My Genealogy Hound

JOHN DAVIDSON is one of the prosperous and well-to-do farmers of Kearney county. He was born in Scotland, January 14, 1850, and was reared on a farm in Ayrshire, south Scotland. He came to America when he was twenty-one years old, and is now thoroughly imbued with American thrift and enterprise. He landed in New York city and spent the first year in that state. He came West as far as Silver Creek, Mich., in 1872, where he spent two years, coming to Kearney county, Nebr., in the spring of 1874, and was among the first to take a homestead in that county. There was scarcely any settlement previous to that time, and the country was anything but inviting to a man like Mr. Davidson, who had so recently come from one of the oldest and most densely populated countries of Europe. But he was here, and he determined to stay. He was young and ambitious, and he made up his mind that what others had done he could do, so he located his claim and erected a small frame house upon it. He was single and without means, so he went to Lincoln and worked during the summer, returning to spend the winter upon his claim. He hired some breaking done, and the second year prepared to do some farming, but the grasshoppers came and destroyed everything green. This caused great suffering among many of the early settlers, and had not aid been sent them from the East, many would doubtless have suffered greatly for the necessaries of life. When the provisions were distributed, Mr. Davidson refused to accept anything, as he was young and had no family to look after and could take care of himself. The following year crops prospered and a fair yield was made, and since that time the farmers have had no cause to complain.

Mr. Davidson was married April 28, 1879, the lady whom he chose for a companion being Miss Lydia J. Barnhart. She is a native of Michigan, having been born in Berry county June 29, 1852. Her father, Samuel Barnhart, is a native of Ohio, and her mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Everdeen, is a native of Virginia. They were married in Ohio, and located soon after in Michigan, where the father died in 1885, the mother in 1878. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Davidson has been blessed with three children — David, born August 19, 1884; James, born March 7, 1886, and John, born November 16, 1889.

Mr. Davidson has been county supervisor, and made a reputation as a careful and conservative official. He owns three hundred and twenty acres of as fine land as can be found in the state, has it under good cultivation, and his improvements are among the best in the township of Eaton.