dorothy Mae Livingston Robinson (1919 - 2011),
John Thomas Livingston (1921-1944), Belton John Livingston, Jr. b 1924, Twins: Cora Livingston Lukehart (1925-1978) and Dora Livingston Adcox (b 1925), Walter Rea Livingston (1929-2006).
Flossie Mae Davis Livingston died on December 3, 1969 in Laurenburg, Scotland County, North Carolina.

4) Kate McLean Davis - born June 2, 1895. Married Albert Rowland Currie. Seven children:
Irvin Raymond Currie (1921-2004), Daniel Frank Currie (1923-1997), Twins: Jean McLean Currie
Odum (1926-2005), Rowland Eugene Currie (1926-1997), Sarah Frances Currie Harvey Blue (1929-2001), Thomas Davis Currie (1932- ), Robert Neil Currie (1937-1953). Kate McLean Davis Currie died on December 29, 1986 in Lumberton, Robeson County, North Carolina.

5) Pearl Davis - born September 11, 1897. Married 1st) Archie R. Livingston. Three children;
Mary Elizabeth Livingston (1927-1937), Archie Clyde Livingston (1930-1997) and Edna Pearl Livingston Davis (1932 - 2015). With Mary Elizabeth passing away as a child and Archie Clyde having never married, all of Pearls grandchilden came from Edna. With Flossie Mae having also married a Livingston, and with Edna having married a Davis, I had to look into those two families to see if they were connected.

And they certainly were. Archibald R. Livingston and Belton John Livingston were brothers, sons of John and Mary Smith Livingston.

Name:

Belton John Livingston

Age:

Birth Date:

Jun 1886

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1900:

Laurel Hill, Scotland, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Son

Marital Status:

Single

Father's name:

John Livingston

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's name:

Martha Livingston

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

View on Image

Neighbors:

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Household Members:

Name	Age
John Livingston	56
Martha Livingston	46
Archibald Livingston	26
Hector Livingston	16
Belton John Livingston	13
Hattie Livingston	11
Eva Livingston	7
Mary Livingston	81

As for the Davis that Edna married, he was a cousin.

Willie Nelson Davis was born May 13, 1926 in Scotland County, North Carolina. He and Edna Livingston Davis would have 5 children between 1951 and 1960.

Below is the family tree between Willie Nelson Davis and Edna Pearl Livingston Davis.

Benjamin Franklin Davis and wife Julia Ann Sibley Davis:

sons:

John S. Davis -brothers - Thomas Franklin Davis

wife wife

Carrie Frances Peele -cousins- Susan A. Peele

daughter of daughter of

Robert J Peele - brothers - Fletcher Peele

Sons of Robert Peele and Mary Adams Peele

& &

Martha Livingston -sisters - Annie "Nannie" Livingston

Daughters of Hugh Alexander Livington and Mary Gibson

son daughter

Rochester Davis multi-layered cousins Pearl Davis

wife husband
Ada Norton Archibald R. Livingston
(Grandson of Hugh A. Livingston
and Mary Gibson)

Son Daughter

Willie Nelson Davis -married- Edna Pearl Livingston

The Livingston, Davis and Peele families were so intertwined, it's difficult to decipher the relationships.

And to the last, youngest and only son of Thomas Franklin Davis and wife, Susanna Peele.

Thomas F. Davis Jr. born Oct 7, 1899 - died April 17, 1991. Married Fannie "Frankie" Currie (1897-1977). Five children: Paul Lynwood Davis (1923-1999), Thomas Franklin Davis III (1925-2007),
Bennie Lee Davis (1928-1973), Kenneth Currie Davis (1932-2013), Eloise Davis Thomas Wade (1924-1987).

Thomas Franklin Davis, Sr. lived a short and wreckless life, but was survived by 6 children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was Great Grandson of Job Davis and a branch of the Davis family tree.