Tolpehocken Creek
Israel C. attributes the local memory directly to his father, Daniel Jr.: Daniel Jr. spoke about Tolpehocken Creek and said he had been raised nearby. This is evidence of a family tradition, though it was recorded many years later.
← Daniel Davis Sr.’s profile
Descendant research · Harrisburg, Pennsylvania · 16 November 1911
Israel C. Davis on Daniel Davis
A grandson’s brief account preserves two valuable family traditions—and one proposed ancestral connection that remains to be proven.
Who wrote this?
A grandson looking backward.
Israel C. Davis identified himself as a son of Daniel Davis Jr., making him a grandson of the Daniel Davis Sr. discussed here. He wrote from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1911.
This Israel C. Davis should not be confused with Daniel Sr.’s son Israel Davis, born in 1825, whose line leads to Pearl Elizabeth Davis and the Dutton family.
Complete attributed statement
The research note.
Spelling and punctuation are lightly regularized for readability. The wording and distinctions between recollection and theory are preserved.
“I find in Rupp’s history of Lebanon and Berks counties that William Davis was a settler in Amity Township along the Tolpehocken Creek in 1752, and I think he is the father of Daniel Davis Sr., because Daniel Davis Jr. talked about Tolpehocken Creek and said that he was raised in that neighborhood.
“Daniel Davis Sr. was drafted at the close of the War of 1812 and was taken to Carlisle Barracks and discharged there, as the war was then closed.
“This is all I know of Daniel Davis Sr.”
Evidence reading
What the statement does—and does not—establish.
Keeping these layers separate prevents a plausible theory from becoming an unsupported fact through repetition.
William Davis as Daniel’s father
Israel C. explicitly wrote “I think.” The shared region makes William Davis a useful research candidate, but the note supplies no record that directly links William to Daniel. The relationship remains unproven.
Drafted at the war’s end
The note reports that Daniel was drafted near the close of the War of 1812, taken to Carlisle Barracks, and discharged because the conflict had ended. A draft list, muster roll, or discharge record is still needed.
The Carlisle history included in the PDF
The later pages reproduce a modern general history of Carlisle Barracks. They help explain the location, but they do not name Daniel and are not evidence that he was stationed there.
Next research priorities
Four records could move this story forward.
- War of 1812 draft recordsSearch Pennsylvania militia and federal records for Daniel’s name near the war’s close.
- Carlisle Barracks recordsLook for recruit, draft, discharge, correspondence, or post returns that might place him there.
- Berks and Lebanon County recordsUse land, tax, church, probate, and guardianship material to test the William Davis hypothesis.
- The complete 1845 pension fileTranscribe every affidavit and identify each witness, residence, claimed unit, and reason the Revolutionary service was not accepted.
Original source
Read the complete supplied PDF.
The first page contains Israel C. Davis’s attributed research statement. The remaining pages reproduce general background on Carlisle Barracks and should be read as context rather than proof of Daniel’s presence.