William Foster Davis
On Section twenty-eight of Fairmount Township, adjoining the corporation limits of the little city, is situated the well improved farm and snug homestead of William Foster Davis, a citizen whose entire life has been passed within the limits of Grant County, and who as a farmer has given an excellent account of his energy, and has displayed much public spirit in the life of the community. He is in the third generation of the Davis family in Grant County, and his grandfather located here about eighty years ago, when all the county was new and when civilization was first getting a firm foothold in this region. His grandfather Harvey Davis was the founder of the family in Grant County. Harvey Davis was born in Randolph County, North Carolina, and the family for a number of generations have lived in that State, and were of the Wesleyan Methodist religious faith. Harvey Davis was born about 1804, was reared on a farm, and first married in his native locality. About 1833 he and his wife and children came north after the fire of that time. There was not a railroad of any importance in the entire country and wagon trail, canal, river highways and pack-trains, were the chief modes of transportation, in every portion of the country. It is noteworthy that a large part of the early settlers of Grant County located in religious groups or colonies, of which the Quakers were, of course, the most numerous. The Davis family were part of the Wesleyan Back Creek Community in Liberty Township. They settled in the midst of the green woods on the Range Line Road, and there the grandfather cleared out a space, erected a log cabin with the aid of his neighbors, and planted his first crop among the stock. His labors eventually resulted in the clearing up of more than one hundred acres, and he was in his time a prosperous and substantial farmer. His first wife died on the old homestead in Liberty Township in 1867. In that year smallpox was epidemic in Grant County, and she fell a victim to that dread disease. She was then about fifty years of age. Her husband married for his second wife a Miss Smithson, and for a good many years afterwards lived on the Smithson farm in Fairmount Township. Quite late in life he retired to the city of Fairmount, and there died about twenty-five years ago, at t the good old age of eighty-five. His second wife died some four or five years later, and was then nearly four score years of age. Both were Wesleyan Methodists, while the grandfather was probably a Whig in his early voting days, and later a Republican. They were the parents of seven children, four sons and three daughters, all of whom grew up and married and all had children. Those still living of this family are: Henry Davis, who is mentioned in the following paragraph: Foster Davis, for many years a well known lawyer in Marion, and a farmer soldier of the Civil war now living retired with his family at Marion; Harvey, Jr., the younger of the living sons went through the war as a Union soldier, lost his wife some years ago, but still has living children, and lives in the National Soldiers Home at Marion.
Dr. Henry Davis, the father, was born in Liberty Township, and is now seventy-four years of age. He grew up on a farm and acquired the art and practiced veterinary surgery. He is now living in Fairmount City, but owns a fine farm of one hundred acres in Section Thirty-one of that township, and was an active agriculturist until about thirty years ago. Since taking up his residence in Fairmount, he has devoted most of his time to veterinary work. He is now seventy-four years of age, and still is smart and active. He was married in Madison County to Sarah Ann Jones, who was born in North Carolina, and when a small girl was brought to Madison County, Indiana. Her parents lived and died in Boone Township of that county, where her father as a pioneer, improved a good farm. The Jones family were member of the Christian Church, and reared five children of whom one Samuel Jones, is now living on a farm in Boone Township and is a bachelor. Mrs. Henry Davis died February 16, 1911, at the age of sixty-nine. She and her husband were communicants of the Wesleyan faith, while has always been a Republican in politics. The children of Henry Davis and wife are mentioned thus: William Foster; Julia Ann and Charles, both of whom died young; Emma is the wife of George L. Mittank, a farmer in Fairmount Township, and has four children, one son and three daughters; Lydia, died at the age of sixteen; John lives on his father's farm in Section, Thirty-one of Fairmount Township, and by his marriage to Darl Hasting, daughter of Robert Hastings, has one son and one daughter living, while they have lost one son and a daughter.
William Foster Davis was born June 16, 1860. His early schooling was acquired in Liberty and Fairmount Township, and early in life he made choice of vocations as a farmer. As a result of hard work and steadily thrifty management, he and his wife have found prosperity, and now own eighty acres of land in Section Twenty-eight, close to the corporation line of Fairmount City. Among the farm in this vicinity The Davis estate compares favorably with any, and has many evidences of progressive management. In the midst of trees stands the comfortable farm dwelling, while a good barn shelters the grain and stock, and all the buildings are made attractive with paint and cleanly surroundings.
Mr. Davis was married March 17, 1881, to Amanda Mittank, who was born in Fairmount Township, August 19, 1860. Her training and education were received in this county, which has been her home all her life. Her parents are Michael and Eliza J. (Dickerson) Mittank. Her father is a native of Pennsylvania, while her mother was born in Indiana, and they were married in Grant County. Her father has for many years been a resident of Grant County, has been thrifty farmer, and is now living retired in Fairmount city at the good old age of eighty-four years. The mother died in 1878 at the age of forty-five years. She was a member of the Christian Church. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Davis were born four children. Leroy died at the age of five years, while Robert died when three years of age; Belle, born May 30, 1888, was graduated from the Fairmount High School in 1910, and now lives at home; Clarkson, born August 7, 1890, is a graduate of the public schools and his father's able assistant on the farm. The children attend the Methodist Sunday School.
Centennial History of Grant County Indiana 1812-1912. The Lewis Publishing Co., 1914.