Margaret Jane (Coyle) Davis (1819 - 1861)

Born 6 Jul 1819 in Estill, KY, USA

Ancestors

Wife of Louis Davis — married 10 Jan 1837 in Estill County, Kentucky

Descendants

Died 25 Dec 1861 at age 42 in Cave Springs, Jackson, KY, USA

Biography

Margaret Coyle, daughter of Isaac and Massie (Percival) Coyle, was born on July 6, 1819, in Estill County Kentucky. She married Lewis Davis, son of Isaac and Jane (Jameson) Davis, on January 10, 1837. The ceremony was performed at the home of her parents, who were living in Estill County, Kentucky, near Sand Lick (now Sand Springs, Jackson County).

The Lewis and Margaret Davis homestead was located near Cave Springs in Madison County, Kentucky (now Jackson County). It was a log home on the road to McKee, Kentucky. Lewis and Margaret had ten children (Elizabeth Jane 1837, Sallie Ann 1839, Nancy Ellender 1941, Minerva T. 1843, Isaac Charles 1844, Lydia 1846, Alexander 1848, Mary Ellen 1851, Talitha 1853, Thomas 1856), all born at the Davis homeplace.

Lewis was a farmer and school teacher, and he also worked with the Madison County Court writing court records. He died on August 31, 1859, and was buried in the family burial plot in front of the homeplace. Margaret was financially stable and able to care for the farm and children without due hardship after his death.

In 1861, there was a measles epidemic, and the entire family was ill and bedfast. One of the youngest daughters recalls that "Alec," who was thirteen years old at the time, became frantic at the thought that all of them might die at once, and exclaimed, "Who in the world is going to bury us?" At that moment, Margaret, who had been sitting up in bed, fell back dead. She was buried beside her husband in the family burial plot.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M65X-S86 : 9 November 2014), Margaret Davis in household of Amis Davis, Madison county, part of, Madison, Kentucky, United States.
• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZBW-Q1Z : accessed 13 May 2016), Margaret Davis, 1860.
• "The Patrick Coyle Family" by Marie Moody Foster, pp. 81-82.
• Margaret Davis on Find A Grave
• "Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1955," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NSNF-BRZ : accessed 18 Oct 2014), Margarette Coyle in entry for Sallie A. Davis, 23 Jan 1921; citing Madison County, Kentucky, 10954, Office of Vital Statistics, Frankfort; FHL microfilm 1943356.