Yuma County, Colorado Photographs

Yuma County Pioneer Photographs:

George Washington and Nora May (Godfrey) Davisson, Kirk
Photographs donated by Stephen Schneider.

George Washington Davisson was born in Iowa in 1871, the son of Franklin and Elzia Davisson. He came to Colorado in the 1890s with his mother, two brothers and two sisters. All of them settled in the Kirk/Idaila area of Yuma County. George homesteaded a quarter section nine miles southeast of Kirk in Sec 29 T5S R45W and received his patent in June 1899.

Nora May Godfrey was born in Kansas in 1888, the daughter of Thomas and Malissa (Hitchcock) Godfrey. She came to Colorado in the early 1900s with her uncle and aunt Marion and Molly Hitchcock. She got a job working for Eliza Davisson where she met George. George and Nora were married December 23, 1907 and they had fifteen children, three of whom died in infancy. Nora passed away in 1941 and George in 1947. They are buried in the Lucas Cemetery west of Idalia.

George lived in a dugout on his homestead until shortly before he married Nora when he built the sod house shown below photographed after a couple of additions.

From the left Lewis A, George, Franklin T, William E, Nora and Hazel M.

George and Nora's surviving children were:
   Lewis A. "Lew" married Marie [-?-}
   William E. "Bill" married Lela Smith.
   Franklin T. "Frank" married Anna Higdon.
   Hazel M. married Coyle Higdon.
   Arthur J."Art" married 1) Linda Lansdon and 2) Mary Abshere.
   Mary E.
   Mabel A. married Virgil Willhite
   Mane M. married Harold Jackson.
   Fred E. married Eva Lightle.
   Ella O. married Dale Davis.
   Laura E. married Ernie Black.
   Sarah Anna "Ann"

G.W. Davisson family and threshing crew circa 1916
Since the steam engine is populated by men leaning on hay forks and powering another machine via endless belt, I assume this is a threshing crew photo.

Stephen can identify only the small boy on the left (Frank Davisson); Hazel, Art and Mary (held by Nora Davisson) on the right. George Davisson is the one in the center hidden behind the tractor's steam dome drinking from a water bottle.

Would suggest that the small child beside the tractor driver (on the left) is Bill and the young boy, sitting on the drive belt is Lew since they both appear in the 1912 photo and aren't identified here. Stephen would very much like to confirm that and identify other men in the photograph.

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