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| Notes for Paul Harvey Davison | ||||||||||||
| Obituary of Paul Harvey Davison, from Minonk News-Dispatch, April 9, 1953: Paul Harvey Davison, 86, a life-long resident of this community, passed away on Monday, April 6, at Washburn, where he had recently been removed for care during the last few days of his life. Born at Yankeetown on Feb. 19, 1867, he was a son of Prosper Harvey and Jane C. File Davison. His father was one of the early pioneers of this area, who came to Illinois from New York State when a young man, and purchased land from the U. S. Government 99 years ago, in 1854. It was on this farm, five miles west of Minonk, where the deceased spent most of his life. He received his early education at the Jefferson school, built in 1869, and attended Eureka college one year. He was united in marriage with Bertha Trullender at Yankeetown, on Feb. 27, 1895. She preceded him in death on July 18, 1937. Mr. Davison lived a full and active life as son of a pioneer, as husband and father, as a farmer and business man, and in politics, civic, social and church affairs. During his early years the mail was carried to the Davison home, which was designated as Yankeetown post office, to be picked up there by others in the area. As a young man, he held the post of Yankeetown postmaster for 15 years, until rural mail carrier routes were established, which eliminated that neighborhood post office. He also served as a school director for the Jefferson school for 25 years. That school served as a community center and as a church, with a Baptist minister supplied from Benson, for a number of years. Mr. Davison was clerk of the board, and was a very active member of the church, too. His main interest in life was farming, and he continued to reside on the Davison farm while for eight years he was a partner with his brother in law, R. M. Livingston, in the ownership and operation of the Davison and Livingston elevator in Toluca. Later, those partners purchased the International Harvester dealership in Minonk, and after operating it for two years, sold out to Frank B. Iliff of this city. Mr. Davison was a strong believer in farm organization, and in his early years was a member of the old Farmers' Alliance. He helped organize the Woodford County Farm Bureau, was a charter member, and served as an officer in the early days of that organization. He and Mrs. Davison moved to Minonk in the spring of 1922, and he has lived here ever since, except for one 4-year period when he served as Woodford county treasurer and lived at Eureka. Always an active member of the Democratic party, Mr. Davison was elected county treasurer in November of 1930. His term expired in 1934. Mr. and Mrs. Davison were the parents of six children, three of whom survive: Victor H. Davison of Indianapolis, Ind.; Paul Howard Davison of Columbus, Ohio; and Lester S. Davison, who recently moved to Minonk from the home farm, now operated by his son, John Davison. Three daughters preceded their parents in death: Margaret (Mrs. Paul J. Snyder), who died in 1935; Annie Laurie, who died at the age of 10; and Bessie, who died in infancy. Mr. Davison is also survived by one sister, Mrs. Bertha Swing of Riverside, Calif., nine grandchildren, ten great grandchildren, and a large number of nieces and nephews, besides a host of friends who mourn his passing. While living In Minonk he was a faithful member of the Minonk Baptist church. Funeral services were held at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon (Wednesday, April 8) from the Wilcox Funeral Home in Minonk, with the Rev. E. R. Williams, pastor of the Minonk Baptist church, officiating. Burial was in the Davison cemetery, west of Minonk. In an interview with News-Dispatch Publisher C. R. Denson, in 1944, in which Mr. Davison was reminiscing about the old days, he said that his father told him that when he first came to Minonk in 1854, there were only two houses here and the largest thing between Minonk and Pattonsburg was the rosin weed. His father also had served as county treasurer of this county, twice by appointment and once by election. | ||||||||||||
| Last Modified 24 Jan 2003 | Created 22 Mar 2004 by Reunion for Macintosh |