Short Biography of William Davis

DAVIS, WM., farmer and stockgrower, Sec. 5; P.O. Denmark; son of Ebenezer Davis, who was born at Canaan, Grafton Co., N. H., 1780, and married Sarah Scales, who was born in the same county 1790; had four sons and four daughters; the youngest of the sons, William was born in Grafton Co., N. H., 1814; had a common-school education; at the age of 16, began life as a farm laborer; remained in his native county until 1836, then came to Ohio, and in the fall of 1838, to Lee Co.; the following spring, he returned to Ohio, Athens Co., where he purchased a team, and with a load of fifteen cwt., returned to Lee Co., completing the drive in fourteen days. Sept. 9, 1840, he married Hannah, daughter of Ira Houston, one of the pioneers of Lee Co., from New Hampshire; she was born in Lyndeborough, N. H., March 28, 1820, and died Oct. 9, four weeks after her marriage. He worked two years for Parson Turner; returned to his native State, thence to Lowell, Mass., where he married Laura, daughter of Deacon John Houston (she was a cousin of his first wife); was born at Lyndeborough, N. H., 1813; returned immediately to Lee Co., and settled on the farm where he now resides, having purchased a claim of 200 acres before returning to New Hampshire, which he has since continued to cultivate and improve, and to add to until he now has 565 acres of land, with convenient and well-arranged buildings, valued at $60 per acre. Democrat. Both of his wives were members of the Congregationalist Church. Mr. Davis held the office of County Supervisor for five years.

Source: "The History of Lee County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc" ⁴⁰