Cornelia Dillard Davis, 1838 - 1924

My very beautiful great great grandmother, Cornelia DILLARD, was born on 07 Mar 1838 in Granville County, North Carolina. 

She was the third child of Israel F. DILLARD and Mahalia BAILEY, who had six other children: 
Elijah H
Narcissa
Martha
William
Henry
Mary

Cornelia attended Beaver Dam School in Granville County in the 1840s with her siblings Narcissa and Elijah.

When she was 22, she married Jonathan F. DAVIS on 24 Jan 1861 in Granville County, NC.  Jonathan was the son of Jonathan DAVIS and Tildanthe BAYLEY, also of Granville County, NC.

She shows up on all the expected censuses:

1850: Age 12 in Beaver Dam district of, Granville County, NC. 
1860: Age 22 in Beaver Dam district of Granville, NC
1870: Age 33 in Brassfield, Granville County, NC
1880: Age 42 in Wake County, NC
1890: Census burned. Shucks.
1900: Age 62 in Grissom, Granville County, NC
1910: Age 72 in Brassfield, Granville County, NC
1920: Age 81 (widowed) in Brassfield, Granville County, NC living with her grandchildren.

Jonathan and Cornelia DILLARD DAVIS had the following children:

1. Lucy who died in 1920.
2. Mary born in Granville County
3. Leonia born in 1850 and died in 1878 at age 18 in Granville County
4. Matilda born in 1861 and died in 1871 at age 10 in Granville County
5. Genetta born in 1863 in Granville County. She died age age 73 and 11 months on 25 May 1937 in Durham, NC. She married James Bernice WILSON about 1883.
6. Luvinia born in 1863.
7. Augusta born on 07 Jul 1865 and died on 23 Mar 1937 in Granville County. She married William Andrew HASWELL on 28 Dec 1886 in Granville County.
8. Hampton born in 1867.
9. Arammenta born on 18 Sep 1869 and died on 11 Aug 1962 in Granville County. She married John Daniel PLEASANTS about 1886.
10. Cordelia Ann born on 11 Nov 1872 and died on 07 Jul 1949 in Granville County of stomach cancer at age 76. She married Sidney Irvin DAVIS in 1888 in Granville County. These are my great grandparents. 
11. Serephana DAVIS born on 26 Jan 1874 in Granville County. She died on 03 Dec 1905. She married Jim H. INSCORE about 1891.
12. Laurence Commodore DAVIS born on 24 Jun 1875 and died on 09 Mar 1919 in Granville County.
13. Cora DAVIS born on 30 Apr 1884 in Granville County. She died on 17 Dec 1968 in Wake County, NC at age 84. She married Henry Sanford POWELL on 20 Mar 1909 in Wake County.

Cornelia died on 07 Feb 1924 in Granville County, NC at age 88. She is in Bailey Family Cemetery, Youngsville, NC. 

Here is a transcription of her will: 

Last Will and Testament of Cornelia Davis located in the North Carolina Archives, December 2003.

State of North Carolina
County of Granville

I, Cornelia Davis, of the County of Granville, State of North Carolina, being of sound mind and memory, do make, publish and declare this to be my last will and testament, in words following, that is to say:

1. I wish that my body may be given decent burial and that all my just debts be paid by my executor hereinafter named out of any funds belonging to my estate coming into his hands. 
2. I direct that all the land which I own in fee simple shall after my death be divided into seven shares, or into as many shares as there shall be children of mine, or children of deceased children per ?? living at my death, and I give and devise to each of my daughters Genetta Wilson, Augusta Haswell, Araminta Haswell, Cordelia Davis, and Cora Davis one share of my said land, to each of them for the term of their natural lives and after their death to the child or children of said daughters in fee simple, but if either of my said daughters shall die without issue living at the time of their death, then the share herein devised to such daughter shall revert to and vest in my heirs at law in fee simple. And I give and devise to my son Lawrence Davis one share in my real estate in fee simple. And to my grandchildren Hubert and Lucy Inscore, children of my deceased daughter Sarafina Inscore, I give and devise one share in my said real estate in fee simple.
3. It is my will that the said lands devised in the preceding paragraph shall be actually partitioned and not sold for division.
4. Whereas my only son Lawrence has been faithful in taking care of me and looking after the farm, and has in the course of such employment purchased and added to the live stock, machinery, and tools, now therefore in order that there may not be any dispute as to whom these belong, I devise and bequeath to my said son Lawrence Davis all my interest and right, if I have any, in and to the horse, mules, oxen, farming tools and all machinery of whatever nature which are now or may be at the time of my death in use on my said farm lands or on that in which I have a life estate coming from my deceased husband Jonathan F. Davis.
5. I name as the executor of this my last will and testament my son Lawrence Davis, who shall not be required to give any bond.

Cornelia Davis (her mark X)

Signed, sealed, published, and declared to be her list will and testament by Cornelia Davis, who signed the same in our presence, we being requested by her to act as witnesses thereto and who signed the same as witnesses thereof in her presence and in the presence of each other. This the 24th day of November 1908.

W. A. Davis
L. F. Smith

This note was attached to the will:

To the Clerk of Superior Court of Granville County, We the undersigned heirs of Mrs. Cornelia Davis estate do recommend that H. S. Powell be appointed as the administrator of the estate.

Signed

Herbert Inscoe (his mark X)
Genetta Wilson
Cordelia Davis
Gussie Haswell
Cora Powell
Airmenta Pleasants