Arthur Landon Davies was the second oldest son and the third child of Henry Landon Davies and Anne Whiting Clayton. He was also the grandson of Nicholas (Old Nick) Davies. Arthur was born in Bedford County, Virginia, on October 10, 1773. He died at 1 AM on April 25, 1840 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
Arthur relocated from Bedford to Gloucester County, Virginia, which was the home of his Clayton and Whiting ancestors. He was a lawyer and served as County Clerk of Court from 1818 to 1836.
He married twice. Arthur's first wife was Elizabeth Whiting Pryor, who was probably a distant relative connected on Arthur's Whiting family line. Elizabeth died on April 18, 1813 at about the age of forty.
Second, Arthur married Lucy Clayton on May 31, 1814 in Gloucester County. Lucy was born in Gloucester County in the eventful year of 1776. It is suspected that Lucy was a member of the family of Dr. John Clayton's, although her connection to it has not been proven. If Lucy is eventually proven to be one of our Claytons, then she would have been Arthur's cousin. It is evident that the early members of our Davies family had a preference for marrying cousins.
Arthur and his first wife, Elizabeth Pryor, had the following children:
1. Ann Bowyer Clayton Davies - born March 13, 1797.
2. Catherine Elizabeth Davies - born November 4, 1798.
3. Emily Nicholas Davies - born November 22, 1800.
4. William Henry Davies - born November 6, 1802.
5. Daughter Davies - born early August 1803.
6. Alfred Boyle Davies - born July 8, 1804.
7. Walter Davies - born April 13, 1807.
8. Algernon Sidney Davies - born January 24, 1810.
Arthur and his second wife, Lucy Clayton, had the following child:
9. Lucy Elvria Davies - born October 30, 1819.
Descendants of Arthur Landon Davies married into a number of influential Virginian families, including Carter, Cobbs and Steptoe.
The portrait of Arthur L. Davies can be seen hanging at the Gloucester County Court House, Gloucester, Virginia. We are thankful to cousin Tom Pullen of Tipton County, Tennessee, for discovering the existence of this portrait and bringing it to our attention.
Sources: Boyle, Dr. James David, The Davies Family of Virginia, The Descendants *of Nicholas Davies of "Pebbleton," Morris Publishing, 3212E. Hwy 30, *Kearney, NE 68847, c. 2000, pp 273-274.
Rhodes, Wayne Philip, Clayton-Davies Re-visited, The Virginia Genealogist, No. 4, Vol. 30, pp. 243-257, 1986.
