Davidson Family of Rural Hill, North Carolina

With a long-time interest in history, the late Jim Williams concentrated on the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area from 1750 to 1860. Seeking to understand how life was lived in those times, he researched and wrote for magazines and performed first person interpretation at a number of historic sites. He lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. For about thirty years, the late Ann Williams researched and wrote about antebellum piedmont plantations with an emphasis on cotton farming, the cotton economy, and slavery. She wrote and/or edited four books based on the letters, journals, and other personal papers kept by those who were there. She lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrefaceIntroduction1. Isabella Ramsay Davidson Hendry, Mother of Major John Davidson2. Samuel and Mary Wilson, Parents of Violet Wilson Davidson3. The First Generation at Rural Hill: Major John and Violet Davidson4. The Davidson Children and Rural Hill5. Holly Bend: Robin and Peggy Davidson6. Robin and Peggy: Family, Wills and Estates7. The Second Generation at Rural Hill: Jacky and Sallie Davidson8. The Third Generation at Rural Hill: Brevard and Mary Davidson9. Brevard and Mary: Mills, Wills and Children10. Scientific Farming at Rural Hill11. Rural Hill: The Last Three GenerationsAPPENDICES:A.Davidson Family GenealogyB.Davidson CollegeC.Hopewell Presbyterian ChurchD.The Lunacy of the Rev. Alexander CaldwellE.The Story of Plum, Enslaved Man, Freedman, Property OwnerF.A Marriage Deed of TrustG.Naming Conventions and Other John DavidsonsH.Brevard’s Slave InventoriesI.Road and River WorkJ.Iron Making in North CarolinaK.The Value of MoneyL.A Confusion of CountiesM.Land Acquisition by Grants and DeedsN.Major John’s Earliest Land TransactionsO.Land Acquisition by Robert DavidsonP.Courts and Legal StructureQ.The Court House Law of 1774NotesBibliographyIndex