I Am Who I Am: I Am Ancestors A Plenty

Across the ocean I really began with many hearts beating. 

I am who I am, but who am I? 

This journey has taken me through many census pages looking and seeking parts of me that came to America many years ago.

There were two changes in my life that started me on my Daviss Journey.

The first one started one day in June 1961.

I was sitting on Agneda Taylor Hodge's front porch in Altus Oklahoma.  She was the sister of my brothers wife Gwen. 

I spotted this man walking on the grounds of Lincoln High School located next door.
His back was to me but his walk looked oh so familiar.
In fact he had that cool walk just like my brother Theodore and his frame, head and all, resembled his.

I asked Agneda if she knew who he was. She said it was Prof Davis, the school principal.

My ears perked up; Prof Davis, how does he spell his name? Heck if she said Daviss with that extra S then he had to be a part of me. One "S" she said, but now that I think about it, he does kind of look like your brother. 

Agneda used the terminology Prof instead of Professor. That made me think that she must think well of this man Prof or was that a term used in a small town where everyone knows everyone.

I can’t remember if the sail went out of my boat but I did dismiss the connection because all I knew was that I had Two S’s in my Daviss.

A couple days later this lady came over who was a teacher at the school. We got into a conversation and she told me her name was Mrs Jones, but just call her G.G. like the rest of them. (another sign of familiarity) but knowing my age and manners, I stuck to Mrs Jones. 
Prof Davis name came up and I told her what I told Agneda, about him walking like my brother.

Well this teacher asked me what my parents names were and where were they from?  Of course I said Theodore with two S’s on the Davis and that he lived in Denver Colorado.
She told me that Prof had a brother named Ted who lived in Denver. She was not sure if his real name was Theodore nor if he was known as one S or two but she would find out from Prof.

Thinking to myself, my Denver dad is a two S kind of guy.

The next day there was a knock on the door and bless my heart, there stood that man who was walking on the school house grounds with a picture album in his hand.  He came in the house, opened the book and said to me. Is this your father?

Staring back at me was a photo from long ago that was a duplicate of the very one in an album I had. 

That man had a big grin on his face. He was my father’s brother! Wright Cuney Daviss, son of James Penn and Betty Owens Daviss.

                                                                                                                        

Prof Davis was actually Prof Daviss! Wow, I got a good hug out of that one and I returned the favor and hugged him back.

A two S Daviss carrying a one S name. 

That revelation blew me away but it also put in the back of my mind if I was related to other one S Davis somewhere in this here universe. (that is another story for later).

The second journey was after I moved to Dallas.

Again there was a knock on the door. This time it was a young lady in a white hat cocked to the side, and standing next to her was a nice looking gentleman.

The young lady said, Are you Vicky?
Yessssss, that’s me as I looked at them out of the side of one eye.  Rolling around in my  mind I was thinking, what in the heck do they want with me?

The young lady said, I’m your cousin. I’m Erma Jewell and our fathers are brothers. My father is John Pierce Daviss, and this is my husband Richard Lewis.

Erma Jewell and I got to be quite close after that.
I would drive down to Conroe Texas and visit Uncle John, Aunt Harriett along with Cousin Erma.

I learned that Erma Jewell and Richard called each other Buddy. I thought that was the cutest thing.

On one visit I drove down, trailed her to Navasota and Piedmont where they were having a Homecoming Celebration at Little Flock Baptist Church.
It was then I met  my aunts Jessie (Miss), Elena and Jimmie, Uncles Spencer, Harry, Owens and Uncle Zeke. 

I also did a double take when I saw my aunt/cousin Romona Burks Daviss, whom I had not seen in years when I lived in Los Angeles.

She was visiting her sister Cammie. My mom, grandfather, and the rest of my siblings went over to cousin Cammie's for dinner. 

At the time I had no idea that she was married to my uncle Harry. I just knew we were cousins on the Burks side.

I wanted to know more about my family.

I was too late to meet a grandmother or grandfather on that side.
I am told though that I had been here on numerous occasions as a baby, that Aunt Jimmie had kept me quite often, and my brother Theodore even lived there and went to a school by the name of Carver in Navasota. 

What got me was Aunt Elena; When I walked over to meet and tell her who I was, she already knew. She told me that she had thought about me every day for 26 years...26 years! Why, that was exactly how old I was.  

So here I am: Who for the life of me am I

Who were these people that I spring from? Where did they live, what did they do for a living. 

They had to be strong people

They prayed for their children, they farmed the land, they taught their children in school and they helped bring life into the neighbor women who were about to give birth. 

Louis Cooper registered to vote in 1867.  He was the husband of Mary White He had to be a strong man to even register and so close to the end of slavery.

I am Louis Cooper

On the 1880 census Mary White Cooper who was the grandmother of James Penn Daviss, was a widow. Her husband Louis passed away and left her to work for shares in order to eat and feed the rest of the children.

I found her not only on the population census but on the Agricultural census as well where it shows how many cows and mules she had and the crops she grew. Talk about a strong woman.

 I am Mary White Cooper

Louis and Mary's Children  Sallie, Lydia, Jerry, Cherry, Anna, Roxie and Eliza all grew up to have children of their own. 
They are the Zephyrs, Williams, Scott's, Nelms, Minors, Boggess, Parhams, Mathis, and numerous others who all stem from those roots. 

I am Louis and Mary's Children

Living a couple houses up was one of her daughters Sallie.  Sally was married to Ed Kinney at the time and the census shows that James and Leah were the step-children. Sally later married James Conway.

I am Sally White Cooper Conway and James Conway

James, Sallie’s son grew up and married Betty Owen daughter of Thornton and Francis Bradley Owen . They had 8 children. 5 girls and 3 boys. 

James Penn became a teacher and a preacher, and after his wife Betty Owen passed away he married Gertrude Sims Pierce.
Together they combined their children, along with Gertrude bringing Elo and Jimmie Pierce into the marriage.
James Penn and Gertrude had seven children together.  6 boys and 1 girl. 

I am each and every one of those 17 children of  the Owen and Sims Women

I am James Penn Daviss and Gertrude Sims Pierce Daviss.

I am the thoughts that filtered through their minds concerning God, Family and Education. 

Just like that old time favorite licorice candy called Good and Plenty filled to the top of the box

I am one of the children who grace this Room of Ancestors A Plenty, with twigs, limbs, and leaves. Whose visions, strength come from the Room of Ancestors A Plenty of hatched roofs, trunks, branches and roots prior to merging into one. 

Like that little wooden church in the country called little Flock Baptist Church or the old homestead of each of our fore-parents. 

Where the Rooms of Ancestors A Plenty in Georgia, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California, Wisconsin and Michigan our blood runs deep.

It flows from one to another like the limbs on that Baobab Tree in Africa.

 I am each and every one of you: For that I am eternally grateful and I Thank God. 

Caught In The Middle Of A Name

Oh Aunt Hettie, I just found out your middle name!

It's Lorraine just like a cousin of mine on my paternal Daviss side. That name even suits you to a tee now that I think about it. Nat King Cole even recorded a song called Sweet Lorraine
He sings in the song how he can't wait to marry Sweet Lorraine. I can imagine Uncle Shug felt that same way when he popped the question to you years ago.

I won't show the image here where I saw your middle name due to privacy concerns but I did find you in the census with your parents John and Mary Dove Johnson in Harrison County Texas for verification of my records.



click to enlarge or view excerpt




I remember the time when I was small visiting Marshall with my mom. We went to your house to
see you and Uncle Shug. I stayed there for a couple hours while mom and your son C.W. went to find Morton Jr.

I don't remember spending the night but I do remember you sitting in the kitchen churning butter. Of course curious me sat down next to you instead of playing with the cousins. I wanted to do what you were doing, and ease my mind on how you could make butter like that.

You gently told me from start to finish the process. I wish that I had been older and had a camera to take a picture of those strong wonderful hands. I can see visions in my head now of those yellow flecks, and also the toppings that later became buttermilk.

When it was time for me to leave as I was going out the door, I looked right and left for that cow who started all that business that you went through and finished.

Aunt Hettie Lorraine you were awesome then and remain so in my memory.


Not to let my paternal side get off free, I also found out in my researching my Aunt Bernice's middle name. I had always known the initial was a C but never knew what it stood for.

I even thought it was Cooper for awhile because Uncle Owens middle name was Cooper.
Now that is a story within itself. Owens after his mom's maiden last name and Cooper after his grandmother's maiden name.


My cousins and I went on a research trip to Anderson Texas several years ago and one of the gems we found was the Delayed Birth Certificate of Aunt Bernice. A great resource when you had to have proof to being born for mainly legal purposes.

Now this is a record I can use for verification because the person who attested was present at the birth.

Bernice Cordelia Daviss! I wonder where this name came from. I did see a 1910 census where my grandparents were seen several living houses down from the Bassetts.

The way the make up is of the land is and how the enumerator took the census, they could very well be living next door to each other. I am so quick to believe that Cordelia Bassett was the person she was named after even though more research is needed to verify that.

Here is the excerpt from Ancestry

Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Justice Precinct 1, Grimes, Texas; Roll: T624_1555; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0027; ; FHL
microfilm: 1375568.

Aunt Bernice and I never got to meet in person but oh what good stories I have heard about her. I did talk to her over the telephone on several occasions and for that I am eternally grateful.


You know me, I wanted to see if anyone had the name Middle and guess what! I found a young man, son of Minnie Adams with the middle name of Middle in Caddo County Louisiana in the 1900 census.


click to enlarge or view excerpt:



Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Police Jury Ward 5, Caddo, Louisiana; Roll: 559; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0032; FHL microfilm: 1240559.

Not to be undone I thought I would look for someone whose first name was Middle. What do you know, I found her in Oklahoma.

Middle is the eleven month old daughter of Walter and Mable Freeman.


click to enlarge or view excerpt:



Source Citation: Year: 1920; Census Place: Armstrong, Nowata, Oklahoma; Roll: T625_1478; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 59; Image: 264.

I guess next time I will look for someone whose first name is First with a middle name Middle. LOL (Just playing)

My initial thinking in all of this was the hope that I could find out the maiden name of one of my great grands.

After looking at all the familiar first and middle names that my greats named their children, I went though the area my ancestors lived in the 1880 census and tried matching those names with my peeps.

Although I came up empty, my next stop is the 1870 census Harrison County Texas.

Beyond These Walls My Ancestors Stood

These are my thoughts beyond these walls where my ancestors stood as if I were there.


Monday thru Sunday:

Very early in the morning, swing those legs out from under the cover and get prepared for a hard days work. All of you have chores to do.
The creaking of the wooden floor is getting louder and louder as the kids climb out of bed one by one.

Grandmother you have to start breakfast as soon as you put that apron on. Its hanging on that nail in back of the kitchen door.
I guess homemade biscuits would be the first thing to go into the stove.

One of you girls, go outside and grab a few of those eggs from the hen house while little Gert, starts making those sausage into patties.

Elo, grab that pail over yonder and get some water from the well.

Nannie, hand me that butter you churned last week and put some on the table along with a pitcher of milk.

Elena, you can set the table and use the red checkered tablecloth this time.

I hear that screen door shut more than once. Bang, bang, bang! It must be the boys going out to do a few chores before they sit down to eat.

Toot, quick chasing that tom turkey and bring me about two more pieces of wood to throw in the stove.


Harry, John and Spencer you all come on in here now, breakfast is ready!!
Call your daddy and James Edgar ! Be quick about it before the food gets cold. You know your daddy likes his food hot.

I see grandpa picking up his bible to read a verse before any fork, spoon or cup can be touched. No telling which verse it is because every word is his favorite. flip,flip flip go the pages until he finds the right one to suit this day. Now its time to say Amen!.

Isiaah, pass the biscuits please.


Monday thru Saturday:

Late in the evening sometime after dinner there are clothes to mend. The children have to get their clothes ready for school the next day.

Wright Cuney, you and Owen go in there and help your daddy! I know he has something for you to do instead of being underfoot.
Its enough with Jessie and James Eugene crawling and tugging on my dress hem. You boys could be filling up that number two tub so that your bath can be ready.

Whose turn is it to plait the girls hair?

I know its not Bernice's because she did it yesterday.

Bettie you are sitting there so quiet and looking around like you know whose turn it is.


Sunday:

Church and more church at Little Flock Baptist Church.

Will all family members at the sound of my voice say Amen and please stand and sing

"Onward Christian Soldiers" Amen!!

Those who said Amen were my grandparents James Penn Daviss and his wife Gertrude Sims Daviss.

My great aunts and uncles James Edgar, Owen, Wright Cuney, Bernice, Nannie, Gertrude,Bettie, Elena, Harry, John, Spencer, Isiaah, James Eugene, Jessie, and Elo.

My father Theodore

My great grandparents James and Sallie Cooper Conway, John and Sallie Jefferson Lewis

Plenty of cousins: Nelms, Scotts, Steptoe, Williams, Thompsons, White and others.

1880 Agri-Census: Oh Mary, I Can't Tell You Not To Weep:

I had been looking and looking for my 3rd great-grandparents Louis and Mary White Cooper together in the 1870 Census in Grimes County Texas but with no success. I did find my grams in 1880 as a widow, and have been linking her children with wives and husbands since then.
I finally, without hurting these tired soles of mine, jumped for joy when I ran across the 1880 Agricultural Census taken in Anderson, Grimes County, Texas on June 1st 1880, and saw her name, Mary Cooper!!!
I would assume that she was a widow on this date because she is the only one listed on the sheet with the Cooper name. Two other persons listed are Henry Mathis the next door neighbor and Robert Parham the son in law of Louis Cooper's daughter Lydia.

According to the census my ggg-grandmother rented shares of land for a portion of the profits totaling 30 acres of pasture or meadow land,and another 100 acres of mowed lawn which probably was used to gather hay. The value of the land, including the fencing was around 150 dollars,and another 80 dollars for the livestock.
She didn't have use of a horse but she did have 4 oxen that she used to plow. I sure wish I knew who helped her with these chores. She had one son Jerry Cooper and the rest were girls.

Oh Mary, I can't tell you not to weep! My mind is visually looking at you now and I don't know how you did it. Why did you have to become a widow now with all those mouths to feed and only one man to help you work the fields.
I know your girls had to help but my God, what you all went through. Cutting all that wood into cords and still had to split with someone else. Sheesh!!

I am also wondering what may have bought you the most money. I see you had only 12 chickens and 12 other types of poultry. It may have been turkeys or those little guinea hens. They only produced 12 dozen eggs in 1879. Well, you did plant acres of Indian corn and oats,Canada Peas and dry beans to acquire a little more money.

Oh Mary, I can't tell you not to moan either! I am hoping that all the things you needed to take care of your family was at home on your own piece of land. Things like a little garden, some cows for fresh milk and a few pigs or hogs. Maybe a pond out back where there was plenty of catfish and sunfish. And trees galore with peaches and pecans and black walnuts.
And above all, I am wishing that you had piece of mind My dear Mary, where you could look out at night and know your children were safe and sound.