ReesClark.com
The Davises of Wales and Idaho
This is the story of my great-grandparents, Thomas and Elizabeth (Williams) Davis. After an article in Welsh Mormon History by Walter Morse Davis (1896-1978), my mother's first cousin. Family connections are strong in the Malad Valley: When I first visited Walter in 1978 with my two sons and introduced myself as his first cousin and grandson of his uncle, he instantly replied with "Well, how's Gwendolyn?" referring to my mother, whom he had last seen in 1917. Sadly, he died a week later in a household accident. If I were more fatalistically inclined, I'd suspect he was awaiting our arrival.
Thomas John Davis and his wife, Elizabeth Williams Davis and four children came to Samaria, Idaho to make their home in the spring of 1869. He was born 17 March 1820 near Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales and she was born 15 April 1832 in Ystradgunlais, Breconshire, Wales. Thomas joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 15 May 1848 at Monmouthshire, Wales. He was an Elder in the Church and had charge of some supplies. He could read and write the Welsh and English languages. Elizabeth joined the Church 13 October 1851. They were married in 1852 and lived in Swansea from 1852 to 1855 where Elizabeth gave birth to three stillborn children.

America

After they joined the Church they had a burning desire to come to America and then to Zion (RC: Utah to all you "gentiles"). They worked hard and saved every penny they could to pay for their passage in 1856. They went to Coaldale, Pennsylvania where they lived while he worked in the mines with other Welsh friends and relatives to earn money to pay their way to Utah.

While living in Pennsylvania four children were born to them: John William 13 October 1858, Mary Ann, 10 December 1860, Samuel Williams, 24 December 1864 and Marintha Altheria, 3 May 1867. When Marintha was a few months old they came west to Evanston, Wyoming, traveling by train with two Mormon missionaries returning from the Eastern States Mission. From Evanston they traveled by ox team to Ogden, Utah where they lived for about a year and a half.
two-room log cabin
Thos. Davis cabin, now the principal exhibit at Samaria Heritage Park. The cabin was built in 1869 and reconstructed in 2010.

Samaria

Their first home in Samaria was a dugout but soon Thomas built them a two-room log house. On 10 September 1869 Elizabeth gave birth to another son, Thomas Williams, the first white boy born in Samaria. Two more sons were born to them, Edwin Griffith, 9 February 1873 and Ephraim Rees, 11 January 1875.

Elizabeth had not had the privilege of going to school and so could not read nor write, but both she and her husband were very anxious that their children should have the opportunity for an education and so they encouraged them to study and improve themselves. They homesteaded land in Pleasant View where their grandson, Walter M. Davis, now lives (Walter died in 1978). In the winter Thomas went to Rock Springs, Wyoming where he worked in the mines in an endeavor to earn enough money to help support his family and to buy needed machinery for the farm.

Elizabeth and Thomas were very hospitable and they were glad to share what they had with their friends and relatives. She always wore a black sateen apron and kept herself and family neat and clean. She liked close neighbors, so she let the girls go to the ranch in the summer time as soon as they were old enough to cook for their father and brothers.

Elizabeth was a devout Latter-day Saint and taught her children by example. In 1878 she and Thomas went to Salt Lake City where they had their endowments in the Endowment House.

Mary Ann and Marintha learned much from their mother about managing a home. Elizabeth had been a servant in Wales and had been taught many household skills by her mistresses. She made clothes for all the family, knitted socks, stockings and mittens and was a good cook. Her grandson Walter can remember the delicious raisin bread and biscuits she always had on hand. She often shared her bread with the Indians who frequently hunted and camped in the valley.

One day while they were living in the dugout at the ranch, a buck Indian demanded some biscuits. As she went down into the dugout to get them, he followed her down, and stepping inside, he closed the door. Divining his intentions, she grabbed up a hatchet, and holding it above her head and advancing toward him, ordered him to leave. He opened the door and went up the steps laughing to himself and saying words that meant brave woman.

The children attended school in Samaria. Hugh Morris, a close neighbor of the Davises and a student of Oxford University, England, took an interest in the Davis boys, especially Edwin and Ephraim, and taught them much and encouraged them to go on to school. John, Edwin, and Ephraim attended the Brigham Young College at Logan, Utah. John graduated in 1886, and Edwin in 1894. The date of Ephraim's graduation is not known.

While Edwin and Ephraim were attending college along with other boys from Malad Valley. [sic] Marintha cooked and kept house for them, as her father thought a girl didn't need to go to school. At night she would study the boys' books and when she came back to Samaria, she took the State Teacher's examination and passed it. Then she taught school in Samaria until a law was passed in Idaho forbidding Mormons to teach because of the practice of polygamy.

Thomas John Davis passed away 16 May 1891 at Samaria following a long illness of dropsy and asthma and was buried in the Samaria Cemetery. Elizabeth survived her husband twelve years passing away 3 February 1903 at Samaria and was also buried in the Samaria Cemetery.

Progeny

The following are the stories of their children and descendants.

John Williams Davis

John Williams Davis never married. In his early life he was active in the church, working in Sunday School, M.I.A., and as Ward Clerk. His handwriting was beautiful and the records he kept are easily read from microfilm. He took an active part in dramatics which provided much entertainment for the community in those days. He taught school in Samaria for several years. He later was interested in politics and served as county treasurer for one term. He loved to read and study and would often read into the wee hours of the morning by candle or lamplight. He had a store in Samaria in partnership with Elias Morris for several years, but the store closed because too many creditors did not pay their bills. He sold one hundred sixty acres of hay land to pay off the indebtedness of the store. He lived with his brother Thomas and family at the ranch in Pleasant View for many years before his death of natural causes on 18 October 1935 and was buried at Samaria Cemetery.

Mary Ann Davis

Mary Ann Davis married Thomas Williams 20 January 1881 (RC: Not to be confused with her brother Thomas Williams Davis). Their daughter, Maude, born 10 March 1887 at Samaria was the only one of five children who lived to maturity. Thomas taught at Samaria, Henderson Creek, and Portage. He was called on a mission to Wales. Before going to Wales he married Agnes Bowen. Mary Ann did not have very good health and while her husband was away, her family looked after her. (Infra*) She died 13 June 1895.

Hold it! He was still married to Mary Ann; can you say polygamy? According to her brother, my grandfather Ephraim Rees Davis, as told to my grandmother Anna and by her to me, she was so affected by the abandonment that she shut herself away and eventually died of a broken heart. Because she had been like a second mother to him in his infancy, he never forgave the community or the church. One is left to wonder what impact the abandonment had on the four children who did not live to adulthood. You, dear reader, are free to choose your version. Ain't religion grand? —RC


Maude went to live with her grandmother Davis. Except for a couple of years that she spent at West Point, New York (This was possibly with her uncle Edwin, who was a cadet and later an instructor at the US Military Academy.), she lived at Samaria. Maude worked in Ben Waldron's store and then for Daniel Williams when he took it over. She was a very active worker in the church and taught in Sunday School, M.I.A., and Relief Society and served as Young Ladies' President of the YWMIA for several years. She was a member of the Ward Genealogical Society and did a lot of Temple work. She was clerk of the Samaria School Board of Trustees for many years beginning in 1925. At the time of her death, 18 July 1937, she was President of the Samaria Ward Relief Society. She was buried at Samaria Cemetery.

RC Update, 5 Oct '14: In the 1900 US Census for Samaria, we find Head of Household Agnes Williams with two of her children and stepdaughter Maude. That great husband and father Thomas is no where to be found. It was not uncommon for polygamous husbands not to report themselves. Not proof, but suggestive. In the 1920 Census we learn that her father's native language was Welsh, from which we infer he was not a local boy. Pure conjecture: He abandoned yet another family and returned to Wales. (I'd love to be proven wrong here.) In the 1930 (final) Census we find Maude working as a sales lady in a grocery store, just as described in Walter's chronology. Reading between the lines I find all aspects credible. Where is Grace Metalious when we really need her? —RC


Samuel Williams Davis

Samuel Williams Davis married Mary Ann Martin 19 February 1890. He engaged in farming at Pleasant View, owning land adjoining that of his father and brothers. He sold his land to Nephi Ipsen and bought sheep in partnership with Billy Price. But this venture did not turn out to be profitable and he returned to Samaria where he continued to live until the time of his death.

He and Mary Ann were the parents of seven children, two of whom died as children. Their children are Anna Davis Thomas Harris, Alvin who lived one month, Eliza Davis John, Melvin Martin Davis, Thomas Martin Davis, who died 3 January 1968 at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, and was buried in the Ogden City Cemetery at Ogden, Utah on 6 January 1968, Sarah who lived until 8 years of age and died of appendicitis, and Mary Davis De Young Stevens. Anna, Alvin, and Melvin were born in Pleasant View and the other children were born in Samaria.

When Anna was a baby, Samuel had the misfortune of losing his right hand in a threshing machine. He was standing on a platform and was feeding by hand bundles of wheat that had been tossed up to him by a man on either side of the platform, when his hand became caught in the machinery. It was removed just below the wrist. He learned to do many things with his arm. He could harness a team, cut down trees in the canyon and chop wood as dexterously as a man with two hands.

His wife was a very good cook. She made ice cream and sold it to anyone who came to her home on Saturday and Sunday evenings for a time. Then she had an ice cream parlor just north of the spring for several years and the young folks congregated there - the girls in their white embroidery dresses with sashes of pink or blue ribbon and the boys dressed up too. Many hours were spent there by the young and old alike.

Sam carried mail for many years on horseback to Pocatello Valley from Samaria. No matter what the weather the mail was delivered. He also drove the Samaria school wagon. Mary Ann passed away 10 November 1935 and Sam on the 14 December 1942.

They are the great grandparents of the famous Osmond Brothers who thrill large audiences with their various talents.

Marintha Davis

On the 6 January 1892, Marintha Davis married Andrew Allen, a widower from Rockland, Idaho, who had four children and operated a general merchandise store, the U.S. Post Office and had some farming land. She was a good step-mother to his children and they had four more. Irene, Leonard, Lloyd, and Aida. Andrew died in 1904. Marintha stayed in Rockland until 1914 when she moved to Logan where she kept a hotel for years, and then built a house where she continued to board and room students. Many students from Malad and Samaria have lived with her while they attended school. She found time to be active in the church and was a worker in the Logan Temple. She passed away at Salt Lake City, 10 September 1925 and was buried at Rockland, Idaho. Marintha's great grandchildren are as talented in the field of art as Sam's great grandchildren are in the entertainment field.

Thomas Williams Davis

Thomas Williams Davis who later became known as Thomas S. Davis, the "S" standing for Samaria, married Ann Morse 25 August 1895. A newspaper clipping tells the following about the wedding: "Sunday evening at the residence of the bride's parents, Miss Annie Morse was married to Thomas Davis, Bishop J. W. Dudley officiating. The relatives of both parties were well represented and a most beautiful incident of the occasion was a vocal serenade by friends of the young couple. This was a most pleasant and agreeable surprise as the noisy, senseless chivarri is the usual demonstration at weddings. The serenaders continued for over an hour and the singing was exquisite. It is hoped that the happiness attending the ceremony will follow the bride and groom through life." They had the wedding solemnized in the Logan Temple 26 June 1917. They were the parents of the five still born and two living children. Walter Morse Davis (Ed., co-author of this article), born at the ranch in Pleasant View and Esther Davis Pennington born in Samaria. The first part of their married life was spent living in Samaria.

Tom was away much of the time herding sheep. Then they moved to the ranch at Pleasant View. Ann passed away 9 October 1926 and Thomas died 23 September 1938 and they were both buried in Samaria Cemetery.

Though Thomas and Ann had only two children, many children could be found in their home. It was a haven for many of Ann's family. They cared for her parents before they passed away. Many of her nieces and nephews were given a home, Velda Wilson Brass and Emma Morse Errett for a much longer time than any of the others. Velda and Emma still call Walter "brother", and there is a closeness between them that reflects the good care and affection they received.

Edwin Griffith Davis

After Edwin Griffith Davis graduated from the Brigham Young College at Logan he married Elsie Poll, a University of Utah graduate and a teacher in Salt Lake City. They were the parents of two children, a girl who died as an infant in Boise, and a boy who is a government scientist in Washington, D. C. and is a concert pianist also.

Edwin went to West Point Military Academy in 1896 and graduated in 1900.From 1900 to 1903, he served in the Spanish-American War in the Philippines. He was a Lieutenant and served in the Eleventh U.S. Infantry under Major Davidson. From 1903 to 1907, he was instructor of history and Constitutional Law at West Point. The lack of a suitable textbook for such a course as he was giving, led him to the preparation of a textbook of Constitutional Law, which was published by Franklin Hudson Publishing Co., Kansas City, Missouri, in 1906.

He resigned from teaching at West Point and came to Boise, Idaho, and became interested in politics and practiced law. He was Assistant Attorney General for Idaho and the first native son to become a candidate for Governor of the State. During World War I, he served in the army in the Judge Advocate General's Department drafting legislation; 1921-25, District Attorney of Idaho; from 1925 to 1929, he was a lawyer with the Department of Justice in Washington, D. C.; from 1929 to 1934, he was a lawyer with the National Surety Corporation in New York. He died in Atlanta, Georgia, 24 July 1934, in a federal court room after winning his case. A newspaper clipping from the Salt Lake Tribune states, "A heart attack struck Colonel Davis as he was leaving the witness stand after testifying in connection with a real estate receivership in which he was serving as trustee. He fell to the floor in front of the judge's bench and was dead before a doctor arrived. The body was taken to New York for funeral services, and he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery."
Color photograph of monument of Edwin G. Davis, Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.
Monument of Edwin G. Davis, Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

Ephraim Rees Davis 1875-1929

Ephraim Rees was a talented man. He could play the piano and sing very well. He attended Harvard University after graduating from the Brigham Young College. He married Anna Goodwin and they were the parents of one daughter, Gwendolyn Davis. They lived at Santa Barbara and then at Modesto. One summer he and his family lived in Logan with his sister Marintha when she had the hotel. Gwendolyn graduated from Santa Barbara State College. Rees died in California and his body was shipped to Samaria for burial in November, 1929.

*At this point Walter's account merely says that "not much is known of [Ephraim] after he left Samaria." Here's a bit more (Rees Clark, 2007).
At Harvard he apparently had his eyes opened to the wider world and never returned to Samaria, though I believe he remained in touch with some of his siblings. He had become alienated from the LDS community and according to my mother and grandmother just could not deal with the uncritical faith of some of his family in the face of some real damage done to one of his siblings by such blind adherence. He stayed away to avoid an endless, circular argument. The rest of the story is a tale I cannot prove, but Walter's account dovetails in part with my grandmother's. Apparently Mary Ann's husband took a second wife, which by that time was illegal in US, Idaho and Mormon law. Walter states "He was called on a mission to Wales. Before going to Wales he married Agnes Bowen. Mary Ann did not have very good health and while her husband was away, her family looked after her. She died 13 June 1895..." According to the story that came to me from my mother and grandmother, Mary Ann shut herself off and died of a broken heart. E. Rees, for whom Mary Ann had been like a second mother, never forgave the husband or his family for tolerating the situation. All this would have happened around the time the younger brothers were students and far from home. Ephraim Rees' one child, Gwendolyn Davis Clark, was my mother. As Walter points out, the Davises put great store in education, which she communicated to me.

I know the foregoing paragraph is redundant of some inserted updates above, but it's getting late. I look forward to reading your version of Davis history. —RC
Walter continues...

If Thomas and Elizabeth could see their descendants today and know what they have accomplished along educational lines and in activities in the church they would realize that many of their dreams had come true, and the many sacrifices they made had not been in vain.

--Walter and Marguerite Davis, Grandson and wife
Source. Note: Walter's article was originally published at a defunct site named Welsh Mormon History. If the current link has become obsolete when you read this, please be persistent; there are many, many caves in Utah. —RC

Epilogue for Now

Thomas and Elizabeth's great-great-great-grandson R.A.K. Clark was born August 16, 2007, in Tokyo. A seasoned traveler even as a toddler, he has visited over a dozen countries in North America, Europe and Asia. He has visited his g-g-g-grandparents' cabin in Samaria, and can say in several languages, "it's a long, long way from Ystradgynlais!" —RC, 8 August 2018