DAVIS-NORTHERN-STATES-L Archives

From: "gencon" <>
Subject: [DAVIS-N] Letter written 7 July 1833 by L. [Llewellyn] Howell DAVIS
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 11:35:58 -0700

This is another old letter I have- written 7 July 1833 - 168 years ago -
from Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio.

The letter was written by Llewellyn Howell DAVIS - He dropped the Llewellyn
and went by L. Howell DAVIS.

L. Howell DAVIS was abt 23 years of age when he wrote this letter..just
these past two years have I been able to find out who all of these DAVIS'
were..
thanks to the kind people on

L. Howell DAVIS wrote the letter to his 1c Mary A. [A. stands for Adams]
DAVIS-
His father Isaac DAVIS and Mary's father Joshua DAVIS were brothers -Mary
was given her middle name from her mother Hannah [ADAMS] DAVIS' maiden name.

Hannah DAVIS [I posted her letter a couple of days ago] was Mary Adams
DAVIS' sister - WHEW~~

I don't know if L. Howell DAVIS ever married, or if he had children, I don't
know what he did for a living, when he died - but I do know his parents and
their parents etc-- back to the immigrants from Wales.

IF any of you have any knowledge of L. [Llewellyn] Howell DAVIS or any one
else mentioned in his letter, I would love to hear from you.

We are fortunate that Mary kept this letter and it has been passed down
through out the years.

FYI-
I first came in contact with the letter
in 1986 - it was on 7 Nov 1999 that I decided it needed to be preserved - so
I typed and put it on a disc..

What gave me goose bumps is that it was 166 years and 4 months between the
time he wrote his letter - and the day I recorded it-- and then something
else that I found interesting...7 July 1833 and 7 November 1999 have the
same days in the same place..He wrote the letter on Sunday the 7th of July
1833 and I typed it on Sunday 7 Nov 1999. It gave me a big grin when I
realized that!

OK - enough said - here's his letter - I will put my notations between the
[ ] brackets- so you will understand [when I do] what he is talking about-

~~~~~
"Hamilton,[Butler co. OH] July 7th, 1833

Dear Cous
This morning I devote my thoughts to you without thinking it a loss to
write. I received your favors of June 21st.
My dear Cous' you can have but a point idea of what rapturous emotions of
strange thought pleasant inexpressionable feelings your adress produced,
un-known cousin, were the very best choice of words that you could have made
discourse on intensions about one that you have never seen and to elicit a
determination to see you. I think it natural and allowable for cousins
nearly related to love and respect each other. Dear cous, there can exist
anything between us but the kindest reciprocations of feelings---
I have often projected plans of visiting our friends in York state but never
found it convenient to do so. I have rambled far to the south. I was
absent from my friends two years which time I learned the value of friends.
Though [crossed out fashion] fortunate on all my enterprises. I now live in
the biography of our family as conscientiously as I can. It consists of
eight persons, one is not, three of which have moved and left home---father,
[Isaac 3) DAVIS of Llewellyn2, Llewellyn 1) Ap DAVID- DAVIS] mother
[Elizabeth KENNEDY], sisters, Hannah, Mary and brother Isaac jr compose the
family now together. Hannah is the eldest of the family, Isaac and Mary are
the youngest. I am one by myself only.

When visits are made, Hannah as she is the oldest, she gives good advice and
the rest of us must hear it. Isaac is a very industrious, called handsome
and loves to live at home. Mary is the pett and some spoiled in that she
likes to visit me in town. Sister Nancy lives in Kentucky [Kenton, Kenton
county Kentucky] 28 miles from us. she is well situated on a good farm and
has children. Mr. [Thomas] Kennedy has been surveying public lands and has
improved his fortune very much.

Madaline [Magdalene - named after her grandmother Magdalene 3) DAVIS]
married to a John VINNIDGE jr., a young buckeye he has a well improved farm
of 160 acres---4 miles from Hamilton. They have 4 children and live well at
home.

We do not regret that we came to this country.... I now have a few lines of
unpleasant theme to write. Sister Elizabeth a child who was joy and the
lively one of our family is no more. She quit the scenes of this world last
September [1832] leaving behind an affectionate husband, Mr John McKOWEN
with three little boys to regret an impossible loss. Mr. McKOWEN has a
handsome property and will be careful of his boys. Your brother John has a
sad narration to give the friends [could that be Quakers?] and us when he
returned from the Fa.. [fatherland] if we had then trying times and that
same spring quit that country for which we had contracted a settled
[hatesed?]
was an ungenerous reverse of fortune a discovery of friends who were [--?--]
such in prosperous times has poisoned us against our native place as I have
said before, we do not regret coming to this country. Pride and ambition
were connected with ability to towards our family estate on the country
offered many opportunities for industry and enterprise and we were not idle
lookers as we have been as fortunate as we were unfortunate. Fath-- time
it as so dejected and out of spirits that he thought impossible for us or do
more than acquaint a ------ [supos--] and finish a limited education.

Isaac and myself are now both of age and have our property so fixed as to be
out of the reach of our Fa.. [he has Fa .. with a line over the two dots]
persecutors. We have 240 acres of good land with 15 dollars for acre,
besides it some capital employed in merchandizing which I attend to. You
invite me to visit you. I would do so if I could but scarcely think that I
can make it with father [Isaac DAVIS] thinks that he will visit you this
fall. I do not remember of seeing him so much elated as when he read your
letters he said that he yet had a prospect of seeing his brother [Mary's
father Joshua DAVIS] this side of the grave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is where he put the address
there were no envelops, they folded
the paper so there was a blank space
where they could put the address.
The letter was sealed with wax..the
address is in beautiful penmanship
very fancy writing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1833
MIFS [MISS] MARY A. DAVIS

Hartford
Trumbull co.
Ohio
Hamilton O.
July

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I did not like that place much. Mary, I expect when you write to me again
it will be to invite me to your wedding for the eyes being like the eastern
girls you must write soon the very day you receive this letter. I have
heard two sermons today. There is a young gentleman waiting to ride a few
miles in the country this evening. I wish it was to see you. I would
rather see you than anyone that I know this evening."

He signed the letter along the left side of the page.."Your affectionate
cousin L. Howell DAVIS"

Along the edge of the 2nd sheet he wrote "Our family all joins in sending
love."

Along the edge of left side of the 1st sheet he wrote "Mary as you are not
settled yet, I think you and one of your brothers might visit us..do come I
want to see you."

This last part [below] of his letter is written across the main body of the
letter -

(Cous--I am not in general an egotist but my excuse is obvious I know that
you must have been concerned about us for your brother [John] knows that our
prospects were gloomy when we embarked for this country.) I am glad that you
have quit the cold and ice country of York [her family moved from Aurelius,
Cayuga, New York] but I think that you have not ventured south enough yet.
I have been in Trumbul county and Mercer county where your brother Howell
has settled."


Mary Adams DAVIS was married 2 years later in Trumbull county, Ohio on 3
June 1835 TO Francis 8) HAYNES - They became our 1st great grandparents.
Francis was the judge of Trumbull county for many years.

Here is another thought - on the heading of his letter he wrote HAMILTON 7
July 1833- was that Hamilton county, Ohio or was that Hamilton, Butler
county, Ohio?

Wilma Fleming Haynes

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• [DAVIS-N] Letter written 7 July 1833 by L. [Llewellyn] Howell DAVIS by "gencon" <>