As we head into the holiday season and things get a bit busy, I’m sharing some quick dives into rabbit holes. Actually, I’m not sure they are really rabbit holes or better described as standing in front of a brick wall, throwing everything available at it and hoping that something sticks.

In any case, today’s rabbit hole features Hepsabeth Davidson, who I originally expected to be much easier to trace.

Thanks to a family Bible, we know that Hepsabeth Davidson was born on 28 January 1811 in Virginia, which proves that her family didn’t make the trek to eastern Tennessee with the Williams family as they were living in Roane County, Tennessee in time for the 1805 tax list.

Hepsabeth Davidson married William Alexander Williams on 9 October 1828, again thanks to the Bible entry. Given that they lived in Marion County, Tennessee, where the courthouse burned down, taking almost all its records with it, in 1922, I have to assume that they married in Marion County and the fire is the reason why no marriage record can be found. The family Bible notes the date, but not the place, of their wedding.

Are there clues pointing to Hepsabeth’s parents?

Perhaps only a few bread crumbs. To add to the research difficulties, the U.S. censuses for Roane County and Marion County (and most of eastern Tennessee) are missing for 1790, 1800, 1810 and 1820.

Although I have found little evidence of the Davidsons in Roane County, the manufactures schedule of the 1820 census has survived and there is one John Davidson next door in Morgan County, Tennessee, listed as making sugar. Morgan County was formed from Roane County in 1817.

Another Davidson clue might be found in the marriage record of Matthias Williams, brother of William A. Williams and brother-in-law of Hepsabeth. He married Rebecca “Davison” on 21 November 1825 in Roane County. However, no one has ever been able to determine who Rebecca’s parents were or if she is Hepsabeth’s sister and Rebecca is not found in any censuses with Matthias.

Furthermore, a page from the 1826 Prospect Baptist Church Records
Membership Lists, Roane County, Tennessee, which I read a number of years ago at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake, included the note that William Williams had been dismissed (likely when the family removed to Marion County), but also included the names of Jacob Davidson, William Davidson (crossed out), [illegible – kson] Davidson, Sally Davidson and Elender Davidson (crossed out.)

Because of the missing censuses, it’s impossible to determine if there were more Davidsons living in Roane County. The Davidson surname appears only twice in the early land records. William Davidson bought 200 acres of land on the south side of the Clinch river for $666.66 from Jacob Prewit, William Campbell and Richard Cavet, all of Knox County in 1801. William Davison was also of Knox County and the date of the transaction is important – 27 August 1801. That’s because Roane County formed a few months later, on 6 November 1801. Witnesses to that transaction give us two more Davidsons – John and Walter Davidson.

William Davidson is the only Davidson to appear on the 1802 tax list of Roane County; he was listed in William Coulter’s Company, but then the Davidson name disappears from the early Roane County records.

Of course, William and John Davidson are such rare and unique names that they can be easily identified and tracked, right? NOT!!!! Of course, there are no online trees for these men because nobody else has any idea who they are either.

The 1830 census is extant for Marion County, Tennessee, though. There are several who are part of William Alexander Williams’ family – his father William Williams, page 17, with his brother, Mathias Williams, living next door, also on page 17, Paul M. Williams, another brother, on page 35 and brother John Williams on page 15. William Alexander Williams isn’t enumerated separately, but he is probably the young man living in his father’s home with wife Hepsabeth (although no daughter, born 1828 is listed at home.)

What about possible Davidsons since William A. and Hepsabeth married in later 1828? There are but two Davidson households. The first is that of Samuel C. Davison on page 11, but he is a young man aged 20-29. He could be Hepsabeth’s brother. The second is William Davidson on page 47 who is a perfect candidate to be Hepsabeth’s father, as he is aged 40-49. Of course, neither of these families is to be found is 1840. At that time, there is only one man, John Davidson, there and he is aged 20-30 years old. He could be a younger brother of Hepsabeth Davidson, but there are no records linking them.

One would think that DNA might be helpful here and, yes, my husband has taken an autosomal test. The problem is that William Alexander Williams and wife Hepsabeth Davidson both have exactly 47 matches and each is through one of their children. No separate Davidson matches to review.

I keep waiting for a hint of light at the end of the tunnel, but even after decades of research, there isn’t a glimmer of hope.