Alfred and Sarah W. Davis

Quick Facts

Significance:

Louisianna Homesteaders

Place of Birth:

Alfred was born in Arkansas / Sarah was born in Georgia

Date of Birth:

Alfred was born circa 1848 / Sara was born circa 1841

Place of Death:

Alfred and Sarah died in Bienville Parish, Louisiana

Date of Death:

Alfred died 1894 / Sarah died July 21, 1919

Place of Burial:

Presumed, Bienville Parish, Louisiana

Alfred Davis was born circa 1848 in Arkansas. He is found on a Freedmen Bureau record, a labor agreement, dated January 19, 1868 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, between William Sale and several freedmen.  Alfred Davis age 25 and Dock Haney age 28 were both listed. The agreement expired on December 31, 1868.

Alfred, his wife Sallie, and their children were enumerated on the 1880 Claiborne Parish, Louisiana Census, (Ward 4; page 305). Alfred age 32, was born in Arkansas whereas his wife Sallie was born 1845 in Georgia. Their children included; Haywood age 15, Henry age 13, Riller Ann age 11, Jackson age 8, Roser age 4, and Martha age 2. During the census year another daughter Frances was born.

On November 12, 1887, in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, Alfred Davis initiated his homestead application, filed under the number 3609. At the heart of this document, is the story of a man seeking to secure a future for himself and his family in the state in which he gained his freedom from American enslavement. Davis, a native-born citizen of the United States, declared under oath that he was over 21 years old, the head of a family, and had resided on the land since October 15, 1884. His affidavit detailed the improvements he had made to the land, including a log house and cleared acreage, signaling his commitment to building a life in this rugged landscape.

Five days later, on November 17, 1887, Alfred Davis completed the next step in the process by paying the required fee of $13.99, as recorded in the Receiver's Duplicate Receipt No. 3609. This payment symbolized not only a financial transaction but also a symbolic investment in his dreams of land ownership and prosperity.

The testimony provided by witnesses such as Barney H. Bates and Green H. Huckabay painted a vivid picture of the Davis homestead, detailing the years of toil and labor that had transformed the Davis homestead. An average of 40 acres of land had been cultivated for 10 seasons. Additional improvements include a single pen log house with 3 shed rooms, cribs, stables, and other necessary out houses and 50 acres cleared land worth $200. Their accounts spoke not only to the physical improvements made to the land but also to the enduring spirit of resilience and determination that characterized homesteaders like Alfred and Sarah Davis. There were no testimonies from O. L. Bates and Dock Haney.

Sarah W. Davis's testimony on September 29, 1894 underscored the continuity of the Davis family's presence on the land, affirming their deep roots in the community and their unwavering commitment to the homesteading ideal. Born in Georgia and now a widow with seven children, Sarah’s actions embodied the dreams of former slaves owning land, symbolic of freedom and prosperity.

Nearly seven years later, on October 5, 1894, the culmination of Davis's efforts came to fruition with the issuance of Final Certificate No. 2238 by the Nachitoches Land Office. However, by this time, tragedy had struck, as Alfred Davis had passed away, leaving behind his widow, Sarah W. Davis, to carry on their homesteading process. It was Sarah who stepped forward to complete the final steps, paying a fee of $3.99 plus a testimony fee of 75 cents.

More about Sarah W. Davis: By 1900, Sarah Davis was enumerated with three of her children, (Dave, Joanna, and Mattie, along with two grandchildren) living in Bienville Parish, Louisiana Ward 3; Page 82. Interestingly the enumerator stated she was renting her farm. [At the time of this publication, the writer has not verified land transactions after 1894]

By the 1910, Sallie Davis age 80, born in Georgia was enumerated with her daughter Joanna Green (listed as a widow) and three grandchildren. Her son Dave Davis and his family were living next door. They were living in Bienville Parish, Louisiana in the Ringgold community, Sallie was listed as owning her land.

On July 21, 1919 Sallie Davis died in Bienville Parish. The official cause of death as noted on her death certificate #10582 was “paralysis caused by old age”. Her son Dave Davis was the informant.

It’s important to note that on different documents, Sarah W. Davis is listed as Sallie or Sarah.

Prior to learning of this Homestead Land Records casefile, the contributor was engaged in genetic genealogy, researching the Reed, Adkins, and Sansing lines of his maternal ancestry. Attention was drawn to genetic matches with individuals that descend from Alfred Davis and Sarah Atkins-Davis. During the initial phase of comparing family tree’s, it was apparent the some tree’s were convoluted making it difficult to follow the primary sources and align them with Alfred and Sarah Davis. In 2022, the contributor reached out to one of the descendants to discuss the genetic matches in detail. It was revealed that the descendants of Alfred and Sarah Davis matched members of the Reed and Biddle families. The contributor then realized the significance of the Homestead Land Records along with the 1880 census were the keys to help unlock the naming patterns mystery and at the center of this investigation.

The contributor is a direct descendant of an enslaved woman named Mariah born circa 1813 in York County, South Carolina on leased Catawba Indian lands. Mariah was enslaved to Charles Sensing. Per his Henry County, Georgia will dated 1826, Mariah was given to Elizabeth Sensing, eldest daughter of Charles. The will listed Mariah as the daughter of Sarah. Sarah also had two other children, Eady and Sam.

By 1844, recorded in the deeds of Henry County, Georgia, Elizabeth Sansing had conveyed Mariah and six of her children to younger sister Piety P. Sansing-Adkins. The names included Mariah age 31 and her six children, Elbert 14; Joe 12; Sam 10; Irene 8; Andrew 6 and Winny 3.

The contributor began to closely examine documents surrounding the slave girl Winny born circa 1841 to include the slave schedules for 1850 Henry County, Georgia and 1860 Claiborne Parish, Louisiana where Piety P. Adkins was listed as the owner. On the majority of slave schedules enslaved people were not listed by name with the exception of a few schedules that do list the enslaved by name. Most are listed by gender, age, and color. On the 1850 schedule, a 9 year old girl was listed as a mulatto. On the 1860 a girl age 20 was listed as black. On the 1880 and 1910 censuses Sallie (Sarah Davis) was listed as mulatto.

On the death certificates for four of Sarah’s children, they list the parents as Alfred Davis and Sally or Sarah Atkins. In these cases, the informant was listed as Dave Davis, son of Alfred and Sarah Davis. Another daughter that died in Arizona in 1954 had on her death certificate Alfred Davis and Sallie Lovingood as the parents. Marie Crawford, daughter of Alfred and Sarah Davis was the informant. Historically the Adkins surname was spelled Atkins.

Circling back to the Homestead Land Records, the contributor questioned, was Sarah W. Davis the Winny Davis daughter of Mariah and grand-daughter of Sarah? Sometimes children are named after a grandparent or other relative. Additionally some enslaved individuals had nicknames. Could Winny have the nickname for young Sarah? At this moment it is conjecture, however when examining the genetic evidence, it makes for a compelling case.

What DNA (Y-DNA and autosomal DNA) conveys, is that Mariah’s four youngest children were fathered by Lemiah Christopher Columbus Adkins, son of Piety P. Sansing-Adkins. As previously mentioned, descendants of Alfred and Sarah Davis match descendants of two of Mariah’s children, Elijah Adkins Reed and Mary Adkins Biddle. The Davis descendants have no matches to the Sansing or Adkins descendants. To date, no one knows the father of Mariah’s six older children, however the surname Lovingood in connection to Sarah “Sally” Atkins-Davis could be a clue.

Patent Details - BLM GLO Records

~ Contributed by Lyle Gibson, descendant

Lyle Gibson
Photo Credit: Tati Zalozh

About the contributor: Lyle Gibson is a genealogist with thirty-one years of experience and a historian with over twenty years teaching experience. Lyle developed an interest in history and genealogy while serving in the Air Force stationed in Greece. Lyle holds memberships in the SAR and local genealogical societies. Gibson authored a book about a multiracial American family from the time span of the colonial period to the early twentieth century entitled Black Tie White Tie. He also adapted and produced a historical documentary that shares the same title. Gibson has also worked on the award winning documentary series An American Story. Additionally Lyle founded The Elijah Adkins Reed Historical Preservation Society, a non-profit organization geared towards preserving America’s history through film.