Notes
WILLIAM DAVENPORT
CORA JEMIMA STANLEY
William Davenport was born in Indiana in 1824, to Jesse and Rebecca Davenport. He was the 13th of 14th children. James Monroe had been elected the 5th President of the United States.

When William was only two years old, his father Jesse was killed in a bam-raising accident. 5 of his brothers and sisters had married, but there were still 9 children left at home.

Cora Jemima Stanley was born in 1822 in Richmond, in the same county as William. They were married in 1842, when he was 17 and she was 18. William worked as a millwright, grinding corn and wheat, and later went to work buy & selling fabrics.

They had 4 children while they lived in Indiana-, Ellen, Warren, Wm. Henry, and Jesse. Sometime between 1851 and 1856 they moved Newaygo County, Michigan, about 60 miles north of Grand Rapids, where they bought a farm. Edwin was born there in 1856.

William became very involved in local Michigan politics, helping form Barton Township in 1860. The area had no village, no railroad, and no rivers or lakes of any size, yet it was rich in pine forests. The value of all the land in the township was estimated at $18,000 and the first of year of its existence, they collected taxes in the amount of $116.47. He was one of 3 appointed "Inspectors of the Election", men who would oversee the voting to make sure it was done legally.

In 1861, the Civil War began. Businesses began refusing to accept paper money, and "Wildcat" banks started springing up as the money depreciated. They offered gold coin in exchange for currency, at a steadily lower rate of exchange. The longer they held U.S. currency, the less it was worth, so William and his neighbors voted to have the county Treasurer dispose of any unspendable money for the best price possible. The Board of Supervisors of Bat-ton Twp. had already voted to help take care of the families of soldiers who were gone to war and initially raised $ 1, 000 to be used as a volunteer relief fund. Any wife parent, or child of a soldier who was in need of food or medical help would ask the Board, and they would be given what they needed. When the fund was gone, The Board would raise more money through donations, dances, raffles, and bake sales- But by 1865, the fund had a deficit of $4,000 which they paid back by taking out a bank loan payable in two years.

During 186 1, Cora Jemima had another son, Byron. William stayed at home with his family for the first two years of the War, but then felt it was necessary to enlist in 1863. Not knowing how long the war would last, he enlisted for 3 years.

He joined Company "A" of the Michigan Cavalry in January, 1864. His enlistment records show he was 39 years old, 5' 1 1 1/2 " tall, light skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. Soon after he enlisted, his mother Rebecca Davenport died at the age of 78.

He served for 8 months as a horse soldier, until August, when he was thrown from a horse during a skirmish in Strawberry Plains, Tenn. He injured his eyes, and both sides of his pelvis were broken. He was hospitalized in the Asylum Hospital in Knoxville, Tenn. He was released in October and returned to the cavalry, but his injuries were too severe and he was hospitalized again, now suffering from chronic diarrhea and a hernia. He was discharged from the Army on disability pension in 1865, returning to his farm in Barton, Michigan.

He got active in local politics again and was appointed as a Board Supervisor in 1867 and 1868. By this time, the Township had 2 male teachers, who made $950.00 a year-, and 6 female teachers, who made $840.00 a year. The population rose to 638, with 157 children in school, in 5 different school houses.

After the war, he and Cora Jemima divorced. After 1880 he had moved back home to Richmond, Indiana, where he had lived as a child. He stopped farming and began doing carpentry work. He remarried to Elizabeth Racard when he was 57. After her death, he married his 3rd wife, Rebecca Williamson, when he was 68.

Cora Jemima died sometime between 1880 and 1886. It isn't known if she ever remarried.

William suffered for the rest of his life with the injuries he received at Strawberry Plains, and stayed on a pension until he died, sometime after 1898.

SOURCES & DOCUMENTS
Davenport Documents: DA# 6 - Marriage license, William Davenport and Jemmiah Stanley, Sept. 1, 1842, Wayne, In. 6- Biography of Warren & William H. Davenport, Jr., Newaygo Co. In. DA# 1 9- Military Pension Records of William Davenport, 1864-1898 DA#20- 1900 Carroll Co. In. census DA#2 I - Marriage Abstract showing Jemimma Davenport as witness, 1874. DA#22- Index of Davenport Cemetery, Newaygo Co. Mi. DA#23- 1860 Newaygo Co. Mi. census DA#24- 1870 Newaygo Co. Mi. census DA#25- 1880 Newaygo Co. Mi. census DA#28- I.G.I. Extract, pg. 3,987 of Indiana records DA#3 I - Extract of Newaygo Co. Portrait & Biographical Album

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