Joseph T. Davison

This blog post is another in a series connecting the dots in my tree to the souls buried at Bairdstown Cemetery in Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.

Joseph “Joe” T. Davison was born in Greene County, Georgia, on August 17, 1841, the son of James McCluney Davison and Mary Ann Southerland. He was one of four children born to the couple: James McCluney Davison Jr., Joseph T. Davison, William Davison, and Margaret S. A. Davison. His father was a native of Ireland. Joe is my second cousin four times removed, and our nearest common ancestors are Robert L. Hobbs and Mary Marion Caldwell.

Records occasionally spell the family surname as “Davidson” rather than “Davison.” Researchers should search for Joseph, Joe, Jos., Davison, and Davidson when tracing his records.

About 1849, when Joe was eight years old, his mother died in Greene County and was buried at Woodville Cemetery in Woodville.

On October 23, 1850, Joe lived with his family in District 163 of Greene County. His widowed father was a farmer with real estate valued at $10,000. Also living in the household were Frank Longbottom (28), Patsy Osborn (65), and Mrs. M. Morgan (30). Frank Longbottom was employed as a farmer and was unable to read or write. Joe and his brother William were attending school.

On July 6, 1852, Joe’s father married Margaret Moore, daughter of the late Burnett Moore, in Greene County. The ceremony was performed by James T. Findley, Esq. Over the next several years, four half-brothers were added to the family: Charles Clement Davison, Robert Emmett Davison, Alexander Hamilton S. Davison, and Thomas Cobb Davison.

By June 9, 1860, the family had moved to Woodville. Joe’s father remained a farmer and owned real estate valued at $15,000 and personal property valued at $20,000. Joe’s maternal grandparents, John Southerland and Sarah Hobbs, lived next door. Joe worked as a farmer, his brother James Jr. was a railroad agent, and his brother William was a clerk. His father owned 24 enslaved individuals.

Joe’s father, James Davison, died suddenly in Griffin, Georgia, on July 7, 1860, possibly of paralysis. His remains were transported to Woodville by train and buried at Woodville Cemetery.

Joe enlisted as a private at Penfield, Georgia, on April 24, 1861, under Capt. R. L. McWhorter and served with Company C of the Third Georgia Infantry, known as the Dawson Grays. He was promoted to Third Sergeant on April 28, 1862. Joe was wounded at Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, and was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital No. 4 in Richmond, Virginia, for debility on May 6, 1863. Four days later, he was promoted to Ordnance Sergeant and returned to duty on May 16. He was slightly wounded again at Manassas Gap, Virginia, on July 23, 1863.

After being left behind during the army’s retreat from Front Royal, Virginia, Joe was forced to hire his own transportation to Gordonsville at a cost of $25. He later appeared on hospital muster rolls in Richmond and received compensation for clothing and other military allowances. During 1864, he served on extra duty as a clerk near Petersburg, Virginia, and received additional pay for those services. Joe remained with the army until surrendering at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

On July 5, 1867, Joe registered to vote in Greene County during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. His voter registration oath provides evidence of his presence in the county during a period of major political and social change.

Joe's Georgia Voter Registration Oath (1867)

On June 18, 1870, Joe lived in Penfield with his widowed stepmother Margaret and several siblings. Joe owned real estate valued at $500. His brother James Jr., who had inherited most of their father’s estate, possessed real estate worth $15,000 and personal property valued at $1,500. Joe’s brothers Alexander and Thomas lived next door with the Travis Carlton family.

Joe acquired land near Woodville Depot in April 1872, purchasing approximately seven acres east of the Georgia Railroad through two separate transactions. The location near the railroad likely provided valuable access to transportation and commerce.

By about 1873 or early 1874, Joe married Susan “Susie” Capers Briscoe, daughter of Ralph Briscoe and Sarah Dougherty, likely in Greene County. Together they had seven children: Mary “Daisy” Davison, Joseph Briscoe Davison, Sarah Elizabeth “Sallie Bessie” Davison, Ralph Cleveland Davison, and Evelyn Capers Davison. Two infant graves in the Davison family plot at Bairdstown Cemetery provide evidence of two additional children who died young.

Davison family plot showing the two infant stones, Bairdstown Cemetery

Joe remained active in veterans’ affairs after the Civil War. At a meeting of surviving members of Company C held in Penfield on June 13, 1874, he served as secretary and was appointed to a committee responsible for encouraging attendance at the regiment’s reunion in Union Point. The following year, he signed a notice as “O.S. and Sec’y Co. C” requesting that veterans report their intention to attend the regiment’s annual reunion in Portsmouth, Virginia, so transportation could be arranged. He continued assisting with reunion planning and veteran activities throughout the 1880s.

On March 15, 1874, the Greensboro Herald identified Joe as a local agent for William Bradley’s Standard Fertilizers, serving farmers in the Woodville area.

Joe won a $10 premium for producing the best bale of short staple cotton at a fair held near Union Point in November 1874.

In January 1875, Joe publicly denied rumors that he was the local newspaper humorist writing under the pen name “Jeems Potipher.” His letter to the Oglethorpe Echo made it clear that he did not wish to be associated with the fictional character or the humorous columns published under that name.

Joe was appointed postmaster of Woodville on March 25, 1875, replacing William B. Guill.

On January 18, 1876, Joe sold portions of his inherited interest in the estate of his father to Peter W. Printup and Printup, Brother & Pollard. The transactions allowed him to convert part of his inheritance into cash rather than wait for the estate lands to be divided.

In June 1876, the Greensboro Herald commended Joe, then a Georgia Railroad agent at Woodville, for organizing a successful excursion train to Atlanta that benefited the newly completed Penfield Presbyterian Church and the Stonewall Sabbath School. The newspaper credited him with contributing more than $100 of the proceeds to the church building effort.

In 1877, Joe was appointed one of three trustees of the Stonewall School District in Greene County. Notably, this is the first reference to a Stonewall School District discovered during my research of the Penfield-Woodville area. It may have been a small or short-lived district in Greene County.

A February 1877 article in the Oglethorpe Echo humorously referred to Joe as “the devil of Woodville” and remarked on his love of fun. Similar newspaper references suggest he was well known and widely liked in the community.

In October 1878, administrators of his father’s estate petitioned the Greene County Court of Ordinary for a final settlement. Joe was among the distributees named in the proceedings.

A March 1879 newspaper notice reported that Joe’s telephone had “given way at the home end.” Because telephones were still relatively new technology, the reference offers an interesting glimpse into early telephone use in rural Georgia.

On June 14, 1880, Joe lived in Greene County with his wife Susie and their young children Mary and Joseph. He was employed as postmaster. Three servants resided in the household: Eliza Bearer, a cook, and Henry Gowns and Jordan Raiden, laborers.

Joe’s brother James died in 1880, and his stepmother Margaret Moore Davison died at Woodville on April 11, 1881. Both were buried at Woodville Cemetery.

Newspaper accounts from 1881 and 1882 suggest Joe was a respected and popular figure in Woodville. One article praised his oat crop, another reported a pleasant visit with him, and still another stated that anyone wishing to pass the time agreeably should stop by the office of “Col. Joe Davison,” where they would find a warm welcome and good conversation.

In January 1883, Joe was appointed natural guardian of his three minor children—Daisy, Joseph, and Sallie—who possessed inherited interests in the estate of their maternal grandfather, Ralph Briscoe. The court required him to post bond and manage the children’s property and financial interests.

A June 1883 article reported Joe’s election as one of the trustees of the Methodist Church in Woodville.

Later that year, he again helped organize transportation and lodging arrangements for survivors attending a Third Georgia Regiment reunion at Tallulah Falls.

In March 1884, Joe testified in the burglary trial of John Nolan. As a railroad agent, he helped identify goods stolen from a freight car and linked recovered merchandise to the missing shipment. Nolan was convicted and sentenced to five years in the penitentiary.

On May 26, 1884, Joe acquired approximately 60 acres in Greene County as trustee. The deed did not identify the purpose of the trust or the beneficiaries involved.

Joe was also active in local Democratic Party affairs. In June 1884, he served on a committee appointed at a Democratic meeting in Greensboro and was selected as a delegate to the Congressional Convention.

On November 12, 1884, Joe conveyed any interest he held in the 170-acre James Brooks Place by quitclaim deed (a form of deed in which the grantor transfers whatever right, title, or interest he may possess in a property without guaranteeing the quality of the title), relinquishing all future claims to the property.

A January 1886 article described Joe as the polite and efficient railroad agent at Woodville and noted that he owned a campaign badge from the 1840 presidential election of William Henry Harrison. Another article humorously described him as the smallest man in Woodville.

In March 1887, Captain A. A. Winn, secretary of the Confederate Survivors Association, wrote to Joe, who served as captain and assistant grand marshal, asking that Company C select delegates to attend a meeting in Atlanta concerning future reunion plans.

An epidemic of dysentery struck Woodville during the spring of 1887. Joe’s oldest daughter, Daisy, died on May 4 at age 12. Newspaper reports stated that several of his other children were seriously ill as well. Eight days later, Joe died of dysentery after what was described as a short but severe illness. Although a newspaper reported his age as 47, his birth date shows he was 45 years old. His brother Alex stated that Joe had been in excellent health before contracting the disease.

Joe and Daisy were buried at Bairdstown Cemetery. Four months after Joe’s death, his youngest daughter, Evelyn Capers Davison, was born on September 12, 1887. Shortly after his death, the family received $5,000 from a Legion of Honor insurance policy.

Joe was well respected in the Woodville community, where he served for many years as railroad agent, express agent, and postmaster. He was active in church affairs, veterans’ organizations, local politics, and community projects. He also enjoyed hunting and often participated in organized squirrel and turkey hunts.

Following Joe’s death, Congressman Henry Hull Carlton wrote on behalf of Susie Davison, recommending that she receive the Woodville postmaster appointment should she seek the position, which she did.

On June 2, 1887, Susie, together with Charles C. Davison, Robert E. Davison, W. J. Durham, and P. A. Fluker, executed a bond and was appointed natural guardian of her minor children, Joseph B. Davison and Sallie Bessie Davison, who inherited proceeds from Joe’s life insurance.

Later that summer, appraisers set aside a year’s support of $630 for Susie and her children. The allowance included cash held by the Georgia Railroad Company, livestock, firearms, a gold watch and chain, a buggy and harness, and the family’s household furnishings and necessities.

References

• A Denial, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 29, 1875.
• A Kind Act, The Weekly Banner-Watchman, Athens, Georgia, May 24, 1887.
• Advertisement, Bradley’s Standard Fertilizer, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, March 26, 1874.
• Affairs of the City, Georgia Home Journal, Greensboro, Georgia, June 1, 1883, July 13, 1883.
• An Epidemic of Dysentery, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 4, 1887.
• Another Bat from “Brick,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, February 12, 1875.
• Attention!! ‘Dawson Grays,’ Company “C”—3rd Georgia Regiment Veterans!!!, The Greensboro Herald, April 15, 1875 and April 29, 1875.
• Brick Sinks Beneath its Tranquil Waters, to Rise no More—Advice that Should Have Been Given Jeems Potipher Bestowed Upon Ye Editor, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, February 19, 1875.
• County Gossip, by Grape-vine Telegraph to Echo, The Oglethorpe Echo, March 21, 1879 and May 6, 1881.
• Davison-Cocroft, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, January 25, 1912.
• Death in Woodville, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, May 6, 1887.
• Death of Colonel Davison, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 14, 1887.
• Death of James Davison Sr., Planters’ Weekly, Greenesboro, Georgia, July 11, 1860.
• Death of Miss Daisie Davison, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 4, 1887.
• Democratic Meeting, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, June 6, 1884.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132725382/mary_ann-davison: accessed 1 Nov 2026), memorial page for Mary Ann Southerland Davison (1813–1849), Find a Grave Memorial ID 132725382, citing Woodville Cemetery, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Samuel Taylor Geer (contributor 46925792).
• From the Corner: Reply to “Jeems Potipher,”—“Who Throwed that Last Brick First,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 22, 1875.
• Georgia and Florida: News of the Two States Told in Paragraphs, The Morning News, Savannah, Georgia, May 17, 1887 and May 21, 1887.
• Greene County, Georgia, Child Support Records 1856–1896, image 91, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Deeds 1871–1876, 1876–1882, images 69 and 384, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Deeds 1882–1885, images 258 and 296, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Guardianship Records 1885–1916, Court Records 1856–1884, images 239–241, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Probate Records 1852–1879, image 469, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Probate Records 1879–1893, image 177, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Real Estate Sale Records 1865–1893, image 271, FamilySearch.
• Hymeneal, Married, The Temperance Banner, Penfield, Georgia, July 17, 1852.
• Jeems Potipher: Krimus—Partiz—Yung Fokes—A Disgustin Site—Kisin—Widders—How Tha Kis—Jerewsalum! —Tin-kans and Dorgs’ Tales—Korrespondents—Kounty Nuse, Etc., The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 29, 1875.
• Joseph Davison, Georgia, U.S., Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867–1869.
• Joseph Davison, U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832–1971.
• Joseph T. Davison, U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles.
• Local and Otherwise, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, July 27, 1883.
• Margaret Moore, Georgia, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Mrs. Margaret Davison, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, April 14, 1881.
• Notes-By-the-Way, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, June 8, 1876.
• Personal visit to Bairdstown and Woodville Cemeteries.
• Public Schools, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, June 1, 1877.
• Ralph C. Davidson, Certificate of Death no. 7738, Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1949.
• Ralph Cleveland Davidson, U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942.
• Robert Emmett Davison, Prison Commission, Georgia, Directories 1923–1931, image 378, FamilySearch.
• Sacred to the Memory of “Jeems Potipher,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 29, 1875.
• Sad News, Crawfordville Democrat, Crawfordville, Georgia, May 20, 1887.
• Sarah Elizabeth “Bessie” Davison, Bairdstown Cemetery, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.
• Scattering Dots, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, December 8, 1881.
• Summary of State News: Greensboro, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, August 7, 1875.
• Susie Briscoe Davidson, Fulton and Campbell Counties, Georgia, Cemetery Records, 1857–1933.
• Susie C. Davison, Georgia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1742–1992.
• Susie C. Douglas, Certificate of Death no. 18623, Florida State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1937.
• Taking the Town, Georgia Home Journal, Greensboro, Georgia, January 15, 1886.
• The “Little River” Controversy—Characteristics of Bairdstown—Pen Sketches of Some of the Boys, and their Occupations—Yankee Tricks—The Medical Chaps—Adventures of a Preacher's Horse and Buggy—“A New Richmond in the Field,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 15, 1875.
• The “Old Third,” Meeting of the Dawson Greys, Company “C,” Third Georgia Regiment, Weekly Chronicle and Sentinel, Augusta, Georgia, June 24, 1874.
• The Superior Court, Trial of John Nolan for Burglary, Georgia Home Journal, Greensboro, Georgia, March 14, 1884.
• The Third Georgia Veterans, Savannah Morning News, Savannah, Georgia, July 23, 1885.
• The Third Georgia, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, August 8, 1883.
• U.S. Federal Census, District 138, Greene County, Georgia, 1880.
• U.S. Federal Census, District 163, Greene County, Georgia, 1850.
• U.S. Federal Census, Penfield, Militia District 137, Greene County, Georgia, 1870.
• U.S. Federal Census, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, 1860, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census—Slave Schedules, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, 1860.
• Union Point Fair, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, November 8, 1874.
• Union Point, The Weekly Banner-Watchman, Athens, Georgia, May 17, 1887.
• Woodstock, The Oglethorpe Echo, June 21, 1883.
• Woodville Dots, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, February 9, 1882.
• Woodville Dots, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, February 2, 1877.
• Woodville, Georgia Home Journal, Greensboro, Georgia, March 6, 1886, May 7, 1886, November 19, 1886
• Ye Editor Cornered: Striking Proof of Darwin’s Theory Concerning the Origin of Racos—The Departed “Jeems Potipher” Re-appears in the Person of “Monkey No. 2”—Ye Local “Passes in his Checks” and “Acknowledges the Corn,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, February 5, 1875.