Henry Dorsey Davy was born May 4, 181, of Irish Welch ancestry. This is the insert taken from Dorsey Hodgden's history which was written at Dayton, Ohio, between the dates of February 18, 1931 and November 28, 1932. He passed away 1939, the month of August.
My grandfather, H. D. Davy was of Scottish-German descent.
A man of strong build, with great natural ability and was a
noted minister in the Brethren Church. Was moderator of yearly
conference for twelve consecutive years and was a great commanding
ability. He was connected with the Dorsey people of Maryland.
The Dorsey people were highly intelligent and well to do.
He being named Henry Dorsey Davy after them. He married two
different times, nine children by the first wife, and three
by the last one. His first wife was a Leatherman by name. They
were spoken of as high class people. He lived to be 84 years old.
His second wife was named Bostutor.
The first record of his activities is at the age of 43 he began committee work as a result of appointment by Annual Meeting. The first assignment was to visit the Johnathan Creek Church and help bring peace and harmony to the Church. A second notation, 1853, indicated his reappointment.
Henry Davy, Delaware County, Ohio appointed on a committee with
Geo. Shively, John Shoemaker, John Molsbaugh, Jacob Kurtz to fulfill the duties
of a new committee regarding the Johnathan Creek Church.
H. D. Davy's name appeared again, 1856, as a member of a committee assigned to the Owl Creek Church, Know County, Ohio. Difficulties had arisen within that congregation.
During the year 1857, Annual Meeting chose H. D. Davy to visit the Ashland Church, Ohio, with a committee of five others. The next Annual Meting, 1858, selected several committees to look after many grievances that came up, for that period everything was taken to Annual Meeting, no matter haw small the grievance might have been. The year he was selected to serve on Committee No. 1, and he also served on the Standing Committee. (The Standing Committee organizes the business for Annual Meeting,) Again in 1862, the name of H. D. Davy appears, when he was asked to visit the Rush Creek Church, Hacking County, Ohio. By 1863 he was beginning to become fairly important figure at Annual Meeting. He was appointed to go into another state, the state of Virginia to the Lower Shenandoah Church and to serve again on the Standing Committee. In 1864 he was again a member of the Standing Committee.
A new capacity now became the role of H. D. Davy. Elder John Kline had been killed by some enemies while riding a horse one day after having Nell shod. His body was riddled by several bullets but a smile rested on his face. Henry Davy now became Moderator of Annual Meeting in place of Elder John Kline. This role he carried from 1865 to 1876, when he retired. No other record to twelve consecutive years has been equaled by any other man. This quote came from Henry Holsinger's Book, History of the Brethren:
Elder Davy served as moderator of Annual Meeting in 1865, at Antietam, Pennsylvania, and continues to serve consecutively, until 1876, a term longer than any other man has ever held the same office. Being of a pleasant countenance, he could order a brother to take his seat, or inform him he was out of order without and danger of giving offence. He was a natural diplomat and peacemaker...with a liberal education, Henry D. Davy would have been the peer of the best men in any denomination in the country.
During 1865, he served on Committee No. 1 to go to the Beaver Dam Church, Maryland, Committee No. 4 to go to Berling Church, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and Committee No. 7 to go to the Salmony Church, Indiana. Besides this, he served on the Standing Committee. Throughout these years he was constantly on the go.
While he was serving as Moderator, continual agitation crept into the Church over modernization, Sunday Schools, education, etc. Elder Davy did not escape criticism for at one time there were 33 charges trumped against him. Before he retired every charge was withdrawn. Henry Holsinger had many crucial discussions with H. D. Davy. It was Holsinger that started the movement of the Progressive Brethren Church, while Davy was of the old conservative school.
By 1881, friction had arisen to such a height, that a special conference was called August 24, 1881, in the Ludlow and Painter Creek Churches near Pittsburgh, Ohio. H. D. Davy was called to this meeting. When he left he gave them words of caution. His closing remark was, "Brethren, I will be with you." The year 1882 developed a three-way split in the Church: The Old Order German Baptist Brethren, The German Baptist Brethren, and the Progressive Brethren Church. H. D. Davy went with the Old Order German Baptist Brethren. In 1884, he was called upon to write the minutes of Annual Meeting from 1778 to 1876. This he did with the help of Samuel Murry and Jos. I. Cover. The work was finally completed with two men, H. D. Davy and James Quinter a owners of a joint-copyrighted book. This created a problem since H. D. Davy was in the Old Order Church and James Quinter in The German Baptist Church. Quinter sold his interest to H. D. Davy for $50, March 3, 1885. H. D. Davy in the process $350 preparing the project. He offered it for sale to the Old Order Church for $300 and permitted the other $50 to go to the goodwill of the church. The Church accepted the offer.
The following dates are recorded as dates Elder Davy served as foreman or Moderator of the Old Order German Baptist Church: 1886, 1887, 1890, 1891, 1892 and 1893. During the year 1895, Elder Henry Dorsy Davy answered the final summons to the Almighty in death. He served well and long, thus ended the life of a most faithful servant, age 85 years
*Source: Academic Term Paper written by Ralph Hodgden, 1956
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During the first part of the Civil War, Davy and two other Brethren were sent as a committee to visit the US president and secretary of the War Department in the interest of nonresistant Brethren. An arrangement was made for exemption from military service if the young Brethren would work in hospitals.
During the later years of his tenure as moderator of Annual Meeting, Davy and the Standing Committee came under censure from both the Progressive Brethren (Brethren Church) and Old Order movements. By 1876 Davy himself came under attack in his congregation and in the S. Ohio district. As a result of allegations pertaining to his private life, he was disfellowshiped and removed from his office as elder in February, 1877. In the process, he effectively lost his influence at Annual Meeting. He was restored to fellowship in April, 1877, and was reinstated as elder in the Lost Creek congregation in December, 1880.
Davy was a self-educated man, but the quality of his learning is evident from the high regard in which he was held by the Brethren and by his fellow ministers. The positions of leadership to which he was called indicate his abilities.
Source: Leamersville Church of the Brethren, PA, page 364-365
Family Data Collection - Individual Records
Name: Henry Dorsey Davy
Spouse: Elizabeth Leatherman
Birth Place: Tuscarawas Co, OH
Birth Date: 4 May 1811
Death Place: Miami County, OH
Death Date: 7 September 1895
Parents: John Davy Davy ,
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Family Data Collection - Individual Records
Name: Henry Dorsey Davy
Spouse: Catherine Bostetter
Birth Place: Tuscarawas, Fairfield Twp, OH
Birth Date: 4 May 1811
Death Place: Lost Creek Twp, Maimi, OH
Death Date: 7 September 1895
Parents: John Davy , Ruth Dorsey
Source Information for the Above:
Edmund West, comp. Family Data Collection - Individual Records. [database online] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000.
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