Judge Jesse T. Davis

Born: 29 JAN 1831 at Marion County, West Virginia
Died: unknown
Buried: unknown

Married: 14 NOV 1854 to Julia A. McDonald, (wid. of David McDonald.)

Born: abt. 1832 in Indiana
Died: unknown
Buried: unknown

Children:
Elizabeth, b. 9 JUN 1857, d. 31 MAR 1858, bur. DeSoto Cemetery, Washington Co., Nebraska
Ada (Addie), b. abt 1858.
Blanch, b. 12 FEB 1860, d. 19 AUG 1865, bur. DeSoto Cemetery
Edwin, b. 24, JUL 1862, d. 20 JUL 1865, bur. DeSoto Cemetery
Hortense, b. abt. 1865
Abe L., b. abt. 1867
Jesse T., b.19 JAN 1870, d. 8 AUG 1871, bur. DeSoto Cemetery
Tessa, b. 5 JAN 1872, d. 10 SEP 1872, bur. DeSoto Cemetery
Jay Fred, b. abt. 1874

Grandchildren:
Ora Bramhall, b. abt 1869
Tracy Bramhall, b. abt 1874.

Biography Album of Northeastern Nebraska, pub. 1893:
JUDGE JESSE T. DAVIS one of the leading attorneys of Blair, Washington County, Nebraska, was born in Marion County, West Virginia, January 28, 1831. On his father’s side of the family tree they were Welsh people that came from Wales in 1700; they settled in Delaware. On his mother’s side, they came from the Isle of Man and they also settled in Delaware. Subsequently both families moved to West Virginia and settled on the Monongahela River. The great-grandfather, John W. Davis, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. His grandfather John W. Davis of the same name, was a soldier in the War of 1812. His son, Conrad C. Davis, was born in 1800 in Delaware and when about one year of age went with his parents to West Virginia, where he grew to manhood and received his education at the Subscription schools. In 1820, he was united in marriage to Eliza M. Morgan, daughter of Joseph Morgan, who was a nephew of General Morgan, the great Indian warrior. They settled in West Virginia, where a family of eleven children were born; Eunice A., (wife of Thomas A. Wilcox of West Virginia); Julia A., died at the age of forty-six years. Louisa A., married H. Z. Leonard, who is now Consul at London, Canada, his wife died at the age of fifty-three years. William C., of Marietta, Ohio, clerk in a bank; Jesse T., the subject of this sketch; Silas M. died in St. Louis in 1854 with cholera; Rachel, (wife of Rev. Joseph J. Tygart of Ohio); Josina, a resident of Blair, Nebraska; Eliza A., (wife of Limney A. Wilcox of Blair, Nebraska); Felix R. of the same place and one who died in infancy.

In 1870, Mr. Davis came to Blair where he died two years later, being seventy-two years of age. Mrs. Davis died at the same place aged eighty-six years.

The Judge is a self-made man, never attending school but three weeks in his life. He learned the carpenter’s trade and at the age of twenty-three years left home and was engaged on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers as ship carpenter. February 14, 1854, he left West Virginia and came west and was on the old "Banner State" as ship carpenter and landed in Council Bluffs, April 7, 1854, where he followed his trade.

April 8, the same year, he came across the Missouri River where he worked on claim shanties for James Mitchell at Florence and Hadley S. Johnson on land which is now occupied for Fort Omaha. He then helped to erect the first building in Omaha. November 14, 1854, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Julia A. McDonald, widow of David McDonald who died enroute to California in 1852, near Fort Kearney. April 17, 1855, he moved to a farm near DeSoto, where he lived one year and then moved into the village of DeSoto where he followed his trade. Having but a limited education (and quite so, for he could neither read nor write) he commenced to study for himself and in 1859 he took up the study of law and, in the meantime, worked at his trade. He was admitted to the Bar at the September term of court in 1863. At that time there were three judicial districts and he was appointed clerk of the third district. He was elected Probate Judge in 1863 and held the office four years. In the autumn of 1866, he was elected the first State Senator of his district and hence was a member of the First State Legislature of Nebraska which located the state buildings. He was the first coroner elected in Washington County and was considered one of the best constables of that day. In 1873, he was elected as county Judge, serving until 1878. He was deputy United States assessor from 1867 to 1871, his district comprising all of the territory in the State north of the Platte River, except Sarpy and Douglas Counties. Politically, he is a Republican, casting his first vote for Winfield Scott, in 1852, as a whig.

Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of two sons and two daughters; Addie, Hortense, Abe L., and Jay Fred. The Judge is a member of the Knight Templar degree of Masonry and Past Master of the Blue Lodge; also first Hight Priest of the Chapter, and first Eminent Commander of the Commandry at Blair. He has been Deputy Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of Nebraska.

Source: Ruth Moss, Washington County Genealogical Society