Historic Hood River
At the Farm
10-13-2015
Notes
Here’s the Davidson family at a farm in 1895. From left to right we have Mrs. McCoy, Mary Davidson, Mrs. Childers, Helen Davidson, and Horatio Davidson. That farmhouse looks like it’s been renovated a few times as the family grew.
Charlott
Horatio Foster Davidson was a native of Knox County, Ohio. His wife was Mary Brewin. They had three children: Helen Julia, shown in the photo and two sons, Charles who died at approximately 2 and Merrill who died within his first year.
I agree with the additions to the house. This is very common in the south, especially on the big plantation homes. The additions were called "flankers."
Apparently the Davidson’s in their elder years removed to Portland where their daughter, Helen (Davidson) Copper resided, as they both died in Portland.
Charlott
Mrs. Childers wasx Julia F. (Winegar) Childers, Helen Davidson’s mother. She was married more than once, thus Mary having the maiden name Brewin. She was a native of Virginia born in 1840 and died in Portland in 1915.
Charlott
Not sure who the Mrs. McCoy was, but probably related to Deacon McCoy, who was also related to the Odell family.
Arlen Sheldrake
Off topic but…..Arthur, at some point fill us in on how the new museum director views this site and the wonderful work you and your fellows are doing.
AndyB
Where would this be? Is that Mt. Defiance in the background?
There are still a couple of houses in the heights that look like this, ramshackle, leaning, no foundation.
Longshot
I would guess that it is the northern end of Hood River Mountain in the background where the microwave towers are and thus the picture was taken on a winter’s evening. Not positive though.
Kenn
The people were shorter in those years, the houses taller. Seems to me this would make heating more difficult. Amazing some of them still stand with the extra wind resistance and early framing…
Longshot
Guess that could also be Bald Butte in the background. Need to drive around the valley and take a bunch of pictures of the surrounding hills and make a reference guide using the profile of the hills.
Charlott
Many times around here those top stories were just basically an open room, like an attic. I know my family homestead the upper story was just one unfinished room that the boys slept in. My grandpa said that had it not been for all those big old heavy comforters they would have frozen to death in the winter, as no heat up there. His sister slept in the parlor on what they called a "pallet" in front of the fireplace or stove.
They lived close in to town, so that would not be Bald Butte.
LMH
In 1900, the then 31 year old Horatio was recorded as living with his family on River St. in Hood River. The enumerator, Martin Nickelsen, wrote Horatio’s name as Hosaco whichlater was translated as Horace on several genealogy websites. The family included Mary (wife, 32 years old), Julia H. (daughter, 5 years old) and Mrs. Julia F. Childers (mother-in-law, 59 years old).
At the time of the 1910 census Horatio was living at 610 Oak St. The family identified by the enumerator, Samuel F. Blythe, as Mary B, Helen and Childers Julia F. Due to bit of sloppy writing and really wild interpretation by on one genalogy website, Julia became Gulia F. Sinders. Horatio’s name met the same fate with three interpretations, Horatio Darison, Horatis J. Darison, and Horatis F. Davidson.
The 1920 census captures Horatio as living on St. Nicholas Avenue in New York City working as export fruit merchant. With Mrs. Childers passing away in 1915 the family is slightly smaller with just Horatio, Mary and Helen who was then working as a school teacher. Of course the incredible name butching continues for Horatio when an ink blot partially obliterates his first name on the original census sheet causing one frustrated data entry person to enter the name as H??Atie or H ??Atie.
Horatio passed away in Portland on April 8, 1939, Mary on September 26, 1942 and Helen (Copper) July 16, 1950.
Jeffrey Bryant
To finish out the Horatio Foster Davidson family, two sons died young and are buried in Idlewilde Cemetery in Hood River, according to cemetery records. Charles Henry Davidson was born 25 October 1895 in Hood River and was buried 2 May 1897. Merrill Rice Davidson was born in 1897 and buried 22 May 1897 at an age of 4 months. Their graves are unmarked. They are buried along with their parents and grandmother.
B. Copper
A point of clarification "“ For many years the graves of the two boys, Charles and Merrill, buried with their parents at Idlewild, were considered to be unmarked. There is in fact a vertical marker at the foot of the Horatio and Mary Davidson’s grave site memorializes the two boys. The marker is of soft stone and the boy’s names are barely discernible at the top. We have now cleared the moss covering the base of the marker to reveal an inscription clearly showing the Davidson name and a verse referring to the boys.
John Brewin
Just looking at my family tree, saw the photograph, must be related to Mary Davidson nee Brewin somewhere in the distant past