The Davis Family History: The Decline of the Farm on Mountain Road (1918-1960)

The 20th Century: The Decline of the Farm on Mountain Road

Horatio M. Davis

Horatio Merritt Davis

Horatio Merritt Davis (1871-1951) was the only son of Merritt and Rodelia Davis. In 1894, he was married to Julia Verona Aborn of Somers. But instead of making their home on Merritt's farm, Horatio and Julia left the farm and moved to Hazardville, Connecticut, a few miles away. Here Horatio was hired on at the local paper mill, probably the site which later became DeBell and Richardson, Inc., on the Scantic River. In early 1895, his cousin Benton Cooley dropped by to see Horatio with a business proposition. Ben convinced Horatio to pool his savings with his own to open a store, again something the Davises had some experience with in the past. But where should their store be located? Somers and Stafford didn't need another store and E.C. Allen's in Hazardville was thriving. Horatio and Ben decided on Glastonbury, Connecticut, just southeast of Hartford. They both relocated here and opened Davis & Cooley Grocery and Hardware. Ben was the chief grocer while Horatio handled the hardware duties. The Davises had reputations as master tinkerers, and Horatio was no exception. Along the way, he acquired skills as a plumber, tinsmith, and steam-fitter.

Glastonbury house

The Davis home in Glastonbury

Life in Glastonbury must have been considerably different than in the Davis District in Somers. While Somers and Stafford were sleepily and rather reluctantly emerging from the 19th Century, Glastonbury was eagerly moving into the 1900's. The town had a charm and culture to it that could not compare to backwoods Somers. Horatio and Ben commissioned a series of postcards (Davis & Cooley's Series) which proudly depicted life in turn of the century Glastonbury. Prominent in the series were Glastonbury's churches, schools, and commerce districts. The business prospered, and Horatio was happy in his new home. Family life was good, too. Julia had two children, Merritt Aborn in 1900 and Grace Pearl (Patty) in 1906. These were good times for the transplanted Davis family. But events on Somers Mountain still would have a major influence on several more generations of the Davis family.

In April 1907, Parmelia, Merritt's step-mother passed away. Merritt finally had the full control over the farm that he had wanted for many years. But then, in October 1911, Merritt's wife Rodelia died, leaving Merritt alone on the farm with his three daughters, now grown women in their 30's and 40's. Although Merritt may have asked Horatio and Julia to return to the farm, they remained in Glastonbury until 1918, when Merritt passed away.

PosterEmma, Bertha, and Josie Davis had no desire to work a sizeable farm in Somers on the death of their father. Horatio came up from Glastonbury, and the family decided it was time to sell the old Daniel Davis farm. An auction was scheduled for April 13, 1918, about two months after Merritt's death. Auction notices were posted throughout the area: One Hundred Acre Farm---40 acres tillable, 7 acres woodland, balance pasture; 7-room Brick House with ell, large Barn, 52x36, with stables in basement and above, another barn 36x28, wagon Shed, Ice House, Hen Houses, Fruit, fine spring water and two wells. A variety of live stock and farming tools were also slated to go on the block. E.M. Granger, Jr. was to be auctioneer, coming up from nearby Thompsonville. That Saturday loomed as a sad day in the history of the Davis family.

When the sun set on Somers Mountain that day in April, Merritt Davis' estate had been settled. Gone were the majority of the farm equipment and livestock...but the farm remained! The highest bid was not high enough for Horatio and his sisters; Daniel's farm would continue to be home for the Davis family for some years to come. For the next three years, Horatio would divide his time between the store in Glastonbury and the farm in Somers, visiting his sisters who remained there. Emma, Bertha, and Josie stayed at the farm and were never married.

In 1922, Julia died suddenly of pneumonia at the age of 45. Horatio was heartbroken; they had been a close and loving couple. With his newly married son Merritt and his wife and with daughter Patty, Horatio packed up the family belongings. They sold the house in Glastonbury and moved back to the farm. Daniel's farm had yet to release its hold on the family that had built it almost a hundred years earlier.

Merritt Davis

Merritt Aborn Davis

Merritt Aborn Davis (1900-1968) was the only son of Horatio and Julia Davis. He was born at the Davis home in Glastonbury and spent his childhood there. Merritt was very different in personality and demeanor from his father. While it was said that Horatio never spoke a harsh word to any man, Merritt wouldn't hesitate to make his feelings clear to others and in no uncertain terms. Merritt ascribed to the belief that men should be men and women should not be heard from. He was tough, ornery, and sometimes downright mean. Young Merritt found life in Connecticut to be too confining, and he was determined to see the world. Too young to see action in the First World War, he joined the Navy in June 1918, and was stationed in Newport and Hampton, Rhode Island as the war wound down. After the war, Merritt found himself stationed in Seattle, Washington. Here, he met Doris Talcott, a pretty young woman who just happened to have Connecticut roots as well. Although Doris had been born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, her mother Addie grew up in Ellington, Connecticut and her husband's father Anson Talcott had been born in Rockville, Connecticut. Doris was taken with Merritt's macho charm and mischievious smile. After a short engagement, they were married in October 1921 in Vancouver, Canada.

Things did not bode well for the young couple right from the start. Doris' mother Addie was vehemently opposed to the marriage. Merritt encouraged Doris to correspond with his mother Julia (whom she had not yet met), and Julia did her best to convince Doris that Merritt wasn't as bad as Addie made him out to be. In a letter from Julia to Doris a month before the marriage, Julia wrote: "Now dear, I don't think you are making a mistake, even if you have known him so short a time, and true love is very sweet and wonderful. I think if your mother knew Merritt better she would not feel the way she does. He has always been a good boy (of course I suppose I would think so anyway) and has never cared a whole lot for girls...he has always made me his confident [sic], so I don't think he can be a very bad boy..."

In the spring of 1922, Merritt was discharged from the service and brought his now expecting bride home to Glastonbury. But Doris and Julia would have little time to become acquainted; Julia died early that summer. The loss of Julia Davis may have had more impact on young Merritt than on his father. His children would later speculate that her death would only contribute to Merritt's mistrust of women; perhaps the loss of his mother at a young age led to deep seated emotional feelings of abandonment. Merritt and Doris moved with Horatio and Patty back to the farm on Somers Mountain in 1922. The house wasn't big enough for seven adults, one of whom had a nasty temper. With little children soon to appear on the scene, Emma, Bertha, and Josie Davis moved to a house on Main Street in Somers center where they'd find life a bit more peaceful. So for the next several years, Horatio lived with son Merritt, daughter Patty, and daughter-in-law Doris on the farm.

Neil and Shirley

Davis kids on the farm

Doris had two children during her stay in Somers. Shirley Louise, born in 1922, and Merritt Talcott (nicknamed "Bud"), born in 1924. Shirley and Bud were the first two Davises to be born in a hospital, Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs.

It soon became apparent to Doris that life on the Davis farm in rural Connecticut was not how she wanted to spend her life. Doris' parents no doubt applied considerable pressure to encourage the young family to move back west, where they could keep an eye on Merritt and make sure he was treating their daughter properly. About 1926, they succeeded, and Merritt, Doris, and the two children moved back to Seattle. This must have been a lonely time for Horatio; in 1927 his daughter Patty married Ed Burdick and moved back to Glastonbury. Horatio was alone on the farm with only memories of happier days. Of course, Horatio's sisters only lived three miles away, and no doubt, they spent a lot of time together visiting.

Merritt undoubtedly found life in Seattle under his in-laws' watchful eyes distressing. He joined the Merchant Marine; it gave him a good excuse to shirk his duties at home while galavanting all over the world. In the time he spent at home, he managed to father two more children, Neil Alden, born in 1927, and Mark Cornelius, born in 1930. As the children grew, Merritt seemed to be gone more and more frequently. Doris' parents made it their business to provide as much help in raising the childen as they could, but this was a family that was doomed to fall apart.

In 1935, Merritt left the Merchant Marine and returned home to the family in Seattle. By July, he and Doris had separated. In August, Doris initiated divorce proceedings. Merritt wasn't much interested in what Doris did at that point, and he left Seattle in February 1936 for Somers and the farm. In June, 1936, Merritt married Josephine Avery of Somers. Whether he knew it or not, Doris had dropped her divorce proceedings in Seattle. As a result, Merritt became the first known Davis to be married to two women at the same time. When Josephine learned that Merritt had never officially gotten divorced, she was quite unhappy, to say the least. She left him in December 1936, and the marriage was annulled on account of bigamy. Merritt returned to Seattle in 1937, supposedly to investigate the divorce matter. Against Doris' wishes, he absconded with Neil and Bud and again returned to the farm. From this time on, the family was split apart; Bud and Neil were raised on the farm by Horatio; Merritt was around, but never seemed to have much time for the boys. On the west coast, Shirley and Mark were raised by Doris, who was remarried to Jarvis Hendricks.

In 1939, Merritt met Genevieve Crum of Springfield. Later that year, they were married, and this time Merritt's marriage was legal. His divorce to Doris had become final in 1937. In 1940, Genevieve had twins: Arline Verona (Sue) and Daniel Wesley Davis. Sue and Danny were to be the last of the Davis family to live on the Daniel Davis farm. When World War II broke out, Merritt was too old for active service, but he joined the National Guard. Between 1938 and 1960, Merritt worked at Hamilton Standard in Windsor Locks and at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford as an electrician. He was also a postman in Somers during the war.

Merritt & Genie

Merritt and Genevieve in 1956

Life on the farm was difficult for the children, especially for Sue and Danny. Horatio was the stabilizing influence in their lives. Bud spent several years in the service, but came back to the farm after the war. Neil also joined the service when he was old enough, and didn't spend much time at home after that. One morning in February 1951, the family came downstairs and found Horatio lying on the floor. He was rushed to the hospital, diagnosed with pneumonia. Two days later, he was dead from the same ailment that had taken his beloved Julia almost thirty years previous.

As Merritt grew older, he may have begun to regret the way he seemed to alienate everyone he met. One day, two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knocked on the farmhouse door. Instead of hauling out his shotgun, Merritt let them in. Whether the Mormon elders had worked a miracle that day was unclear, but Merritt, Genevieve, Danny, and Sue joined the LDS Church and became regular patrons of the nearest church, which was in Springfield, Massachusetts. Merritt didn't quite understand or know how to react to the friendliness of church members; he wrote: "I don't think the Mormons are better than other people, but they do seem to try a bit harder than most..."

In 1960, Merritt began to feel his approaching old age. Years of hard living had taken their toll. Like many modern-day New Englanders, Merritt decided it was time to retire and head south. There would be no auction this time, the farm was put up for sale for the asking price of $17,900. By now, all that remained of Daniel's one-hundred plus acres was a mere nine and a half acres. Horatio had sold most of the family lands west of the farm to the YWCA in 1927, probably to provide income for the family; Merritt had sold even more. The farm was eventually sold to the Pio family of Somers. The last remnant of Daniel's land that remained in the family was six acres across from Lake Aya-Po which Merritt had sold to Bud. An era had finally come to an end.

Merritt moved to Tampa, Florida, where he spent two years with Genevieve and Danny. Sue had married an air force man in 1959 and moved to Texas. Merritt's involvement in the LDS church grew along with his desire to move to Utah, where the church was based. In 1962, he gave his Florida home to the church and moved to Manti, Utah where he bought a small home. Here, Merritt lived his final years with Genevieve, Danny, and Sadie the dog. Merritt had always been a loyal supporter of his country; his service record reflected his patriotism. Inspired by patriotic music, he became an expert fife player and made the instruments as well. He carried his proud New England heritage with him and it saddened him that he couldn't find the same spirit of nationalism in the younger generation of Mormon youth in Manti. "They just don't have the patriotic spirit here like they do in Connecticut," Merritt would lament.

Merritt passed away in July 1968 after a long struggle with cancer. His passing left the Davis homestead in another family's possession and a generation of Davis children scattered across the country from Connecticut to Florida to Texas to Utah to Washington. But the history of the Davis family would remain its legacy.


Next: Beyond Somers Mountain: World War II and Life in Suburbia

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