Davis

Davis

Well, you see, there's this rumor...

Erasmus Benton Davis with Parents
William Thomas Davis and Azine DeWill
The Davis Family

The Davis line has run me a merry chase. Early on in my research,
I came across a posting that listed my husband's great grandfather as
Thomas Jefferson Davis, but which further stated that he was not
actually a Davis. According to the posting, "TJ" had been left on
the doorstep of Alfred and Rebecca Davis who took him in, gave him their
last name, and raised him as their son. My husband was shocked and
immediately called his mother who verified that she herself had heard the
rumor over the years. Based on this information, I let the line go for
quite some time.

When I finally got around to documenting the "Not-Quite-Davises" from
Thomas Jefferson forward, questions were raised. Census records from 1880
show a William T Davis as husband of Asene Davis, the woman we knew
to be my husband's great grandmother, along with two sons, Lewis J and Alfred.
Also in the household with William and Asene is Rebecca Davis, "TJ's"
alleged adoptive mother. Asene's marriage bond also shows a WT Davis as the
groom of record.

Rebecca Tippit Davis is well-documented. She is found in Mississippi
in 1860 and 1870 with son Thomas, and as I mentioned earlier, in 1880 with
William and Asene Davis in Rapides Parish, Louisiana.

My findings prompted me to contact a researcher who has done extensive
work on the Tippit family and has quite a bit of information on Alfred Davis
and his brothers and sister on her website. I asked her if she had come
across any mention of Alfred and Rebecca adopting a son, and she had not.
After comparing notes, I was relatively certain that the family rumor
was just that, a rumor.

This has now been confirmed with DNA testing. The rumor has been officially debunked. My husband's Davis heritage has been verified.
William Thomas Davis is indeed the natural son of
Alfred Davis and Rebecca Tippit.

WT Davis and Azine DeWill Marriage Bond
Descendants of Alfred Davis and Rebecca Tippit