[p. 934] supervisor of Big Beaver Township, owns a valuable farm of 158 acres which is situated about one mile south of Wampum. He was born on this farm, April 5, 1856, in the old log house then standing, which was supplanted by the present commodious brick one two years later. His parents were John and Mary (Beatty) Davidson.
John Davidson died in 1895. He was born on the present farm August 14, 1814, and was a son of Andrew and Janet (Whan) Davidson. Andrew Davidson came to Lawrence County in early manhood, from Ireland. He purchased the present farm from the Benjamin Chew estate and his grandson has the old sheep-skin deed entitling him to the property. At that time all this country was covered with a forest growth, which he cleared and also acquired other land. He was very just to his children, apportioning to each a fair-sized farm. Of his family of eleven, John was the eldest. He obtained a good education for his day, in the old log school-house in the neighborhood of his home and later taught school in conjunction with farming. For twenty-five years he served as a justice of the peace. He was a Republican in his political views and during the War of the Rebellion he was a zealous supporter of the Government. While not permitted to enter the active service, he organized companies and drilled them in military tactics and was given the rank of major, by which he was very generally known. He married Mary Beatty, who was born in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, where she died aged fifty-five years. They had six children, namely: William T., residing in Kansas; Margaret Jane; Lydia, who died in 1881, was the wife of John Abdill; J. Watson, and two who died young.
J. Watson Davidson was educated in the district schools and the Normal School at Edenboro. During early manhood, in partnership with his brother, William T., he operated a cattle ranch in Colorado and Kansas. He received his present farm from his father's estate and since taking charge has carried on a general agricultural line.
On October 26, 1881, Mr. Davidson was married to Myra Rose, who is a daughter of I. P. and Margaret (Gibson) Rose. They have four children, Ernest, Edith, Bessie and Helen. Ernest, who is an electrical engineer, attended school at Rogers, Ohio, going from there to the Northeastern Ohio Normal School at Canfield and completed at the Pennsylvania State College. He married Olive Grim and they reside at New Castle. Edith is a teacher in the public schools of Pittsburg. She attended school at Canfield, Ohio, and graduated from Westminster College. Bessie was educated in the Slippery Rock High School and at Geneva College. Mr. Davidson and family belong to the Presbyterian Church. Politically, he is a Republican and at present is serving as supervisor and as school director in Big Beaver Township.
20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
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