Scamp

     I'm taking a little break from William H. Davis, my 3rd great-grandfather who was my brick wall.  Thanks to Ancestry.com, I found a cousin who provided me with more names enabling me to go back another generation to William's parents.  I still need to find out when and where William died so I can obtain a death certificate and then get his parents birth places.  Maybe if I step away from William for awhile and come back refreshed I might make more discoveries.
     William H. Davis' grandson, Samuel George Davis was my great-grandfather on my maternal grandmother's father's side.  I had written about Samuel in an earlier post entitled 'Sammy the Scoundrel'.  In that post I wrote about finding my great-grandfather listed as a student at the Lancaster Reform School (Boys Industrial School) in Lancaster, OH.  The 1900 U.S. Federal Census stated that he was at this school.  I checked the database at the Ohio Historical Society and found a Samuel Davis with the same birth year as my great-grandfather.  I was sure that this was my Sammy so I mailed a check for $7.00 along with the inmate name and number, volume date and page number, and his parents names.
     I had found a site which showed some of the school records with the reasons that the children were admitted.  I saw that many of the children were admitted for incorrigibility.  I ended my 'Sammy the Scoundrel' post wondering if my Samuel Davis was an incorrigible inmate.
     Well, I wonder no longer.  i received a copy of my great-grandfather's school records.  The historical society even sent me a history of the school.  It was very interesting to read about the cottage method for housing juvenile offenders.  The school record I received provided me with a physical description of my great-grandfather as well as general information such as birth date, dates of admission and release, parents names, offense committed, education,and miscellaneous remarks such as profane, tobacco, intemperate, etc.  Samuel Davis was described as a boy of 14 years with a fair complexion, hair and eyes of light brown and 4ft, 10in and 95 lbs.  His offense was being incorrigible and a truant.  This was his first offense and he was committed by the probate court.  According to the miscellaneous remarks in the third column of the second page, 14 year old Sammy did not use profanity nor did he drink or smoke. It stated that his father was intemperate, mother was not and "parents are mutes".
     Samuel Davis, my great-grandfather who was sent to reform school for being an incorrigible truant was described as pleasant with a bright face.

     Sammy the Scamp.

William's Whereabouts

     The year was 1850 and I thought I knew where my great-great-great-grandfather, William H. Davis was living.  According to the 1850 U.S. Federal Census I looked at, there was an 18 year old William H. Davis living with Edwin and Adelia Bartlet in Marlborough,NY.  I had guessed or actually assumed that this William H. Davis was my g-g-g-grandfather and was living with his sister and brother-in-law because a few yars later he named his daughter Adelia.
     I recently made a connection with a descendant of William's brother, Ferris.  It is this descendant, John Davis who confirmed my assumptions about William's brothers.  He also mentioned an 1850 census which shows William living with his siblings and parents Charles and Susan.  The last name is spelled wrong which is why I never found it.  The 1850 census I found has William H. Davis living in Marlborough,NY,  age 18, born abt 1832.  The 1850 census that John told me to look at has William H. Davis living in Marlborough,NY, age 17, born abt 1833.
     So, I see two different censuses for a William H. Davis in Marlborough,NY born only a year apart and I can see how either of these Williams could be mine.  My g-g-g-grandfather had a daughter named Adelia and the William who was born 'abt' 1832 lived with Adelia (his sister?).  The other William, born abt 1833 is listed with the Davis brothers whose Civil War records I found.  The last name is spelled wrong but I know that this is the correct family because William's brother's dates of birth on the census are the same as those in the Civil War records and the parents listed are the parents of William's brothers (from the Civil War records).
     Where was William in 1850?

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