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Memoirs of T.J. Davis 
I first meet T.J. Davis in 
Wis. in March 1858 He soon 
after started to Pikes Peak 
on foot. alone & cross lots he 
got as far as St Joe M.O. where 
he staid about a year then 
went to Ill. In March 1860 
he returned to Wis where we 
was married Oct 6th 1861 He 
then owned 40 acres of timber 
land with a log cabin and a  
yoke of oxen – He soon sold his 
          in notes 
land & oxen got $140 ^ and a 
gold watch valued at $75 which 
he gave to me – Oh my! I was 
[page torn] of my beautiful gift 
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Nov 19th he enlisted in Co. C. 18th 
Regiment Wis volunteers for 
3 years or during the war – He left 
me with Mrs Burnett at Springvil 
where I went to School 3 months 
in Feb he returned home on a 
20 days Furlough. I did not see 
him again till Dec 1864. as he 
had Reenlisted to Serve 3 years 
more - or during the war – 
I remained in Springville 
             1862 
till May ^ when Mrs Burnett 
went to Ill – and I went to 
Newton and stayed with 
Mrs McMichael till Sept when 
I went to Lewis Smiths to live 
where I stayed and worked for 
my board – till Nov 1865 Here
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Sylvia was born Nov 8th 1862 
Volunteers wives drawed $ 5.00 
per month from the State 
this amount clothed my- 
self and baby – Thomas was 
Saving of his money and 
Sent it to me to take care 
of which we intended to use 
to make us a home after 
the close of the war – 
when he came home on a  
    	      of 30 days 
Furlough ^ in Dec 1864 I had 
$800. I was proud of our little 
fortune. I thought it meant 
Home and happiness – Then 
we went to Ill – to visit his 
people – when he returned to 
the army he Said he wanted 
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to take part of the money 
with him to Speculate on 
So he took 600 – after the close  
of the war in June 1865 he went 
to Washington D.C. and bought  
11 U.S. mules at auction Sale 
he lost 5 of them in transpitation 
home. he sold one. and traded 
one for a horse. So he got home 
Aug 13th 1865 with 4 mules one 
horse and $ .30 – I had $200 
we was prepareing to go to Iowa 
where we could get good land 
cheap. when he went to visit 
Mother. She persuaded him 
to go home and take care of 
her & Step Father as long as she 
lived. and have the Home 
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farm which consisted of 80 
acres of good land – 30 under 
cultivation and the rest 
timber with a good small house 
a large barn. and Granery 
so that arangement was made 
before I knew any thing about  
it. When he had to rustle and 
do something to make a 
living for so large a family  
Mother Father – his two children 
Charley came home that fall 
Sylvia. Thom - & I – 8 to begin with 
So he hired 2 men at $25 per 
month. (My gold watch went 
to pay one of them) They went 
on our Island in the 
Mississippi river to cuting 
cord wood to sell to the steam 
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Boats – he traded his best span 
  valued at $ 500 
of mules ^ to Sam Loper for a 
half interest in a flat boat 
to deliver wood with. he worked 
at that one winter in the Spring 
he sold his half of the boat 
to Al Loper - $10. and a yoke of oxen 
and 300 in notes 
^ which he never got a $ of. 
then he traded his last span 
   valued at 300 dollars 
of mules ^ to Tom Orem for 40 
acres of land and a half interest 
in a Saw mill site. where he 
blowed in every thing he could 
rais for a year he bought [illegible] 
out. and gave his Brother Wm 
Davis. half Interest to go in with 
him when a flood come and 
washed the dam and frame  
out so that ended the Saw mill 
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he sold his half of the land to 
Wm for a cow and an old mare 
Will was born May 25 1866 – and 
Mother died Dec 22 the same year – 
we lived on the farm two years 
longer – Geo & Fred was born Nov 25  
1867 – we just made a living and 
a tough one at that. in Feb 1879 
he sold the farm for $800 when 
the debts was paid, we had 300 
left Then he made a break for 
Iowa – after traveling a month 
he returned – had found nothing 
good enough – then bought 100  
acres on clay ridge 40 acres 
under cultivation the rest 
timber. He bought wheat for 
seed. at $200 per bu sowed 30
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acres after harvest and the 
expences paid. there was not 
wheat enough left for our bread 
during the winter. Perry was 
born at this place Sept 21st 1869 
we scratched along as best we 
could till Aug 1871, when he 
again sold out, he got $150 and 
a good span of horses valued 
at 300 – I forgot to mention that 
when he returned from the 
army I had 3 cows and  
the one he got from Wm we  
sold - When he was ready to hit 
te 
the Breeze for a warmer clima^ 
He started in company with 
Preacher Brown. went South as 
far as Prairie Duchine There 
he heard of the big boom 
on the new R.R. in Western Minn
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Here he cut across Iowa & 
located a claim in Noble Co 
Minn Then returned highly 
elated over his future prospect 
on the 26 of Oct we loaded our 
little store & Kids and started 
for the land of Blizzards_ 
which we meet in good earnest 
on the 11th of Nov where we had 
to hold up at a farm house 
for several days. we was still 
30 miles from our destination 
and a foot of snow. and a  
long cold winter before us and 
no wood with in 6 miles and 
that sold at $600 per cord 
so he concluded to stay 
through the winter at Jackson 
a little town on the Desmoin River 
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so he rented a little house 
where we put in the most 
uncomfortable winter of my life 
Here he traded his horses for 
a Store house which was bringing 
$13 per month rent - he thought 
that would be quite an itim 
but after the first month they 
cut him down to $700 per month 
so he sold that he got a  
yoke of oxen a cow and $150 
and on the 10 of May we 
struck for our claim geting 
stuck several times in Snow 
drifts, we got to our little dug out 
at last. it was a beautiful 
place in pleasent weather 
and it was home. so we went 
to work he broke 9 acres and
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planted corn and Potatoes 
and I planted garden – 
and we lived cheap you may  
be sure. He had to go and 
work through harvest; to rais a 
grub stake. was gone 6 weeks 
I staid with our little flock at 
our Prairie house. Sylvie was 
all the help I had she was only  
              old 
9 years ^ and the boys mere babys 
here this summer I experienced 
Some of the worst thunder and 
lightening storms I ever saw 
and the rain pored down in 
torents. sometimes I would dip 
up12 to 16 buckets of water from 
our dirt floor about the first 
of Oct he returned home 
from harvesting and begun 
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to cut hay – knowing he 
would have to put up a 
supply Sufficient fo winter 
fuel – as buying wood or coal 
was out of the question 
he had cut about 4 tons when 
here came a prairie fire 
and swept the plains as far 
as the eye could reach 
Then we was ready to emigrate 
with the rest of the geese 
(which was numerous at that 
time of the year – He traded 
our claim to Mr Ditty for a 
yoke of oxen and on the day. 
that Grant was elected president 
of the U.S. and Greeley was'nt 
we again hit the trail for 
a milder clime. our wealth
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then conSisted of two yoke 
of oxen and one cow. one calf 
one dog and 5 kids and $40 
we took a Bee line South which 
we keept up till the 19th of Nov  
when a Blizzard overtook us 
which held us up for 4 years 
in Harrison Co Iowa – we 
Stayed during the storm 
with a farmer who told us 
what a fine country it was 
and work and corn was 
plenty – so we went down in  
the timber by the Big muddy 
and moved in to an old log 
house and staid till he and 
Mr Wilkerson made us a 
dug out – there we was at least 
      comfortable 
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Here our luck turned a little 
for the better – during the 
winter he bought 20 acres of 
good rich bottom land gave 
$ 30 for it and paid for it in 
R.R. ties cut off the land – 
he fenced and cleared and 
broke the land and planted 
it to corn potatoes sorgum 
and Sweet potatoes – and I 
had the finest garden I ever 
had. we could almost see 
every thing grow. and it 
was a pleasure. to rais chickens 
and pigs – we had plenty to eat 
and wear. and the children 
could go to School – and here 
under this lucky * (hand drawn star in original) Dolly was 
born July 21st 1874 
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Here we was contented and 
prospering – if not very fast 
he traded his oxen for horses – 
bought a frame house and 
moved it on the place 
and we just thought we had 
struck it rich – untill 1877 
when Lo _ the Black hills 
fever Struck him – every 
thing was droped like a hot 
brick – he sold out. and traded 
out for the land he got a 
Span of good mules. and 
$300 he moved the family into  
a log house ½ a mile from our 
old home – and on the 14th of 
March he took Will and pulled 
for Dak where he found Bro – 
John and located on Red Water
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and raised a crop that year 
The next Feb he returned to 
Iowa for the family. we 
left there Feb 19th and arrived 
at our destination – March 23 – 
in 2 feet of snow. The weather 
was warm and the snow 
soon disapeared so they 
sowed wheat the first day 
of April – we lived with John 
till May 1880 when we moved 
on our Preemption claim 
where he had about 80 acres 
under cultivation Raised 
grain and vegetables under 
irigation In 1884 he traded 
this farm with 800 bushels of 
wheat. to Harrison. for 5600 lbs 
of flour – Thinking he could
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trade the Flour for cows & 
young stock and go into the 
cattle business He also 
traded our Timber claim 
to Mitchel & Case 
^ for a span of horses one cow 
and 6 calves – and in 1885  
moved to the Pine hills – with 
42 head of cattle to be come 
a cattle king – The hard winter 
of 86 & 87 struck us hard 
and left us in the spring with 
29 head and 13 of them was 
calves – in Oct 1890 he sold 
4 steers got 140 dollars which 
he took and pulled for 
Arkansas on a pleasure 
trip I had just got $176 
from my uncles estate and 
I had to send Geo to White- 
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wood for a load of supplys 
for winter – He returned 
home in Apr – broke had 
to borrow $15 from Andy Wagner 
to get home on – and I let 
him have the 15 to send to 
Andy He said I might have 
a hiefer for it but when his 
cattle was sold my heifer 
went – and that was the last 
of her – in 1891 he made up  
his mind he was geting to 
old to stand this cold climate 
So he sold the cattle and 
pulled out and left his ranch 
after doing lots of hard work 
and improving it – Perry after 
words traded it to Jack [illegible] 
for 4 mares – He sent Dolly
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and I to Oregon and he 
raised a crop of vegetables 
on [illegible] Birds farm – 
In the Spring of 1892 he bought 
100 acres of land in [illegible] 
                   paid $ 1000 
Valley Ore^ - where he thought it 
was just the checker 
he fenced and cultivated 
the place – Set 4 acres – of orchard 
built two barns a granery and 
a big house and for a few 
years it was al right in 1899 
the house burned down 
he got $800 insurance 
but he would not rebuild – 
he was discontended and 
in the fall pulled for Cal – 
and wintered with Bro John 
on the 14th of March 1900 he
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pulled out for Lewiston 
Idaho – overland – with a 
4 horse team & alone 
this was the hardest journey 
I ever took – 800 miles and 
camped out every night on 
the road – we arrived in 
Lewiston the 10th of May – 
weary, lame & homesick 
here he bought a feed barn 
gave $250, and rented a house 
bought 3 acres of land just 
outSide the city limits. gave 
$500 for it in 3 payments – Sold 
it. made $50 in the deal 
here he traded one of his 
teams for 160 acre claim. with 
out seeing it. he went and looked 
at it . it set upedge ways; he 
never went near it again – 
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we stayed there 11/2 years 
when he sold out and went 
to Hot Springs SC where we 
rented a house and stayed 
4 months and took the baths 
for Rheumatism while here 
he sold his Oregon farm 
for $ .800. in March we 
returned to Butte Co SD 
in 1903 we went to Camp Crook 
took charge of the P.O. for a 
year – he resigned – the office 
and took a Homestead at 
Lone Tree – where we now 
reside when we are at home 
He is now enjoying a visit with 
relatives in Ills – and 
what I shall do in the next 
two months I will record in 
the next chapter    Mrs T.J. Davis