William Davidson   

William Davidson, a native of Carlisle, Pa., and a clerk in the prothonotary’s office at that place, left there about 1807, in company with John B. Gibson (afterwards of Beaver), to seek his fortune in what was then known as the Wrest. While on his way, at Bedford, he fell in with Mr. Wurtz, of the firm of Mochabee & Wurtz, proprietors of the Laurel Furnace. Davidson, being then a young man about twenty-five years of age, and of prepossessing appearance, made a favorable impression on Mr. Wurtz, who thereupon at once proposed to him to take charge of the affairs of his furnace, which proposition Mr. Davidson accepted. He, however, did not remain very long in that business, and in 1808 removed to Connellsville, where (having married not long after his arrival) he made his home during the remainder of his long life, following the vocations of merchant, farmer, and iron-master. He was connected with the army in some capacity in the war of 1812, and was made prisoner in Hull’s surrender of Detroit. He served several years in the Legislature of Pennsylvania, both in the House of Representatives (of which he was chosen Speaker in 1818) and in the Senate. He died in 1867, in the eighty-fifth year of his age. Mr. Davidson had three sons,—Thomas R., Daniel R., and John,—the last named dying in early youth. Thomas R. Davidson became one of the leading lawyers of Fayette County, and is more fully mentioned elsewhere, in connection with the members of the Fayette bar. Daniel R. Davidson became a farmer, but also took very great interest in the promotion of railroad enterprises in this section. He used his influence and gave a great portion of his time to the building of the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad; and it is doubted by many whether that road would have been completed to Connellsville (certainly not at the time when it ‘was completed) but for the energy which he displayed and the influence which he brought to bear in its aid. Afterwards he was very influential in securing the right of way for the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad, thus aiding to complete another line of railway communication for Connellsville. He now resides at Beaver, Pa. (where he removed in 1868), and is largely interested in the manufacture of coke, and in other industries, and is president of the Bank of Commerce in Pittsburgh.

History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1882, page 372. View the image of this page online - Free Trial  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.