Soldier, Planter, and Postmaster: The Life of Allen R. Davis (1836-1921)

Along the arc of his long life, the personal details of Allen Ramsey Davis (1836-1921) paint a picture of a 19th-century Crawford County, Georgia native who transitioned from a young agricultural overseer to a ranked Civil War soldier, and ultimately to a prominent landholder.

Early Life and Roots

Allen was born 23 August 1836 to Solomon W. "Sol" Davis (d. 1868) and Aletha "Letha" Barnes (d. 1902). Around 1860, Allen married Georgia Ann Vinson (1843-1924). She was a daughter of Benjamin Vinson (d. 1882) and Mary Renfroe (d. 1877). Since Allen came from a family of ten children, and Georgia a family of nine, the Davis-Vinson union joined two large, prominent local families.

In June 1860, the census taker found the A. R. Davis household in the southeastern part of Crawford County, not far from the Houston County line and the 4-year-old railroad hub of Fort Valley. The young newlywed was occupied as an overseer of someone else's property, with no real estate of his own. Before the Civil War, the Middle Georgia economic landscape was dominated by cotton production and enslaved labor.

Civil War Service (1861-1865)

Allen R. Davis enlisted as a private in Co. F, 2nd Regiment, 1st Brigade, Georgia State Troops on 23 October 1861. Less than seven months later, he was appointed 2nd Sergeant of Co. F, 57th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (known as Bragg Rifles). 4th Sgt Wright Vinson and 1st Cpl William D. Vinson served alongside Allen in the Crawford County unit. They were brothers of Allen's wife Georgia. Captain of the company, John F. Vinson, was also connected to Georgia Ann, though the relation was a bit more extended and by marriage. Of those three Vinson men, only one survived the war. Both Wright and John died of disease in 1863.

Scott Walker wrote a history of the 57th Georgia Infantry entitled Hell's Broke Loose in Georgia: Survival in a Civil War Regiment [affiliate link]. In it, he published some letters written by Wright Vinson to his wife Christiana, and one mentions Allen:

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Dear, you said something about my bounty. You said Will had sent his home. I have got mine but hant sent home yet but I will. I will send it by Mr. Booker. I will send 55 dollars. I wold send more but Allen wants 10 dollars and I have got to keep some with mee for wee hant got nothing to eat nor hant had in two days. I had to by my breakfast this morning.

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Though Wright Vinson died after his unit entered Mississippi, it was still weeks before Vicksburg and Allen had to press on. He endured the siege, was wounded, and taken prisoner when the Confederates surrendered on 4 July 1863. Allen was paroled and exchanged some time after.

And yet, the harrowing journey was still not over. It was recorded that Allen was wounded again on 18 March 1865 at Bentonville, NC. And he was hospitalized in Greensboro at the close of the war. Allen managed to survive four years of Confederate service and was eventually able to return home.

The quiet tragedy of Wright Vinson succumbing to disease far from home was a devastatingly common fate that shattered the Victorian ideal of the "Good Death." For nineteenth-century families, a proper passing meant dying peacefully in one's own bed, surrounded by loved ones, with carefully observed final words and mourning rituals. Instead, as the city of Macon (located less than 30 miles north of Fort Valley in a county that is Crawford's neighbor to the northeast) transformed into a sprawling hospital hub to absorb the staggering influx of sick and wounded soldiers, families were robbed of these intimate comforts. The sheer volume of disease casualties overwhelmed local resources, forcing a stark departure from individualized family plots and necessitating the creation of mass military burial sections, such as the sweeping Confederate resting grounds carved into Macon’s own Rose Hill Cemetery. And even that was a better fate than some. Wright Vinson rests in an unmarked grave somewhere in Mississippi. A burial plot known only to God.

The Planter and Postmaster

After the Civil War, Allen returned to farming. By 1870, he had some real estate of his own, valued at $200. By 1880, the agriculture schedule of the federal census showed Allen's enterprise had real growth: 215 acres of land, with all but 40 improved; a $905 valuation, and doing well enough to employ others. 44 acres devoted to grain, the largest crop being 35 acres of Indian corn, allowed for the feeding of animals to be in-house and not outsourced. Combined with 35 acres devoted to the cash crop of cotton, this was likely a highly successful farm. By securing complete food independence at home while simultaneously harvesting a double-digit cotton bale count for the commercial market, a family with these exact agricultural figures would be considered comfortably well-off.

And Allen's farming business continued to prosper. According to tax records, by the mid-1880s, his land holdings increased to 350 acres valued at $1,150. After adding in other items, including livestock, the taxable value of Allen's real estate was $1,395. It's no wonder a 1906 obituary for Allen's son Fleet described Allen as "one of the largest planters in Houston County." While these numbers are modest compared to pre-Civil War plantation days, Allen did well for himself and his family.

Sometime before 1900, Allen and his family moved across the line into Houston County. The distance moved was not great, however. Allen still ran in the same circles he did when living in Crawford County. On 21 March 1895, Allen R. Davis was named postmaster of the small town of Chance in Houston County. The railroad stops in that part of Houston (from northeast to southwest) were Byron, Powersville, and Fort Valley. Chance was north of Powersville, just before the Crawford County line. Being named postmaster shows Allen held significant social and economic standing in his local community.

Wesley Chapel Cemetery

Allen died in Houston County, Georgia on 27 August 1921. He was laid to rest in Wesley Chapel United Methodist Cemetery, located on the corner of Taylors Mill Road and Wesley Chapel Road in Crawford County. The cemetery is in a deeply rural environment, and many buried within were farmers with strong ties to the surrounding lands.

Around 1976, Allen's grave was marked with an upright military headstone detailing his Confederate service with Co F, 57 Regt, GA Inf, CSA. Allen's wife, Georgia Vinson Davis, was also buried at Wesley Chapel.

Though census records suggest Allen and Georgia had eight children, it seems only four ultimately made it to adulthood, and three of them also rest at Wesley Chapel: L. Fleetwood Davis (1861-1906), who was also considered an excellent farmer; Lola L. Davis (1870-1925), wife of Edgar Lee Avera; and George Marvin Davis (1886-1935), who took his own life by pistol shot.

Last but not least, Capt. John F. Vinson and 1st Cpl William D. Vinson, fellow soldiers of the Bragg Rifles unit, also rest at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Cemetery.

Notes on Sources

• The agriculture schedule for the 1880 US Federal census was a fascinating document to view and was indispensable for getting a picture of the type of farming enterprise Allen was running. It's available online at Ancestry® [affiliate link].
• The tax lists and digests can be slightly confusing. If interested in learning more, you can read about them here.

Research Disclaimer and Personal Connection

• This profile represents a summary of currently available primary and secondary records. Cemetery research is an evolving process; as such, this document is a 'snapshot' of findings as of August 2026. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and avoid assumptions, I welcome documented corrections or additional family insights to help tell a more complete story.
• While Allen R. Davis and I are not actually related, we are connected. He is the "husband of aunt of husband of sister-in-law" of my 2nd cousin, 2x removed (so says Family Tree Maker). If that's not proof I like to research any and all, I don't know what is. All that to say, if you have any more information to add about Allen, please feel free to leave a comment. I am making a commitment over the next several months (at least) to step out of my comfort zone and interact with fellow researchers.

~ Stephanie 💜