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Below is a family biography included in The History of Crawford County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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William H. Davis, of the firm of Davis & Hamil, of Steelville, is a son of Ewin and Mary (Ficklin) Davis, natives, respectively, of Virginia and Kentucky. Ewin Davis was born in 1798, and in early life came to Washington County, Mo., where he married and resided until about 1830, when he moved to Crawford County, and located about one mile east of Steelville. A farmer by occupation, he served for many years as circuit court clerk of Crawford County, which county he represented in the State Legislature in 1840. He was the first school commissioner of the county, and in politics, though formerly an old line Whig, was later a stanch Republican. He died in 1880. Mrs. Mary Davis was born in 1801, and died in 1864. Both were strict members of the Presbyterian Church. William H. was the sixth in the family of nine children, and was born near Steelville, May 30, 1836. Previous to the war he taught school about six years, and then, having served in the State Militia until 1864, he organized Company G, Forty-eighth Missouri Infantry, of which he was made first lieutenant, and after three months' service in that capacity was promoted to the captaincy. Returning home, he taught school more or less until 1877, when he engaged in merchandising in Steelville, which business he has since continued uninterruptedly. In 1874 he married Hattie J. Melvin, a native of Franklin County, Mo. They have one child, Eda. Mrs. Davis is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Mr. Davis is a Republican in politics, and is one of the oldest established business men in Steelville, having been a resident of the place for fifty-one years.

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This family biography is one of 117 biographies included in The History of Crawford County, Missouri published in 1888.  For the complete description, click here: Crawford County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

To view additional Crawford County, Missouri family biographies, click here

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