The Sad Affair of Kitty Davis

Today I just spent a few hours at our local library. Deciding to concentrate on the mystery of Hortense Davis Stewart's short life and mysterious death, shortly after her divorce went through, I went back through the Davis files to see if anything there would give me any hints on her cause of death, her daughters name, who Kitty Davis was exactly or what happened to William after her death. I know well the siblings of my ancestors, and even their children, but had never gone down a generation from that, unless I had cause to. Several individuals descended from our Patriarch Job Davis contributed their trees, down to living individuals. 


Hortense's father Edward Winfield Davis aka Neddy, married late in life, age 56 to be exact, so his children were much younger than their first cousins. Example, Benjamin Franklin Davis, the oldest son of Neddy's brother Henry was born in 1829, while Hortense was born in 1861, 32 years apart, but they were first cousins. 


In the file I discovered a record of Frank Davis' Family Bible. Frank is what Benjamin Franklin Davis was known as. This had been submitted by Luther McIntyre. Two of Frank's daughters, married brothers who were McIntyres's. The McIntyres's, coincidentally, were also members of the Murray family, mentioned in earlier posts. 


The Bible starts with a list of the 14 children born to Frank and his wife Julia Sibley Davis. How many descendants from this family do you think are out there now?


Lula Davis  March 27 1855
Sally Davis   August 1857
Mathew A Davis  December 11 1858
J F Davis  December 2 1860
Thomas Davis   July 3  1865
Mary Davis  December 27  1866
Hart A Davis   January 15  1868
John S Davis   December 8  1870
Mary A Davis  September 21 1872
H. E. Davis   August 18 1874
Nannie Davis  May  6  1876
Kitty Davis  September 15  1878
Susie Davis  March 7 1880
Lillie Mae Davis  May 31 1882


The Bible also has listed that Benjamin Franklin Davis died  December 21 1898 and Julia Sibley Davis died  Feb. 18 1914, and Hart A Davis died August 2 1902.


But there she was ...Kitty Davis. Of course, she was in my family tree already, but not as Kitty. Matching  up the birthdate, Kitty turns out to be Wincey Catherine Davis. 

Sarah Hortense Davis Stewart claims in her divorce papers that her husband, William R Stewart, was having an adulterous affair with Kitty Davis, who as it turns out, is her first cousin once removed. Hortense married in 1891 and by 1894 had been abandoned by W. R. Stewart, with a two year old daughter, who was then found to be teaching music in Chester, Chester County, South Carolina. 


Stepping back at looking at what I have found out so far, Billy Stewart appears to be a cad who has left a trail of broken women. Billy was born in 1868, Hortense in 1869. In 1894, when he is accused of having an affair with Kitty Davis, Kitty, who was born in 1878, was a mere child of 15 or 16. Bill 10 years her senior. In modern America, Bill would have been arrested for indecent liberties with a minor, but in Victorian North Carolina, Kitty would have been considered of marriageable age, many girls married then in their early teens. 


At some point Kitty married a Cox, and her death certificate stated she had lived in Polkton, NC, which is just over the Rocky River in Anson County. Her death certificate is telling and tragic in other ways as well. 


Kitty's Find a Grave Tribute

Kitty died at the age of 43 in Broughton State Mental Hospital. She had been there nearly 18 years, entering at age 25. What happened between her affair with Billy Stewart at 16 and being admitted to an insane assylum at age 25? Who was this Cox that she married? I will have to check the surrounding counties for marriage records for Kitty and Mr. Cox. Anson will be the most likely, as the death certificate said that was her last residence. It also states that she was married, which means Mr. Cox did not go to the trouble to divorce her. She died of pulminary tuberculosis. Probably a chain smoker. I see a vague image of her in my mind, thin, wan, yellowish tint in her skin, legs crossed tightly, smoking like a freight train and twitching nervously. Was this Kitty?


I attempted to gain more information on one family tragedy and came upon another. 


I am waiting on a copy of Hortense Stuart's estate papers and also the official copies of her divorce papers, instead of the ones I photographed from microfilm. I am also going to search for the mysterious Mr. Cox and perhaps a marriage license. Below are some old photos of Broughton State Mental Hospital and the cemetary where Kitty is buried. 

An old post card of Broughton State Mental Hospital in Morganton, North Carolina












The State Hospital cemetery where Kitty Davis lies. 

Information on John M. Stewart...etc.

From Branson's Business Directory, 1896

TOWN OFFICERS

MONROE – Mayor, Dr. J.W. Stephenson; Commissioners, H.A. Shute, J.M. Blair, B.A. Morrow, S.W. Parham;Clerk, J.M. Stewart; Treasurer, J.M. Stewart; Marshall, N.S. Ogburn.

The year of Sarah Hortense Davis Stewarts death and the year after her divorce, her father-in-law held not one, but two offices in the town of Monroe. I am sure if William, who was teaching at a Music School in Chester, South Carolina, was a little low on funds for a lawyer, his father would have gladly helped out. Hortenses father had already passed away by this time and her mother had married a drunkard who had came from money, but by the time of their marriage, his was long gone. They lived off what she could muster from her deceased first husbands estate. 

J. M. Stewart was still alive and well in Monroe in 1902. 

From the Freepages.genealogy Union County Deeds:

Deed Book 32 pages 544-545

Therefore let the said deed, together with this certificate, be registered March 21, 1902. 

E. A. Armfield CSC

Filed for registration March 21

st

1902 at 1:50 oclock pm

JM Stewart, Register

E. C. Williams commissioner to S. E. Hamilton

State of North Carolina

Union County

This indenture made this  15

th

day of March A.D. 1902 between E. C. Williams commissioner of 

the County of Union, State of North Carolina party of the first part and S. E. Hamilton of the 

County and State aforesaid, party of the second part, Witnesseth that whereas in a special 

proceeding regularly instituted in the Superior Court of Union County before the block and 

entitled M. A. Newsome, et al, Plaintiffs and Addie Pusser, et al defendants for the partition and 

division of certain premises mentioned in the petition in said proceeding an order was made by 

said Court that a sale of said premises be made and appointing and directing E. C. Williams, 

party of the first part, commissioner to make said sale of said premises at public auction to the 

highest bidder at the Court House door, in said County, after giving notice according to the law 

of the time and place of such sale, and whereas the said commissioner pursuant to the said order 

and directions of the said Court after giving notice of the time and place of said sale prescribed 

by statute, did on the 4

th  

day of Nov. A.D. 1901 at 12 oclock M, in the city of Monroe, N. C.  at 

the Court House door, exposed to sale at public auction, the hereafter described lands at which 

time and place S. E. Hamilton, party of the second part, became the last and highest bidder at the 

price of seven hundred and ten ($710.00) Dollars, and whereas the said S. E. Hamilton has paid 

the entire sum of the purchase price in cash, and the party of the first part having reported the 

said sale according to law and the same having been approved and confirmed by said Court and a 

deed ordered to be executed to the party of the second part.

The Tragic Life of Sarah Hortense Davis Stewart

Sarah Hortense Davis was the only daughter of Edward Winfield Davis, the third son of Job and Sarah Davis. Neddy, as he was known to his family would marry late in life to a much younger woman, Rebecca Hathcock. They would have 5 children together. Two sons, Edward T and Jaspar died as children. When  Neddy died, his nephew, my great-great grandfather H. H. "Hawk" Davis was given guardianship of the 3 living children, Hortense, John Teeter and Thomas A.

Neddy was a merchant, lawman, lawyer and politician. His name, E W Davis, is on every page of early county court records as he held the office of the second sheriff of the county. Later, he brought several lawsuits against persons who owed him money, and also for others in the community who did not have the education and knowledge of how to do so.

Sarah Hortense, named for her grandmother Sarah Winfield Davis, would be known by her middle name, Hortense. She was the firstborn child and probably helped Rebecca with her four younger brothers. She was born into a family with money and to a well known and well respected father, so she likely had it much better off than many other girls in the community still bleeding and battered and suffering from the effects of war and  reconstruction.

This is the marriage license of Hortense and William R Stewart. He was the son of a J M Stewart from Union County, North Carolina, a county that borders Stanly to the Southwest. They had a June wedding, on the 16th in 1891. Her guardian, H H had married just two years prior to Julina Aldridge.  Her father had died in 1882, and her mother married John T Crump the following year.

The marriage was performed by a Rev. L M Brown. Witnesses were Hortenses' stepfather, JT Crump, her brother Thomas A Davis, and her cousin and guardian Horton Hampton Davis.

I had seen Hotenses' monument in the Davis Family cemetary, and made a mental note of her young age, 27. There were many reasons for people to die young in 1897. Epidemics would devastate entire communities. Many young women, especially miles out into the country away from a physican, still died in childbirth at the brink of the twentieth century. Accidents would happen and no ambulance could be called to rush the victim to the hospital. So I thought no more about it.

Last week, I went to the local Mormon Church to view some microfilm I had ordered from Utah. FamilySearch.org is a wonderful site and I was fortunate enough to have a Center in my community where I can order the records and view them. While searching old divorce records for something else, I came across the divorce proceedings for Hortense and William R Stewart. Her divorce was granted in 1895 and she passed away shortly after in 1896. In the documents she mentioned a two year old daughter that I, nor apparently anyone else in the family, knew about. I have a mystery to solve.

What did Hortense die of? What was her daughters name? Did she die as an infant or did she make it to adulthood? Was Hortense the victim of foul play? Did she commit suicide in sorrow? Who was this William R Stewart and what happened to him after her death?

I have made surprising, amazing, delightful and tragic discoveries in my genealogical quests, and could  began  by tracking through them all. Instead, I am beginning with my current quest and will back track to the others in time. For the moment, young cousin Hortense clouds my mind. Is she speaking to me? Does need for her story to be heard?