Davis Family
Independence, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Renowned educators; family of The Rev. Abner Davis, founder (1827) of Shurtleff College, Alton, Ill. A daughter, Martha (d. 1896), joined the Baylor Female College staff with her husband, Horace Clark, in 1851. Baylor in a few years drew rest of family here: Marcia (Mrs. Abner) Davis (1794-1882); George B. Davis (1828-1906) and wife, Fannie Breedlove (1833-1915); Harriett L. Davis (1832-1917) and husband, B.S. Fitzgerald (1827-1904); and Mary Russell Davis, "Little Mary" (d. 1865), who taught Indians briefly after the father died (1852), then like the others devoted her talents to Baylor.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Davis family were renowned educators whose roots ran back to the Rev. Abner Davis, founder of Shurtleff College in Illinois. Drawn to Texas by Baylor Female College, daughter Martha and her husband joined its staff in 1851, and in the following years much of the extended family followed to devote their talents to Baylor at Independence. One daughter, "Little Mary," even taught among Indians briefly before turning to the college.
Why it matters
Their story shows how a single dedicated family could shape frontier education, and how women were central to building Texas's earliest institutions of higher learning.
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Related people
- · Abner Davis
- · Martha Davis Clark
- · Mary Russell Davis
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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