David Joseph Davis was born February 18, 1863 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of David Price and Alice Williamson Davis. His father was born in Tyrebet, Brcn., South Wales on 11 October 1825 and his mother was born on 19 August 1833 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. She was baptized 14 February 1862 and she and David P. Davis were endowed in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City on January 31, 1863. (We do not have the date of their marriage, however, the endowment date was just prior to the birth of their son, David Joseph.) Alice was a widow with two children, Will and Flossie Wright, when she met and married David Price Davis.
While Dave was still quite young, his father and mother parted. It is not known if they divorced or if he married in polygamy. David Price Davis moved to Samaria, Idaho, acquired land, and on May 30, 1870 he married Elizabeth Griffeth. He lived here until his death. Alice W. Davis remained in Salt Lake City where she took boarders to support herself and family. She died 12 December 1907 at St. Mark’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, and is buried in City Cemetery. Cause of death was listed as exhaustion.
David Joseph lived with his mother and attended school in Salt Lake City until he was twelve years of age when his father insisted on his going to Samaria, Idaho to help on the farm. From then on he lived in Samaria, went to school and worked very hard. His father had a family of seven children (six who lived, one a twin died) by Elizabeth Griffeth so there was much to be done. David being the oldest was over-worked and very unhappy. When still in his teens, he ran away from home. A kind neighbor gave him a home and work until his marriage. During those years, much of his time was spent freighting between Corrinne, Utah and Montana.
Dave met Lucy Evelyn (Eva) Wight in Samaria, Idaho where she had moved from Bigham City and they were married on December 24, 1884 in Malad, Idaho. They built a log cabin in Samaria and began their married life there. Here their first two children were born, Lucy and Alice; the latter died in infancy. The family then moved about five miles north of Samaria where they homesteaded 160 acres of farm land. Here they built another log house in which they lived for a short time. The settlement they helped build was named Pleasant View and here John Stuart and Stephen Wight Davis were born. They lost six other children, all born prematurely.
The family raised chickens, lambs, milked cows, and worked hard on the farm to make ends meet. Until conditions improved, every spring Dave would leave for a month or six weeks and shear sheep, which brought in much needed cash. Eva had very poor health most of her life and the medical bills were high.
In a few years Dave was able to build a larger and better home quite near the little log cabin. One night in December Eva was quite ill; she had just lost a premature baby. Dave descovered that the little log cabin so near the new house was on fire. He slipped quietly out and battled the fire until it was out, never breathing a word to Eva about the fire until the next day. A hired girl had left a coal oil lamp burning turned too low. A chest with Dave and Eva’s marriage certificate and many other valuable records and treasures were completely destroyed.
As soon as a ward was organized in Pleasant View, Dave became active. Among his Church callings was president of the Young Men’s Mutual for a number of years, Sunday School teacher, ward teacher, and he was called to be a member of the Malad Stake High Council, a position he filled until he was quite an old man. On January 19, 1898 Dave, Eva and their three children were sealed in the Logan Temple.
In David’s patriarchal blessing, it said: “Many shall seek thee for counsel, and thou shall be mighty in healing the sick by the laying on of hands, for this is thy gift, through prayer and faith for it is the will of the Lord that you shall become a mighty man in Israel and a wise counselor among thy brethren.” This promise was literally fulfilled in his life. He was called out to administer to the sick often and did have great power and faith in healing the sick, and always gave good counsel and advice. The business men with whom he was associated always said his word was as good as his bond. He was a man who always wanted to be on time wherever he went.
Both he and Eva worked hard and sacrificed much to give their children an education. He was always willing to provide and to help Eva with the needy children she took into their home, sometimes for weeks at a time. He gave generously of what he had; many times they shared potatoes, meat, etc. with people who were less fortunate. They were over fifty years of age when a niece died leaving a new born baby boy and they took him into their home and raised him as one of their own until he was married.
When Dave grew older and was no longer able to do farm work, they sold their farm, retired to Malad City and built a little home next door to their daughter, Lucy, where they were very content and happy. Still he was not willing to remain idle, so he got a contract to drive the U.S. mail each day from Malad to Samaria and back, a distance of five miles each way, which he did until a year before he passed away.
His hobby was gardening. On his city lot he had fruit trees, berries of all kinds and a very productive garden. He especially enjoyed his flowers and worked hard to have the largest dahlias in the neighborhood.
Dave was born with a birth mark on the bottom of one of his feet, which gave him a great deal of trouble. When he was older it finally developed into cancer from which he died at the age of seventy six years in Malad, Idaho on September 22, 1939. He was buried in Samaria, Idaho.
He was survived by his wife, Eva; one daughter, Lucy D. Thorpe; two sons, John Stuart and Stephen Wight Davis; and eleven grandchildren.
He was a faithful church goer, a fine example of honesty and integrity, and left an honorable name to his descendants.