Davison

It’s been a while since I posted on genealogy finds. Recently, the library where I work acquired the Detroit Free Press Online Archive from 1831-1922. I posted earlier about the “secret” club one of my ancestors founded.

Another one of the articles I found reports on my great Uncle Davison running away from home “3 days after he donned his first pair of long trousers” at the age of 14. The article was published nine days after he disappeared. His father and step mother said they had no idea where he’d gone or why. The police found nothing. The article included a large picture of a solemn, dark haired boy. Solemn doesn’t quite capture it. Davison looks sad.

He had reason to be. Davison was treated very harshly by his father who was not a kind man. According to Davison’s sister, their father was simply mean. Davison eventually joined the army – I don’t know how he lived between the ages of 14 and the army. He contracted tuberculosis in the army and was advised to live in the West; he settled in New Mexico where he married and had two children. He didn’t talk about his family to his children. He died by suicide as a relatively young man.

Despite your rough upbringing, and your ugly death, I hope you had a good life after the poor one our family afforded you, Davison. I hope you had more than your fair share of joyful moments. More than your fair share of peace. More than your fair share of simple, fatherly happiness with your own children. I hope you escaped your upbringing. I hope you escaped your family, even though they are mine as well.

Davison’s mother died when he was a young child so today I say a special Happy Mother’s Day to Davison’s mother Christina, so long dead now, who was not there to protect her son.