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         EVAN E. DAVIS, a farmer of Louisa County, residing on section 8, Columbus City Township, is a native of Wales, and is a son of Evan Davis, whose sketch appears on another page of this volume. Our subject was reared upon a farm, and received his education in the common schools. In 1850 he crossed the Atlantic, and landed in the country which was henceforth to be . . .

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. . . his home. Remaining for a short time in the State of New York, he then went to Ohio, and in 1842 came to Louisa County, where he engaged in breaking prairie and threshing until 1860. He then made his first purchase of land, consisting of eighty acres on section 8, Columbus City Township, which was then in a wild, unimproved state. Upon that farm he still lives, though he has added to his original purchase until he is now the owner of 640 acres of arable land and thirty acres of timber land.

In 1861 Mr. Davis was married, becoming the husband of Mary Davis, who was born in Wales, and is a daughter of Henry Davis, of Henry County, Iowa. They are the parents of seven living children: Elizabeth Frances, wife of Thomas Hughes, of Elm Grove Township; Robert Edward, Henry, Joseph, Sarah, Sem and Ida May, at home. Mr. Davis and his wife are members of the Calvinistic church, of which he is an Elder. He takes an active part in both the church and Sunday-school work, and is an ardent supporter of temperance principles. In his political views he is a Republican, and has held various township offices. Commencing life a poor boy, he has by hard labor and close attention to business gained a comfortable competency, and is one of the well-to-do farmers of the county. On all matters of general interest he is well informed, and toward the local enterprises he is ever ready to lend a helping hand. With the exception of three months spent in visiting his native land, and a visit to the Centennial at Philadelphia in 1876, his life has been spent in Louisa County since 1852.