Local History: The Legacy of Levi Davenport and His Little Table at the Library
- Terri
- 23 hours ago
- 6 min read
Terri from the DeWitt County Genealogical Society recounts the tale of DeWitt County pioneer and cabinetmaker Levi Davenport and the little table he crafted, which is kept at the library.
Settlement of DeWitt County was slow to start, primarily because at the time, timber was valued over prairie land, and DeWitt County was mostly prairie. The first settlers came in 1824, and by the 1850 Federal Census, the population had grown to 5002, less than one third of today’s head count. One early settler was Levi Davenport, who came to Clinton in 1845.
Levi was born in Schoharie County, New York, on January 15, 1812, the seventh child of Samuel and Mary Van Valen Davenport. Samuel died before reaching the age of 50 in December of 1821, leaving his widow with ten children to raise. So, at the age of 9, Levi went to live with a Mr. Sidney until he was 16, at which time he entered a 4-year cabinetmaker apprenticeship. After that, he worked as an itinerant journeyman while also attending a subscription school, where he learned the fundamentals of preaching. For a few years, he traveled throughout Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama as a minister of the Christian faith.
Eventually, at the age of 33, Levi arrived in Clinton and opened a cabinetmaker’s shop. It is unknown what drew him to DeWitt County – all his siblings spent their lives in New York except one brother, and he migrated to Wisconsin. Levi became acquainted with Mary Fenimore Hutchin, whose family had settled in the western part of the county in 1839. He and Mary were married in Macon County on 3 Sep 1846 and took up residence on a farm in Barnett Township. Today, we might consider him an over-achiever, or maybe Mary gave him the direction he needed. Either way, he turned a parcel of rough prairie into a working farmstead with a log cabin, barn and fenced-in fields. Within three years, he had sold the farm and returned to his cabinetmaking business in Clinton. Then in 1853, he purchased and operated the mill on Salt Creek by the Tunbridge Township village of Franklin (which eventually became a ghost town). His forever home, however, would be the farmstead shown in the 1875 plat map below.
In 1849, Levi purchased 80 acres of government land west of where Kenney would be located 22 years later. The red dot on the map indicates the Davenport residence in 1875, and the blue dot marks the location of Pleasant Valley Cemetery, where Levi and most of his nuclear family would one day be buried. (Side note: the Methodist Church next to the cemetery was moved into the village of Kenney about the time this map was published. The school shown on the opposite side of the road was Kirby School.) Here, surrounded by Mary’s Hutchin relatives, Levi built a brick house in the mid to late 1850’s – not a common sight on a farmstead of that era. The 1870 Census, which lists land values of the heads of household, shows Levi with a whopping $26, 950 – over $650,000 in 2025 dollars. This plat map shows him the owner of over 400 acres in Tunbridge Township (not all shown in this view).
During his life, Levi was known for his steadfast integrity and unwavering Christian faith. He and Mary were both leaders in their church and community, and were mentioned in the newspaper frequently. Levi also maintained his status as a Minister of the Gospel and officiated a few marriages in DeWitt County such as this one from 1846:
In the fall of 1875, Levi and other area landowners organized the Clintonia Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of which he served as president for twenty years. (They insured only DeWitt County farms against fire and lightning strikes.) He also occasionally held local appointments such as school trustee and county fair judge. Levi died 12 Jun 1897 at the age of 85, and Mary died 2 Feb 1899 at the age of 80.
One interesting mention of Mary is from the 15 Jul 1881 issue of the Kenney Gazette which states she bought five 3-burner vapor stoves from the local hardware store and gave one to each of her daughters. What is a vapor stove, you ask? Basically, an explosion waiting to happen! A can of fuel, usually gasoline or kerosene, was mounted above the stove and fed by gravity through a pipe to the burners. I hope her sons-in-law purchased Clintonia Mutual fire insurance!
Levi and Mary had six children, some with unique names. The oldest, Sarah Icyphene was born in 1847 and named for Mary’s mother and youngest sister. (The sister, Icyphene Hutchin, contracted polio at age 5 and lived the rest of her 73 years in a wheelchair.) Sarah married Levi W. Green and had nine children. She died in 1922.
Catherine H. Davenport was born in 1849. She married James C. Williams and had seven children. “Kate” died in 1930. Their firstborn, Louis Otho Williams, gained some notoriety when he was elected to the state senate. Unfortunately, he was killed in a car wreck during his second term. The DeWitt County Genealogical Society is in possession of his senate membership certificate.
Djalma Davenport, Levi and Mary’s only son, was born in 1851. He appears to have had a twin, Cornelia, who died at birth. There is no obvious source for his unusual name. He married Emma Bell Howard, a cousin of the baseball-playing Howard brothers featured in last month’s blog. Djalma became an attorney, and he and Belle settled in Union County, Iowa, with three children. His business interests included real estate and banking, and he served two years in the Iowa State House of Representatives and two years as mayor of Creston, Iowa. He died in 1936.
Florence Bell Davenport, born in 1857, married Joel H. Williams, brother of Kate’s husband. Together, they had four children, the three living to adulthood all migrating to western states. She died in 1911.
Mary Ann Davenport was born in 1861 and married Dr. William Craig. She died in childbirth, along with her infant son, in 1882.
In the 1880 Census, an adopted son is recorded in the Levi and Mary Davenport household. His name is transcribed as Edward Borun, though it looks more like Bourne, age 9. The 1890 Census is lost, and Edward seems to disappear from the written record. Levi, Mary and all of their natural children except Djalma are buried at Pleasant Valley Cemetery west of Kenney. They likely have a number of descendants living in DeWitt County today.
Levi died intestate (without a will). In Djalma’s petition to the court to be named the administrator of his father’s estate, he stated that his father owned 240 acres of farm land and 5 rental lots in Kenney. He also states that his father’s personal estate was given to his widow Mary by written agreement of all the heirs. He then goes on to list all those heirs by name and age.
Levi’s estate was settled in the Fall Term of DeWitt County Court.
Many years ago, Levi’s great-granddaughter Grace, daughter of Louis O. Williams, donated a table to Vespasian Warner Public Library that was made by Levi. Just when it was made is unknown, but best guess would be between 1850 and 1880. It is currently on display in the lower-level lobby of the library in front of the DeWitt County Genealogical Society exhibit.
Sources:
DeWitt County newspaper archives on microfilm
Dusty Diary at ypsiarchivesdustydiary.blogspot.com
Portrait and Biographical Album of DeWitt and Piatt Counties, Illinois, Champion Bros., Chicago, 1891
1875 DeWitt County plat book
Early DeWitt County marriage records on microfilm on FamilySearch.org
Terri Lemmel was born and raised in DeWitt County near Kenney. Upon completing her education at Clinton High School, she lived in Bloomington for several years before returning to Clinton in 1990. Her interest in genealogy was piqued in the mid-90s when she found unidentified obituaries in her late grandmother's scrapbook that family members could not identify. While she initially dabbled in the subject, it wasn't until her retirement in 2018 that she jumped in with both feet. Terri joined the Genealogical Society and has been serving as its President since 2022. Research is a passion of hers, and there are lots of interesting stories to uncover! You can find Terri in the DeWitt County Genealogical Society room at the Vespasian Warner Public Library every Thursday completing research and helping others with their family and local history research.
To learn more about the DeWitt County Genealogical Society, feel free to reach out to them via phone at 217-935-5174, email at dewittcgs@gmail.com, their website, or their Facebook page.
The Vespasian Warner Library, located at 310 N. Quincy St. in Clinton, IL, features an extensive collection of local history and archives. To learn more, visit our Local History Page on the website or stop by in person! We are always excited to showcase our local history resources and discuss DeWitt County's local history.
Until Next Time Library Friends!