The Mysterious Franky Davidson

Franky Davidson, the second wife of Andrew Capus Thornton, has always been somewhat of a mystery to Cape's family. They married late in 1880, and he married Berniece Estelle "Bennie" Duke in 1887. Our best guess is that the mysterious Franky died in childbirth. The above document is our only clue as to who Franky was. A. J. Warnick (or Warnix) appears to be the Andrew Warnic enumerated in the 1880 census for Cotton Gin Port, Monroe County, Mississippi, along with his wife Nancy and a sister-in-law Francis Davis whom we assume to be Franky Davidson. There is an 1886 marriage in Monroe County, Mississippi for A. J. Warnick to a Mary E. Finley. If this is the same person, did Nancy die? There is an 1879 marriage in Blount County, Alabama for an Andrew Warnick to Nanna Davidson. This couple does not appear in the 1880 Blount County census. It is possible that this is the family in question, especially since both Nancy and Francis are said to have been born in Alabama.

There is a Francis L. Davis in the 1870 Sanford County, Alabama Census living near Detroit which is not very far from Monroe County with presumed parents of J. H. and Elizabeth Davis. Is this the mysterious Franky? If so, where is Nancy? If the marriage in Blount County is correct, why would a person from western Alabama go to eastern Alabama to marry?

So . . . the search continues for the elusive Franky Davidson.


Sources:
1880 U.S. Census, population schedule, Monroe County, Mississippi, Cotton Gin Port, Andrew Warnic household, S.D. 1, E.D. 125, p. 34, dwelling 92, family 92; NARA micropublication T9, roll 658; Ancestry.com, accessed 28 Jun 2007.

1870 U.S. Census, population schedule, Sanford County, Alabama, Twp. 12, Range 15, J. H. Davis household, p. 344, dwelling 18, family 18; NARA micropublication M593, roll 39; Ancestry.com, accessed 28 Jun 2007.

Alabama Marriage Collection, 1800-1969, online database available from Ancestry.com, accessed 28 Jun 2007.

Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935, online database available from Ancestry.com, accessed 28 Jun 2007.

My apologies to Elizabeth Shown Mills if I haven't quite got the above citations up-to-par. My cat is sitting atop your wonderful citation style manual called Evidence: Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian and the quick card too. I know better than to disturb him!