Hugh Lawson Davidson



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Hugh and George were twins; accordingly they should have the same birth place, which must be determined.
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Hugh Lawson Davidson left western North Carolina with his brother, John, and settled on the Barren Fork of Duck River, about two miles east of Normandy, Tennessee, in what was then Coffee County, and now is Bedford County. Here he owned a rich section of river bottom land and slaves. The fields were cultivated and yielded good crops of cotton, corn, flax and hemp. Hugh also owned and operated what was for its time a large cotton gin and he possibly kept a small "general store".

In addition to being a prosperous farmer, Hugh L. Davidson was a lawyer and was among the first and most prominent attorneys in Bedford County, Tennessee. He was also at one time appointed a county judge and thereafter was addressed as "Judge Davidson".

Judge Davidson was a staunch Presbyterian and would set out on "preaching day" with his entire family to worship, which for many years was ten miles from his plantation. His whole family were members of the church. They used to attend Sunday school in an old rope factory. All demoninations would gather and at times there would be over three hundred congregation assembled. The Bible and Concordance were the only teaching materials used.

Descendants have in their possession a letter written by Judge Hugh to two of his sons while they were soldiers in the Seminole Indian Wars. Dated at "Davidsonville", he instructs the boys "what is the first duty of a soldier" is to obey their officers. He also cautions them against the evils and sins that can befall a soldier, and closes his letter by warning them "to be careful of their horses, or they might have to walk home."

The judge married Jane Vance, a daughter of Colonel David Vance. Colonel Vance was a Revolutionary War soldier and a prominent citizen and early promoter of Buncombe County, North Carolina. Jane is described as a small woman but with much will and spunk. The loom and spinning wheel were her tools and she was unexcelled in their use.

Source: Davidson and Allied Families of Western North Carolina Family Tree on Ancestry.com [#15768454; Owner: James Butts]; Last Viewed 9 October 2011.

1. Details: The Heritage of Old Buncombe County, Doris Cline Ward, Editor (1981) at 190-191 (Article #307, "Major William and Margaret McConnell Davidson" by Mrs. Dorothy Hyde and Mr. William E. Bryson)