Matthew Davis

Mrs. Raymond

UWRT 1104

March 23, 2017

Genealogy Project

In 1725 my ancestor, Michael Gingrich, was born in Strausburg, France. He moved to

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1747. Then again, he migrated to Waterloo County, Ontario,

Canada moving in Conestoga wagons. My ancestor, Michael moved there in the mid-18th

century, and not until my great-great-grandparents Emanuel and Lydia Gingrich immigrated to

Michigan, and married in 1888. Emanuel was a carpenter until 1890, then that year they moved

to a farm near Yale, Michigan. My grandmothers paternal grandparents were of the Mennonite

faith. They had 7 children, with 2 babies who died at infancy. Still on my Grandmothers side in

Ontario, Canada; her maternal great-grandparents, Charles and Mary Francis immigrated to

Mancelona, Michigan and then got married in 1881. They had twelve children, one including my

grandmothers maternal grandmother, Iva Francis Miller. Iva married Abraham Miller, who was

born in Northern Michigan, in 1903. They had nine children, they were very poor farmers, so

poor that my great-grandmother, Vera Gingrich, was sent to another family in Brown City,

Michigan. Vera and Hubert Gingrich were married in 1937, and had two children Irvin and

Marjorie. The four of them lived in Auburn Heights, Michigan and retired in Tempe, Arizona in

1970. Hubert worked for general motors up until retirement. After his death, Iva moved from

Tempe to Decatur, Illinois to live with my paternal grandparents, Donald and Marge Davis.

(Davis)
 My Grandmother, Marge, went to the Hospital School of Nursing in Flint, Michigan after

graduating high school in 1957. Then ten days after passing the state boards for her nursing

license Donald and Marjorie Davis were married on September 10th, 1960. During school women

were not allowed to date men, her relation was kept very discreet. My grandmothers roommate

during college eloped with her husband and was expelled from school after they heard word.

While still in flint my grandmother worked for Hurley hospital and did private duty nursing,

whereas my grandfather worked for the YMCA up until retirement. They moved to Milwaukee,

Wisconsin where my father, Craig Davis, was born and then six months later moved to Kansas

City, Missouri. They moved once more to Decatur, Illinois my grandfather continued to work for

the YMCA and my grandmother moved from hospital to hospital until retiring in 1996. Some

things on my Grandmothers side that were passed down and are currently in their home today in

Kansas City include: a kitchen cabinet, kitchen table, oak ice box, sewing machine (treadle),

dishes, and silverware. (Davis)

My paternal Grandfather, Donald Douglas Davis, was born in Pontiac, Michigan. His

father, Robert, was born in Bedford, Pennsylvania in 1904. Roberts Parents, John and Rebecca,

came from Wales. My grandfathers mother, Myrtle, was born in Skanee, Michigan. Her parents

were from Ireland. Both Robert and Myrtle grew up on homestead farms, who originally came to

North America by boat. Myrtles parents, John and Sara McComb, came to Canada first. They

were married in Canada and John first came to Michigan to build a home and farming quarters.

He then went back to Canada to bring Sara to the United States, where they started a family on

the farm. Myrtles brother, Douglas, died in World War II and as an honor gave my grandfather

his name. The tradition of having Douglas as a middle name is carried for three generations, all

the way to me. (Davis)

 Myrtle and Robert Davis were very poor, as were their ancestors. They were married in

1930 and first lived and worked on a large farm, owned by a friend from church. Robert was

eventually hired back to General Motors, after being fired from the depression, and he built their

home in Pontiac, Michigan. They raised their two sons, Robert and Donald, and lived there their

whole lives until Robert passed away. Myrtle then moved to a modest apartment, then again to a

nursing home. My grandfather went to Lawrence Institute of Technology after graduating from

high school in 1957. He studied in engineering and worked at the YMCAs summer camps in

port Huron. He then changed majors to become a YMCA director, and switched to the Port

Huron Community College then once more to the University of Michigan. He married Marjorie

and moved around the mid-west raising their family. They eventually were in Shell Knob, where

my grandfather built a lake house on Table Rock Lake in 1998. This property is now owned by

my father after my grandparents were going to sell it. Donalds interest include wood carving,

reading, golf, sports. His grandfather passed down a wood carving set and a tool box to continue

the skill, other things based down include a bedroom set including: frame, wardrobe, floor

mirror, hope chest, chaise, night stands, and a vanity. (Davis)

Marge and Donald Davis are currently retired in Kansas City, Missouri; they have three

children, and seven grandchildren. Denise, the oldest daughter, is married to John Krimml;

together they have two daughters Casey and Kimberly. John is a financer, Kim is a marketing

director, Casey is currently in college pursuing her second major after elementary education did

not work out. Cheryl, the middle child, married Patrick Toby; they have two sons Benjamin and

Nicholas. Cheryl is an elementary teacher, Pat was a civil engineer and now owns a photography

company, Nick is a video game developer in Germany, and Ben is a manager of Walmart. Craig,

my father and the youngest child, married Tina Moyer; they have three children Chelsea, Rachel,
and myself. My mother divorced my father in 2012, he is now married to Katherine Romanet.

Craig is an officer of operations, Tina is a controller of a fabric company, Kat is a director of

finance, Chelsea is the project manager of the Light-rail in Charlotte, Rachel and I are both in

college.

My mother, Tina Davis, has three sisters: Deanna, Teri, and Krista. Deanna is married to

Patrick OReilly, they work for Mobil gasoline and have three children together. Daniel, Garret,

and Katie are their children, Katie was married to Cody Deckard in the fall of 2015 and have one

daughter together, Kennedy. Teri was married to John Shride and had two kids together, Josh and

Jessie. Josh married Rachel in the spring of 2015, and they have one daughter together named

Jaci. Teri eloped with a man named Dwayne, without telling the family in the winter of 2016.

Krista was never married but had a daughter, my cousin Kiana, with a black man. Kiana was

discriminated against her whole life, isolated when out in public, and she would have had it a lot

worse had they not lived in such a small town. My grandmother, Nancy Moyer, is a strong and

independent woman. She was married to Gene Moyer, who was physically and sexually abusive

to his wife and four daughters. In 1977, Nancy and her four daughters packed up a suitcase each

and left while Gene was at work. He had worked for Caterpillar his whole life, until retirement,

he now lives alone in Illinois. He had all his guns taken away from him after dispute with his

African American neighbor, they are now locked up in Teris house. The now homeless women

stayed with friends, and my grandmother with now high school diploma started work at a general

store. She now lives right around the corner from the old general store, which is now a BP gas

station, she retired from Best Western hotels in 2016.

Gene Moyer and everyone else on my mothers side of the family up until my great-

grandparents were all born in Decatur, Macon County, Illinois. Gene has one brother, Chip who
married Karen and after they retired from the military they travel the United States in the RV.

Chip and Genes father, George, was in the World War II military force as a moulder (wood

worker). Georges father, my great-great grandfather, Louis was a teamster. A teamster is a truck

driver for the coal industry. My maternal grandfathers mother, Oressa and her father, George

Scoles owned a sawmill. Georges father, my great-great-great grandfather, James was a farmer

on the familys homestead. James father, Joshua Scoles, was a union officer in the Civil War and

a farmer. Joshuas grandfather, came to America from Ireland in 1753 as a penal. A penal meant

that he was a criminal, who was given the opportunity to work for the new colonizing world.

British convicts were commonly shipped to the colonies of America, so much that there were

even penal settlements (Butler). He was British, but was born in Enniskillen, Fermanagh county,

Northern Ireland. He became an American citizen in 1807, lived in Maryland then to Ohio,

where the family moved to Illinois in the1860s. (OReilly)

My maternal grandmother, Nancy Moyer, had two siblings Judith and Bud. Her parents

were Herschel, who was a machinist for the railroad, and Ruth Duncan, a woman of society.

Ruth was in the Order of the Eastern Star, and taught Sunday school (Co-Freemasonry). My

great-grandfather, Herschel and his father, Stanley Duncan was also a machinist for the railroad.

Stanleys father, William Duncan, was a farmer of the homestead for which Williams father,

Lawson, worked too. Lawsons father, Alexander Duncan, was a 3rd Lieutenant in the Kentucky

infantry of the Civil War on the confederate side, and was also a farmer. My maternal great-

grandmother, Ruth Duncans father Walter Patterson was a plumber. Walters parents were

farmers in North Carolina and Tennessee in the early 1800s. (OReilly)

 Bibliography:

Davis, M. (2017, March 8). Email Interview.

OReilly, D (2017, March 13). Email Interview.

Co-Freemasonry, M. O. (n.d.). Freemasonry: A Masonic Temple open for Men and

Women. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from http://www.co-masonry.org/

Butler, J. D. (1896). British Convicts Shipped to American Colonies. The American

Historical Review, 2(1), 12-33. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1833611.pdf.