Talk:Davis Floyd

Talk
Please don't delete this.. it is a work in progress. i have a couple more sources i need to search out to finish it. ThanksCool10191 (talk) 15:13, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Um, no one has tried to delete it or even tag it as such. In fact, it's a good starter article!  Cheers and happy editing! - CobaltBlueTony™ talk 15:30, 13 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Okay, pretty well all done with my research. Article is open for buisness :) Cool10191 (talk) 17:01, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Wiki Project Indiana
I think this is worth inclusion in wiki project indiana. I did not rate the article though, if someone from that project would be so kind to that it would be much appreciated. Thanks Cool10191 (talk) 17:05, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Cool. I reordered the boiler plates up top because the talk page plate should be up top. - CobaltBlueTony™ talk 17:07, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Sourcing
In the external links there is a link to a Carnagie Center exhibit in New Albany on the offical Carnagie Center website, that page recounts alot of the info in the article. The specifics of his involvement in the Aaron Burr plot I could not find online, i referenced a book in my library. Here is a link to a google book Google Book on Burr Trial, Page 62 sites that Floyd was also charged with treason but without an explanation. Also, the book i referenced is on google books here Google Book on Burr You can check the pages I sited.Cool10191 (talk) 12:15, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Floyd County Namesake
The indiana state library says that it was named for John Floyd. However from other sources, the original statute does not site the namesake, and the library reference i found not site show where the library got the information on John Floyd - also, from my readings, there were 2 John Floyds, one a colonel and the other just an early settler. Neither were prominent at the time of the naming, but Davis Floyd was. It is actually from the floyd county website http://www.sunnysideoflouisville.org/history/newalbany.htm that I found that Floyd county residents claim the possibility of it being Davis Floyd. Not sure what to go with here. I footnoted both options. I lean toward Col. John Floyd because of the Indiana State Library, but I am curious what document they basinh that on.Cool10191 (talk) 19:21, 14 March 2008 (UTC)


 * It was probablly John Floyd (Virginia politician) James John Floyd when the area was apart of Virginia he lived in an area near what is now Louisville. Which had several notable children. However, I say we flip a coin! The State is more reliable than the Tourism Bureau of Clark-Floyd Counties. Jahnx  ( talk ) 08:16, 19 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I put in an email to the Indiana Historical Society to see if they can point me to a primary source or knew the answer offhand. I anxiously await their reply.Cool10191 (talk) 16:00, 19 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I honestly think that the County might just be named after the Floyd family. - Jahnx ( talk ) 10:21, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I just recieved my reply from the indiana historical society they say: I checked our copy of "From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History" by Ronald Baker, published in Bloomington, Indiana by Indiana University Press in 1995. The entry for Floyd County reads as follows:

This county was organized in 1819 and is commonly thought to have been named for Colonel John Floyd, who was killed by Indians on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River; however, Colonel Davis Floyd (1772-1834), an associate of Aaron Burr and a member of the Indiana General Assembly, was an important figure in the history of the county, and it is more likely that the county was named for him. A village in the county, Floyds Knobs, also honors Davis Floyd.

The entry for Floyds Knobs reads:

A gristmill was build here in 1815, and the present name was adopted in 1843 in honor of Colonel Davis Floyd of Jeffersonville. Earlier called Mooresville, for founder James Moore, the town is located in a valley surrounded by hills, locally called “knobs.” A post office was established on September 27, 1852.

Cool10191 (talk) 20:28, 21 March 2008 (UTC)


 * I say flip a coin! Heads - Daivs, Tails John. (not really). I keep finding information on both, obviously Davis being more notable from a political stance, however John (Davis's Uncle) was an explorer of the area around Louisville and thus could be the namesake as well. However, regardless of which one was a direct inspiration for the namesake of Floyd County, it comes from both the same family. I think we shouldn't look into the dispute as much as mentioning the county being named for the Floyd family and then we can look into the notable floyds such as Davis, John, Robert, etc... - Jahnx ( talk ) 07:41, 22 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I agree, since there seems to be no source to clearly say one way or the other I think it would be ok so say it was named for the Floyd Family, probably either John or Davis Floyd, but more likely was John Floyd.Cool10191 (talk) 12:36, 23 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Weighing in as one who has done quite a bit of research on the Floyd family in KY, and Davis Floyd in particular, I would have to say that I'm of the opinion that the county was named after Davis Floyd or his brother, Charles Floyd, who died on the Lewis & Clark expedition, and not John Floyd, for the following reason-- John Floyd's property holdings and activities were almost exclusively in Kentucky, and pertained to the protection and stabilization of Louisville. Davis Floyd, on the other hand, was a pretty colorful character in post-revolutionary war, and worked for the development of Indiana as a state.   Charles Floyd resided in Indiana with his brother, and had the mail route between Louisville and Vincennes.  Their brother-in-law, Thomas Minor Winn, was postmaster for Louisville. Nicketti (talk) 13:30, 30 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I went back and looked at the link that you have for John Floyd Politician, and I can say with absolute certainty that he had zero, zip, nada connections with Indiana. That would be a totally wrong choice.  His father, John Floyd, maybe.  John Floyd, the governor of VA, received his basic education in Louisville, but was shipped off to Dickinson College as a teen, and then settled in VA, where he had ties through the Buchanan-Preston lines of his mother's family.  He pretty much stayed in VA, and by 1819, he was mostly involved with his medical practice in VA.Nicketti (talk) 14:04, 30 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I agree that it is difficult to establish James John Floyd as the definite namesake of the county, but as of yet I have not been able to find a primary source that clearly shows who it was named for. But it was definatly named for someone in the Floyd family, as Jahnx has pointed out, and possibly Davis Floyd, so until we can find that source it is probably best to leave the fact that the namesake is questionable within the article.Cool10191 (talk) 17:13, 30 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Oops, sorry for the confusion, sorting through the all the John Floyds was a difficult task, This debate got me interested and I discovered a little while ago that the previously listed link was false, but is the son of James John Floyd which is better known as just John Floyd, which originally lead me to think maybe the birth dates were wrong on the Governor of Virginia. I eventually plan on writing an article about just the Floyd Family which would include James, Charles, Davis, Robert, John (VA), John B (VA) and both George Rogers Clark Floyds of the Floyd family. It's just a little confusing, however I wish to find more later information about the Floyd family in the late 19th Century or Early 20th Century. - Jahnx ( talk ) 19:02, 30 March 2008 (UTC)
 * The sourcing for James as a first name of John Floyd is somewhat nebulous. I've done a lot of research for Pat Stevens, who is a descendant of John Floyd through his daughter, Mourning Floyd, daughter of John Floyd and Matilda Burford.  Even though we set out to only work on Pat's line, what he's ended up with is basically an update to NJ Floyd's Floyds of VA and KY that was written in 1913.  We have corrected the errors in that book, and have traced most of the lines forward.  People contact Pat all the time to tie into the family information.  We have some things posted that we know aren't exactly correct, but it's out there for discussion.  Pat pretty much does daily updates to the information.  Nicketti (talk) 12:47, 31 March 2008 (UTC)


 * I am now of the opnion that no such source exists that will tell us what individual the county was named for. According to this book book, page 100, the source of the name is unknown.Cool10191 (talk) 14:11, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Davis Floyd's Marriages
Are you interested in information about Davis Floyd's two wives, Susannah Johnston and Elizabeth Robards?

Susannah Johnston was the sister of General Washington Johnston (given name, not military title) of Vincennes, IN. Elizabeth Robards was the niece of Lewis Robards (first husband of Rachel Donnelson, the wife of Andrew Jackson), and the widow of Thomas Terry Davis. Thomas Terry Davis was a congressional representative from Kentucky 1797-1803, and was the judge that presided over Davis Floyd's treason trial. Understanding the familial relationships is fascinating in the case of Davis Floyd.Nicketti (talk) 13:42, 30 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Nicketti, thanks for that information! it is very intriguing. Is there a book or source where this could be referenced to for the sake of the article? especially interesting is that he married the widow of the judge in his treason trial! lol.. politics have not changed much! You are welcome to add anything to the article that you aware of, just try to reference anything major.Cool10191 (talk) 17:10, 30 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I have the place and date of Davis' marriage to Elizabeth Robards Davis in Jessamine Co. KY on 3/20/1809, where her father, William Robards, resided. Her marriage to Thomas Terry Davis is recorded in Mercer Co., KY.  Thomas Terry Davis died 11/15/1807 and is buried in Jeffersonville in the old cemetery, which is now under a parking lot.  Elizabeth Robards' half sister married Thomas Terry Davis' brother, and a Davis sister, Keziah Davis Bynham married Michael Humble, a gunsmith who resided at Ft. Nelson for awhile.  Davis' first marriage is to Susannah Johnston Lewis in Jefferson Co. KY; her first marriage to George Lewis two years' prior is also recorded in Jefferson Co. KY.  I fix her date of death as ca. 1807 based upon the probate of a will in Clark Co. IN (will pull out records and will post).  The family connections are interesting, because it is a tightly woven group that involves the Floyd, Winn, Johnston and Robards families.

Davis Floyd had three known siblings: Elizabeth Floyd m. Thomas Minor Winn, Jefferson Co. KY; Charles Floyd, who died on the Lewis & Clark expedition, and Mary Lee Floyd, who married 1) John Withers Winn in Adams Co. MS, and 2) Parke Walton in Adams Co, MS. Thomas Minor Winn and John Withers Winn were brothers. They were brothers to Hannah Withers Winn, who was the second wife of Lewis Robards (1st wife Rachel Donnelson) and to Elizabeth Winn, wife of William Johnston, brother of Susannah Johnston (and General Washington Johnston), first county recorder of Jefferson Co. KY and the owner of Cave Hill Farm, now Cave Hill Cemetery. Another Johnston sibling with ties to Clark Co. IN is Mary Ann Johnston, who married Capt. John Harrison. The Johnston siblings are children of Benjamin Johnston and Dorothy Jones, who is the daughter of Gabriel Jones. The name Gabriel Jones repeats itself in the Johnston and Floyd families. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nicketti (talk • contribs) 12:34, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Children of Davis Floyd
There are three children of Davis Floyd that I have been able to find mention of: Gabriel Jones Floyd, m. Sarah Conn in Cincinnati, OH; Charles Floyd; Elizabeth Floyd m. James S. Linn in Leon Co., KY. Of Charles, I find mention of him in an article in the Indiana Historical Society magazine as an heir, and he appears in the 1830 Leon Co. FL census. There is a record of Elizabeth Floyd's marriage to James S. Linn in Leon Co. FL in 1828. James Linn appears to have been a Clerk of the Court.

The most information is found on Gabriel Floyd. He served in the regular US Army and was billeted in Baltimore MD in 1814. He married Sarah Conn in Cincinnati in 1817. He ran a hotel with his wife in New Albany, and he and his father were in the mercantile business in Corydon. He migrated to Florida with Davis Floyd in 1823, and was appointed the customs officer for Port St. Joseph. He had one identified son, Robert Floyd, who lived in Apalachicola FL and was a member of the FL state legislature. Gabriel Floyd died in St. Louis in 1842, beaten to death in a robbery at his home. His son, Robert Floyd, married Georgianne Johnson, daughter of Baker Johnson and Sophia Grundy of Fredericks Co. MD, in Apalachicola FL. They had two sets of twins, of which only one child survived, Gabriel Jones Floyd. He distinguished himself in the confederate army, and died in VA in 1865. He married Sarah Gorrie in Apalachicola in 1863; she is the daughter of Dr. John Gorrie, who is considered the inventor of refrigeration. They had one daughter, Caroline, and I have been able to trace descendants of this family through census records to 1930.

On my to do list is to Corydon and see if a will is filed there.Nicketti (talk) 13:08, 31 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Very interesting! Is there any information to show which of Davis's wives was the mother of the three children? Also, i wonder if Davis had step children with his second wife? That could be mentionable. Cool10191 (talk) 13:40, 31 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Gabriel, Charles and Elizabeth are with Susannah; there was a son Robert, who is referenced in the Robards family records so is with Elizabeth Robards Davis Floyd. Additionally, Thomas Terry Davis and Elizabeth Robards had a daughter, Elizabeth, who is mentioned in Cyrus Davis' will in Mercer Co. KY (Thomas T. Davis' father).  There are other children attributed to Davis Floyd, but undocumented.Nicketti (talk) 01:17, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

Aaron Burr Connection
I think it's important to link Davis Floyd's involvement with Burr to the Spanish Conspiracy that was taking place in Kentucky at the time. One of the key players in the Spanish Conspiracy was Benjamin Sebastian, whose home, Ridgeways, is still standing in St. Matthews near Hubbards Lane and Westport Rd., on Ridgeway Ave. near Holy Trinity Church. I believe the property was purchased from Jane Buchanan Floyd Breckinridge, and later sold to Henry and Helen Bullitt Massie. The Spanish Conspiracy was a movement to secede from the United States and become part of Spain in order to gain waterway access to transport goods down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. I really believe this was a integral motivator to Davis Floyd's involvement with Aaron Burr. Additionally, James Wilkinson was a large landholder in KY, owning the land where Frankfort is located. A very interesting book to read on this time period is "Jefferson and the Gun Men" by M R Montgomery. I believe Davis Floyd was introduced to Aaron Burr by Thomas Terry Davis, who would have known Burr from congress, and would have introduced them through the Indiana Canal Company. All these people knew each other.Nicketti (talk) 01:12, 1 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I do agree with you that Davis Floyd probably had questionable motives in the aaron burr plot, and he probably was hoping to gain something big from it. But, from everything I have read, they are not certain just how much he actually knew about the plot. Ant they are not certain about his intentions. Too bad he didn't write a tell all book.. lol. I am nervous to add more than can be established as facts, or at least referenced somewhere as a possibility. Cool10191 (talk) 12:43, 1 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I'm not so sure his motives were questionable, as they were indicative of the dire financial situation without centralized banks. There was little to no hard currency, lending was through individuals, and with the waterways shut off to commerce through New Orleans, there was no viable way to deliver raw goods to the east, and manufactured goods to Louisville.  The effort to truck goods by carts through the Cumberland Gap, or up the Ohio to pittsburgh and then overland was formidable.  The  concerns and needs of Kentucky's citizens fell on deaf ears in VA and Washington.  Hence, the plan to leave the United States and align KY and IN with Spain in exchange for waterways access.  When I was in high school at Ballard, our teacher said the outcome of the Civil War was that the United States changed from "the United States are" to "the United States is".  Davis' involvement with Burr was most likely motivated by access or control of waterways access. There is some good reading on the importance of canals and river transport during this time period.  While Davis Floyd cannot be directly linked to the Spanish Conspiracy, it does provide a context for the political and economic climate in KY and IN.68.18.91.67 (talk) 03:15, 2 April 2008 (UTC)


 * That is one possiblity, but they may also have been planning to seize louisana from mexico and form their own country, or as burr said, they may have been planning to buy a large tract of land from spain on the west side of the missippi and establish it as their own country. It's not certain. Davis probably was motivated by the financial situation and the possibility of great forutune he could make if the mississippi was open to trade - but aaron burr on the other hand, i think was after something else, his own country or something. It's just hard to say how much davis knew about burr's intentions, and what exactly davis's own intentions where. At the trial they couldn't prove anything, really. And not a whole lot more ever came out about it as far as i can tell. If a source can be located that makes assumptions about floyd and burr's dealings then I will be all for adding that into the article saying it was a possibility that davis was trying to do such and such. But at this point I still think adding much more would constitute original research and violate wikipolicy Charles Edward 12:18, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

Davis Floyd's Education
I believe that Davis Floyd was educated in Virginia, rather than KY, but I have not been able to prove it. My reason for this is in contrasting a known sample of Davis Floyd's writing and spelling http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/newax3.html  with the diaries of his brother, Charles Floyd, from the Lewis & Clark expedition. Davis has the penmanship and spelling of a well-educated person. Nicketti (talk) 01:42, 1 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I have read that floyd was educated in law - he must have been to become a judge. And that he was a lawyer when he moved to Indiana in 1801. I am not sure, but I don't think there was any sort of law school in kentucky before 1801, so he would have to have went somewhere else to study it. Charles Edward 12:25, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

Florida Territorial Land Commissioner
Davis Floyd was appointed a territorial land commissioner for FL by James Madison. He was one of three. The other two were William W. Blair and Alexander Hamilton, Jr. Given Davis Floyd's relationship with Aaron Burr, one can only speculate what that working relationship was like. According to a letter in Papers of Henry Clay, written to John Quincy Adams, William Blair was a Judge in Kentucky, educated at Transylvania College. The footnotes indicate he was appointed a judge to middle Florida, in 1824, and died in 1824.68.18.91.67 (talk) 12:09, 1 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I could be mistaken, but i thought that reference was refering to his prior judgeship in Indiana and how he encouraged another judge. But at the time he was not a judge, but a land commissioner. In my searching that is the only significant reference I have been able to find out his florida life - it's not very informative - so i could be completely mistaken.Cool10191 (talk) 12:21, 1 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I have researched this a little more, it could not have been james madison, because it was not until the 1820s that floyd went to florida (the US aquired in in 1821), so it would have to have been monroe or john quincy. madison's term ended in 1817 - and floyd was still living in corydon until at least 1819 (probably until 1822) - thats when he lost his fortune. But it wasn't "president" adams (that was wrong), because Floyrd started settling disputes in 1823 - while monroe was president. But, the reference about the florida supreme court states that it was john quincy adam's who appointed him - now adams was secratary of state in those years, and he was overseeing the land transfer from spain, so i bet he appointed him to settle disputes in his capacity as secratary of state.Cool10191 (talk) 13:21, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm sorry, I wasn't clear-- the judge reference above was in regard to William Blair. They were appointed by James Monroe; I believe I have Madison on my mind for some reason.  Davis' occupation in FL territorial land commissioner, attorney, mayor pro tem of St. Augustine in 1826, and treasurer for the territorial council from 1826 - 1828.  His death is noted in the January, 1832 minutes of the territorial council, as referenced in a letter from Clifton Davis in the Floyd family file at the Harrison Co. Historical Society library.  I have a copy of a legal proceeding against his estate involving Lafayette's land claims.  He started out in Alachua Co. FL in 1823, but was enumerated in Leon Co. FL in the 1830 census.68.18.91.67 (talk) 02:46, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

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