Sketch of Commodore William F. Davidson – From a copy of the Northwest, we take the following sketch of an old Lawrence County Boy
Ironton Register, April 22, 1886
Sketch of Commodore William F. Davidson
Commodore William F. Davidson, whose familiar face is presented in this issue of The Northwest, was born on a farm in Lawrence County, Ohio, near the village of South Point on Feb. 4, 1825. His father, William W. Davidson, was one of the pioneers in that section.
He carried on farming to some extent and boated more or less in Ohio, Big Sandy, Kanawha, and Sciota [sic] Rivers. When but ten years old, the commodore commenced his experience upon the water by accompanying his father on various boating trips. That sort of experience has been almost continuous throughout life.
The first steamboat that he owned an interest in was the “Gondola,” about 1845. She was employed in the Portsmouth, Big Sandy, and Guyandotte trade. Subsequently, he built and owned the steamer “Relief,” and he also built and owned the steamboats “United States Aid” and “The Jacob Traber.” He built the “Frank Steele” in 1857 and the “Favorite” in 1859, ran them on the Minnesota River and made their names historic.
In the Winter of 1858-9, he was married to Sarah A. Johnston, a daughter of Judge Benjamin Johnston, well known in Southern Ohio, and to them have been born six children, but two of whom survive, a son and daughter, the son being in business with his father at the present time.
Commodore Davidson’s first visit to St. Paul was in the winter of 1855, when he became favorably impressed, and the next year he brought the “Jacob Trabor” to the Upper Mississippi. He began his active career in the Northwest. The old La Crosse and St. Paul Packet Company was organized by him and did a flourishing business preceding the advent of railroads into Minnesota.
[From Lawrence Register Editor: H. J. Hirshheimer. “La Crosse River History and the Davidsons.” The Wisconsin Magazine of History, vol. 28, no. 3, Wisconsin Historical Society, 1945, pp. 263–76, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4631688.]
After the La Crosse Packet Company came to the Northwestern Union Packet Company, Keokuk Northern Line Packet Company, and St. Louis and St. Paul Packet Company, which is still in active operation, and the headquarters of which will hereafter be in St. Paul instead of St. Louis as heretofore.
He has been actively identified with all the above-named and several other steamboat corporations, and usually the controlling spirit. He began as early as 1864 to purchase real estate in Minnesota, particularly in St. Paul. He owns large and valuable tracts of land in Southwestern Minnesota. He was also one of the early stockholders and directors in the Sioux City Railroad and still owns large interests in the lands of that company.
In 1864 he purchased the real estate owned by John Randall and William Randall and their heirs, which was greatly involved because of litigation with creditors, tax titles, etc. For many years this property was tied up by foreclosures and lawsuits, but when it became disentangled, he began to build and improve his large buildings. In 1870 he removed to St. Louis and remained in active charge of his steamboat interest until 1882 when he returned to St. Paul to make this his permanent home. He has built some of the largest structures in this city and owns a very large list of real estate bringing in handsome revenues, which are constantly used in new buildings or improvements.
Among the business blocks owned by him are the following:
- Davidson Block, northeast corner of Fourth and Jackson;
- Davidson Block No. 2, northeast corner of Sixth and Jackson;
- Lambert Block, northeast corner of Third and Cedar;
- Union Block, northeast corner of Fourth and Cedar;
- Court Block opposite new Court House on Fourth Street;
- The Grand Opera House;
- The new seven-story block on Wabasha;
- Grand Opera House Block;
- Exposition Building on Fourth, near Wabasha.
He also owns a large number of the most valuable vacant corners in the city and hopes yet to cover them with business blocks. He is in good health, works early and late, year in and year out, and has unbounded faith in the future of St. Paul. He is now reaping the fruit of his long years of toil and is ranked as one of the wealthiest citizens of this Northwestern metropolis.
He is said to have the largest real estate rent and tax roll of any one man in Ramsey County. He has held his property through all the “panics” and “depressions,” and with the great growth of the city and its immense increase in value, he must be several times a millionaire.
During his sojourn in St. Louis, he became an active Christian and an earnest worker in the temperance cause. He has done much to reform the drinking customs of the river, practicing and advocating temperance very earnestly and effectually. He became identified with and was president of the Seamen’s Bethel at St. Louis. Multitudes will pleasantly remember him of laboring men he assisted, morally and financially.
Death Notice of Mrs. Davidson I.R. OCT. 28, 1909
J. Davidson received word Saturday from St. Paul, Minn., that Mrs. Davidson, widow of the famous millionaire steamboat captain and owner, “Fuse” Davidson, was dead, says the Portsmouth Times. There are no particulars. J. J. Davidson is a brother of Commodore Davidson, who died many years ago.
At his death, he was worth four million dollars, and the estate still runs into the millions. Mrs. P. M. Walfe, of this city, is a relative. Commodore “Fuse” Davidson and the late Wash Honshell started steam boating as deckhands on a small boat called the “Resist,” plying between Portsmouth and Catlettsburg. Both died millionaires.
Honshell became head of the Big Sandy Packet Company and controlled the Davidson line of packets on the upper Mississippi. The Davidsons lived at South Point, Lawrence County, and some still live there. Wash Honshell lived in Catlettsburg just across the river.
FIGHTING BILL
SOURCE: Winona Republican, 26 Aug. 1872, reprinted from the St. Louis Times. [typed as written]
Bill kem in the trade with the derndest Old craft;
She was broke down amidships and hogged all abaft,
And her chimneys they leaned at right angles away,
But he’d writ on his wheelhouse, ” I’ve kem here to stay.”
The people all laughed at the plug of a boat
And declared her Capt’n should have a new coat;
For his elbowes were out and his knees wasn’t in.
But Bill he wuz honest, and rags wan’t no sin.
He wuz deck-hand and muster—stood a watch at the wheel,
And would fire till he made the old safety valve squeal.
Wal, the berths that he held on that boat wan’t a few
Fer the boys all declar’d he wuz chambermaid too!
He’d run any boat in the trade out ov sight,
And wuz never see’d knapping in daytime or night.
But would land for a hail jist to take in a dime.
And the shipper, they sed ” Give us Bill every time.”
The other boats vowed that the thing wuz quite plain
That their business was played if this chap did remain;
So to put up a job they straight went about,
The object ov which wuz to raise William out.
They cut down the rates and tuk passengers cheap,
What before they charged one, now would pay for a heap.
But Bill he laid low with his deuces and treys,
And, what worried them most, he kept standing the raise.
The fight it went on, and the money it flew;
When they landed for freight, Bill wuz always there too,
And raked in such a share ov the trade which they sought,
That they swore by the powers, ” ‘Twas a tartar they’d caught.”
Yes, he staid, you may bet, and you’ll find him thar yit;
He’ll tell you about all the fights that he’s fit,
Fur Bill he wuz game, and attended to biz.
And yet see all them ” White Collard Boats,” well, thar his.
James,
Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I have been working on fixing some deadlinks and appreciate your input. I fixed that link so you can find it here.
https://lawrencecountyohio.com/pioneers/judge-lot-davis/
Martha