Memorials › Wilson Jones “Bill” Davis

Wilson Jones “Bill” Davis

8 Feb 1891 – 6 Sep 1970

Birth8 Feb 1891
Death6 Sep 1970
CemeteryMidway Cemetery
Tyler , Smith County , Texas , USA
Added byLynn Shelley on 01 Jan 2024
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62113426

Gravesite details

Upright individual granite stone on a base

Bio

In 1905 at the age of 15, Bill became an apprentice blacksmith near Shiloh, NJ. Nearby was a farm where Standardbred horses were raised and trained for harness racing. The trainer at the farm would bring the horses to the blackie for shoeing. Assisted by the blacksmith and a local horse vet, Bill became skilled in handling the tricky needs of these horses. He soon specialized in being able to create the horse's shoe to fit the anatomy of its foot and correct certain defects or injuries. In 1922 Bill hit the harness racing circuit to ply his blacksmith/horseshoe making trade. Soon word of his ability spread and Bill was deemed the "Chiropodist" or "Foot Doctor to harness horses" by many of the horse owners and trainers, including the famous Stanley Dancer! Bill retired in 1963. While living in NJ, Bill had become friends with author George Agnew Chamberlain. Many of his books were made into movies. So many of these books were based on tales Bill had shared with George, and from 1925 forward, Bill became a character in every book! George gave Bill the name "Beef Boulder" due to his physical appearance… "shoulders like a bull and solid as a rock" George expressed. In 1945, Bill met Lottie Prichard, the woman he would marry in 1953. She brought Bill back to her home of Tyler Texas, where they would live out the rest of their interesting lives. ∼ Below biographical segment offered by FG researcher 49381522 . Also known in younger years as "Willie." Willie's father, Warren Davis, worked in Philadelphia driving wagons for the Wanamaker store chain. In November of 1890, two different newspaper articles stated that he made a quick visit to his parents' home in Shiloh, NJ, before heading out to Washington and California. He was looking to evaluate options out there for potentially relocating. Despite a great deal of searching and reading, thus far those are the last sure-fire, citable sources of him being alive. Notably, he went by himself, leaving the rest of his family in the Philadelphia home, as it was there that his wife gave birth three months later to Willie, this decedent. There were absolutely no further hints about his fate, and by the 1895 N.J. state census his wife, Lillie, had left her two middle children, Lotta and Preston, with their paternal grandparents, and took her oldest, Lucile, and youngest, Willie, to go live with Lillie's adoptive father, Albert R. Jones , in St. Just, Virginia, to where he had moved quite some years before. In the 1900 U.S. federal census, Lillie was marked as widowed. In late 1901, Albert moved back to Shiloh, NJ, bringing Lillie, Lucile and Willie with him. There is no marked interment for Warren in the Shiloh cemetery with the rest of the family. There is no New Jersey nor Philly death record located. There is no obituary in NJ or Philly located. His fate, seemingly sometime between November of 1890 and the 1895 N.J. census, is as-yet undiscovered. Son of: Warren Davis (son of Nathan Edward Davis and Sarah J. "Sallie" Bivins ) Lillian Belle Tracy (Tracy is birth surname - adoptive surname of Jones) Husband of: Lottie Adeline Prichard [m. 22-Nov-1953 in Shreveport, LA] ∼ The Tyler Morning Telegraph Tyler, Texas Tuesday, 08-Sep-1970, page 6 Wilson Davis Rites Today Last rites for Wilson J. Davis, 79, of 1527 San Antonio in Tyler will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Burks-Walker-Tippit Funeral Chapel with Edwin Rasco, Church of Christ minister, officiating. Burial will be in Midway Cemetery in Smith County. He died at 12:30 a.m. Sunday in Mother Frances Hospital after a short illness. He was a native of Pennsylvania, and had resided here the past 14 years. He was a retired horseshoe designer and blacksmith. He was a member of Glenwood Church of Christ, was a Master Mason, and a 32nd Degree member of the Scottish Rite Lodge. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Lottie Davis; a brother, Preston Davis of Quitman, Ark.; a sister, Miss Lotta Davis of Pasadena, Calif.; and a nephew, Bopker Ben Ali of Pasadena, Calif. Pallbearers will be Eugene E. Barron, Houston Carter, Doug Epperson, Ralph V. Messer, Jack Wroten, Kenneth R. Barron. ∼ The Bridgeton Evening News Bridgeton, New Jersey Thursday, 10-Sep-1970, page 6 Wilson J. Davis Dies In Texas Wilson J. Davis, former Shiloh blacksmith, who has been residing in Tyler, Texas for many years, died in Mother Francis Hospital last Sunday and funeral services were held for him on Tuesday. Mr. Davis, who is survived by his wife, Lottie, was a well-known resident of Shiloh for many years and was a close friend of the late George Agnew Chamberlin, who used him as a character in one of his famous books under the title of "Beef Boulder." Mrs. Davis resides at 1529 San Antonio street, Tyler, Texas.

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