Bio-Miner, LucindaDavidson

Lucinda M. "Lue" (Miner) Davidson was born in 1843 in Columbus, Franklin County, OH, the daughter of Francis and Myra (Jordan) Miner. She was a pioneer settler of Illinois, and her husband -- seen here -- was a prominent newspaper editor who knew (and initially disliked) Abraham Lincoln and contributed significantly to his region's economic development.

When Lucinda was a young woman in 1854 and 1855, her mother and two sisters died in Columbus, and were buried there. The grieving father and remaining sisters then migrated to Illinois, settling in or near Lewistown, Fulton County.

On Jan. 24, 1860, in Fulton County, Lucinda married local newspaperman William Taylor Davidson (1837-1915), the son of Isham G. and Sarah Ann (Springer) Davidson, and a native of Petersburg, Menard County, IL. They had seven children -- Harold Lee Davidson, Mabel Davidson, Bertha B. Davidson, Frances M. Davidson, Lulu Martha Davidson, Nellie Davidson and Maude Davidson. Sadly, daughters Mabel and Nellie died in infancy, and were the first burials in what became the Davidson plot at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lewistown.

At the time of marriage, William was the sole owner and editor of the Fulton Democrat, and with Lewistown as his base, was beginning to make a name for himself statewide in the journalism field. A biographical portrait of William in a local history book said that:

At the age of twelve he had to go to work to keep the "wolf of want" from the log cabin door. From the age of twelve to seventeen he drove his father's team, hauling produce to the Illinois River, either to Havana or Liverpool, with merchandise for his return trips, or hauling building stone and sand to town from adjacent quarries or banks, or hauling coal from nearby mines and wood from the great forests. Little lads of his age in these days can hardly comprehend the bitter cold, the frightful storms, the hardships and dangers this slight boy encountered in these five years. A withered arm and frail physique led him at the age of seventeen (April 3, 1853) to become an apprentice to the printer's trade in Hugh Lamaster's "Fulton Republican" office in Lewistown.

William's mother, Sarah (Springer) Davidson, was well acquainted with many of the political and religious leaders in Illinois during the time William would have been reaching adulthood. According to one newspaper article, "she became well acquainted with Peter Cartwright and many other notable divines of the Methodist church, who made their home when visiting the circuit. She has often entertained both Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas at her hospital board." Click here for the full text of the newspaper article, circa 1888, when she was "probably the oldest living settler" in the county. William himself directly was involved in writing the news coverage of the famed Lincoln-Douglas debates.

William knew Abraham Lincoln (left) and Stephen A. Douglas and covered their famed presidential debates in 1860

For Lucinda and William's wedding journey, "the pair went on an editors' excursion to the East, where they visited Washington and heard Senator Douglas deliver one of his impassioned, electrifying speeches in the United States Senate on topics then agitating the nation," reported the April 1915 issue of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, by Supt. John R. Rowland. "In an interview with him afterwards, the 'Little Giant' took the young couple by the hands, warmly greeted them familiarly by their first names, as was his custom with acquaintances, and graciously wished them godspeed."

The book, Portrait and Biographical Album of Fulton County, published in 1890, when William was still active as "the well-known editor and proprietor of the Fulton Democrat, the leading paper of this county, has exercised a marked influence on the affairs of this section of Illinois, and even of the entire State, not only professionally, but as a progressive, public-spirited citizen, and has aided in guiding its political destiny, as well as in guarding and advancing its dearest interests materially, socially and morally."

An online history of the Fulton Democrat states that William was "generally recognized as the master force behind the promotion and building of the Fulton County narrow gauge railway, which provided an important transportation link in the days before paved roads and automobiles. The sixty-one miles of three-foot-gauge railroad was popularly known as the 'Pavane' for its winding, twisting pike that extended south from Galesburg to West Havana."

In the shadow of a famous, accomplished husband, Lucinda "was a woman gifted and beautiful -- beautiful both in character and personality," said the Canton Weekly Register, which continued as follows:

Her disposition was of the sweetest and most cheerful. Her light laugh returns to those who knew her, like the memory of music. She was the ideal wife and mother, hopeful in time of trouble and helpful in time of need. Her energies were expended chiefly in the home circle, and at times as her husband's assistant in editorial work; but her sweet influence was as far reaching as it was beautiful and kindly.

Devoted to the values of public education, William "was elected Commissioner of Schools for Fulton county in 1863, and did much to rectify the prevailing abuses of school privileges," said the History of Fulton County, in a paragraph-long entry about him. Seen at left, the Lewistown high school building of the early 1900s.

In 1881, William lost an index finger in a freak accident with a cylinder power press. Noted the Feb. 3, 1881 edition of the Carthage Republican, "The last issue of the [Democrat] paper affords no indication of the recent loss of an index finger from its editor's right hand, the editorials being dictated to, and some of them doubtlessly written by the editor's wife, a smart capable lady who is equal to an emergency calling for her prompt and brainful work. The Democrat is a marvel of county journalism." The full text of the Republican and other related articles is on the IllinoisAncestors.com website.

William (left) was skewered in Spoon River Anthology by his nemesis, the famed poet Edgar Lee Masters (right)

For as much as he was a powerful force for good in the community, William had his enemies, and bitter ones at that. One such antagonist was Hardin W. Masters, a local political activist and alcoholic imbiber who clashed with the anti-liquor William over temperance issues. William also is believed to have blocked Masters' nomination for Congress. Masters' son, Edgar Lee Masters, who grew up to become a world famous poet and author, savaged William in poetry and books.

John E. Hallwas of Western Illinois University, who has extensively studied and annotated Masters' writings, states that Masters' "first published poem, 'The Minotaur: Bill Davidson,' (1884) was a satirical attack on the man." As well, Masters describes the conflict between his father and William in the 1937 novel, The Tide of Time.

Masters authored a classic book of American satire, Spoon River Anthology, published in 1915, which he used as a tool to criticize the myth of moral superiority in small town America and questioned the motives of civic and business leaders such as William. One critic of the book has summarized it as a collection of dramatic monologues by several hundred townspeople, as if spoken from their graves, giving testimony to "shocking scandals and secret tragedies." In the poem "Editor Whedon" (reprinted at left), widely thought to be a pseudonym for William, Masters writes of William's willingness "To scratch dirt over scandals for money, And exhume it to the winds for revenge, Or to sell papers, Crushing reputations, or bodies, if need be..." Masters also subtly ties his criticism of William to the dirty imagery of sewage flowing from the village, empty cans and garbage dumps, and hidden abortions.

In December 1893, despite the fact that she had suffered with heart trouble for several years, Lucinda traveled with William to Chicago to attend the World's Fair. Upon returning home, she became seriously ill, and "the trouble assumed the form of dilatation, which increased rapidly and almost without interruption until death resulted," reported the rival Canton Weekly Register newspaper. "She died as a child going to sleep."

Lucinda passed away at the age of 50 on Christmas Day 1893. Her death was front-page news. She was laid to rest in Section E of a local cemetery. The Davidsons had been married for nearly 34 years. Said Rowland in his 1915 Journal article, "Very often in later days Mr. Davidson referred with deep feeling to the unselfish love and loyal devotion of this blessed woman who uncomplainingly shared the struggles and triumphs of his earlier manhood, and continued his discreet counsellor, congenial companion, and faithful helpmeet till her departure left him desolate."

In an article headlined "A Noble Woman's Death," the rival Canton Weekly Register expressed that "earnest sympathy of all will go out to Editor Davidson and family in this, the dark hour of their affliction. Worlds have, perhaps, but an empty meaning under such circumstances, and yet who can doubt the earnest with which words of condolence are spoken?"

Row of Davidson graves in Lewistown, with William between his two wives at right

On April 3, 1895, William married his second wife, Margaret Gilman George (1870-1897), the beautiful and talented daughter of Benjamin Y. and Adeline (Gilman) George of Elmwood, IL. The ceremony took place in Dallas, TX. William was 32 years older than his bride.

Margaret was the daughter of a prominent clergyman of Lewistown at the time, and grew up in a home with a large library. Said biographer Rowland, she "was a woman of lovely individuality and brilliant intellectual endowments. A writer of exquisite verse, Miss George found ready acceptance of her poems by The Century Magazine, The Youth's Companion and other high-class periodicals."

Ironically, Margaret had once been the beau of author Edgar Lee Masters, and while he had broken off their romance in 1889, some six years earlier, her marriage to William Davidson added to the resentment that Masters harbored. A fictional account of their doomed courtship is described as "Anne" in Masters' autobiography, Across Spoon River. He also fictionalized their love affair in his 1923 novel, Skeeters Kirby. She also is characterized in Spoon River Anthology poems entitled "Caroline Branson," Amelia Garrick," Julia Miller" and "Louise Smith."

Sadly, Margaret suffered from a heart condition resulting from a childhood illness. She died suddenly a year after giving birth, on Nov. 27, 1897, and is said to have been reading the Bible at the time she passed away. Her loss at the tender age of 27 left William a widower for the second time in just four years.

William survived alone for nearly two decades. His daughter Frances worked without pay in the newspaper office during that time, although after his death, she collected $1,310 in back pay for five years and two months' worth of work, valued at $5.00 per week.

William passed away in Lewistown on June 3, 1915, at the age of 78. He was buried between his wives in Lewistown.

The news naturally was top of the headlines and the lead editorial in the Fulton County Democrat. Tributes poured in from all over the state.

In his will, William bequeathed his entire newspaper office and plant to his daughters Frances and Maude, "including all furniture, presses, types and all other fixtures, tools and implements, used in publishing the Fulton Democrat, together with its subscription lists, accounts and good will," he wrote.

Over the years, the newspaper faithfully was continued by daughters Bertha, Frances and Martha, and by son Gilman. It continues to be published today.

William "Gilman" Davidson (1896-1967), seen at right, served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I. He worked with his sisters at the Fulton Democrat, and served as its principal editor beginning in 1926. On Oct. 25, 1945, in Greenville, MS, he married Neta Lyons (1905-1977), and resided in Lewistown. The Davidsons had no children, but hired Neta's nephew, Robert L. Martin, to be its editor, with Gilman serving as associate editor. Gilman died at the age of 71 on Sept. 4, 1967 at the Mason District Hospital in Havana, IL.

He was one of the most forceful and irrepressible of all the editors of the state. His editorials were fearless and his paper reflected this characteristic of his nature. He was a prominent member of the Democratic party who fought the things that he regarded as wrong with virility and courage. He did not mince words. He was usually inclined to call a spade a spade. This made life interesting and picturesque in Fulton County. Gilman put a great deal of character into what he wrote. On the whole he stood for good ideals and a clean and friendly community. In many directions he was an influential power.

Neta outlived Gilman by a decade, and passed away in 1977 at the age of 72. They are buried together in the Davidson section of Oak Hill Cemetery in Lewistown.

At right, the Fulton Democrat building as photographed in October 2007. Today, the newspaper is published by Gilman Davidson's grand-nephew and niece, Robert and Wendy Martin. Minerd.com wishes to express grateful appreciation to the Martins for their many kindnesses and selfless sharing of information.

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln originally published in Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln (New York: North American Publishing Company, 1886), courtesy of the Heinz Bros. & Co. collection. Portrait of William A. Douglas originally published in Abraham Lincoln: The War Years (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1939), authored by Carl Sandburg.