Key Facts

Snapshot:	farmer His farm was destroyed by a cyclone. voted for Grover Cleveland
Parents:	unknown
Born:	circa 1797 South Carolina
Died:	23 February 1890 almost certainly Lothair, Montgomery County, Georgia
Buried:	unknown

328Arthur was probably born circa 1797 in South Carolina.1-3 (A few later records describe him as having been born much earlier,4-6 even as early as "probably before 1780." 5 However, these records also describe his old age in a flattering, emotional tone and therefore are somewhat untrustworthy.) In any case, even 328Arthur himself didn't know exactly what year he was born.5 His father and mother are unknown, but they were from Virginia and North Carolina, respectively.3

328Arthur married 329Charlotte Adams in Montgomery County, Georgia on 17 July 1817.7

328Arthur's and 329Charlotte's marriage certificate. Full page.7

Like all subsequent records, the 1820 census shows 328Arthur in Montgomery County, Georgia, and that he didn't own slaves. The numbers below represent: 2 boys age 0-9 (One of whom is 164Thomas Davis.), 3 boys age 10-15, 2 boys age 16-18, 1 man age 16-25 (328Arthur), and 1 woman age 16-25.8

1820: 328Arthur's family in Montgomery County, Georgia. Full page.8

1830: 328Arthur's family still in Montgomery County. Full page.9

An 1832 tax digest shows that his Montgomery County property consisted of 200 acres along/near Red Bluff Creek (which now lies in Treutlen County). He also owned a combined 790 acres in Emanuel and Irvin counties.10

The 1840 census shows his son 164Thomas living next door.11

1840: 328Arthur's family still in Montgomery County. Full page.11

The 1850 census entry for 328Arthur's household is copied below.1 This census also surveyed 328Arthur's farm: 1, 2, template.12

1850: 328Arthur's family still in Montgomery County, Georgia. Full page.1

His entry in the 1860 census is below.2 His farm schedule entry: 1, 2, template, transcription.13

1860: 328Arthur's family still in Montgomery County. Full page.2

The American Civil War began the following year. After the war, in 1867 the U.S. Congress passed several Reconstruction Acts. These Acts divided the former Confederacy into several military occupation zones, which were ruled by Union military commanders. The Acts also directed the commanding officers to register Southerners who wanted to vote in upcoming elections. One registration requirement was to swear an oath of loyalty to the United States; the obvious intent was to disfranchise any lingering Confederate resistance. 328Arthur signed his oath on 7 August 1867.14

328Arthur's Reconstruction-era voter registration oath.14

The 1870 census15 shows 328Arthur's birthplace as Georgia, not South Carolina, but this is probably an error since it contradicts the 1850,1 1860,2 and 18803 censuses. You may also be interested in 328Arthur's 1870 farm schedule entry: pages 1, 2, template, transcription.16

1870: 328Arthur's family still in Montgomery County. Full page.15

His wife 329Charlotte presumably died in the 1870's, since the 1880 census shows him married to a woman named Elizabeth. She is named only in this record (but is mentioned passingly in an 1889 newspaper article transcribed below), so I know little else about her and have been peculiarly unable to find a marriage record. You may also be interested in 328Arthur's 1880 farm schedule entry17 (template).

1880: 328Arthur and his second wife Elizabeth in militia district 1221 (map), Montgomery County, Georgia. Full page.3

328Arthur is mentioned in several newspaper articles during the 1880's. An article published on 3 May 1883 describes a "cyclone" that destroyed his property.18

1883: 328Arthur's home is destroyed by a "cyclone." Full page.18

1883: Further description of the damage. Full page.18

328Arthur's son 164Thomas described his father to a reporter during a fish fry in late 1884. The resulting newspaper article notes that 328Arthur voted for Grover Cleveland in the 1884 presidential election.4

1884: 328Arthur is described to a reporter by his son 164Thomas. Full page.4

Another article published 1 August 1889 heaps praise on 328Arthur.5 My transcription is below, or see the original article.5

"Mr. Arthur Davis sr., who is probably the oldest man in this county, and one of the oldest in this part of Georgia, is very low, and from what we hear can not live much longer. He has no accurate knowledge of his age, but from the best information obtainable, from him and his children, some of them old men, he must have been born between 1780 and 1783--certainly not later than 1783 and probably before 1780. This would make him 106 to 109 years old. He has been a man of great physical strength, and has always been blessed with good health. He made a good living, raised a large family, has been married twice, having married his present wife only a few years ago. He has been a consistent member of the Baptist church for 50 or 75 years.

"This old landmark lived in this county, and raised some of his children, when railroads were not thought of, when steel pens were not invented, when lead pencils were unknown, ruled paper was not made, and when our grand old county was probably without any kind of mail service. In those days our old friend went to Savannah to do his trading once a year with his horse cart, and drove his hogs and cattle before him. Men stayed at home then, and made mostly all they needed. But those days are gone, and now the world is not big enough to hold some of our boys, and every day is not often enough for them to go to town, and their mothers and sisters cant iron their shirts to suit them and nothing looks good enough. The country has greatly improved since then but we can learn some important lessons from these old gray-headed sires of generation that has passed to the rear in the ceaseless march of time." 5

328Arthur died a few months later on 23 February 1890.6 I don't know where he's buried.

328Arthur's obituary. Full page.6

328Arthur apparently died intestate, but several estate records exist:

	Annual Returns Book A 1893-1900, pages 50-55 and 59
	Inventories & Appraisements Book B, pages 173-175 and 180
	Letters of Administration 1879-1955, pages 140 and 143-144
	Ordinary Court Minutes Book 3 (1885-1891), pages 260-263, 269, and 271
	Bills of Sales Book A (1874-1911), page 104
	Twelve Months Support Book A (1886-1919), pages 26-27

The inventory of his estate includes (among other interesting items) numerous quilts, 1 rifle, coffee supplies, a desk, 10 pounds of tallow, cattle, and chickens.

The remnant of his estate was included in Montgomery County's 1890 tax digest (pages 1 and 2).19

Sources Cited:

1: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Montgomery County, Georgia. Page 100 [typed], family 75, Arthur Davis household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 78. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6FF7-XY4?i=34&cc=1401638&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZYH-VV9>.

2: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Montgomery County, Georgia. Page 869, dwelling 83, family 83, Arthur Davis sr household. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 131. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBF-SS4C?i=12&cc=1473181&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZMN-5M3>.

3: 1880 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Militia district 1221, Montgomery County, Georgia. Enumeration district 78, page 54, dwelling 10, family 10, Arthur Davis household. NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 159. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBM-98DL?i=10&cc=1417683&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM8GJ-49N>.

4: "Letter from Montgomery," The Eastman Times (Eastman, Georgia), Thursday 27 November 1884, page 1, column 3. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034047/1884-11-27/ed-1/seq-1/>, accessed 19 September 2023. I've written a partial transcription of the article.

5: "From Lothair," The Montgomery Monitor (Mt. Vernon, Georgia), 1 August 1889, page 2, column 1, about three-fifths of the way down the page. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053231/1889-08-01/ed-1/seq-2/>, accessed 3 December 2019. Transcription.

6: The Mongtomery Monitor (Mt. Vernon, Georgia), 27 February 1890, page 3, column 1, approximately two-thirds down the page. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053231/1890-02-27/ed-1/seq-3/>, accessed 19 November 2019.

7: Montgomery County, Georgia. Marriage book A (1811-1850), n.p., entry dated 17 July 1817 for the marriage of Arthur Davis and Charlotty Adams. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GBZJ-2PC?i=152&cc=1927197&cat=334570>, accessed 2 November 2021. Confusingly, Montgomery County has another marriage book "A" for the years 1810-1908, and in that book, 328Arthur's and 329Charlotte's marriage is recorded on page 28.

8: 1820 U.S. Federal Census. Montgomery County, Georgia. Page 3, Arthur Davis household. NARA microfilm publication M33, roll 9. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYYY-BPF?i=3&cc=1803955&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXHLX-G1R>. Since the 1820 census typically lacks column headers, you may find this template helpful.

9: 1830 U.S. Federal Census. Montgomery County, Georgia. Page 235, Arthur Davis household. NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 19. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYYL-91DR?cc=1803958&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXHGB-X7Y>, accessed 18 November 2019.

10: Montgomery County, Georgia. Tax digest for 1832, Captain Peterson's district, entries for Arthur Davis. Ancestry.com ("Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892" / Montgomery / 1832 / images 2 and 3 of 18).

11: 1840 U.S. Federal Census. District 51, Montgomery County, Georgia. Page 215, Arthur Davis household. NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 47. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBQ-4KT?i=2&cc=1786457>.

12: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Montgomery County, Georgia. Pages 11-12 (labeled "527," although this doesn't seem logical with other, nearby page numbers), entry 29, Arthur Davis farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 3. The NARA provides a helpful template.

13: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Montgomery County, Georgia. Pages 3-4, entry 37, Art. Davis Sr farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 5. I recommend using my transcription. The NARA provides a helpful template if you want it.

14: Georgia's 1867-1868 Voter Registration Oath Books. Volume 86 (Montgomery County Book A), page 243, entry 88, Arthur Davis. Ancestry.com ("Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869" / Oath Book / Montgomery / 15 / image 146 of 249), accessed 2 November 2021. The corresponding microfilm at the Georgia Archives is microfilm 296/35.

15: 1870 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Montgomery County, Georgia. Page 66, dwelling 335, family 335, Arthur Davis household. NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 166. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XKP3-GCS?cc=1438024&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMC3N-QXK>.

16: 1870 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Montgomery County, Georgia. Pages 13-14, entry 39, Arthur Davis farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 8. I recommend using my transcription. The NARA provides a helpful template.

17: 1880 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Montgomery County, Georgia. Page 18, entry 9, Arthur Davis sr farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 17. The NARA provides a helpful template.

18: [Article title/subtitle appears to be missing], The Eastman Times (Eastman, Georgia), 3 May 1883, page 1, column 3 near the bottom of the page and column 4 at the top; and "The Storm: Through Montgomery and Laurens Counties," The Eastman Times (Eastman, Georgia), 3 May 1883, page 3, column 2, top of the page. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034047/1883-05-03/ed-1/seq-1/> et seq., accessed 19 September 2023.

19: Montgomery County, Georgia. Tax digest for 1890, militia district 1221 (Lothair), pages 1 and 2, entry for Arthur Davis Adm. Ancestry.com (“Georgia Property Tax Digests, 1793-1893” / Montgomery County / 1890 / images 3 and 4 of 17), accessed 18 August 2013. You can see the images (1, 2), but I've cropped them to show only the entries of interest.