JONATHAN DAVIS FAMILY

In 1843, a group of settlers arrived from the State of Vermont. They settled in the northwest part of Wheatland Township, giving the neighborhood the name of Vermont Settlement. The cemetery located on Normantown Road on the east side of the EJE Railroad, one mile west of 248th Street is called “Vermont Cemetery.”

Jonathan Davis and his sons, David L. Davis and George Washington Davis, were in this group. They are buried in the Vermont Cemetery.

In 1844, another group including General Davis and their families came, having made the journey from Vermont with their own oxen teams and camping out at night along the way. No doubt, they put oxen carts, wagons and all belongings on the flat boats and sailed down the Eire Canal.

After a journey of 44 days, they arrived at the Vermont Settlement and became part of it in October of that year.
Jonathan Davis died on January 10, 1850, at the age of 64. His wife, Jerusha (Lochlin) Davis died at the age of 61 years on February 9, 1850. their son George Washington Davis married Harriet Curtis in 1847 and raised their 10 children on their farm. 

One of their sons, Hiram Davis, married Molly Leesley in 1881. They had two children. Their son Benjamin (9/29/1882--11/24/1958) married Hattie Mae Rink (3/13/1880—3/23/1940). Ben and Hattie Mae had four children: Ruth married Robert Gulich of Aurora, Illinois; Dorothy married Robert Smith of Aurora, Illinois; Kenneth married Olive Fraley of Book Road, Naperville and Marian first married Charles Dahm and later she married Arthur Smart and moved to California.

Their daughter Pearl married Roy Smith. They lived in Aurora with their two daughters. Ben Davis plowed with a team of three mules at the Wheatland Plowing Match in 1917 on the James Clow Farm and won the sweepstakes that year. The following year the first-time tractor plowing was held on the John Wolf Farm. Ben forsook horsepower for tractor power and won this event! In 1920, he also won the tractor plowing from a large field of competitors on the Elmer Haag Farm. Ben farmed 100 acres north of 95th Street west of EJE RR.

Kenneth Benjamin Davis (3/30/11--10/23/65) and his wife Olive had three children. They farmed on the northeast corner of 75th Street and Book Road.

Their daughter Marjorie married Arthur Beck and they currently live on a farm in Mendota. Their son Kenneth and his wife Charle farm with his father on 1100 acres. Their daughter Barbara and husband John Barnewolt live in Brimfield. They have two sons. 

Richard Kenneth Davis lives in Yorkville. His son Jeff and his wife Marta have two children, Daisy and Joey. 

Jerry N. Davis and his wife Cheryl live on the Davis Farm in Sandwich, Illinois, which his parents purchased in 1962. They have four children---Carrie, Melanie, Jennifer and Sarah. Jerry is the Sandwich Township Road Commissioner. 

Melanie is married to Jeff Schiltz. They have a daughter Kylee.
After the death of Kenneth B. Davis, Olive married Paul Schillinger, a past president of the Wheatland Plowing Match. Paul was born February 1, 1906, and passed away on October 20, 1991. Olive presently lives in Somonauk, Illinois. 

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