52 Ancestors-Week 41: Newest: Discovered That Thomas N. Davey Made Many Trips Back to Europe & England

This is my third year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

The Thomas & Mary Davey family, who hailed from Cornwall, England, came to the United States in 1852.[1] Their youngest son, Frederick, was born in Pennsylvania the following year.[2] The family lived in Pennsylvania and later moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana, where both Thomas and Mary died.[3]

Their eldest son, Thomas Nicholas Davey, did very well in life as a mine owner in Jasper County, Missouri, located in the southwest part of the state. He had a large house built and made a few trips to England.

The earliest trip discovered was in 1896 when Thomas, at age 61, traveled home aboard the SS Servia from Liverpool with his wife, Anna, and daughter, Marie. Their quarters were in the saloon area of the ship and they had a total of five pieces of luggage.[4] If only we could know the purpose of the trip. Was it just a vacation? Or perhaps a business trip? Did they visit with cousins who remained in England?

The newest document of travel I have found is a two-page spread of the ship list for the SS Prince Fredrich Wilhelm of a return trip taken in September 1909. Thomas N. Davey and his son, Paul N. Davey made the trip. Paul, at age 45, was listed as a banker. Thomas, at age 73, was listed as a financier.[5] Was it a pleasure or business trip?

All in all, Thomas N. Davey made perhaps five trips. In his latest trip at age 85, he returned from abroad on board the SS Adriatic in August 1921, accompanied by his grandson, Thomas A. Korn, who was 15.[6] For this trip, he applied for a passport in June 1921, stating he intended to visit relatives in England, British Isles and to travel to France.[7]

He also applied for a passport in 1915, stating he would go abroad temporarily and planned to return to the United States within three months. Here he stated he planned to visit England to see friends.[8] I have yet to find a passenger list corresponding to this possible trip. Perhaps it never occurred.

So, passenger lists do not tell us much about where they were overseas, however, passport application can be very helpful, especially when a naturalized citizen applies for one. On his 1915 application, he gave the date his family first arrived in the United States as well as the ship’s name. He also stated when and where he was naturalized. These documents have a photograph and also give a description of the applicant. At 79 years old in 1915, Thomas was “five feet nine inches tall,” and had a “high forehead, gray eyes, a large nose, moustached mouth, bearded chin, gray hair, light complexion and a full beard.”[9] 

Isn’t it wonderful to have both a written description and a photograph of our ancestors?

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[1] “New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957,” Ocean Queen, arriving 12 Mar 1852, 2nd page, lines 18-25, digital image, Ancestry ((http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 Aug 2019), citing NARA M237, roll 110.

[2] Central United Methodist (Reading, Pennsylvania), Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania., St. Peter's Church, Baptisms p 2, Frederick Henry Davey; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 June 2012).

[3] "Thomas Davey," Jeffersonville (Indiana) Daily News, 9 Feb 1886, p. 2, digital image, NewspaperArchive.com (http://newspaperarchive.com/). Also “Death of Mary Nicholas,” Jeffersonville (Indiana) News, 19 Sep 1893, p. 4.

[4] "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), 1896, SS Servia, line nos. 410-412, Thos N. Davey; NARA M237, roll 664, image 792.

[5] "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), 5 Sep 1909, SS Prince Fredrich Wilhelm, sht 101, lines 5 & 6, Paul N and Thos N Davey, image 608-09; citing NARA T715, roll 1333.

[6] "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), 1921, SS Adriatic, Thomas N. Davey, citing NARA T715, roll 3013, image 0263.

[7] "U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database & images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), certificate no. 50290, Thomas Nicholas Davey; citing NARA M1490, roll 1650.

[8] "U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database & images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Thomas N. Davey, no. 5137, 26 July 1915; citing NARA M1490, roll 0261.

[9] Ibid.

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