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David D. DavisSource: The Oskaloosa Company, Last Wagon Train to Skinner's in 1847, by Charles George Davis. Submitted June 13, 2000, by Andrea Healy, AhealyDS9@aol.com My 4th Great Grandfather, David D. Davis led the Oskaloosa wagon train in the spring of 1847 to Oregon. The Davis family, which included Hannah Donahoe Davis and their 8 children, left Iowa with 7 wagons and many oxen, cattle, sheep, etc., but by the time the arrived in Oregon they had one cart of belongings left. For the most part, the trip was uneventful. Their pilot, Lester Hulin, kept a diary of their travel overland. Uneventful, except for the attack on Hannah Ann Davis. According to Hulin's diary dated September 29, 1847, in Fandango Valley, 14 year old "Ann" Davis was baking bread over the campfire when the stillness of the evening was interrupted by a sudden Indian attack. Three arrows were shot at Ann, one hitting her in the calf of her leg and the other through her arm and into her side. She fell into the fire. She was quickly rescued, but the fire had burned her hair, clothes and severly burned the right side of her face. They operated on her by the light of the campfire. There was nothing to ease her pain and it took several men to hold her down as another cut the arrows out of her flesh with a sharp knife. Hannah survived the ordeal and later married Caswell Hendricks, another pioneer who arrived in Oregon in 1848. They had 10 children. Hannah and Caswell are my 3rd Great Grandparents. The Davis wagon train reached Skinner's cabin on November 4,1847. David Davis settled in Soap Creek, Benton County, OR, after making a side trip to Salem to get medical attention for "Ann". An outbreak of measles claimed the life of his wife, Hannah Donahoe Davis. She died June 15,1848. In 1852 David married Sarah Bowman, the widow of William Bowman, and needing a larger house, he built the first residence in Tampico, Benton Co. The Davis residence was used as a way station, store, post office, hotel and livery stable. The "Oregon Weekly Union" for the week of September 14, 1860 reported David D. Davis's passing on August 31, 1860. He died of consumption at the age of 54. |