Edward Henry Davis was born April 4, 1873 in Samaria, Oneida County, Idaho. He was the son of David Price Davis and Elizabeth Griffith. He married Ester Rebecca Arbon, the daughter of George Dennis Arbon and Sarah Ann Nicholas on Sept. 15, 1892 at Pleasant View, Idaho.  

Edward Davis was one of the first settlers of the Arbon Valley, coming there in June, 1892. The same year as David John Bowen, James R. Bailey, and Lorenzo Evans. Joseph Arbon who already was there and these four men pooled their few dollars – $263 to be exact and purchased a 10 foot Hodges header to cut the few acres of wheat that was raised. Mr. Davis proved upon 160 acres of ground under the Homestead Act. He was a good farmer and to him is given the credit of instituting “summer fallowing,” He let a small acreage lie idle for a length of time, and found it produced more abundantly the next year. 

He built a one room log house plastered with mud and without a board floor for his bride. She swept the floor so often that it resembled cement. She sprinkled it with water many times a day then swept it clean. 

Their living was meager like the rest of the early settlers. Chickens, hogs, sheep and cows were raised and these supplied most of the living. He would leave to find work in Malad or other places and be gone several weeks at a time, leaving his wife to care for the place. Sometimes when he was gone Indians would stop and demand food. She would get very nervous when she would look out and see the ‘pale faces’ sitting on the wood-pile waiting for a hand-out. His absence was for the purpose of securing money for the necessities of life. 

When the water was taken out of Knox canyon, Mr. Davis was one who helped, using his horses and man power. He also got water out of Buck right and used it for irrigation purposes. For culinary use the water was gotten from a small spring about two miles west of the home. Sarah remembers dipping water in buckets before the cattle got into it and storing it in the cellar to keep cool to use later in the day. 

Mr. Davis built a store–general mercantile around 1910, which was the best to have been built up to that time. He carried a good variety of foods, and later sold gas and kerosene. He would take eggs and butter in exchange for groceries. He gave credit and many of the settlers made use of it as they would have little money until the crops were sold in the fall. One Of the early settlers, Kate Lee, who corresponded with Sarah after leaving the valley, remarked in several of her letters how grateful she was to Ed Davis for letting them have credit. She said they would have starved without it. He was always good to the Indians, even when they came to the store without much money or maybe none at all, and this paid off when he had cattle on the reservation years later. He avoided having trouble with them. 

Six children were born to Ed and Ettie, (as they were nick-named by the settlers). They are as follows: Edward Arbon, Sarah Maud, Orval Clarence, George Arbon, and Elizabeth Pearl. They all grew up in Arbon, and received their grade schooling there, but later moved to Malad and Pocatello to finish their education. Edward or ‘Eddie’ as he was called, married Mae Mathews and farmed in the valley until the 60’s, then moved to Pocatello. Sarah, who married James Lester Payne, was a farmer’s wife until the farm was sold to Claud Gibbons, then they bought a home in Pocatello and he lives there still. Orval, who married Delora Thomas farmed his father’s land after Mr. Davis moved to Tyhee. George after receiving his high-school education went on to dental school and practised dentistry in Hollywood, California until his retirement. He married Margery Halsey in California. Elizabeth married Henry Hopkins and lives in Pocatello. 

He served as the ward clerk in the Arbon branch, when Joseph N. Arbon was bishop in 1913. He was also the Bishop for two years plus. 

In the 20’s he purchased a farm in Tyhee, where he raised hay, wheat and potatoes. Their home there was brick and very comfortable. Norman, Orval’s son, now runs that farm. 

Edward Davis passed away June 28, 1945 and was buried in Pocatello, Idaho. After his death his wife moved into a duplex in Pocatello. She passed away April 15, 1954 and was buried beside her husband. Three of the children have also passed away, Eddie, Orval and Ernie.