The Works of Charles Dickens Volume I

This collection of stories from the late English novelist, Charles Dickens, sits on desk in my parents’ home.  The volume contains some wonderful illustrations and the following stories: Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Our Mutual Friend, Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, and Martin Chuzzlewit.

After careful inspection, I found the book was published by P.F. Collier in 1880, and was most likely purchased by my maternal grandparents in Ashland, Kentucky during the years 1955-1957.  It’s had its share of wear-and-tear throughout the years.  Click here to view the picture set.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr.

Christmas with Santa Claus 1978

This is a picture of me, Brian Davis, with Santa Claus in December 1978.  Photo taken in Clinton, Iowa.

Brian Davis

Miller Family Picture

This picture was taken 6/6/1980 in Muskegon, Michigan at the 50th wedding anniversary of my great grand aunt, Florence Edna Miller (Waits), and her husband, Ernest.
Back Row (Left to Right): William R. “Skip” Forsberg Jr., Scott Wingeier, William R. “Bill” Forsberg Sr.
2nd Row from back (Left to Right): Earl “Bud” Mason, Barbara “Barbi” Forsberg, Patricia “Pat” Forsberg (Miller)
3rd Row from back (Left to Right): Martha “Martie” Essebaggers (Miller), Jane Mason (Miller), Ernest Miller
4th Row from back (Left to Right): Florence Miller (Waits), Michael “Mike” Mason, Richard “Rich” Essebaggers, Marci Essebaggers
Front Row (Left to Right): Mark Mason, Kurt Essebaggers, Julie Mason

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits/sister of Florence Edna Miller)

Ralph Scott “Duke” Williams Sr., my great grandfather, was born 4/19/1903  in Lancaster, Ohio.  He died 4/1/1975 from heart failure at the Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, Virginia.  Ralph was 71 years-old at the time of his death.

Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits), my great grandmother, was born in 1901.  She died 8/6/1958 at the age of 57 in Columbus, Ohio. 

They had one child: my grandfather, Ralph Scott Williams Jr.  Their gravesite is located in Maple Hill Cemetery in Stoutsville, Ohio.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Ralph Scott Williams Sr. and Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits)

Williams Family Picture

The Williams Family (Left to Right): my aunt, Teresa Lynn Williams (Kaiser), my grandfather, Ralph Scott Williams Jr., my mother, Christine Williams (Davis), my grandmother, Madrith Jean Williams (Williams), and my great grandmother, Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits).  Photo taken approx. 1955.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams)

Recently, I used the “find famous relatives” tool on ancestry.com and these were the results:

Davis Family

George Wythe (1726-1806) Virginia Representative. 3rd cousin 10 times removed
Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) American Actress. 7th cousin 3 times removed
Chester Alan Arthur (1830-1886) 21st President of the United States. 6th cousin 5 times removed
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American Author. 5th cousin 7 times removed
Sam Bass (1851-1878) American Outlaw. 6th cousin 5 times removed
William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) Newspaper Magnate. 6th cousin 6 times removed
Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) 28th President of the United States. 6th cousin 7 times removed
Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) American Author. 8th cousin 3 times removed
Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor (1788-1852) First Lady. 4th cousin 11 times removed
Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989) American Poet and Novelist.  7th cousin 5 times removed
John Peters Ringo (1850-1882) American Outlaw. 8th cousin 3 times removed
Pretty Boy Floyd (1904-1934) American Outlaw.  8th cousin 3 times removed
Gregory Peck (1916-2003) American Actor.  9th cousin 2 times removed
William Lamb (1779-1848) Politician.  7th cousin 6 times removed
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English Poet.  7th cousin 6 times removed
Clyde Barrow (1909-1934) Infamous American Robber.  8th cousin 4 times removed
Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) American Astronomer.  10th cousin
Bette Davis (1908-1989) American Actress.  10th cousin 1 times removed
John Cage (1912-1992) American Composer.  9th cousin 3 times removed
Walt Disney (1901-1966) American Animator.  9th cousin 3 times removed
Butch Cassidy (1866-1908) American Outlaw.  7th cousin 8 times removed
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish Novelist and Poet.  8th cousin 7 times removed
Button Gwinnett (1735?-1777) Georgia Representative.  7th cousin 11 times removed
Elizabeth Browning (1806-1861) English Author and Poet.  10th cousin 5 times removed
Bob Hope (1903-2003) American Actor.  7th cousin 13 times removed
William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) Early Settler. 12th cousin 5 times removed

Williams Family

Harriet Lane (1830-1903) First Lady (niece of bachelor President James Buchanon).  3rd cousin 7 times removed 
John Allerton (1591?-1920) Mayflower Passenger.  12th great grand uncle
Isaac Newton (1643-1727) Scientist and Mathematician. 1st cousin 14 times removed
William Brewster (1567-1644) Mayflower Passenger. 1st cousin 15 times removed
Thomas McKean (1734-1817) Delaware Representative. 6th cousin 6 times removed
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English Poet. 5th cousin 10 times removed
Lucy Ware Webb Hayes (1831-1889) First Lady.  7th cousin 6 times removed

Davis and Williams Families (Yikes!)

Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) 12th President of the United States.  4th cousin 7 times removed 

Maybe I can get a discount at Disney World from cousin Walt?  Click here if you need help understanding the various “cousin” relationships.  It basically means if you go back far enough, these famous people and I have a common ancestor.

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor

This afternoon, I completed The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor enrollment application for my great grand uncle, Charles Richard “Dick” Waits.  I enclosed three photographs, two letters, supporting documentation, and a short narrative with the application.  Here is the narrative I submitted on his behalf:

Charles Richard “Dick” Waits (4/27/1919-4/6/1945)

Charles Richard “Dick” Waits was born in Lancaster, Ohio, on 4/27/1919.  He was the only son of Harmon Clay “H.C.” Waits and Mellie Waits (Milligan).  Dick later attended Lancaster High School and enlisted with the United States Army on 12/9/1941 in Columbus, Ohio, two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  While on leave from training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Dick married Margaret Anne “Peggy” Phillips on 6/16/1942.

After returning to Fort Knox, Dick was eventually shipped overseas to fight in the European Theater of World War II with the 753rd Tank Battalion.  From his letters, it seems he had been in the war for quite some time and was very anxious to return home after all he’d been through.  He was killed by a shrapnel fragment wound to the head when his tank was shelled on 4/6/1945 near Kressbach, Germany in the Battle Between the Jagst and Kocher Rivers. 

At the time of his death, Dick was a corporal and tank gunner in Company C of the 753rd Tank Battalion.  He was buried in the United States Military Bensheim Cemetery in Germany on 4/13/1945.  He would later be reburied in the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France, his final resting place, on 9/20/1945.

Brian M. Davis
12/4/2009

From their website: “The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor commemorates the extraordinary sacrifices of America’s servicemen and servicewomen who were killed or wounded in combat. The mission of the Hall of Honor is to collect and preserve the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of service and across generations to ensure that all recipients are represented.”

Please send any information you have on a family member that was wounded or killed in combat, and I would be honored to submit it on their behalf.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits/sister of Charles Richard Waits)

On 10/28/09, I sent the following request to the National Archives and Records Administration:

Modern Military Records Unit (NWCTM)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

Dear Sir or Madam:
I have been researching my grandfather (Ralph Scott Williams Jr., USNR, 570 06 78)’s service in World War II for several years.  I am writing to find what records are available pertaining to the ship that he served on overseas. 
He served on USS LCI(L)-11 from 5/21/1943 to 11/4/1944.  In his military file, it states he took part in the invasion of Sicily, Italy, the assault landings at Anzio, Italy, and the D-Day assault in Normandy, France.
I would greatly appreciate any help in locating records pertaining to this ship.

Thank you,
Brian M. Davis

I recently received the vessel’s action report from Operation Overlord, dated 7/12/1944.  It states the following:

[LCI(L)-11] participated in transporting officers and men to Utah assault area – invasion of Normandy from 6-13 June 1944 – in task force 125.

Click on the above images for more detailed information pertaining to LCI(L)-11 and its role in Operation Overlord. I am currently piecing together a short history of my grandfather’s naval service for my World War 2 project, which should be posted sometime next year.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr.

Davis Family Christmas 2009 Portrait

Click here to view the complete Christmas portrait picture set.  Pictured above are: Kaylyn Michelle Davis (daughter), Charlyn Davis (Cajipe/wife), Brian Michael Davis (me), and Jackson Scott Davis (son).

Thanksgiving 2009 - Lufkin, Texas

Click here to view the complete set of Thanksgiving 2009 pictures taken at my parents’ house in Lufkin, Texas.  Pictured are: Charlyn Davis (Cajipe/wife), Brian Michael Davis (me), Jackson Scott Davis (son), Christine Davis (Williams/mother), Kaylyn Michelle Davis (daughter), James Michael Davis (father), Kathleen Sui (future sister-in-law), and Scott Williams Davis (brother).