Alfred Davis

Quick Facts

Significance:

Louisiana Homesteader

Place of Birth:

Louisiana

Date of Birth:

Circa 1873

Place of Death:

Caddo Parish, Louisiana

Date of Death:

23 June 1946

Place of Burial:

Bienville Parish, Louisiana

Cemetery Name:

Old Sparta Cemetery

Alfred Davis, originally from Bienville Parish, Louisiana, filed Homestead Application No. 10677 on January 25, 1905 and paid a filing fee of $6.00. Due to the long distance from his home in Bienville Parish, to the District Land Office in Natchitoches, Louisiana, he submitted an affidavit in Arcadia, Louisiana stating he was over the age of 21.

Alfred was born circa 1873 in Louisiana. He was the son of Garret Davis and Annie Hardy. Alfred was enumerated on the 1880 thru 1940 censuses for Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Per the 1900 census, he was living with his wife Mary and their son William in the household of his father Garrett Davis. 

On March 10, 1910, in Arcadia, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, he finalized his Homestead Application No. 10677 for the SE Quarter of the SE Quarter of Section #4, Township 16 North, Range 7 West, intending to establish his claim to the land. A notice for publication was issued in the Weekly Argus newspaper in Arcadia on the on the same day.

In an affidavit filed on April 25, 1910, Alfred Davis declared that settlement on the land began in May of 1905, with improvements including a four-room log and frame house, barn, smokehouse, and fowl house.

In his final testimony, Alfred Davis affirmed that he was married with three children. He mentioned being absent for two months in March and April of 1907 to work at a saw mill. He cultivated twelve acres of corn and cotton alternately, yielding 10 bushels of corn per acre and about a half bale of cotton per acre. Approximately fifteen acres of his property were fenced, valued at $250. He signed all documents.

Per the 1910 census for Bienville Parish, Louisiana, Alfred and his wife Mary “Mollie” were enumerated with their three young children, William, Grady, and Carrie. A fourth child Marie, was born circa 1911.

Witnesses T. C. Madden, H. Murphy, J.C. Smith, and A.W. Brinson testified. T. C. Madden, aged 53, testified on April 25, 1910, confirming his acquaintance with Alfred Davis for about 15 years and corroborating Davis's testimony. He estimated about 25 acres of cultivatable land with 20 to 25 acres of timbered land and about 20 acres of fenced land valued at $250.

A.W. Brinson, aged 35, testified on the same day, affirming his 30-year acquaintance with Alfred Davis and corroborating Davis's testimony.

According to the Natchitoches, Louisiana certification document, Alfred Davis made a $1.00 payment on May 7, 1910. This land, located in Louisiana, comprised 40.04 acres in the SE Quarter of the SE Quarter of Section #4, Township 16 North, Range 7 West. Within two years, Alfred’s Homestead application was approved on April 26, 1912.

Alfred and his family continued to live on the land as they were enumerated on the censuses for 1920; 1930; and 1940 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. By 1946, Alfred passed away. According to his Louisiana Death Certificate #593, dated June 23, 1946, Alfred Davis died from injuries he suffered from a fall from his wagon. His son William Davis was listed as the informant. He is buried in the colored section of the Old Sparta Cemetery in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

Patent Details - BLM GLO Records

~ Contributed by Lyle Gibson

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.