Gilbert, Frank T.  "Historic Sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and
Garfield Counties, Washington Territory; and Umatilla County, Oregon."
Portland, OR: Print & Lithographing House of A. G. Walling, 1882. p. a11.
 
JAMES S. DAVIS

     was born on the sixteenth day of November, 1815, in the county of Sussex,
town of Hastings, England, now known as St. Leonard, where William the Conqueror
landed on English soil. His father was William Davis, his mother, Frances Smith
Davis. Later in life after coming to America, he added the letter S. to his
name, on account of having trouble with his mail, and afterwards went by the
name of James S. Davis, until still later in life he received the expressive
cognomen of Cash Up, and is now extensively known throughout the north west as
Cash Up Davis. Up to the age of fifteen he attended the common schools of his
native country. His uncle, a captain of a British East India company of the
Royal Army, took a fancy to young Davis and appointed him his valet, and he
entered the postillion, or training school to fit himself for the charge of a
pair of Shetland ponies given to Lady Erskine by the Sultan of Turkey. Here
young Davis remained nearly a year; then traveled with Captain John Guynn over
England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales; but at the end of a year and a half, the
captain died in the city of Brighton, in the county of Sussex. Mr. Davis
continued his travels alone in the south of England, and visited France which
occupied another year of his time. We next find him in the employ of McIntosh &
Bowland, who were building the Dover tunnel under Shakspeare Cliff. Mr. Davis
had charge of 60 men on that work, as soon as he found himself appointed
foreman. On the 8th of August, 1840, he took passage on the Quebec for New York,
on his way from London to Seneca Falls, Ohio. From choice and preference, and
not by accident of birth, or without wish or will, this adopted son of Royal
birth had selected America for his future home. He lived to see the one dark
spot on her flag blotted out, her institution of slavery. He arrived in New York
October 1, 1840, and proceeded, via Albany and Buffalo to Cipio, Seneca. Co.,
Ohio. There he found his uncle Weller living in luxurious style, though in a
house built without a nail. Here Mr. Davis engaged in farming and other
business. On the 4th of September, 1844, he married Mary Ann Shoemaker of
Columbus, Ohio, who was a native of Bradford Co., Pennsylvania. Two years later,
in 1846, Mr. and Mrs. Davis emigrated to Wisconsin where they lived twenty-two
years and raised a family of eleven children: William A., born April 20, 147;
Laura C., June 20, 1848; Frances L., February 25, 1850; Ferdinand A., June 4,
1852; Henry E., July 30, 1853; James P., September 23, 1855; John, October 15,
1857; Clarence C., November 27, 1859; Mary Ann, February 14, 1862; Amy C., June
16, 1864; Charles J., January 3, 1867.
     From Wisconsin they moved to Bremer Co., Iowa in 1868, where they lived
about three years, then emigrated to the Pacific coast in 1871, and lived a year
and a half in Yamhill Co., Oregon. In 1872 they moved to Whitman Co., W. T.  In
1877, Mr. Davis purchased Steptoe Station of the Northern Pacific R. R. Co., and
has improved a section of land, besides erecting a number of buildings, a view
of which, with the farm can be seen on another page of this work. Mr. Davis'
children are all living and prosperous, having settled near Steptoe Butte, in
Whitman Co. Mr. Davis is a member of the I. O. O. F., a republican in politics,
a Spiritualist in religion, and has wide and positive views on all subjects
agitating the business, political and social world.


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Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in February 2007 by Diana Smith.

Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.