Finding Lt. Davis' Grave

 "Once you were lost, but now you are found"

Lt. Joseph Davis

 ( 1782 - 1855)

2nd in Command at Fort Amanda 1813

 

Joseph Davis was born in Romney, Virginia, in 1782, son of Samuel W. and Mary (Byrd) Davis. The family consisted of 9 children; 6 boys and 3 girls.. The Davis family emigrated to Ohio in 1803 coming down the Ohio river on a flat boat. They landed at the mouth of Crawfish creek then moved on to Shaylor's Run, in Union township. Joseph our subject, eventually saved enough money to purchase some land in Hardin's Survey, on the East Fork, between Perin's Mills (Perintown, Oh) and Milford.



Davis built a log cabin there and on March 1, 1806, Roger W. Waring, justice of the peace joined 24 year old Joseph and 16 year old Rachel Fowler in Holy matrimony. The newlyweds carried all their household goods on a horse to their new home, the bride following with her dishes of pewter in her apron. There was no floor in the cabin and their beds were made of sticks and saplings, as were also their tables. At that time that part of Union township was a wilderness, but he eventually claimed over 400 acres of land. Ten children were born to Joseph and Rachel; Mathew, Jeremiah, Joseph, Samuel, Thomas, Henry, Robert F., Ira L., George W., and William B.

The War of 1812

During the War of 1812, 31 year old Davis served as a lieutenant in Captain Daniel Hosbrook’s company at Fort Amanda. Schillinger mentions him often throughout his journal. Those entries are as follows:

Wednesday Feb 17
This morning the Captain and Lieutenant being absent, I paraded the company. All well but one man, M. Strickland. This morning received from Mr. Tootens, some clothes from home and with them my wife’s profile. At 3 o’clock this afternoon we got word that the baggage we were waiting for had taken the road to Franklin. We marched at 3 o’clock and moved 5 miles out of town and camped for the night.

Monday Feb 22
This morning cold and cloudy. Paraded at 7 o’clock. Found 3 men sick. Prepared to march at 10 o’clock agreeable to orders. At 5 o’clock our Brigadier and Lieutenant came out and on parade, the General read the articles and regulations of the armies of the U. S. and gave us orders to march at 8 o’clock tomorrow.

Friday Mar 5
Cool and cloudy. We had almost all our men on fatigue cleaning up the fort and grounds adjacent. Lieutenant Davis, officer of police and I went out hunting but found no game but a few ducks which we could not get to shoot. After some time spent in vainly attempting to get some game, we returned home and took our dinner. After examination I found that two men belonging to Captain Seaton’s company had deserted. Spent this evening writing letters.

Tuesday Mar 16
At day break the morning gun was fired at 7 o’clock. Captain Manary with his company of Rangers (being discharged) paraded to march for homeward. The Colonel ordered a salute to be fired at their march which was done by firing a 6 pounder. Took breakfast. At 9 o’clock the court was called. There being one supernumerary, I was permitted to return to Fort Amanda. I proceeded at 11:30, accompanied by Captain Ball, our Wagon Master and arrived at Amanda at 4 o’clock. Found all well. The Lieutenant with his fatigue party began to dig the trench for the stockading and intended addition .

Wednesday Mar 17
Last night heavy rain with thunder and continued raining in showers. After breakfast all hands paraded and proceeded to throw into the river, a large quantity of dead hogs and skins and entrails that had been left on the bank above the fort, which were beginning to be offensive by reason of putrefaction. After dinner the Lieutenant and myself went over the river hunting but found no game but some squirrels which were very wild. We shot one and returned to the fort. Weather warm and showery.

Saturday Mar 27
This day, all hands washing our clothes, gathering wood, etc. Lieutenant (Davis) and 1 man went out hunting to get some game to make our Captain some soup. Killed a pheasant. In the afternoon, I went out with out cook to get a broom stick. He took the gun and as we happened along the bank of the river, discovered a fine large Pike in shallow water and shot it. At 6 o’clock it began to rain. Wrote a letter to send to my wife.

Monday May 17
Clear and pleasant. Our men making cartridges. Paid Captain Perry for what sugar we got from him of Captain Walls. Sent my letter by Captain Hixon, who goes into the settlement with all his hands that was building boats. This morning our wagon left the fort for home, it being discharged by Colonel Orr. The Captain and Lieutenant went out spying. Made no discoveries of any of the enemy. They found a number of articles which was lost by the Kentuckians. I bought some fish from the Indians. Our men put a fist pot in the river today.

Sunday June 20
This morning the Brigade Major inspected the company. Gave them credit for their good appearance. Left the fort in company with Major Kain who is ordered to Fort Winchester. Milikin and Heaton left at 10 o’clock. At 2 o’clock, Lieutenant Davis left the effort to go home for a few days. Took a number of letters from the company. Doctor Lewis accompanied him as far as St. Mary’s. This evening 1 man who had been sent in company with Neville returned and brought us the word that they had only gotten 6 miles from the fort when the horse gave out.

Saturday July 10
Very cold for the season. At 12 o’clock Lieutenant Davis returned to the fort. Brought a letter from Captain Armstrong to me. All well. Mr. Kercheval returned from Fort Jennings.

Sunday Aug 1
Clear and warm. Lieutenant Davis and sergeant Bradbury went to Fort Logan today. This afternoon, Captain Benagh and Mr. Steel went to St. Mary’s. Sent one of our sick men and one man to take care of him. F. Duchouquet, Indian Interpreter came to the fort to draw provisions for the Shawnees.

Tuesday Aug 3
This morning clear and warm. Captain Brier took command of the fort. We prepared to leave it. Delivered up our arms, etc. Our men being all dismissed, Captain, Lieutenant and myself, on examination found that the horses which we had in keeping to take us home were gone. Some evil disposed persons having drove them off, and we could not find them. We then applied to the Quartermaster for others but obtained but one, on which I loaded our baggage and proceeded by way of St. Mary’s. The Captain and Lieutenant went by way of Fort Logan. I agreed to meet them at Mr. Stotlers, 2 miles below Piqua. I arrived at St. Mary’s about 6 o’clock PM, being 4 hours from Amanda. Stayed here all night.

According to some sources, Davis served 2 tours of duty during the war. A county history says that in addition to serving as a lieutenant in Hosbrook’s company, and participating in the siege of Fort Meigs, near Perrysburg, Oh, he also served under Colonel Crogan in his gallant defense of Fort Stephenson, at what is now the city of Fremont, Ohio. That has yet to be confirmed.

After the War

Davis arrived back home on Saturday, August 7, 1813. He went on to become a successful farmer and a greatly respected member of his community (Perintown, O) He was a deeply religious man and spent much of his life serving several offices in his church. He also served many years as a Justice of the Peace because he was considered an upright and honest man.

Court records show that no appeals were ever taken involving cases in his docket. He was public spirited and having risen from a poor boy to one of the substantial men of the County, he took great interest in all public improvements.

Joseph’s wife Rachel died on Christmas Day in 1837 at the age of 47. Her epitaph reads, “Aged 47y 10m 12d.” Four months later, on April 8, 1838, Joseph married 43 year old Rebecca Vail.

Joseph Davis, pioneer, patriot, soldier who helped build part of Ft. Amanda, a mediocre hunter (as portrayed by Schillinger :-)), an educated man, father of 10, a religious man, a successful farmer, civic leader and highly respected citizen, died on Tuesday July 17, 1855, at his home in Union Township. He was 73 years old. Rebecca died 15 years later on December , 1870. Her burial site is unknown but more than likely it's in the same cemetery (Round Bottom) as Joseph and Rachel.

Joseph and Rachel are buried side by side in a small and all but forgotten cemetery on Round Bottom Road near Perintown. Like many old cemeteries, it isn’t marked and difficult to find. Only a couple stones remain upright, the others covered by leaves, dirt and debris. I found it only by chance talking with residents of a lovely old stone home at 956 Round Bottom Rd. who showed me the location.

Note: the empty plastic bottle held water to clean the stones. It was properly disposed of.

Robet Gazel was a neighbor of Joseph Davis

This has since become all oveRgrown and stones no longer visible.

Grave marker of 47 year old Rachel Fowler Davis, wife of Lt. Joseph Davis, pioneer woman, mother of 10, endurer of hardships and no less a patriot than her husband. And like her husband we shall remember her as well.

Personal Thought

Finding graves, particularly those of soldiers at Ft. Amanda can sometimes be little bittersweet. Such was the case of Lt. Davis. I’d come to know him pretty well through Schillinger’s journal entries and through my own research through census records, county histories and other genealogical sources. I guess I’d hoped I’d find him in a well manicured gated cemetery perhaps in a veterans section with his grave marked with an official War of 1812 headstone; he deserved that. Instead what I found was only a footstone with his initials, "J D" buried under leaves branches and other forest debris on a small rise a few feet behind a metal storage building with a gravel parking lot. I shouldn't have been too surprised as I've found some of Davis' comrades buried in the middle of a field, alongside a road, even under a paved parking lot.

Still, standing at his grave I couldn't help feeling a little sad I guess. I’d gotten to know him pretty well and was disappointed his life had come to this kind of end, his final resting place accessible only by luck. I eventually found some closure knowing that Josephs grave marker, like Amanda’s is safe from vandalism, used as shims under farm buildings or even worse sold as curiosities at flea markets, or hidden away in a college dorm room. While there is some danger of disclosing the location of grave sites, I suspect most people like me, don't do this kind of research out of curiosity, they do it out of respect. You see my hope is one day to meet Lieutenant Davis and the other “boys of Ft. Amanda and when I do I want to be able to say with all sincerity, "Lieutenant, I gave it my best shot."

NOW THE GOOD NEWS

I received an email today from one of Lt. Davis decendants.    He had stumbled onto my site and is now sharing the family information with his family.  

David, A Servant at Fort Amanda

David's Story

War of 1812

This blog is about a Black man named “David, the personal servant of Lt. Col. Robert Pogue, builder of Fort Amanda.  David has the distinction of being the first black man to reside within the confines of what later became Auglaize County.

A Servant at Fort Amanda

During the War of 1812, senior officers were permitted to bring personal servants with them while on active duty. Lt. Col. Robert Pogue, brought a family servant named “David.” Servants often did routine camp duties i.e., cooking meals for the officer, running errands, delivering messages, doing laundry and other routine camp duties. They also endured the same hardships as the soldiers, i.e. poor living conditions, short food supplies, horrible weather conditions, long marches and of course dangers posed by the enemy.

 

What Do We Know About David?

Pogue knew that whoever he brought with him on his campaign had to be old enough and strong enough to endure the rigors of camp life. This suggests that David was probably a young man, possibly a teenager between the ages of 15 and 20.

Expense Account

While on active duty, officers paid for the servant's services out of their own pocket and were later reimbursed by the state government. When Pogue returned home in March of 1813, his first order of business was prepare an expense account requesting reimbursements for David's expenses. His request read:

The United States to:
Robert Pogue, Lieutenant Col. Commander of the 4th Regiment Kentucky, Volunteer Militia.
For the pay of David, a private servant not of the line or Militia from the 27th day of August to the 18th March, 1813, six months and twenty three days at $6.66 per month. $44.90  

I certify on Honor that the above amount is accurate and just, and that I employed and kept in service, a servant not of the line of the Army or Militia for the term above charged and that I did not during the time herein charge, keep or employ as a waiter or servant, any soldier from the line of the Army or Militia      ]

(signed by Pogue)

 

A Paltry Sum?

Pogue was reimbursed $44.90 or approx. $6.66 a month or 21 cents a day for David's services. While that sounds like a miniscule amount, the average soldier was paid on 25 cents a day or $8.00 a month. Put into perspective, farmers made 50 cents a day during the same period.   

Flemingsburg, Kentucky August 24th, 1813.
Received of Lieutenant George M. Botts, paymaster to the 4th Regiment Kentucky, Volunteer Militia, Forty four dollars, ninety cents in full payment of the above amount for the services of my private servant Davey. Having signed triplicates
(signed by Pogue)

Note, Pogue referred to David as "Davey."

The Great Escape

'Nothing is known about David from 1813 until 1822 when on January 22, 1822, he walked away from the Pogue plantation without permission and without telling anyone.  By this time David would have been in his mid to late 20's and possibly married.  Normally the incident might have been recorded as just another "runaway slave" story but that's too easy. Incidents like runaway slaves involve a lot of human drama and I wanted to learn all I could about this one.

A Chronology of Events?

Waning Crescent Moon Phase

David knew that to avoid capture he needed to leave while it was still dark. There were only 7 hours of darkness that time of year and with a moon in the waning Crescent phase (see above), and very little moonlight, this seemed the perfect time to leave. But why after dark? It wasn't uncommon to see a black man walking by himself in daylight because they normally carried a "pass" similar to a military leave pass. Its purpose was to let others, especially slave hunters, otherwise known as "paddy rollers," know that he/she had permission to be off the farm.

David's Plan of Escape

All indications are that David's plan was to flee south to Flemingsburg, Ky, 10 miles to the south where he hoped to find help from a presbyterian minister named James K. Burch.

Rev. James K. Burch

 Rev. Burch pastored several churches in the Flemingsburg area. Records show his eldest daughter Catherine was married in 1832. Assuming she was 18-20 years old at the time means she was probably born around 1812 and about 10 years old when David came to the Burch home that morning with the oldest child (Catherine) born in 1812, Rev. Burch probably married around 1810 and if he was 20 to 25 years old at the time, he would have been born between 1785 and 1790 making him between about 35 years old at the time of David’s visit.

Weather Conditions

We don't know the weather conditions on that date, however its safe to assume it was a typical January Kentucky Winter; cold, ice and snow.
If there had been snow or ice on the roads along with little moonlight to guide his way, David more than likely would have traveled slowly to avoid stepping in holes or ditches and possibly injuring himself. He knew that if he walked to fast, he could work up a sweat and risk pneumonia or even worse, freezing to death.

Taking all those things into consideration let's assume David walked at a slower pace of say 2 mph, slightly less than the normal speed of 3 miles per hour.

Believed to be the route David took to Flemingsburg

 Somewhere along the way that morning, David decided that he wanted to return home. He may even have been married at the time and that could have been a deciding factor. Whatever the case, he knew that at daybreak, Pogue would discover his absence and would be sending someone out to bring him back. David knew he had to get to Flemingsburg before daylight. Remember, he didn't have a "pass" making him fair game for slave hunters (otherwise known as paddy rollers who would gladly return him to Pogue and charge Pogue a hefty fee for their services.

Allowing for slow travel speed and rest stops, the 10 mile trip to Flemingsburg would have taken about 5 hours meaning he arrived in there between 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock that morning while it was still dark. He immediately went to the home of Rev. Burch, the presbyterian minister. We know Pogue was a devout Presbyterian and judging by the words, "My dear friend," Pogue knew Rev. Burch personally, it's likely David knew him as well.

David explained the situation to Rev. Burch who decided to send a letter to Robert Pogue (below), explaining David's situation including the fact that he (David) was very remorseful about leaving. Burch also included the fact that David was very concerned about being punished for leaving. The following letter to Pogue explaining the situation and encouraging Pogue not to punish David.

 Flemingsburg, January 22, 1822
My dear friend,
Your black man, David just visited at my house, and solicited me to give him a pass to return home. He says he left home this morning without your permission or knowledge. He declares to me that it is his desire and intention to return home this evening. He fears chastisement for his conduct. He appears penitent. He promises future obedience and submission. He begs me to intercede for him.
My dear friend will you forgive him. Make trial I doubt not but he deserves chastisement, but perhaps his promises are sincere. Perhaps he will keep them. Alas! How often has we disobeyed, offended and run away from our Master in Heaven. And how often has he kindly forgiven us.
May the Lord God of …… bless you and your dear companion and children and servants.


Yours most sincerely and affectionately
James K. Burch
My dear brother in Christ If I have done wrong you will forgive

 

The Return Home

By this time it may have been around 8 o’clock in the morning. David knew that by now his absence would be noted and Pogue would be sending someone out looking for him so with his "pass in hand" (Burch's letter), David started back to the Pogue farm.

Was David Punished?

Perhaps, but I doubt it was too severe for 2 reasons. First of all, in 1812 the average cost of a healthy male slave ranged from $1000 to $2000 or $20,000 t0 $40,000 in todays dollars.  

 

My reason for thinking David's punishment was not all that severe, is that by 1822 some black families had lived with the same white family for generations, even adopting the owner's surname.  While servants at the time may not have been considered "family" in the classic sense, my guess is Pogue's were probably viewed more as employees. 

Discovering the Graves

In 1991 we discovered the old Pogue graveyard in an overgrown woods east of Mayslick in Mason County, Kentucky. Along with other family members, we discovered the grave of Amanda (Pogue) McDowell, Fort Amanda's namesake. She was 12 years old when her father built the fort. We later learned that some of the family "servants" were buried in the same graveyard. While some of the stones were simply stones, the assumption is David is buried there as well.

We collected names from the stones we found and gave the list to the Mason County Historical Society in Maysville, Ky.

Conclusion

David is an integral part the history of Fort Amanda. His name doesn't appear on any company rosters or in any history books yet his contributions to the war effort were every bit as important as the men who built and garrisoned the fort. Because historical writers generally write primarily about battles, generals or heroes they often miss the essence of the entire story, the contributions of the ordinary men and women. A history professor once asked us "Why do you think so little has been written about women in history?" We all shrugged our shoulders. His response; "Because men write the history books." That was my epiphany and the reason I spend so much time on details that would bore most readers to tears. That's OK because now you know what the moon phase was on January 22,1822 and hopefully that minute little detail helps readers create a visual image of the hardships David had to endure that cold winter night on the road to Flemingsburg.

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If you would like learn more about Fort Amanda and the patriots who served there, these books can be purchased locally, on the net or by contacting me at djohnson43@att.net