Sixth Generation

60. Samuel Davidson²⁷ was born in 1766 in Albemarle County, Virginia.²⁷ He died on 12 Sep 1845 in Marion County, Illinois.²⁷
From Lillie Pauline White, Jennings, Davidson and Allied Families:

SAMUEL DAVIDSON, SR. of Marion County, Ill.
The above Samuel Davidson, Sr., was about seventeen years of age when his father and others moved to Kentucky, and he took a man's place in the company, leading a pack horse and carrying a gun to help protect the travelers and their stock from hostile Indians. The family settled in Lincoln County, where Stanford is now located. There the lad grew to manhood and on Feb. 15, 1797, was married to Sarah (Sallie) Logan, the beautiful daughter of John and Anne (McClure) Logan, formerly of Botetourt Co., Va., who had also moved to Kentucky. To this union were born twelve children, ten of whom are listed above. The other two, born probably between George (1804) and Anne (1809) died in infancy.
Samuel Davidson was generally known as Major, a title acquired in the War of 1812. The Marion County. Ill., History has the following to say regarding his war service: "Mr. Davidson was a major in the War of 1812, under Col. Dick Johnson, and had four brothers in the same regiment. He was a large, portly man, a most excellent citizen, but was always ready and willing to resent an insult or defend himself against any personal violence."
It seems that Major Davidson's service was mostly that of defending the settlements against the warring Indians, for an incident is related that refers to such an engagement. On this occasion, while riding through the woods, they came upon the Indians. The order was given to dismount and fasten their horses. Samuel, evidently thinking they were in for an all day's job, tied his mount very securely to a tree. The Indians, however, soon retreated and when the order came to remount and pursue, Samuel found he could not untie the too-secure knot. Nothing daunted, he cut the rope, mounted, and was away with his companions.
While on this campaign. he saw considerable of Illinois and liked the country much that he wished to return. Accordingly, five years later, in the fall of 1819, he went to Clinton Co. and rented a farm where the Diamond Spring Church now stands. In the spring of 1920. his two eldest sons, William and John, and his nephew, George Leeper, went to the farm to raise a corn crop. They had "laid-by" the corn, as corn farmers say when the last cultivation is done, on July 3, so on the Fourth they went to Keysport to a celebration and on the 5th started back to Kentucky. In the fall, after receiving a patent to 50 acres of land in Lincoln Co., Ill., Samuel moved his wife and family of ten children, one of whom was married in Illinois.
They traveled, as did Jacob of old, taking their flocks and herds with them. Samuel took to the new home, we are told. forty head of cattle, consisting of 21 milk cows, three yoke of oxen, and some young cattle; sixty hogs; forty sheep; and some horses. Their household goods and other necessities were packed onto large flat wagon beds--not the box as used later--of the old-fashioned Virginia wagon, leaving a small space in front for his wife, the two-year-old daughter, Susan, and four-year-old Samuel. Hitching two yoke of oxen to this laden vehicle, the trek began. Leading the procession was a loaded horse-drawn cart, followed by the stock and other vehicles. All the men and boys in the party had tasks of driving or herding, and even ten-yearold Anne was assigned her place in helping drive the stock. Nancy, six years, and Sallie, eight, walked or ran alongside playing and gathering hazelnuts as they went. Arriving at the Ohio River, they found only a very frail ferry boat to transport the large caravan across, so considerable time was consumed and many trips were made in accomplishing the task. When on one trip a sheep jumped overboard, John plunged into the water, caught the animal and returned it to its place in the boat. While waiting on the river bank, Anne found a tiny, perfectly-formed and matured gourd, about three inches in length, which she traded to little sister, Nancy, for some of the hazelnuts she had gathered in her play. Nancy cherished this toy all her life and still had it to exhibit to friends and relatives in 1902, at the event of the first Jennings-Davidson Family Reunion. She also exhibited a spool which was emptied on this trip and given her by her sister Maria, later Mrs. Chas. Waters Jennings.
The first year in Illinois the family resided on the rented farm in Clinton Co., erected a cabin. and broke twenty acres of ground. a large field for those days., and raised a crop of corn without any fence around it, since stock was so scarce at the time. After a year on this farm, during which time the men were building up and improving a place not far away, they moved, in the fall of 1821, to what became their permanent home and has since been called "the old Davidson homestead," in Carrigan Township. Marion County. Here the children married and reared their families so closely at home that often schools of thirty or forty pupils would all be brothers, sisters, or cousins to every one else.
Samuel Davidson was a man or great mental and physical power. His grandson. William R. Carrigan, relates an incident in illustration of his strength. Some time after the old gentleman's seventieth birthday. he was present when his son, Samuel, and son-in-law, Madison Carrigan, were attempting together to lift a log on a wagon. After several unsuccessful attempts, they were interrupted by Samuel, Sr., who said he had seen the time when he could have lifted the log on the wagon himself. At their looks of disbelief, he stepped forward and lifted the log onto the wagon without help.
In religious matters Samuel took the lead, being a man of deep convictions. We learn (History of Marion and Clinton Counties, Illinois) that the early preaching in Carrigan Township was at the cabin of Samuel Davidson, Sr., by preachers of the Methodist Episcopal denomination. The Davidson had all been Presbyterians in Kentucky, but when no church or preaching of that church could he had in the new country, all of them early united with the Methodists, except Samuel Sr., who held out for ten years or so. But he, too, finally joined his family in the Methodist Church.
Mr. Davidson also took part in the civil affairs of his community, and as early as 1824, just four years after his coming into the township, he was elected to the office of coroner. He also served on the first grand jury in the county. The "History" mentioned above tells us that that first jury was sworn in and then retired, but returned a few minutes later to report, "No business."
Maj. Samuel Davidson died Sept. 12, 1545, on the old homestead at the age of 79 years. His wife, Sallie (Logan) Davidson had preceded him by seven years. Both lie in the "Carrigan Graveyard," together with (in 1902) four sons, four daughters, four son in-laws, three daughter-in-laws, and twenty-two grandchildren.
In the fall of the year 1902 a family reunion of the Jennings-Davidson families was held at Patoka, Ill., and at that time a grandson, Hatsel Jennings, was declared by the members of the great gathering of relatives to be almost the image of Grandfather Samuel Davidson. Present at the reunion were Samuel and Sallie Davidson's oldest or firstborn grandchild, Betsy Anne Davidson Hillhouse, and the youngest one, Emma Davidson Baker, and twenty others out of a total of sixty-seven granchildren.
Some very interesting reminiscences of Nancy Jane (Carrigan) See, granddaughter of Maj. Samuel Davidson, as recorded by her daughter Clara See, are quoted here.
"Samuel Davidson (my mother's grandfather) was about 17 years old when the family moved (in 1785) to Kentucky. He formed the Committee for Safety. He was with the Kentucky soldiers under Gen. Charles Scott defending the state against the Indians. As the Kentucky soldiers fought on horseback these soldiers pursued a band of Indians to the Ohio River. Here they ferried their horses across the Ohio River, following the Indian band, they came to the battle ground where Gen. St. Clair had been defeated. It had been six months since St. Clair's defeat. The bodies of the whites were still lying where they fell. Gen. Charles Scott's Mounted Volunteers buried the dead; they were soldiers who were killed front Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Western Virginia. Mother had heard her grandfather Samuel Davidson tell of this burying.
"When the Kentucky Rangers were making up their companies to fight the British and Indians under Tecumseh. Samuel Davidson, then being too old to enlist and blind in one eye., was persuaded by the younger men to accompany them anyway. His twin brothers. Michael and James Davidson were each Captains. Samuel Davidson was made a Sergeant in his brother James' company. Three rifle experts enlisted with this company. They were George Leeper, Samuel Dean and David King." (See No. 15, Col. James Davidson for an account of this battle by Miss See's mother).
Samuel Davidson and Sarah "Sallie" Logan were married on 15 Feb 1797 in Lincoln County, Kentucky.²⁷

61. Sarah "Sallie" Logan was born in 1780 in Virginia.²⁷ She died on 17 Jan 1838 in Salem, Marion County, Illinois.²⁷ From White, Jennings, Davidson and Allied Families, 1944:

THE LOGAN FAMILY

THE LOGANS were among the large number of Scotch people who by the policy of James I of England, were induced or ordered to remove to the Northern Part of Ireland and there found a home in the Protestant plantation. In the following years, their descendents [sic] found their way to Pennsylvania, whose colonial treasurer, James Logan, for whom the Mingo chief was named, was in no distant degree their kinsman.
Two of these, JAMES and DAVID, soon left Pennsylvania and settled in Augusta Co., Va. They were supposed to be brothers. They were soldiers in the French and Indian Wars. The first two names appear upon the official lists. James settled near the New Providence Church, in what is now Rockbridge Co.
DAVID LOGAN married in Pa., when young, but went to Virginia as early as 1840 [sic, should be 1740]. On the 22nd day of May, 1740, `14 heads of families proved importation' at the Orange Courthouse. (Augusta Co., Va., not yet organized-was a part of Orange Co., Va.).
David Logan was the eighth to prove his importation, and from this we learn that his wife's name was JANE. The record of the Rev. John Craig, the first Presbyterian minister in the valley, shows that on "May 3, 1743, he baptized Benjamin, child of David Logan, and on March 24, 1745, he baptized Hugh Logan."
Children were:

i.
William Davidson²⁷ was born about Jan 1798. He died on 3 Apr 1848.
ii.
Elizabeth Davidson²⁷ was born about 1799. She died in 1820.
30
iii.
John S Davidson.
iv.
Maria Woods Davidson²⁷ was born on 15 Dec 1802.²⁷ She died on 23 Apr 1885.
v.
George Langston McVey Davidson²⁷ was born on 12 Jan 1804. He died on 21 Jul 1892.
vi.
Anne McClure Davidson²⁷ was born on 1 Jan 1809. She died on 8 May 1841.
vii.
Sarah "Sallie" Davidson was born on 16 Sep 1812. She died on 26 Aug 1887.
viii.
Nancy Davidson²⁷ was born on 18 Aug 1814. She died on 7 Feb 1882.
ix.
Samuel Davidson²⁷ was born in Feb 1816. He died in 1884.
x.
Susan Davidson²⁷ was born on 1 Oct 1818. She died in 1859.