The son of Moses Davis, Esq., was born at Dracut, Mass., probably about the year 1797 or 1798. He established himself in the practice of medicine at Norwich Plain in 1830 or 1831, and there continued till his death in March, 1873. He was in constant practice of his profession for more than thirty years.
During his long residence in town, Doctor Davis interested himself in a great variety of matters outside of his professional work. With William T. Porter 1 he edited and published the Vermont Enquirer from 1829-1831. He was chiefly instrumental in organizing an Episcopal church about 1835. He was a trustee of Norwich University from its start, and always active in its behalf.
He was fruitful in projects of various kinds, many of which it was his fortune never to see realized. For many sessions of the legislature he regularly put in his petition for the establishment of a Bank of Discount at Norwich.
In politics he was a strong partisan, and cultivated party spirit in all the relations of society. He was the only town clerk, as we are informed, who ever thought it necessary in recording a statement of the vote of the town at local or general elections to designate the politics of the respective candidates for office opposite the name of each on the record of the town. He often held public office in town, and was postmaster one or more terms.
Doctor Davis was very well versed in matters outside of his profession, in which he was considered a skillful practitioner, and but for a great degree of hesitancy towards exertion, either mental or physical, he might have reaped a happy reward for his efforts toward gain.
He was married (first) to Polly Hazeltine, by whom he had one child, Charles, who was living in one of the western states, not long since: (second) Rhoda Slack, to whom were born Andrew, Frank, Rosella, Margaret and Belle, of whom only Margaret and Belle are living, the latter now holding an important clerical position in the police department of Boston, Mass., which position she has been an incumbent of for many years. Margaret resides in Minnesota. The third wife was Eliza Crary, who had two sons, one of whom is Doctor George Davis, a successful physician in Manchester, N. H.
Citations:
- W. T. Porter, who, in 1856, in connection with George Wilkes, founded in New York City the sporting paper called porter’s Spirit of the Times.[↩]