Davidson Family Gravesite
Lincoln County, Nevada, USA
In May 2009 this cemetery entry was moved to Lincoln County from the original entry in Clark County.
The parents and son were buried where they were found. The son was later disinterred and reburied with his parents.
The Davidson family (James, Maria and Joseph), recent immigrants from Scotland, joined a group of people in St. Thomas (now under Lake Mead due to Hoover Dam) who were headed East for St. George, Utah. The group first stopped in the town of St. Joseph, Nevada, renamed Logandale which was their first stop.
On the way there the Davidson's wagon lost a wheel. Even though James was an expert machinist (and installed the machinery in the St. George Cotton Factory) it took the tools brought to them by Benjamin Paddock to replace the wheel and wedge it up for them.
They missed their group leaving from St. Joseph the next morning, Thursday, June 10th. Having been warned about the dangers of traveling the Wagon Road alone, they waited a full day but could find no one else to travel with them so they set out alone. They needed to travel north then east about 45 miles to Mormon Well, the only water on the desert. They had gone just 30 miles when their wagon threw another wheel. With no other choice, and a very inadequate supply of water for the 120 degree June heat, they put their faith in their 12 year old son (and their horses nose for water) and sent him on ahead. I am convinced that his parents fully realized that the now-empty one gallon water barrel had been woefully inadequate for the journey and the near-empty canteen would only provide for one to survive the 15-mile trek for water.
A week prior (June 3rd, 1869) three men (George Jarvis, William Webb and John Lloyd) had been sent to the Beaver Dam Wash to clean out and deepen the well. On Saturday, June 12th, two days after the Davidson's had left St. Joseph, their horse came into the well – riderless!
Sunday, after reviving the animal and finding that no one had come to claim it, the men backtracked the horse and easily found little Joseph's unrecognizable body just a half-mile from water lying on the trail next to the empty canteen and water barrel.
Fearing what they would find, the men continued back along the trail and found his parents lying side by side under a blanket propped against a cactus for shade.
Credit:
Credit:
by Nevada Bob
In May 2009 this cemetery entry was moved to Lincoln County from the original entry in Clark County.
The parents and son were buried where they were found. The son was later disinterred and reburied with his parents.
The Davidson family (James, Maria and Joseph), recent immigrants from Scotland, joined a group of people in St. Thomas (now under Lake Mead due to Hoover Dam) who were headed East for St. George, Utah. The group first stopped in the town of St. Joseph, Nevada, renamed Logandale which was their first stop.
On the way there the Davidson's wagon lost a wheel. Even though James was an expert machinist (and installed the machinery in the St. George Cotton Factory) it took the tools brought to them by Benjamin Paddock to replace the wheel and wedge it up for them.
They missed their group leaving from St. Joseph the next morning, Thursday, June 10th. Having been warned about the dangers of traveling the Wagon Road alone, they waited a full day but could find no one else to travel with them so they set out alone. They needed to travel north then east about 45 miles to Mormon Well, the only water on the desert. They had gone just 30 miles when their wagon threw another wheel. With no other choice, and a very inadequate supply of water for the 120 degree June heat, they put their faith in their 12 year old son (and their horses nose for water) and sent him on ahead. I am convinced that his parents fully realized that the now-empty one gallon water barrel had been woefully inadequate for the journey and the near-empty canteen would only provide for one to survive the 15-mile trek for water.
A week prior (June 3rd, 1869) three men (George Jarvis, William Webb and John Lloyd) had been sent to the Beaver Dam Wash to clean out and deepen the well. On Saturday, June 12th, two days after the Davidson's had left St. Joseph, their horse came into the well – riderless!
Sunday, after reviving the animal and finding that no one had come to claim it, the men backtracked the horse and easily found little Joseph's unrecognizable body just a half-mile from water lying on the trail next to the empty canteen and water barrel.
Fearing what they would find, the men continued back along the trail and found his parents lying side by side under a blanket propped against a cactus for shade.
Credit:
Credit:
by Nevada Bob
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- Added: 6 Jul 2003
- Find a Grave Cemetery ID: 1966293
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