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ALEXANDKR-DAVIDSON REUNION,
SWANNANOA, N. C. , AUGUST 26, 1911
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F. A. Sondley, LL.D. , and
Hon. Theo. F. Davidson
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Alexander-Davidson
^ Reunion
SW'ANNANOA, N. C.
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c/lUGUST 26, 1911
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Addresses by F. A. SONDLEY, LL. D.
and HON. THEO. F. DAVIDSON
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding from
LYRASIS members and Sloan Foundation
http://www.archive.org/details/alexanderdavidsoOOsond
North Carolina State; Librar/
Raleigh
Alexander- Davidson
Reunion
SWANNANOA, N. C.
August 26, 1911
Addresses by
F. A. Sondley, L L. D., and
Hon. Theo. F. Davidson
Alexander-Davidson Reunion
August 26, 1911
Arrangements are being perfected for a reunion
of the Alexander and Davidson families at or near
Swannanoa on August 26.
James Alexander, better known as ^'Jimpsey" Al-
exander, and Maj. William Davidson, the ancestors
of these two families of which there are nearly a
thousand living descendants scattered throughout
the country, were of the famous Scotch-Irish people
who settled the Piedmont section of North and South
Carolina, and were especially prominent in the dis-
cussions of the questions which led to the Revolution,
in which they took a very active part. Immediately
after the close of the Revolutionary War the two
above named pioneers crossed the Blue Ridge moun-
tains in company and purchased lands adjoining
each other and settled on the Swannanoa river at
the mouth of Bee Tree creek.
These pioneers were closely related by family ties
as well as political and religious associations and
ideas. Their descendants have until the present day
owned and occupied the lands which their fore-
fathers acquired. During all this period their rela-
tions have been close in every walk of life.
The descendants of both of these families are now
to be found throughout the United States, and many
of them have borne honorable parts in the public
event's of the country.
It will be recalled that Maj. William Davidson,
while in the state legislature in 1791, was active in
the passage of the bill creating Buncombe county,
and in the following year this county was organized
at his house.
It is desired by tTiose interested in the reunion to
assemble as many of the descendants at or near the
old homesteads as possible, and every person who is
nearly or remotely related to or connected with
either or both of these familise is cordially invited
to attend and this publication will serve the purpose
of extending that invitation to those who may be
overlooked in any special invitations which may be
issued.
A "picnic" lunch will be provided and perhaps in-
teresting papers will be read giving more of the his-
tory of the families, but the occasion is mainly in-
tended to give an opportunity to these two families
to meet and make new acquaintances, renew old
friendships and to take such measures as may be
thought desirable for the purpose of making perma-
nent the historical records and traditions of the two
families.
Members of the families residing in Buncombe
county have effected an organization for the purpose
of carrying out these purposes and the following
committees have been appointed from whom further
information may be had upon application :
Committee on Invitations — F. A. Sondley, Theo-
dore F. Davidson and James M. Ray, of Asheville.
Committee on Arrangements — C. H. Alexander,
S. W. Davidson, Sr., R. D. Alexander, James Burgin,
Theodore C. Folsom, Henry Davidson, Jr., S. W. Da-
vidson, Jr., all of Swannanoa, and W. D. Patton, of
Black Mountain, and Herbert Millard, of Asheville.
Committee on Entertainment — Mrs. Nancy For-
tune, Mrs. Addie Alexander, Mrs. T. C. Folsom, Miss
Minnie Davidson, Miss Lizzie Davidson, Miss Jessie
Burgin, Miss Dale Alexander, Miss Edith Alexander,
4
Miss Josephine Watkins, all of Swannanoa; Mrs. W.
B. Williamson, of Asheville, and Mrs. Lula Piatt, of
Busbee. — Asheville Citizen, July 28, 1911.
The first reunion of the Alexander and Davidson
families was held on the Swannanoa river, near
Swannanoa, Saturday, August 26th, 1911.
The place and day were ideal.
The ''clans" commenced assembling as early as
half past nine o'clock. They came on foot, on horse-
back, on mule back, in wagons, buggies, carriages,
automobiles and by rail, and most of them had bun-
dles, boxes, baskets and buggy and wagon loads of
provisions, fruits and melons. If ever a table (two
hundred feet in length) groaned under substantial
luxuries that one did, and after satisfying the hunger
of the hundreds and hundreds present, great quanti-
ties were gathered up and carried away.
The exercises commenced about half past eleven
with that old familiar hymn, "All hail the power of
Jesus' name," by the audience, led by the Rice-Bart-
lett quartette, R. M. Rice, C. H. Bartlett, C. N. Wells
and J. M. Clark. Col. J. M. Ray, of Asheville, a
great-grandson of James Alexander, prefaced the
formal opening by saying:
''We esteem ourselves extremely fortunate in hav-
ing with us today a Presbyterian clergyman who had
the great good luck to secure for his wife Fannie Al-
exander, a great grand-daughter of James Alexander.
It is eminently fitting, we think, that the exercises of
the occasion should be opened by a Presbyterian, for
the Alexanders and the Davidsons of the early days
were almost universally Presbyterians, in fact it is
said that when Col. James Mitchell Alexander joined
the Methodist church, the first departure possibly
from the true faith as it was then considered, there
was some commotion in the family. I shall therefore
ask all to arise and be led in prayer by Rev. W. R.
McCalla, of Charlotte, N. 0.
The quartette next gave a song, "My Dear Old
Home."
F. A. Sondley, LL.D., of Asheville, a great-grand-
son of James Alexander, one of the pioneers of the
Alexanders settling in Buncombe county, was then
introduced, and spoke for about an hour ; and though
largely historical and statistical, his talk was so
interwoven with story and incident that it com-
manded the deepest attention, and made a profound
impression upon his audience. The "Ode to the
Swannanoa River'' (Nymph of Beauty), was a most
fitting climax to his address and was especially fine.
tlSdh iParolina State Libra
''/
Alexander-Davidson Reunion
SWANNANOA, N. C.
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August 26, 1911.
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ADDRESS
s
of
1
R A. SONDLEY, LL.D,
On the
Alexander and Davidson Families and
Family History
■A.^^
Address of F. A. Sondley, L L. D.
Relatives and Friends: —
To praise the virtues of a meritorious ancestry is
always a pleasant undertaking. It honors both sub-
ject and eulogist. It brings the consciousness of a
sacred duty honestly performed, without a reproach
of egotism or a fear of injustice done to others. We
have met to honor the memories of the Davidsons and
Alexanders, not to depreciate the work of their com-
panions and friends ; to commemorate the worthy ac-
tions of our own ancestors, not to detract from the
credit due to other people.
It is not necessary here, however appropriate it
might be, to enter upon a panegyric of the Alexanders
and Davidsons, who, with their companions, formed,
in this vicinity, more than a century and a quarter
ago, the first permanent settlement of whites in
North Carolina west of the Blue Ridge, and, a few
years later, joined with other settlers in organizing
the county of Buncombe. Their lives and labors,
their strength and endurance, their triumphs and
achievements are as well known to you as they are
to me. They lie before you in their result's and speak
for themselves. I prefer to talk of what may be less
familiar to you, their origin and training, their prep-
aration and purposes, their blood and antecedents.
The name Alexander is of Grecian origin and
means "Protector of Men." Probably no other name
in so nearly the same form has ever been used by so
many nations or spoken in so many languages. It
had its origin in the remote ages of Greek fable and
played a conspicuous part in the world's first poetry.
In that early day, there stood near the shores of the
Aegean Sea not far from the Hellespont the famous
town of Troy, or Ilium, whose siege and destruction
are the theme of Homer's greatest poem when he sang
the wrath of Achilles. Its mighty rnler Priam
reigned there, a king of men and a companion of the
deities. To one of his numerous sons it was given to
determine the superior claim to beauty among the
three most powerful of the female gods and to re-
ceive from Aphrodite, as a reward for his decision in
her favor, the fairest woman of her time. The gift
became the cause of his own death and of the de-
struction of his country; but not until he had slain
the Grecian bully Achilles. This was Alexander, bet-
ter known, it may be, by his other appellation of
Paris. The name became a favorite one among the
Greeks and was bestowed upon him who proved to be
the greatest military genius of all time, Alexander
the Great. It has been borne by a Roman emperor,
by eight Popes of the Catholic church, by kings of
Scotland, kings of Epirus, kings of Macedonia, kings
of Syria, kings of Aegypt, kings of the Jews, czars of
Russia and princes of the smaller states of Europe.
In Scotland the Earls of Ross, of Selkirk and of Stir-
ling were Alexanders. In Ireland the Earls of Cale-
don are Alexanders. There are Alexanders in
France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia, Greece, Eng-
land, Scotland, and Ireland. Probably no civilized
people can be found among whom the name does not
appear. It has been borne by soldiers, statesmen,
lawyers, poets, theologians, diplomats, astronomers,
writers, travellers, scholars, physicians, scientists,
bishops and explorers. Its contraction Sandy has
become the common name for a Scotchman as Pat is
for an Irishman.
In 1411, Donald, Lord of the Isles, claimed the
Earldom of Ross, but was opposed in this claim by
the Scottish governor, the Duke of Albany. At the
head of a large body of his fellow Highlanders, Don-
ald marched down from the mountains into Aber-
10
deenshire and in the famous Battle of Harlaw de-
feated the royal army of Scotland under the com- ^
mand of Alexander, Earl of Mar, son of Alexander
of Badenoch and grandson of the Scottish King
Robert II. He was forced to retreat, however, and q
afterwards entered into a treaty with the king by ;^
which he relinquished his claim to that earldom. The ^
Battle of Harlaw was the death-struggle for suprem- W
acy between Teuton and Celt. The Gael won the p^
fight, but its results inured to the Saxon. From this ^
Donald, Lord of the Isles, grandson of Robert II., and f-.
son of his daughter Margaret Stuart, through his
son and successor, Alaster or Alexander Macdonald |;«
(son of Donald), the Scottish family of Alexanders
claim descent ; thus tracing their lineage to the Bruce
of Bannockburn.
One of these, William Alexander, Earl of Stirling,
who became an author at fourteen, whom James I.
called "my philosophical poet," and to whom that
king and his son Charles I. granted Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick and the northern portion of the United
States, was so eminent in literature that Addison, on
reading his works, exclaimed : '^The beauties of our
ancient English poets are too slightly passed over by
modern writers, who, out of a peculiar singularity,
had rather take pains to find fault than endeavor to
excel." He was secretary of state for Scotland and
joined with James I. in making a poetical translation
of the Psalms.
Another William Alexander called Earl of Stir-
ling attained much distinction as a major general
under George Washington in the War of the Revolu-
tion, during which he conducted, with brilliancy, nu-
merous important military undertakings and re-
ceived the surrender of the Hessians at Trenton. He
was one of the founders of Columbia College.
The name Davidson means, of course, the son of
11
David. The celebrated Israelitish king is the first of
that name of whom we have any knowledge. It was,
like Alexander, a popular name in Scotland, and,
like Alexander, was borne by more than one of the
kings of that country. The Davidsons were a clan of
the Highlanders, or, more accurately speaking, they
were a branch of the Highland Clan Chattan, a
tribal confederation. Tradition has not transmitted
the earliest events in the history of Clan Davidson,
and its origin is lost in the mists of antiquity. The
termination "son" in the name indicates a descent
from the Vikings, that wondrous race of naval heroes
in the early Middle Ages, to whose unequaled enter-
prise and superhuman courage is to be attributed
more of the world's progress than to the achieve-
ments of any other people.
At an early day in Scottish history, these David-
sons owned large possessions in Badenoch, where
they resided in large numbers, and exercised great
powder and influence. In the fourteenth century they
became noted for the bloody and protracted feuds in
which they engaged with such persistency and brav-
ery that, before the royal power could quell the quar-
rels, the Davidsons were nearly exterminated. The
last event in the history of these tribal feuds brought
them great fame in song and story, but soon ended
their career as an independent clan. In 1386, some
of the Camerons, then known as McEwens, occupied
as tenants the lands in Lochaber which belonged to
Macintosh, the captain of the Clan Chattan. These
proved to be poor tenants, and their landlord was
forced to collect his rents by carrying off their cattle.
This they resented, and marched, with four hundred
of their number, under the command of Charles Mac-
gilony, into Badenoch to make reprisals. When Mac-
intosh learned of this movement, he assembled his
clansmen and friends, the Macphersons and David-
sons, to repel the invasion. He was elected to the
chief command. A dispute arose, however, between
Gluny, the chieftain of the ancient Clan Chattan,
called Macphersons, and Invernhavon, the head of the
Davidsons, who were the oldest branch of that clan,
as to which should command the right wing. Macin-
tosh decided this dispute in favor of the chief of the
Davidsons. On this the Macphersons refused to take
part in the battle with the Camerons which immedi-
ately ensued. The Macphersons greatly exceeded
their allies in numbers, and the strength of the latter
was reduced by this withdrawal so much that they
were almost wholly destroyed by the superior num-
bers of the Camerons, and Lachlan, of Invernahavon.
chief of the Davidsons, was slain. At this stage, the
Macphersons thought proper to take a part. Rushing
with their fresh forces upon the depleted and ex-
hausted Camerons, they won an easy victory, killed
the Cameron leader and scattered or destroyed his
forces. For a long time, the relations between these
kinsmen, the Davidsons and the Macphersons, had
been exceedingly unfriendly. This dispute intensi-
fied the feeling of dislike which already existed. The
quarrel did not end here. It grew in bitterness for
ten years more, often breaking out in fatal encoun-
ters. At last, the Scottish king, Robert III., inter-
fered. He sent Dunbar, Earl of Moray, and Lindsay
of Glenesk, afterwards Earl of Crawford, to attempt
a reconciliation. The mission failed. Upon their
suggestion, however, it was agreed that the contro-
versy should be settled in 1396 by a judicial combat,
held in a meadow called the North Inch of Perth, be-
fore the king and queen and Scottish nobility and
some distinguished foreigners, to be fought with
broadswords, targets, bows and arrows, short knives
and battle axes, between thirty Davidsons and thirty
Macphersons. When the battle was about to begin,
13
one of the Macphersons ran away; and, as none of
the Davidsons was willing to withdraw, an armorer
and ruffian of Perth named Henry Wynd was substi-
tuted for the missing Macpherson. The result of
the fight was favorable to the Macphersons. All but
one of the Davidsons was killed. He escaped unhurt.
Nineteen of the Macphersons were killed and the re-
maining ten of them badly wounded. The armorer of
Perth escaped without wounds. The king had en-
couraged this conflict, hoping, it seems, that the lead-
ing men of both factions would participate in it and
be slain and he would thus rid himself of dangerous
subjects. In this he was disappointed, since the
chiefs were not among the combatants. Sir Walter
Scott has made use of this occurrence in his novel.
The Fair Maid of Perth, without adhering to the
facts with much fidelity.
Sir Robert Davidson, Provost of Aberdeen, was a
participant in the Battle of Harlaw against Donald,
Lord of the Isles, and was among the slain in that
fierce encounter.
The name of Davidson is often met with in the his-
tory of Scotland, as well as in that of her sister na-
tion of England. William Davison was secretary
of state of the English Queen Elizabeth, and served
with distinguished efficiency, in her negotiations with
the States of Holland. He married a relative of the
famous Earl of Leicester and Lord Burleigh. To him
Sir Philip Sidney often wrote as "your most loving
cousin, Philip Sidney," addressing his letters "To
my special good Friend and Cousin Mr. Davison" —
a far greater honor than to be secretary of state to
the queen. This was the father of Francis Davison,
the author of the "Poetical Rhapsody," "the most val-
uable and curious collection of its day." This Wil-
liam Davison told Sir James Melville "that he was
come of Scotsmen."
14
On August 6th, 1557, the Earl of Northumberland
wrote that Richard Davyson, who was mortally
wounded in a skirmish at Fenwick, was one of the
"best borderers and guides" which the Scotch forces
had.
Lucretia and Margaret Davidson, the sister Amer-
ican poets, rivalled in poetic power, as well as in pre-
cociousness, the celebrated Thomas Chatterton,
"the marvellous boy,
The sleepless soul that perished in his pride."
George Davidson was the greatest geodetic sur-
veyor and observer whom the world has ever known.
An insurrection in northern Ireland was laid hold
of by James I. as a pretext for declaring the land of
the Irish nobility in that part of the island forfeited
to the crown. In 1613, he planted on these lands in
Ulster colonies of Scotch and English settlers, in or-
der that, by means of their presence and loyalty, he
might watch and control the turbulent Irish. These
colonies of Scotchmen contained many members of
the families of Alexander and Davidson. When Wil-
liam and Mary had come to the throne in 1688, the
English parliament enacted rigid laws looking to the
destruction of Irish manufacturers. One hundred
thousand operators were driven out of Ulster by
these laws. Three thousand, it is said, left that coun-
ty annually and emigrated to America. Most of
these people were of the Scotch settlers who had so
gone to Ireland in the reign of James I. They were
Presbyterians in religion almost to a man. Landing
in Philadelphia in 1699, they soon formed settle-
ments in Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. They
were not contented, however, in their new home.
Many of them started southward in search of more
satisfactory places of residence. Crossing the Po-
tomac, they passed into the Valley of Virginia, and
settled in and around Winchester. Here their at-
■ 15 J .^il
tempts to cultivate the soil were thwarted by incur-
sions of Shawnees and other Indian tribes from north
of the Ohio river ; their time was consumed in repell-
ing these attacks; their property was stolen or de-
stroyed and their lives were in daily peril. Before
long many of them tired of an existence which
brought no protection from danger, no surcease of
vigilance, no rest from toil, no pleasure for the pres-
ent and no hope for the future. Again the tide of
emigration started toward the south, and the emi-
grants found new homes in Rowan and Mecklenburg
counties of North Carolina and the neighboring parts
of South Carolina. These people were peculiar in
their habits and views and strongly impressed those
peculiar habits and views upon all with whom they
came in contact. Strict in the observance of relig-
ious forms and conceptions, determined in opposi-
tion to taxation and political oppression, fearless in
the assertion of rights, they have won for themselves
a place in American history distinctively their own.
Many years ago, they acquired the name of Scotch-
Irish. Wherever that name is encountered, there is
found characteristic determination of purpose, free-
dom of action, independence of thought, and disre-
gard of difiSculty and danger unmistakable in char-
acter, and unvaried in expression.
But these people were not allowed long to enjoy
their new home in peace. Soon the officers of the
crown came to dominate and tax. The unbending
spirit of a people who, in search of freedom, had
abandoned their homes in Scotland to seek new ones
in Ireland and when oppression came had deserted
those for others in Pennsylvania and Maryland and
then had left these, when their hopes were disappoint-
ed, for other homes in Virginia, and then, in turn,
discarded these when expectations were not met, did
not bow under this new imposition. A mere handful,
16
North Carolina State Library
Raleigh
a.
they solemnly convened and deliberately set at defi- *^
ance the whole British nation, when, in 1775, they ^
proclaimed in Mecklenburg county the first Declara- ^
tion of Independence ever made on the American con- jr;
tinent. Then followed the War of the Revolution. ^
In that war they bore their part most manfully, un-
W
til, by their undaunted exertions at King's Mountain, |^
they raised a sinking cause and turned defeat to vie- H
tory. A revival of American courage began. Then
the British general was driven to the coast and to g,
surrender at Yorktown, and independence followed.
Among these Scotch-Irish who had joined in the
emigration from Scotland to the north of Ireland and
then to Pennsylvania and thence to the Valley of the
Shenandoah and still on to the upper regions of the
Carolinas, were Davidsons and Alexanders. No
names occur so often in the Mecklenburg Declaration
of Independence as theirs, no men performed their
part more faithfully and courageously in the war
that ensued. And when that war was over, none
were more ready to take their lives and fortunes in
their hands and advance to the frontier where diffi-
culties were thickest and dangers most abounded.
When the British arms had put down opposition
in South Carolina and the hope of the American
cause had faded into desperation and General Earl
Cornwallis was marching into North Carolina to
complete there and in Virginia the final triumph of
the conquerors, his passage of the Catawba at Cow-
an's Ford, on February 1st, 1781, was met and
sternly resisted by a small force of North Carolina's
militiamen under their commander General William
Davidson. The attempt at resistance was desperate.
General Davidson fell pierced by a bullet from the
rifle of a Tory. Through a special appropriation
made by Congress, a monument to his memory has
been erected on the battle ground of Guilford court
17
house, and North Carolina and Tennessee have each
honored his fame with the name of a county, and, in
commemoration of him, an institution of learning
near the scene of his death bears the name of David-
son College.
For many years a fierce struggle had been waged
between England and France for the possession of
Canada and the valley of the Mississippi. The French
had enlisted on their side the numerous and daring
Shawnees and other Indian tribes living north of the
Ohio river. In order to meet these, the English ear-
nestly sought alliances with the Cherokees and that
small but warlike tribe, the Catawbas. For the pur-
pose of affecting these objects, Captain Hugh Wad-
dell, a Scotch-Irishman, on the part of North Caro-
lina, and Peyton Randolph and William Bird, on the
part of Virginia, were appointed to treat with the
aborigines. In 1756, Captain Waddell negotiated
such a treaty with the Catawbas, who requested
therein that North Carolina build a fort on their
lands to which, when they were absent on the war-
path, their women and children might resort for
safety against roving bands of predatory Shawnees
who were frequently appearing, with hostile purpose,
in their vicinity when it seemed safe to do so. Gov-
ernor Dobbs determined to build this fort and com-
missioned Captain Waddell to supervise the work.
In 1757, the Catawba chiefs selected the place and
the construction of the fort commenced. After it
had progressed for some while, the Catawbas became
dissatisfied and sent to Governor Lyttleton of South
Carolina, a request that the work by the North Caro-
linians might stop and a fort might be erected for
them by South Carolina. Under the advice of the
North Carolina Assembly, Governor Dobbs caused
the work to cease on August 11th, 1757. Soon there-
after the diflSculty was adjusted and the fort com-
18
pleted. It was a stockaded fort; but, as the white
settlements would probably reach that place before
a great while, no large expenditure was incurred in
its construction. It is not perfectly certain exactly
where on the Catawba this fort stood ; but all the evi-
dence as to its location points strongly to the modern
Old Fort. Certain it is that in 1760 a fort existed
at that place. In that year that scourge of the In-
dians, the small-pox, broke out among the unfortun-
ate Catawbas, and many of the stricken gathered
around this fort where they perished in great num-
bers. In 1776 Old Fort had become the centre of a
white settlement. At about this time, it was owned
by one of the Davidsons and known as Davidson's
Fort. For many years it formed the extreme frontier
of the whites on the Catawba, and, as settlements
were formed beyond the mountains, the settlers re-
sorted to it in emergencies for supplies and protec-
tion. Here Davidson's Mill did the grinding for the
people within a radius of twenty miles or more.
Colonel William Tryon, who theretofore had suc-
ceeded Governor Dobbs in the royal governorship of
North Carolina, took up the important matter of the
boundary line between the white settlers and the
Cherokee Indians. These Indians claimed and occu-
pied that part of North Carolina which lies west of
the Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as parts of north-
ern South Carolina, northern Georgia and eastern
Tennessee. Repeated troubles had grown up with
them because of trespasses committed and settle-
ments made by the whites upon the lands which they
regarded as their own. In order to conciliate these
Cherokees and prevent encroachments on their terri-
tory. Governor Tryon, acting under royal direction,
undertook in 1767 to run and mark the dividing line
between the white settlers and the Cherokee country.
With a numerous retinue of white troops and several
19
representatives of the Cherokees, he ran and marked
the line from the point to which that line had already
been marked at Keedy River, a branch of the Savan-
nah in northern South Carolina, up to the top of a
peak of the White Oak Mountains which was then
named, in his honor, Tryon Mountain, and is the
peak near the town of Tryon in North Carolina which
yet bears that name. Here it became evident that to
continue the running of this line to its intended term-
ination in Virginia, would be exceedingly expensive
and laborious. Consequently, the survey was not
continued; but it was agreed that a straight line
from Tryon Mountain to Colonel Chiswell's (lead)
mines situate in Virginia on New River about twelve
miles southeast from the present town of Wytheville,
should constitute the remainder of this dividing line.
It would thus run about midway between Asheville
and Rutherfordton and between Marion and Morgan-
ton. Owing to the imperfect knowledge of the geog-
raphy of the country which was then possessed. Gov-
ernor Tryon and all others concerned supposed that
this line would run along the top of the Blue Ridge.
This ridge was, therefore, treated as the Cherokee
boundary beyond which white settlements must not
go. It continued to be recognized as such until, after
the termination of the Revolutionary War, a treaty
was made on November 28th, 1785, at Hopewell on
the Keowee River, in the northern part of South
Carolina, the residence of General Andrew Pickens,
between the United States and the Cherokees. By
this treaty, known as the Treaty of Hopewell, the
Cherokee boundary was to extend from a place near
the site of what is now Greenville, in the state of
Tennessee, in a southwestern direction about along
the eastern corporate limits of the present city of
Asheville. This left what is now Asheville and Hen-
dersonville and the towns further west within the
20
Cherokee territory and accounts for the fact that the
first grant for Asheville land did not issue until it
was made to John Burton on July 7th, 1794. An-
other treaty, called the Treaty of Holston, was con-
cluded on July 2nd, 1791, by the United States, act-
ing through Governor William Blount of Tennessee,
with the Gherokees at White's Fort, now Knoxville,
Tennessee, by which the Gherokee boundary line was
pushed back to the Big Pigeon Biver. Still later an-
other treaty, known as the Treaty of Tellico, was
made, on October 2, 1798, between the United States
and the Gherokees at Tellico in southeastern Tennes-
see, the boundary fixed by which was afterwards run
and marked by Gommissioner K. J. Meigs and his
surveyor Freeman, ever afterwards known as the
Meigs and Freeman line, which ran to the west of the
sites of Hendersonville and Waynesville.
Some while before the War of the Bevolution
closed, the Scotch-Irish settlements had extended up
the Gatawba to the mountains. John Davidson and
his young wife Nancy Brevard with their infant child
were living then at Old Fort. The Gherokees found
them there and butchered them just above the loca-
tion of the town of Old Fort.
After that war had ended, Samuel Davidson
came, with his young wife and child and a negro
woman slave, from the Gatawba through the Swan-
nanoa Gap and built his cabin on Ghristian Greek
where the line of the Southern Railway now runs in
front of the home of Mr. William Gudger. This
seems to have been a short time before the Treaty of
Hopewell made in 1785, and his settlement was prob-
ably an encroachment upon the Indian lands. The
Gherokees were alert. Their great trail from the
towns on the Tennessee and the Tuckaseigee crossed
the French Broad River at the mouth of the Swan-
nanoa and passed through the Swannanoa Gap to the
* 21
headwaters of the Catawba and the Yadkin. It ran
along the crest of the ridge between Christian Creek
and the Swannanoa within half a mile of Davidson's
cabin upon which it looked down into the valley.
He had lived here but a short time, when one morn-
ing he went out unarmed to seek his horse. Soon his
wife heard the report of a rifle on the mountain
above. Too well she knew what that meant. Taking
her infant with her she and the servant fled, by dif-
ferent ways, along the mountains, until they found
safety at Old Fort, sixteen miles away. At once an
expedition set out from this latter place to avenge
the death of their relative and friend. They found
his body by the side of the trail on the mountain
where he had fallen, and buried him upon the spot.
And on the mountain just over there lies the body of
the founder of Western North Carolina and Bun-
combe's earliest citizen ; and there, for more than one
hundred and twenty-five years, the winter winds have
whistled and the summer suns have shined over his
solitary grave in the forest. His avengers pursued
the murderous Cherokees who had slain him until,
some miles beyond, they found them and drove them,
with slaughter, into the mountains.
Thus when Earl Cornwallis, flushed with victory
from subduing South Carolina, extended his con-
quests into North Carolina, it was a Davidson who
met his army at Cowan's Ford of the Catawba and
gave his life to repel the foreign foe; when the settle-
ments reached up this same Catawba to the moun-
tains, it was a Davidson who led the van and per-
ished in the cause of progress and civilization; and
when the gate of the mountain valleys beyond was
opened, it was a Davidson who first passed its
threshold and died for his enterprise and daring.
But there were kindred spirits left behind. With-
in a few months, a company of these from the Old
22
Fort and its neighborhood followed in his steps
Entering the valley through the Swannanoa Gap,
they passed down to the mouth of Bee Tree, and
there formed the first permanent white settlement
west of the Blue Ridge in North Carolina. Leaders
among these were James Alexander and William Da-
vidson, descendants of the men who had gone from
Scotland to Ireland and from Ireland to Pennsyl-
vania and from Pennsylvania to the valley of Vir-
ginia and from the valley of Virginia to the counties
of Rowan and Mecklenburg in quest of freedom.
Is it strange that men who claimed the blood of
Bruce and whose ancestors had trod the Highland
heaths, should fling off the trammels of a social thral-
dom, and seek the mountains for a habitation? De-
votion to learning is a feature of Scottish character.
In the year 563, St. Columba, of royal Scotch descent,
founded on the little island of lona that famed mon-
astery which was the beacon light of learning and
literature of northern Europe throughout the Dark
Ages that followed. Doctor Samuel Johnson hated
the Scotch with a hatred that has become proverbial.
Yet even he made a pilgrimage to that island in 1773 ;
and his recorded impressions of that visit are the
most eloquent passage in his writings. Said he : "We
were now treading that illustrious land, which was
once the luminary of the Caledonian regions, whence
savage clans and roving barbarians derived the ben-
efits of knowledge and the blessings of religion. To
abstract the mind from all local emotion would be
impossible, if it were endeavoured, and would be fool-
ish if it were possible. Whatever withdraws us from
the power of our senses, whatever makes the past, the
distant, or the future predominate over the present,
advances us in the dignity of thinking beings. Far
from me, and from my friends, be such frigid philos-
ophy as may conduct us indifferent and unmoved
23
Vi?
over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom,
bravery, or virtue. That man is little to be envied
whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plain
of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer
among the ruins of lona !''
Is it strange that men whose progenitors for more
than eleven hundred years, had dwelt around lona
and felt its influence and memories should, in their
new homes in the mountain wilds, among their earli-
est cares, look to the establishment of an institution
of mental training? Here, in this primeval settle-
ment on the Swannanoa, young Robert Henry taught
the first school in North Carolina west of the Blue
Ridge.
John Davidson was born in Pennsylvania, and,
with George Davidson, his brother, removed to North
Carolina in 1750. He settled in that part of Rowan
county which is now Iredell, near Centre Church.
George Davidson was the father of General William
Davidson, who was killed at Cowan's Ford. This
John Davidson had five sons, William and Samuel
(twins), John, George and Thomas, and three daugh-
ters, Rachel, Margaret and Elizabeth. The son John
Davidson was the victim of the Indians at Old Fort,
and the son Samuel Davidson, was he who lost his
life at the hands of the Cherokees on Christian Creek.
John Alexander was born in that part of Rowan
county which is near Cabarrus. He married Rachel
Davidson, John Davidson's oldest daughter. Their
son James Alexander, was born on Buffalo Creek in
Rowan, near Cabarrus county, on December 23, 1756.
John Alexander later removed with his family, in-
cluding his son James, to Crowder's Creek in that
part of Lincoln county which is now Gaston. Then
came the War of the Revolution; and young James
Alexander enlisted five times on the American side,
serving in each case until his term of enlistment ex-
Z4:
pired and his company was disbanded. As such sol-
dier, he was repeatedly called into service for months
at a time under Generals Rutherford and Davidson,
making more than one campaign into various parts
of North Carolina and into the northern portion of
South Carolina where he participated in several en-
gagements, among them a severe skirmish on the
Enoree between the Americans and Tarleton's Le-
gion commanded by the redoubtable Colonel Banistre
Tarleton in person. Finally came the famous battle
of King's Mountain which turned the fortunes of war
in favor of the Americans and led ultimately to the
independence of the colonies. That battle was fought
on October 7, 1780, and changed the aspect of the
war. Throughout its progress James Alexander was
all the while in the thick of the fight ; but he escaped
unharmed, capturing, among the booty, at its close,
a walnut camp-chest which was said to have belonged
to Lord Cornwallis and which is still owned by some
of the descendants of the captor.
In consideration of his Revolutionary services,
James Alexander received in the later years of his
life a pension from the government of the United
States. After the war was begun, he married, on
March 19, 1782, on Allison Creek in York District,
South Carolina, Rhoda Cunningham, born in Penn-
sylvania, on October 15, 1763, the daughter of
Humphrey Cunningham, who had removed to Mary-
land before his final settlement in South Carolina.
The ceremony was performed by a Mr. Watson at the
home of that gentleman. After a short residence in
Lincoln county, James Alexander settled in York
District, South Carolina, in 1783 ; but he had resided
there only two years when he removed to Bee Tree
Creek of the Swannanoa River, then in Burke county,
now in Buncombe, in 1785.
William Davidson had served the American cause
25
throughout the Revolutionary War. Shortly after
the death of his brother Samuel Davidson, he re-
moved, in 1785, in company with his brother-in-law,
John Alexander, his sister Rachel Alexander and his
nephews, James Alexander and Thomas Alexander,
their sons, and others, to the Swannanoa River, and
settled on the banks of that stream at the mouth of
Bee Tree Creek on land adjoining that of his relatives
the Alexanders. Here on this creek these men cut
down the forests, cleared the land and built their
cabins. In the next year, 1786, another company of
Scotch-Irish settlers, consisting of William Forster,
his family and his two sons, Thomas and William,
came to the Swannanoa and took up their abode
about three-fourths of a mile above its mouth. Wil-
liam Davidson soon removed to a place just across
the Swannanoa from William Forster and built his
residence on the south bank of that stream at what
was known for nearly a century afterwards as the
Gum Spring. There he was living at tl^e time the
county of Buncombe was created and organized. At
that time, it was understood that the Swannanoa was
the dividing line between the counties of Burke and
Rutherford, the lands on the north being in Burke
county and those on the south in Rutherford county.
In the General Assembly of 1791 William Davidson
was a member of the House of Commons from Ruth-
erford and David Vance, who lived on Reems Creek,
a member of the House from Burke. At that session
a bill was passed creating, from the counties of
Burke and Rutherford, the county of Buncombe to
embrace all that part of North Carolina which lies
west of the Blue Ridge and south a line through the
county of Yancey. This territory now comprises the
eleven counties of Buncombe, Henderson, Transyl-
vania, Madison, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain,
Clay, Cherokee and Graham and part of Yancey. On
26
April IG, 1792, at Colonel William Davidson^s resi-
dence at the Gum Spring on the south bank of the
Swannanoa, the county of Buncombe was organized
by the justices of the peace, commissioners appointed
for that purpose by the legislature. On this commis-
sion were James Alexander and William Davidson.
The residence not affording sufficient room for the
assembled crowd, it adjourned to Colonel Davidson's
barn on the premises upon the side of the hill to the
south about two hundred yards away; and in this
barn was completed the organization of that county
whose extensive territory procured for it the nick-
name of the "State of Buncombe." Here the county
court met for a year and transacted the business of
the new county. At the time of the organization of
that court both William Davidson and James Alex-
ander were members of it and sat as such members.
Thus these men not only participated in making the
first settlement in Western North Carolina, but they
also aided in the organization of its first governn;ent
and in the conduct of its first public business.
Later on, William Davidson was elected Bun-
combe's first member of the State Senate. After-
wards he returned to his old home at the mouth of
Bee Tree, and there he died and is buried.
John Alexander and his son Thomas who married
Colonel William Davidson's daughter Elizabeth, soon
removed to Tennessee and settled in Williamson
county, where they died.
James Alexander continued, from the time when
he first crossed the mountains, to live on the farm on
Bee Tree where he had settled. His first cabin was
built near the line between his place and that of his
uncle William Davidson, but when, later on, dangers
from the Cherokees were less imminent, he built an-
other about one-fourth of a mile further up the creek
and later still, he erected the house which is now the
2t
residence of Mr. W. R. Alexander, his grandson, sit-
uate about one hundred yards westward of the place
of his second habitation. Here he died on June 28th,
1844, and his widow, Rhoda Alexander, died on Jan-
uary 29th, 1848. He was buried at the old Robert
Patton burying ground; but, when his widow died,
his body was removed to Piney Grove and placed in
the same grave with his wife — together in life, to-
gether in fortune and misfortune, in joy and sorrow,
in labor and achievement, and together in the grave
Their children were:
John C, born March 22, 1783, and married to
Jane Patton on December 31, 1808;
Rhoda, born November, 1785, and married to Wil-
liam McDaniel ;
William Davidson, born January 28, 1788, and
died in youth;
George C, born September 10, 1790, and married
to Elizabeth Foster June 23, 1818;
James M., born May 22, 1793, and married to
Nancy Foster September 8, 1814 ;
Robert S., born September 2, 1795, and married
to Jane Wilson May 25, 1820 ;
Rachel, born December 30, 1797, and married to
Moses White December 2, 1824;
William Davidson (the second child so named),
born December 10, 1800, and married to Leah Bur-
gin April 21, 1825;
Humphrey Newton, born June 11, 1803, and mar-
ried to Mary Foster December 26, 1826; and
Elizabeth, born April 10, 1806, and married to
Joseph A. McEntire January 19, 1832.
Many were the vicissitudes of this early life on the
Swannanoa. The Cherokees had sided with the Brit-
ish in the Revolutionary War and were loath to ob-
serve the peace which was declared at its close. Old
Mrs. Rlioda Alexander often told w^ith tears to her
28
grandchildren fhe dangers and annoyances of that ^
early life ; how, when the men of the family were ab- ^
sent, Indians would come and frighten the women ~
and children, take their provisions, open their feather >
beds and empty the contents over the house, and col- o
,:p-:
lect their household furniture in the yard and burn
it. Finally endurance could stand no more. As
James Alexander returned one day along the path * oi
which led to his home, he perceived a fire in front of ;>'
his house. From this he knew that Indians were l:;?
there engaged in mischief. As he advanced he pres- ■^■■
ently heard three of them coming along the path k
from his house. He stepped behind some bushes. Cl
They came on, shouting and dancing. His rifle
cracked, and the Indians disappeared. "Grandfather,
did you kill him?" inquired the child to whom he was
telling the story. The old man knew whether his aim
was true or not. His only answer was, "I did not
look back to see, my little girl."
But those days have long since gone by. The '
Swannanoa was named no doubt for the Shawano, or
Shawnee, Indians, who probably had, at one time, a
settlement near its mouth. Upon their name it sheds
a brighter lustre than the ravages which they
wrought or the wars which they waged. It is the
same river as of yore and still flows on in pristine
beauty; but the scenes are changed. It too had its
early fame. Along its borders Rutherford marched
his army in 1776 for the subjugation of the hostile
Oherokees. Then nature reigned upon its banks in
primal loveliness. It was sung in the poems of the
famous Gilmore Simms and the lamented Will Mar-
tin, and in that poem of the gifted Jacques whose
melody mingles in memory with the murmurs of its
waters.
"Swannanoa, nymph of beauty,
I would woo thee in my rhyme,
29
'd
Wildest, brightest, loveliest river
Of our southern sunny clime !
Swannanoa, well they named thee
In the mellow Indian tongue,
Beautiful thou art most truly
And right worthy to be sung.
"I have stood by many a river
Known to story and to song —
Ashley, Hudson, Susquehanna,
Fame to which may well belong;
I have camped by the Ohio,
Trod Scioto's fertile banks.
Followed far the Juniata
In the wildest of her pranks ;
"But thou reignest queen forever,
Child of Appalachian hills,
Winning tribute as thou flowest,
From a thousand mountain rills.
Thine is beauty, strength-begotten
'Mid the cloud-begirded peaks
Where the patriarch of mountains
Heavenward far thy waters seeks.
"Through the laurels and the beeches,
Bright fhy silvery current shines,
Sleeping now in granite basins,
Overhung by trailing vines,
And anon careering onward
In the maddest frolic mood.
Waking, with its sea-like voices,
Fairy echoes in the wood.
"Peaceful sleep thy narrow valleys
In the shadow of the hills.
And thy flower-enamelled border
30
All the air with fragrance fills.
Wild luxuriance, generous tillage,
Here alternate meet the view.
Every turn through all thy windings
Still revealing something new.
"Where, O graceful Swannanoa,
Are the warriors, who of old
Sought thee at thy mountain sources
Where thy springs are icy cold? —
Where the dark-browed Indian maidens
Who their limbs were wont to lave —
Worthy bath for fairer beauty —
In thy cool and limpid wave?
"Gone forever from thy borders.
But immortal in thy name
Are the red men of the forest ;
Be thou keeper of their fame.
Paler races dwell beside thee,
Celt and Saxon till thy lands,
Wedding use unto thy beauty.
Linking over thee their hands.''
Here in the valley of the Swannanoa, lived, re-
joiced, triumphed, toiled, struggled, and suffered
James Alexander and William Davidson and the
wives who shared their fortunes. Here their work
was done, well done. But the years rolled away and
their work was finished, their joys were numbered,
their triumphs completed, their toils ended, their
struggles ceased, and their sufferings were over ; and
death, who comes to all, brought rest. In the Valley
of the Swannanoa they sleep, in peace, the sleep of
the centuries. Glorious old men and women ! gone
forever but not forgotten !
31
Again there was a song by the quartette, "Beau-
tiful River."
Hon. Theo. F. Davidson, of Asheville, was then
introduced as sustaining the same relationship to
William Davidson, Sr. (the pioneer of the David-
sons locating in Buncombe), as Dr. Sondley to the
Alexanders — a great grandson.
While Dr. Sondley had left nothing unsaid about
the Alexanders and the Davidsons that could be said,
a less ready man than Mr. Davidson would have been
somewhat at sea as it were, but he was fully equal
to the occasion and made an interesting speech, re-
plete in anecdote and story, and left his hearers in a
most happy state of mind.
32
Alexander-Davidson Reunion
SWANNANOA, N. C.
August 26, 1911.
ADDRESS
of '
HON. THEO. F. DAVIDSON
On the
Davidson Family History.
V)
Address of Hon. Theo. F. Davidson ^
w
Hi
I am, borrowing the favorite phrase of a late, but ^
happily not lamented. President of the United States, jr<
^^dee-lighted!'' 3
^^This is the way I long have sought . ^
And mourned because I found it not." ^
At last here we are, on the banks of the beautiful
Swannanoa, in ^'The Land of the Sky," on the soil
won by the courage and sagacity of our forefathers,
in sight of spots they selected for their frontier
homes, and the places, when, after lives well spent,
they sleep until the Resurrection Morn. From city
and town, farm and factory, from over the Ridge and
beyond the Alleghanies and the Mississippi the des-
cendants of those hardy and worthy pioneers, have
come to pay tribute to their memory, to renew old
friendships, to form new acquaintances; to cement
the ties of family and kindred, and to provide for the
preservation of names and events of which we are,
and of right, may be proud.
Here are gathered the representatives of five gen-
erations of the two families whose reunion we cele-
brate, and I think I may safely say that nowhere on
this continent is it possible to assemble an equal
number of people of purer blood, of more worthy an-
cestry, or higher type of those sturdy civic virtues
which laid broad and deep the foundation of the Re-
public, and upon which it must rely for its continu-
ance.
Five generations of these families have lived side
by side, in the closest intimacy, not only with each
other, but with their cherished neighbors — the Pat-
tons, Whitsons, Fosters, Vances, Weavers, Westalls,
Reeds, and many others whose names will readily oc-
35
cur to you, in this beautiful valley, encircled by these
magnificent mountains.
I look out on this valley and see neat villages, fer-
tile farms, the landscape dotted with school houses
and churches, and fhe comfortable homes of a thrifty,
intelligent, law-abiding and God-fearing people.
, I should like to present this scene to those senti-
mental and rather silly people, who for a decade or
so, have been harrowing their souls, harrassing sens-
ible people, and flooding the spectacular periodicals
with their hysterical notions of the wretched and
heathenish condition of the "Mountain Whites" of
the Southern Appalachians ! .
Not long since I met in Boston a most charming
and excellent woman, one of the cream of the highly
cultivated and thoroughly good circles which have
given that city its preeminence for culture — who ex-
pressed the greatest interest in these poor "Mountain
Whites" and a desire to visit them in their mountain
fastnesses. I said to her: "Madame, I can assure
you that whenever you come, and whatever your mo-
tive, you will have a hearty welcome, but if your only
purpose Is to see the Mountain White, you need not
stir; behold me! I am a Mountain ^^^lite ^of the
straightest sect,' and so were my forbears for more
than a hundred years. I and my people glory in the
fact, and we hope to live and die as did our fathers
and mothers, brave, independent and upright Moun-
tain Whites." Her polite astonishment was quite
amusing.
Permit me, here to express what I am sure is the
universal and profound feeling of gratitude of the
representatives of these two families — indeed, I am
confident the feeling is not confined to them, but ex-
tends to all who are interested in the history and lit-
erature of Western North Carolina — to our kinsman.
Doctor Sondley, for his address which we have just
36
heard. It bears the stamp of most careful and con-
scientious preparation, and I happen to know that it
represents years of patient and intelligent research
of every available reliable source of information. I
know of none who could have done the work so well.
We must see that it is put in permanent form and pre-
served not only for our own pleasure, but for the gen^
erations that are to come after us. And I especially
desire it to be distinctly understood, now and hereaf-
ter, that whatever I may say today upon any topic
or phase of our family history which has been pre-
sented by Doctor Sondley, his version should be pre-
ferred. His faculty for research, his power of dis-
crimination and lucid arrangement, give the results
of his investigations the highest historical value. I
think you all know me well enough to believe that, in
saying this, I am not using words of idle flattery, but
in soberness and truth, to place before our kindred
the best sources of information.
Do not be alarmed at this formidable bundle of
papers I hold in my hands. I do not propose to read
them, but may refer to a few. They are letters, deeds,
wills, and miscellaneous documents, relating to our
family and the early history of Western North Caro-
lina, which I have been collecting for many years;
and at one time I contemplated preparing a history
of those times, but the time for me to do the work
has passed, and I can only continue the work of col-
lection and preservation for the future family his-
torian. My limited opportunities have confined my
inquiries to our branch of the family, directly des-
cended from that John Davidson, of Kowan, to whom
I shall refer later, and what information I may have
been able to gather of the collateral branches is frag-
mentary and not always reliable.
Our kinsman, Hugh Davidson, Esq., of Shelby-
ville, whom we are gratified to have with us today,
37
has recently prepared and published a history of
those branches of the family who emigrated from
Buncombe and settled in the Duck River section of
Tennessee early in the nineteenth century ; and in the
genealogy of the distinguished Tillman family of Ten-
nessee, prepared by George Newton Tillman, Esq.,
and published in 1905, there is much interesting mat-
ter relating to our family — the author's mother being
Martha Catherine Davidson, a daughter of James
Davidson (grandson of our John Davidson), and who
was born in Buncombe county, September 12th, 1796.
I am glad to hear that our kinsmen in Mecklen-
burg, Rowan and Iredell counties, of this State, and
known as the "Mecklenburg Davidsons," will soon
publish a history of that branch, which is fitly repre-
sented here today by our honored guest, Baxter Da-
vidson, Esq.
These facts admonish us to be up and doing our
part in the preservation of the history of our branch.
The material is abundant, and I feel confident the
love and devotion of some one — perhaps some of my
hearers — will soon put it in enduring form.
Let us not leave this day without arranging for
a permanent family historical organization, which
shall be empowered to collect and preserve all proper
material relating to the history and traditions of
these two families. Much interesting and valuable
material has been collected — much more is scattered
among the private papers of individuals and families,
which is in danger of destruction in the vicissitudes
and changes of life. Much is in the form of tradition
which will soon fade from memory.
We can show our appreciation of the virtues and
•sacrifices of ancestors by collecting and preserving
these evidences of their lives, and the events in which
they took honorable part, more appropriately and ef-
fectively than by simply meeting in reunions. And
38
?>»
k
ift?
(P
I Venture to say, a truthful chronicle of these two ta
families will constitute a no small part of the history b/
of Western North Carolina. In every period of that ^t
history, in peace and war, in all the phases and walks g
of life, our kindred have had not unworthy share. ^^
Let us record it, and, yea, let us make it known to all ^'
the regions round about, and send it on to those who q
come after us, with the charge to keep the record pure ^
and true, O
And you will, I know, indulge me in suggesting to *^
you that the spirit which produces occasions of this
kind, has far greater significance for the thoughtful ^^
and patriotic citizen of free and republican govern-
ment than many people think. Their influence is
much wider than at first sight appears. The found-
ers of this nation were earnest, brave, sincere men
and women — plain and temperate in their lives, de-
cided and loyal in their political and religious opin-
ions — having clear conceptions of civic duties. Upon
these traits were laid the foundation of the Republic
— upon them it must forever rest, and I can conceive
of no better means by which this can be done than
by frequent assemblies of this kind where these noble
qualities can be kept alive, and the fires of patriotism
kept burning on the altars of our country.
So, while we today, and I hope on many days to
come, are thinking of our forefathers, and enjoying
the social blessings that are ours, let us not forget
that we too have duties to the state and nation which
those forefathers gave us. And thus we may best re-
pay them.
The precise relation to each other of all the Da-
vidsons who came in the great emigration from Penn-
sylvania and Maryland from 1748 to 1752 and settled
in North Carolina, is difficult now to fix; that they
were related is, I think, without doubt. The fact that
they came South, from the same section and about
39
the same time; that it was a common habit with
Scotch-Irish to emigrate in groups of families and
relatives ; that they made their homes in the new set-
tlements near each other; that they held the same
religious and political beliefs and opinions ; the prev-
alence of family names for successive generations,
for example, William, George, Hugh, Benjamin,
Joseph, Rachel, Ruth, Mary, etc. ; the recurrence even
to this day of marked physical and mental resem-
blances among their descendants, and the traditions
of the members of the various families and of the
people who knew them, seem to make this conclusion
safely reliable.
There are two branches of the Davidsons yet in
Scotland, of the '^gentry" — and of apparently some
consequence, as they are noticed in ''Burke" and each
has its coat of arms — very like in general design. So
it seems we have always been "some punkins."
The tradition is, and it is pretty well established,
that in the emigration of the Scotch to north of Ire-
land in the reign of James I. of England, were sev-
eral Davidsons, some of whom were active in the af
fairs of the stormy years following. They were
Whigs and Presbyterians. From these came our an-
cestors. Some time in the first half of the 18th cen-
tury they came to America and located in York, Lan-
caster and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania —
the greater portion of them, perhaps, at, or near
Chestnut Level in Lancaster county. It may be one,
or more, settled in Western Maryland and Northern
Virginia. I have, however, not been able to secure
any reliable information of this fact. From Pennsyl-
vania they came with the great Scotch-Irish "emigra-
tion" to North Carolina, as I have said — settling in
Anson and Rowan counties, from which Mecklenburg
and Iredell counties were soon afterwards formed.
The records in the office of the Secretary of State of
40
North Carolina, show that grants for lands issued,
from the years 1743 to 1780, to George Davidson,
Thomas Davidson, John Davidson, Joseph Davidson,
Robert Davidson, James Davidson and William Da-
vidson — the name being invariably spelled in these
records down to about the year 1768, Davison — the
second "d" being omitted; and by the way, in the
printed copy of the note from General Wm. Da-
vidson to General Green, announcing the result of the
Battle of King's Mountain, General Davidson omit-
ted the second ^^d," yet in his will, the original of
which is now on file in the office of the Clerk of the
Superior Court of Rowan county, he used the second
^^d," and in all other documents I have seen, and in
all records, public and private, which I have exam-
ined, the spelling is with the second "d," since the
end of the eighteenth century.
The grant to Joseph Davidson was for land in
Craven county, North Carolina. I have not the dates,
but my memorandum says it is recorded in Book 5,
page 67, Secretary of State's office, North Carolina.
About the same time are grants to John Davidson for
land in Tyrell and Bertie — adjoining Craven. I am
at a loss to account for this, as those three counties
are in the extreme eastern part of North Carolina
and had been settled many years, principally by Eng-
lish from the Colony of Virginia and from the Old
Country, and there are, so far as my information
goes, no records or family traditions that any ^'Davi-
sons," or Davidsons ever settled or resided in that
part of the State. I apprehend that, in contempla-
tion of the emigration to the South, these lands were
acquired, but afterwards when the movement was de-
termined, the "Piedmont" section of the State was se-
lected; at any rate from 1743 down to 1780, grants
issued to George, Thomas, John, Robert, James, Ben-
jamin and William Davidson, for land in what is
41
now Anson, Rowan, Mecklenburg and Burke coun-
ties — and one to Robert Davidson in Cumberland
county — adjoining Anson.
There were evidently two George Davidsons of the
original emigrants — one in Anson and the other in
Rowan. Not only were grants issued to George Da-
vidson in Anson, but at the Provincial Congress
which met at Halifax on April 4, 1776, in the military
organization of the State, or Province, George David-
son, of Anson, was appointed major, and was one of
the delegates sent by Anson county to the convention
which assembled at Halifax on the 12th of Novem-
ber following to frame a constitution. He also rep-
resented Anson county in the General Assembly in
1777-1778 (Wheeler's History of N. C, Vol. 1, 81-85;
Vol. 2, 25). Of this George Davidson I have no fur-
ther knowledge, except a tradition that, soon after
the Revolution he emigrated to Tennessee and settled
near Nashville. It is probable the records, public and
private, of Anson county, may furnish some informa-
tion of his family.
There was another George Davidson, of Rowan
county. He and his brother John (the last named
being our great great grandfather), came to North
Carolina with the "Emigration" and settled at or
near Center Church, then Rowan, now Iredell
county. This George was the father of General Wil-
liam Davidson. His will is recorded and the original
is in the office of the Superior Court of Rowan
county. It is dated May 19, 1758. In it he speaks of
three sons, George, William and Samuel. It is said
George died while a young man and I presume before
marriage; of his son Samuel, I never heard any-
thing. General William Davidson married a Miss
Mary Brevard, sister of Dr. Ephraim Brevard, au-
thor of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independ-
ence. There were five or six children of this mar-
42
riage, who went West with their mother about the be-
ginning of last century and their descendants are
scattered throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri
and the Southwestern States. In ''Hunter's Sketches
of Western North Carolina," there is, I think, a full
statement of the names of these children and the
places to which they removed, etc. This George was
a captain in military organization of the State and
also a member of the ''Committee of Safety" for
Rowan county. (Wheeler's History, Vol. 2, page
368). Of his descendants I know but little; many
of them reside in Iredell and Mecklenburg counties
— chiefly in the vicinity of Davidson College.
John Davidson, our great-great-grandfather, the
brother of the last named George, was also promi- ,
nent and active in the Revolutionary struggle — being J,.
an officer in the military organization of N. C, and a
member of the Committee of Safety and Correspond-
ence of Rowan county (Wheeler's History, 1, 81; 3,
368). It has been claimed by some that he was one
of the "signers" of the "Mecklenburg Declaration,"
but I am rather inclined to the opinion that John was
a son of Robert Davidson. The tradition — the truth
of which I think is reasonably well established — is
that George, of Rowan, John and Robert were broth-
ers ; that Robert died in Pennsylvania, shortly before
the "Emigration," and that his surviving brothers
brought his widow and children with them ; and from
that stock came most of the Charlotte Davidsons —
and as I have said, the John of that family was, prob-
ably the "signer" of the Mecklenburg Declaration.
There was a John Davidson also in the engagement at
Cowan's Ford, where General Davidson fell, and in
General Greene's retreat before Cornwallis, after
Cowpens; I am inclined to the opinion he was the
son of our great-grandfather William, and was
"John Davidson (the third)" mentioned by Hugh
43
Davidson in ^The Davidson Family of the Duck
River Valley," hereinbefore referred to. It is stated
in Wheeler's History, 3, 239, that Nancy Brevard
married John Davidson and both were killed by In-
dians near the head of the Catawba. I have often
heard of this event; it occurred near the present
town of Old Fort, and the stream upon which the
town is situated and in which I have been told the
bodies of the victims were found, was for a long
time known as '^Davidson's Mill Creek," now simply
"Mill Creek." This tragedy must have occurred be-
fore, or early in the Revolution ; that John was prob-
ably a young man — about the same age of General
Davidson. I do not know where to place him, unless
as a son of our great-grandfather John or of Rowan
George. It may be some of the Davidsons or Bre-
vards, in Mecklenburg, can give more information on
this subject.
John Davidson's wife was a widow, a Mrs. Mor-
rison, of whose ancestry I know nothing — and the
children of this marriage were: William, our great-
grandfather, and his twin brother Samuel, George,
Thomas, John ("One-eyed"), Rachel, Betty and
Peggy ; Rachel married John Alexander ; Betty mar-
ried Ephraim McLean, and settled on the Cumber-
land River near Nashville, Tenn., the locality still
being known as "McLean's Bend." Their loyal grand-
son, W. W. McLean, Esq., of Fosterville, Tenn., has
made a long journey to be with us today. We warm-
ly welcome him to the home of our fathers. Peggy
married James Smith ; they emigrated to Middle Ten-
nessee soon after the close of the Revolution and left,
as I am told, descendants. George Davidson, son of
John, also emigrated early in life to Tennessee, set-
tled in the neighborhood of Shelbyville, and left des-
cendants. Thomas settled in South Carolina; many
of his descendants yet reside in that State, and many
U
others in Florida, Alabama, Texas and other South-
western States. There is some confusion with re-
spect to John. It has been said he was the John
Davidson who was killed by the Indians, on Mill
Creek, near Old Fort; and again, that he emigrated
to Tennessee and settled near Columbia. There is
evidence to support both statements.
Samuel was killed by Indians, as stated to you to-
day by Doctor Sondley. His infant daughter, and
so far as my information goes, his only child — and
who escaped from the Indians and was carried by her
mother to Old Fort, was named Ruth. She married
James Wilson ; they emigrated about the close of the
eighteenth century to Tennessee and settled in what
is now Obion County. They left numerous descend-
ants, among them being some of the wealthiest and
most highly respected of that country. Three of
Ruth's daughters married respectively, Joseph,
Charles and Samuel P. Carson, sons of Col. John
Carson, of then Burke, now McDowell County. This
Samuel P. Carson represented for many years this
Congressional District in the Congress of the United
States, and was the first Secretary of State for the
Republic of Texas.
It was in a duel with him that Dr. Robert B.
Vance, who preceded him as Representative in Con-
gress, fell, in 1827.
William Davidson, son of John (of Rowan), our
great-grandfather, married Margaret McConnell, and
of that marriage there were the following children :
John, Hugh, George, William Mitchell, Samuel ;
Mary, married Daniel Smith (2d), Betty married
Thomas Alexander ; Sallie, married Joshua Williams
and Ruth married General Samuel Williams ; of
these Rachel, William Mitchell and Samuel remained
in North Carolina ; the others in early life removed
to and settled in Tennessee, in the vicinity of Nash-
45
ville, Shelbyville and Columbia, where many of their
descendants yet reside. This William Davidson,
known in later life as Maj. Davidson, was
active and prominent in the Kevolutionary War,
and subsequently. He was a captain in the military
organization of Iredell county, and a member of its
"Committee of Safety and Independence;" was lieu-
tenant in Capt. Houston's company — mounted —
which participated in the battles of Ramseur's Mill,
Enoree, and in the military campaigns in N. C.
1780-1781, when Cornwallis invaded the State. It is
probable he was in the battle of King's Mountain.
Soon after the close of the war he removed from
"The Glades," his home on the Catawba, not far
from the present village of Old Fort, McDowell
county, to the Swannanoa River, where he resided un-
til his death, with the exception of two or three
years, when his residence was at the south side of
the Swannanoa, at the place long known as the
"Gum Spring," a short distance west of the present
village of Biltmore. There, at his house, the County
of Buncombe was organized, April 16, 1792, near
Asheville — supposed then to be in Rutherford coun-
ty, which county he represented in the General As-
sembly of 1790-1791, and was active in securing the
passage of the Act creating the County of Buncombe,
and that county was organized at his house on the
16th of April, 1792. He died at his home on Swan-
nanoa on the 16th day of May, 1814, in 78th year
of his age; his wife died November 13, 1806, in her
58th year. In July, 1902, the Daughters of the Revo-
lution erected a monument at his grave in commem-
oration of his life and services. By mistake the date
of his death upon the monument is stated as 1810.
The error should be corrected. These, in substance,
are the facts I have been able to collect with respect
46
to the early history of our branch of the North Caro-
lina Davidsons.
The Ben Davidson mentioned in the grant was
doubtless the same Ben who came across the moun-
tains shortly after the close of the Revolution, and
settled in the French Broad Valley on one of its
tributaries, which to this day is known as David-
son's River. I am inclined to think he was a des-
cendant of George (of Anson), or of Robert.
The people of North Carolina have not been un-
mindful of the Davidson name; there is Davidson
county, Davidson River, Davidson College, the town
or village of Davidson, Davidson street in Asheville,
and I think one in Charlotte — and a monument to
General Davidson on the Guilford battleground, near
Greensboro — and the State of Tennessee, North Car-
olina's political daughter, named, in honor of our
kinsman. General William Davidson, who fell at
Cowan's Ford, the county, in which is their capital
city, Davidson. "The past at least is secure."
Let me suggest that each of us give some atten-
tion to the collection and preservation of souvenirs
and mementoes of the early times. In many fami-
lies there are ancient deeds, letters, diaries, pictures,
pieces of furniture, articles of clothing, etc., full of
interest as illustrating the habits and customs of our
ancestors — many of them having peculiar personal
association.
I have here (exhibiting it) a stone that has rather
a romantic history. For a while it was thought to
be a whetstone, but a more careful examination
shows it to be a "pelter," an instrument quite com-
mon among hunters, who used it on their hunting
expeditions, to enable them to separate the skins
from the flesh of their game without injuring the
skins, peltries being in those times a most important
source of revenue. Some twenty-five or thirty
47 •
years ago, Mack Gudger was plowing in his field near
the spot where stood the cabin of our great uncle,
Samuel Davidson, and where he was killed by In-
dians as described by Doctor Sondley, and found this
stone. You will observe that on one side is carved
in rude letters and figures, "D. S. 1775," and on
the other side the letters ''S. D." These are the in-
itials of Daniel Smith and Samuel Davidson. Smith
married Mary Davidson, a niece of Samuel, and he
and Samuel were warm friends and constant com-
panions in their frontier life. I have no doubt this
stone was their common property; that the carving
of letters and figures now on it was made by one of
them, and that it was in Samuel's house at the time
of the tragedy which ended his life. It was given
by Mack Gudger to our cousin, Robert B. Davidson,
Esq., of Shelbyville, Tenn., who was greatly inter-
ested in family history, and upon his death went into
the possession of his son, Hugh, who gave it to me
when on a visit to him last summer, saying that he
thought it should be in the keeping of some of the
Buncombe Davidsons.
Daniel Smith was a doughty frontiersman, reso-
lute and brave. He was renowned for his skill as
hunter, explorer and Indian fighter. He was the an-
cestor of the Smiths, McDowells, Spears, Shufords
and Ripleys, who have maintained honorable and
useful prominence in the settlement and development
of the French Broad Valley. It is a great pleasure
to see so many of his descendants here today. I am
told some of the family, in Asheville, have Daniel's
celebrated gun, which was used by him during the
Revolution and to the time of his death. I hope
necessary precautions will be taken for the preser-
vation of this interesting relic.
I have here also the plaid, or "Tartan" of the
"Clan Davidson,' which was brought to me several
. 48
years ago from Scotland. You will know that among
other great virtues of our Scottish ancestors was the
one that they never wore breeches. They covered their
feet — when not barefoot, as was usually the case —
with rough buskins or sandals, somewhat after the
style of the Indian moccasin, made from the hides of
deer and cattle, and wrapped the upper body in stout
woolen plaids, or tartans woven by the women from
the fleece of their own sheep, and doubtless often
from the sheep of their "lowland'' neighbors, whose
flocks and pastures, I am inclined to think, our fore-
fathers were rather given to raiding between suns.
However, as in those days there was almost constant
state of war between the "highlanders" and "low-
landers," those little excursions and reprisals must
not be considered too critically. Observe the wonder:
ful fineness of texture, the beautiful blending of col-
ors and softness and flexibility of the entire work.
Each clan — and there were many — had its own tar-
tan, having distinct colors and arrangement of
colors; and besides being an article of dress, it was
the emblem and distinguishing mark of the clan in
peace and war, as national flags now represent dif-
ferent people and governments.
I hold in my hand a book of extraordinary inter-
est, not only to we Alexanders and Davidsons, but to
all who are interested in the history of Buncombe
county, and especially to those who are descended
from the men who settled, organized and developed
the county. It is the original record of the County
Court of Buncombe, and contains the proceedings of
the organization of the county. Permit me to read
one or two paragraphs from this ancient record,
which allude to our families, and are pertinent to
this occasion:
"North Carolina — Buncombe County.
"April 16, 1792.
49
i-l
^'Agreeably to a Commission to us directed. The-
County Court of said County was begun, opened and
held at the house of Col. William Davidson, Esq.
^Tresent: James Davidson, David Vance, Wil-
liam Whitson, William Davidson, James Alexander,
James Brittain, Phillip Hoodenpile."
"Silence being commanded and proclamation be- oi:;
ing made, the Court was opened in due and solemn ^J
form of law by John Patton, specially appointed for 59
that purpose.'' "^
The Court then proceeded to eletcion of officers h
and the drawing of jurors, and among the names of 2
officers chosen and jurors drawn you will recognize -^
many names now borne by their descendants who yet ^
dwell in the lands "their fathers gave unto them." 3
It is interesting to note in the subsequent pro- .^
ceedings of this court the rapid growth in the popu- '^
lation and development of the country, and the temp-
tation to make further extracts is very great, but the
purpose of this occasion being only to direct the at-
tention of my kinsmen to facts connected with the *-
lives of their forefathers, I shall leave its later his-
tory to more competent hands. Let me, however,
give two further quaint extracts which may illustrate
the simple and grave manners of the men and women
of those times :
"Minutes of July Court, 1792.
"A bill of divorce from Ruth Edwards to her hus-
band John Edwards was proved in open Court by
Philip Hoodenpile, Esq., a subscribing witness there-
fore ordered to be registered."
While this homely method of untying the incon-
venient matrimonial knot does not begin to compare
with the modern solemn performances to accomplish
the same end, it has the merit of being far more hon-
est and direct — and doubtless was as effectual. Per-
haps the parties, in the absence of any other known
50
provisions of law or precedents, recalled the old
Mosaic statute, that when a man desires to get rid
of an undesirable wife, "let him write her a bill of
divorcement, and give it in her hand and send her
out of his house."
"Minutes of October Court, 1793. Ordered by the
Court that Thomas Hopper upon his own motiouy
have a certificate from the clerk, certifying that his
right ear was bit off by Philip Williams in a fight
between said Hopper and Williams. Certificate is-
sued."
When we recall that in those days and for many
years afterwards the punishment for certain crimes
— perjury, forgery and perhaps some others — was by
cutting off a portion of the ear of the offender, com-
monly called "cropping," we can well understand
why the "said Hopper" was so anxious that the truth
of his misfortune should be preserved in some au-
thentic way. Evidently the court being plain, sensible
and just men, saw nothing unreasonable in the mat-
ter and gave a place on their records for the fact.
I have looked in vain through these records for
evidence of any criminal prosecution of the "said
Hopper and Williams" for this fight, but as good old
fashioned fighting, without rocks, knives, pistols or
"brass-knucks" was one of the most common and
popular amusements of those days, and there seems
to have been no more serious injury than the loss of
an ear, and doubtless the fight being a fair one, the
conservators of law and order did not feel called
upon to take official notice of it. Nowadays such an
occurrence would furnish us with a sensational two-
days' trial, and fees galore!
Dr. Sondley's address and my contribution today
bring the history and genealogy of the Buncombe Al-
exanders and Davidsons down to the period of the
settlement and organization of society in that county
61
— about the beginning of the nineteenth century.
The continuance of the work must be committed to
other hands. You have among you a number of per-
sons who are abundantly capable of this worthy un-
dertaking. It is not difficult. Let each branch of
the Alexander and Davidson families now in West-
ern North Carolina, descendants of the John Alex-
ander and John Davidson to whom we have referred,
and who may be accepted as the founders of those
.families, respectively, in Buncombe and adjoining
territory, compile genealogical and chronological
records of births, marriages, deaths, removals and
other matters of family interest, and report them,
from time to time, to future reunions of the two
families, such as we have today, or to reunions of
separate branches, as the convenience of the circum-
stances may dictate ; and then you will be able to col-
lect and perpetuate the family names. We owe this
much to our ancestors and to our common country.
And now, in conclusion, I want to express my
thanks and feelings of admiration to our Swannanoa
kinsmen for their hospitable and gracious entertain-
ment arranged for us today; and I make a sugges-
tion, which I am sure will meet with the unanimous^
and enthusiastic approval of this meeting: Let us
adjourn to the groaning tables I see under those
noble trees, and assail with family pride and appetite
those "heaps of good things" which the kind hearts
and fair hands of our kinswomen have prepared for
us. The Alexanders and Davidsons have ever been
renowned as good feeders. Dugald Dalgetty should
be our patron saint.
52
Carolina State Library
Raleigh
The quartette then gave, "Blest be the Tie That
Binds.''
After the benediction by Rev. Clarence Reynolds,
of Oakland Heights Presbyterian church, an adjourn-
ment was taken for dinner and the opportunity was
presented to those who desired to visit the old home-
steads and cemeteries.
Just prior to adjournment, Mr. Pless, of Marion,
N. C, suggested the importance of taking some steps
to perpetuate the objects of the reunion, and moved
the appointment of a committee to devise plans and
arrange for further meetings, etc., etc. Dr. F. A.
Sondley, Hon. Theo. F. Davidson and Mr. Charles H.
Alexander were appointed on that committee.
Following the ajournment a registration of those
members and representatives of the two families was
made and a grouping of the connection as a whole
and the arranging into smaller numbers and individ-
uals, for photographing, C. F. Ray, of Asheville, be-
ing on the grounds with cameras, large and small,
suitable for such work. The registration showed be-
tween four and five hundred members of the two
families actually present. Singularly enough, every
one taking an active part in the program, with two
exceptions — Rev. Clarence Reynolds and one of the
quartette — ^were connected with one or the other fam-
ilies in some way.
There were representatives of six generations in
attendance and four generations upon the grounds.
To the excellence and good taste exhibited in the
arrangements which contributed so greatly to the en-
joyment of a most delightful occasion, the large meet-
ing was indebted to the hospitality and forethought
of the Swannanoa Alexanders and Davidsons.
63
GR 929.2 A374S2
Sondley, F. A. (Foster Alexander), 1857-
Alexander-Davidson reunion, Swannanoa, N
3 3091 00322 4375
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