The Story of  BENJAMIN DAVIS

Benjamin was born in July 1887. He married his wife Laura Davis in 1907 in Carlton, Alabama. To that union were born 12 children, Esther, who died as an infant, Lillie Mae, Addie, Roxie, Juanita, Jimmy, Malone, Lorenzo, Benjamin Jr, Burel Lee, Frank, and Samuel. Benjamin also had another daughter, Anna Mae.

Ben loved tilling the soil. Unlike his brothers, Ben decided to move west seeking better opportunities for his family. He could not have chosen a worse time to leave his family and all that was familiar. The country appeared to be experiencing economic prosperity on the heels of World War. Few suspected, however, that the world was headed for an economic collapse which we now know as the Great Depression. Racial hatred was still a major factor in American life. Undaunted, Ben, like Abraham, was a man of faith and vision. His decision to leave Carlton’s red hills was made with the calm assurance that God would take care of him. He stepped out on faith- the faith had sustained generations before him.

After a brief period as itinerant farmer he settled in Lake Providence, Louisiana. There he united with the Rose Hill Baptist church where he served faithfully.

Ben died March 16, 1952.

Sources:
Funeral Program of Laura Davis
1900 Census of the United States
Lorenzo Davis, Son