Found on a Hill in Beckwith – Country Roads Take Me Home

There is a saying everything come 360 in this world, or close to it. Last year I wrote about a headstone for William Davis of Beckwith that was left anonymously at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum. Immediately, I went looking for the origins of the headstone and you  can read all about my adventures in the related reading links at the bottom.

William and Mary Davis have a new headstone in the Franktown cemetery, and I was told there is an original abandoned family plot somewhere near Franktown. Apparently, it is overgrown and just a few people are buried there. If anyone knows anything about it, please let me know.

This week our fearless metal detector hunter Adam Dowdall went out on one of his usual pilgrimages and found a few things. Two things he showed me were rings: one an old settlers ring, and one a little more embellished than the other. When he began to tell me the story I had chills up and down my spine, because he mentioned Mary Davis, wife of William Davis.

He found it near an old homestead, and who knows how those rings were lost or who it belonged to. Maybe someone was out tending to field work, or maybe even gardening and lost a ring. Nothing was expensive in those days, but the memories were probably priceless. Just like what is left of this homestead in the picture above– just the remainder of a foundation to what was once a fair sized home in Beckwith.

 

Adam cleaned it up and found a makers mark instead stamped with a crown 350 N.  According to Adam’s dad, Beckwith councillor, Brian Dowdall they named the area Davis Side Road after Mary’s family. Mary lived to be 96 years old and died in 1874.

Some of the family came back years later and put the grave marker for Mary and her brother on the hill in memory of the family.

If the people we love move on, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Like the family that came back and left memories on the Beckwith hill.

 

 

 Bill Davis emailed this to Jennifer Fenwick Irwin at the museum

I came across a story about the mystery of anonymously donated William Davis gravestone.  It’s not too mysterious.  Glenn Lockwood shows a photo of the Robert Davis gravestone and gives the location of the family burial site – Davis homestead on lot 16, con 4 (page 65).  Robert was a brother of William and there is a fair bit of information on his family in Lockwood’s book (family portrait page 153).  George Kidd, “The Story of the Derry” identifies Edward Davis who settled on Ferguson Road as another brother.  A sister married Phineas Lowe, another early pioneer.  I have the papers of Marjorie Davis, one of numerous documents  I have to catalog.  Although the Davis name died out in Beckwith, there are lots of descendants throughout the area.

 

Bill

Related reading on the Davis family

A Monument Back in Time –Time Travelling in Lanark County —Part 1

Like a Prayer I left My Mark in Franktown — Part 2

 

Related Reading for: Adam Dowdall and his Metal Detecting Machine

Adam Dowdall’s Metal Detecting Group- FACEBOOK PAGE

What Did Adam Dowdall find this week?

The Mystery Ruins of Carleton Place- Photos by Adam Dowdall

The Luck of the “Irish”– Coins Found by Adam Dowdall

Adam Dowdall Just Found the Oldest Coin in Beckwith County

What Did Adam Dowdall Find in My Carleton Place Yard?

 

A Monument Back in Time –Time Travelling in Lanark County —Part 1

Here lies William Davis at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum. Where did this headstone come from? That was the question I asked Jennifer Fenwick Irwin, the curator, Friday night. No one seems to know, yet I heard a story a few times on Saturday that William Davis’s headstone was once in someone’s basement. But that could be a tall Lanark County tale, and I felt compelled to get to the bottom of it.

I couldn’t sleep all night, and at 5 am I got up Saturday morning and revved up the computer determined to get to the bottom of it. The dog looked at me like I was crazy, but he knows better now, and took his usual position behind my computer chair ready to hear me talk to myself.

I found a William Davis in Bells Corners who had some affiliation with the Morphys of Carleton Place, but the more I looked, I realized it wasn’t him, and the date of his death was wrong. I really began to go through Howard Morton Brown’s writings, and after an hour I finally found something.

1833- Among commissioners chosen to supervise the spending of some 200 pounds of provincial grants for road repairs in the neighbourhood of Carleton Place, mainly in Beckwith township, were John Cameron, James Cram, Duncan Cram, William Davis, Thomas James, Phineas Low, John McDonell and Archibald McGregor, Robert Johnston, Donald Robertson, David Moffatt, Thomas Saunders, Stephen Tomlinson, James Bennie and William Drynan.

Bingo! That is all I needed and really started to dig.

Beckwith’s Anglican Church Founders

Beckwith township settlers who had petitioned in 1823 for the grant of the government building in Franktown for Church of England uses included such names as Austin Allen, George Bailey, John Conboy, Robert and William Davis, several Edwards (George, Thomas, Richard and Francis), James Garland, George, John, Robert and William Griffith, Henry and William Hawkins, Luke and William James, Peter Jones, William Kerfoot and William Kidd.  Others were Leaches (Edward, Thomas, Samuel and William), John, Thomas and

Okay I have the location let’s go see what is on Ancestry.ca- I learned that Williams had a few brothers but the one mentioned the most was Robert Davis.

I am looking for information on William Davis who came to Leeds county from Ireland (Wexford County) with his father (name unknown) and Brothers ( i believe 12 of them) . I know that William had at least one son – Edward 1816-1907 (my great great grandfather), I’m not sure if there were others. Any information on William or other children would be greatly appreciated.

Jennifer

I have have some information for the Robert Davis family who settled in Beckwith Township, near Franktown. These papers indicate that Robert’s daughter Elizabeth married an Adam Sly.

Robert Davis was part of the Wexfod influx into Beckwith Township.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I know Elizabeth Davis had a brother Robert, he erected a grave stone in her memory with his name on it, “erected by Robert Davis in memory of his sister”. Although they are not listed in your info I will keep it for future reference Thanks, Doug Sly

Looking informaton about brothers Robert Davis (1782?-1869),
William Davis (1790-1875) and Edward Davis. They immigrated from Wexford to con 4 & 5, Beckwith Township, in adjoining Lanark Co., Ontario just 12-14 miles north of the Leeds Co. border about 1816.
Bill Mains

I have have some information for the Robert Davis family who settled in Beckwith Township, near Franktown. These papers indicate that Robert’s daughter Elizabeth married an Adam Sly. Robert’s wife was also named Mary like his brother William’s wife.

I have just discovered what I feel is important information on the Davis family who settled near Franktown. Two headstones, one for Mary Davis and one for Albert Davis. On Mary’s headstone, it reads wife of William. Both headstones are in an isolated bush area near Franktown. I am also aware of a Leonard Davis who lost his life in a farm accident somewhere in the 1960’s or a bit earlier. These stones are on private property and I feel that family should be aware of them.

So after three hours I know where William once lived and was on my way to Franktown. I knew from cemetery records that there was a new monument in the Franktown cemetery for William and Mary. William’s original gravestone was at the museum and his wife Mary’s was in some godforsaken lost burial plot. I had to see it for myself.

See today’s other blog to see what happened.

Part 2

“Like a Prayer I left My Mark in Franktown”

 Bill Davis emailed this to Jennifer Fenwick Irwin at the museum

I came across a story about the mystery of anonymously donated William Davis gravestone.  It’s not too mysterious.  Glenn Lockwood shows a photo of the Robert Davis gravestone and gives the location of the family burial site – Davis homestead on lot 16, con 4 (page 65).  Robert was a brother of William and there is a fair bit of information on his family in Lockwood’s book (family portrait page 153).  George Kidd, “The Story of the Derry” identifies Edward Davis who settled on Ferguson Road as another brother.  A sister married Phineas Lowe, another early pioneer.  I have the papers of Marjorie Davis, one of numerous documents  I have to catalog.  Although the Davis name died out in Beckwith, there are lots of descendants throughout the area.