My Genealogy Hound

Maj. William J. Davidson, a prominent pioneer of Gibson County, Tenn., was born in North Carolina February 2, 1812, son of William R. and Charity W. (McConnell) Davidson, who were North Carolinians. Maj. Davidson was brought to Tennessee at an early day, and came to Gibson County with his parents when eighteen years of age. They located where Dyer Station now is, and William J. was engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1865, when he engaged in mercantile pursuits, and has followed that and farming alternately up to the present time. He has been more than ordinarily successful in the accumulation of worldly goods, and is a man of fine character. In 1838 he married Dorothy Bobbitt, daughter of James and Mary Bobbitt. To them were born one child—Ann E., deceased. Mrs. Davidson died November 10, 1850, and Maj. Davidson then married Mrs. Martha Ann McDearman November 7, 1852, daughter of Willis Chambers, of Virginia. Our subject has been a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church since 1870. He is also an F. & A. M., and has always voted the Democratic ticket. He has always taken a lively interest in politics, and was strongly urged in 1851-52 to run on the Democratic ticket as a candidate to represent Gibson County in the State Legislature, but as the old Whig party was largely in the ascendency he declined. In 1869 he ran as a candidate for the constitutional convention that met in 1870 to amend the constitution of the State, but was defeated by Hon. S. Hill. As an evidence of his popularity with his neighbors, he lost only six votes in his own precinct, notwithstanding he was opposed by four very worthy gentlemen. In 1880, at the solicitation of some of his warm personal and political friends, he became a candidate to represent his county in the lower house of the State Legislature, but when the State Democratic Convention met and split on the State debt question, he, believing a large amount of the bonds of the State in aid of railroads was obtained fraudulently, and that the State was neither legally nor morally bound for them, and not wishing to antagonize his warmest friends, he declined the canvass. Since that time he has taken no active part in public politics.