(1984, near San Diego, CA)
Jim with 4 of his 7 children; front: Sandie, Frank and Alicia; back: Kathy and Jim's "Mother and John" (Doris DAVIS CLARIDA DUDLEY, 3rd husband John Williams DUDLEY)
"A 1973 picture of the 'Clear Lake Squares' a square dance club. I was the club president. Relative included are "Roy & Eunice DUNHAM, myself & 3rd wife Karen, Buddy & Marva Jean RYAN, Mother & John DUDLEY, and Rae & Mike HEDDON."
Jimmie Dale DAVIS - "Me aboard ship, about 1968".
Jim's father's headstone: Milton Romaine DAVIS known as "Pat" or "M. R." DAVIS, located in Belmont Memorial Park, Fresno, CA. (For legibility Jim painstakingly enhanced the picture in blue.)
Left: 1953, "My Grandpa DUNHAM and me." (that is Jim's mother's dad, Ashley Atwood DUNHAM) Center: "A very adorable picture of Marsha." (her niece Sandie resembles her aunt!)
Right: 1950, "Me going for a ride on the BROCKWAY farm at Shellrock, Iowa." (his dad's only sister Aunt Evelyn & Uncle Elzo BROCKWAY)
Left: (about 1950) "Pat's brother Wendell with his son Stan."
Ccnter: (about 1948 - a 4 generation picture) "front, Grandma DAVIS (Selena Mary HARRIS DAVIS) and her mother Mamie (Mary Luella PERKINS HARRIS); back is Uncle Vern holding his son Gary DAVIS."
Right: early 1940's, "my dad M. R. (Pat) DAVIS".
"Me, my parents M.R. (Pat) and Doris, and my sister Marsha taken in 1946."
DUNHAM clan; Thelma, Roy, Dorothy (not pictured, possibly the photographer?), Rae and Doris. The girls adored their only brother, when one moved the others followed; remained close all their lives). This is a portion of their families taken in 1944 at Uncle Roy DUNHAM's house in Avenal, CA: from top down: Roy & wife Eunice, Ollie (Grandpa DUNHAM's 2nd wife), Bill & Aunt Rae DUNHAM ABBOTT, Grandpa DUNHAM, my mom & dad, cousin Marva Jean and Aunt Thelma DUNHAM GROUT, Marsha & myself.
Center: about 1943, "My sister Marsha & I with our mom & dad." (Jim supporting the troups in the War effort.)
Right: one of Jim's favorite pictures "of a happy time in life; my sister Marsha and myself." (on roller skates)
1939 picture of "my sister Marsha and I".
Left: (spring of 1938 in Waverly, Iowa taken in the front yard of Jim's great grandma 'Mamie' Mary Luella PERKINS HARRIS' home (picturing her DAVIS grands. Pictured are Elzo BROCKWAY (Aunt Evelyn's husband); Selena's sister Aunt Dorothy HARRIS HENKEL holding Jim's sister and only sibling Marsha, Aunt Evelyn holding her daughter Shiela, Mother, Dad, Grandma DAVIS (Selena Mary HARRIS DAVIS), and her mother Mamie. Front: Evelyn and Elzo's children: Kent, Diane, and Pat and Doris' Jimmie.
Right: 1936 in CA, Grandpa Frankie DAVIS holding grandson Jimmie; Jim's his dad Pat, mother Doris DUNHAM DAVIS, and Uncle Vernon DAVIS, (US Marine, Field Musician First Class, Drum and Bugle Corps, USS Chicago.)
This one was taken about 1921. It shows my mother, Doris Dunham, with her wagon on the (homestead) farm in South Dakota.
Katie Wellman is shown on the left (date unknown). On the right is the Dunham Family in about 1910. It shows Katie, Dorothy, Roy, Thelma and Ashley. The other two children, Rae & Doris, were not born until 1914 & 1916.
This is my Grandpa (Ashley) and Grandma (Katie)Dunham. The picture was taken in about 1910. He is in his baseball uniform and she in her basketball outfit. She played with the team and designed the basketball uniform for their "Married Ladies" team.
Jennie married Scott WELLMAN in 1878 and they had two children Katie and Glenn WELLMAN, the older two above left picture. Scott dissapeared for 7 years to Alaska with a bad case of gold fever so Jennie divorced and married Eugene BURRINGTON in 1887; (above right) their wedding picture. Their daughter Alice, is the youngest pictured with her half brother and half sister above left. (She was named after Jennie's sister Alice.)
What became of this violin has eluded this branch of the DAVIS family. Does anyone know more? Maybe this should be investigated by "The History Detectives" on PBS.
Above left (c. 1924) Rather rare occurence, a 5 generation picture!
Bottom left clockwise, beginning with baby: Phyllis SOPER held by her mother (Mrs. Fred SOPER) Vivian PALMER SOPER, her grandmother (Mrs. Sabastian Israel PALMER) Edith Estelle BELMER PALMER (born in Lee County, Woodlake, Nebraska), her great grandmother Flora L. MONNING BELMER DAVIS and her great great grandmother (Mrs. Francis MONNING) Sarah Ellen HARRIS MONNING (who was also Jim's 2nd great grandmother). Sarah HARRIS was born in Paw Paw Grove, Illinois (Lee County).
Francis Abbot Davis, Jim's grandfather. Relatives called him Frank or Frankie while still others called him "Slim" Davis. While working for his Great Uncle's firm, "Perkins/Knapp", (Grandpa Frank is the one on the right with the shovel), he gained experience, then started his own Plastering company which became known as the premier plaster contracting company in the area as most houses built in that era were plastered (now sheet rock is used for walls & ceilings).
Right: Frankie taken in Fresno, CA in 1935 while on a visit from from Iowa, holding his grandson Jim about two months old.
Grandma Selena, date unknown. 2nd, Grandpa Frankie, date unknown.
3rd: Grandpa and Grandma DAVIS taken about 1909 and their wedding photo Francis Abbot DAVIS to Selena Mary HARRIS; about 1908.
Left: Probably the oldest picture of Grandpa Frankie (born in 1889) so taken in about 1904 Jim expects.
The original measured 1" by 1.25", printed in a sepia
tone.
Jennie HUNTER WELLMAN (later BURRINGTON) with her two youngest sisters, Alice HUNTER (married MOLDEN) and Effie HUNTER (married FITCHETT).
(Another set of Jim's 2nd great grandparents) the HUNTER family in 1860. These pictures were taken just after the beginning of the general use of photography.
Emily TOWNE HUNTER and her husband Jonathan HUNTER, Jr. holding their first born child, Jennie Apphia HUNTER (Jim's maternal great grandmother). What an endearing picture (most unusal for the husband to be pictured with a child). Emily and Jonathan had nine children.
Pat's mother, Selena Mary HARRIS DAVIS' father (Jim's great grandfather) was Elmer Edwin HARRIS. Pictured aabove left is E. E. HARRIS in front of his Blacksmith Shop located on the Cedar River in Waverly, Iowa (c. 1880). The unnamed man on the right was his hired hand.
Another great grandfather (through Jim's paternal line) Frederick Tyce DAVIS was born May 1, 1840 in Pennsylvania, family moved in 1854 to Iowa settling near Tama, moving again to Wheeping Water, Nebraska in 1865. Frederick DAVIS married 1st to Violet (unknown) of which two children were born c. 1872, Milton H. DAVIS and Jennie B. DAVIS (born some time before 1889).
Family story about the violin Frederick is holding the picture below: While working as a carpenter in a house he found a violin 'in need of repair'. He inquired, the owner gave it to him and had it repaired. Frederick became quite a skilled musician playing violin at ranch parties in the Casper, Wyoming area. At some point in the provenance it was identified as one of seven instruments made in mid 1500's by a certain Gaspard Duiffopruggar, two years before he was called into the court of the King of France.
By 1897 Frederick Tyce DAVIS (or Tice) moved his family back to Iowa where they lived in Waverly. Below Left: (c. 1898) Frederick is pictured here with his 2nd wife: Flora L. MONNING DAVIS. Chidren: oldest, Edith Estelle BELMER (from Flora's first brief marriage at age 14 to Frederick BELMER); "Frank" Francis Abbott DAVIS (Jim's grandfather) 1st recorded white boy born in Casper, Territory of Wyoming, Oct. 23, 1889; deliveried by Dr. Leeper (later mayor of Casper); and held by "Calmity Jane"); and their youngest (Frank's little sister) Bertha M. DAVIS (who married Floyd HAMILTON after 1911). After Frederick died in 1911, Flora married a 3rd time to Edward E. WILCOX & lived in rural Waverly, Iowa.
