The Davis Family - Local Unsung Heroes

The Davis Family - Local Unsung Heroes

If you were to walk or drive through the intersection of Conestoga Rd. and West Wayne Ave. in Radnor, it would be impossible to get any sense of the historical importance of this site. Today, on the southeast corner of the intersection, there is a small strip of commercial businesses that give no hint of what once stood on this corner. Buried behind the buildings of today on a tiny spot of land wedged between other commercial buildings and a condominium community, there is a very small graveyard that is surrounded by a black cyclone fence. On the unlocked gate to the graveyard is an unassuming plaque that reads “First Baptist Church Cemetery.” Hundreds of pedestrians and cars pass this most innocuous site every day without a trace of attention. Sadly, this graveyard and the church that once stood on that corner, are as historically significant as they are ignored.

The history of the Radnor Baptist Church begins in 1841, when more than 70 members of the Baptist Church in the Great Valley resigned from that community and broke off to form a new congregation in Radnor. The Baptist Church in the Great Valley predates the Radnor Baptist Church by 130 years, and still exists today as an active congregation that uses the stone church built for by its community in 1805. By the late 1830’s the Great Valley church had become renowned for its strong anti-slavery position, which was championed at the time by then pastor Reverend Leonard Fletcher. Reverend Fletcher’s efforts in the anti-slavery movement were well known among his fellow abolitionists and included support for the Wilberforce Society. This organization is named after William Wilberforce, who led the effort to abolish slavery in England in the early 19 th century. During Reverend Fletcher’s time, local members of the Wilberforce Society were invited to use the Great Valley Baptist Church for their meetings. However, many members of the church did not share Reverend Fletcher’s same commitment to abolition, and in 1840 he was dismissed from his position. For many of the members of the church, this was an unacceptable situation and conflicted with their deep commitment against slavery. Undeterred by this action, 79 members chose to preserve the practice of their faith and their commitment to abolition by leaving the Great Valley church, and established a new community in Radnor.

The early days for the Radnor Baptist Church were modest, and were largely made possible by William Siter and his wife Emily (Worthington), who gifted land in 1843 to the new congregation. This land was located just south of the Conestoga trail in what was then referred to as Carr’s Corner in Radnor Township. This is where current day Conestoga Road crosses West Wayne Avenue in Wayne, PA. With this gift came a structure, then known as the Music Fund Hall, which was used for services and other church business, eliminating the need to meet in the homes of members. There was also a schoolhouse on the land (Carr’s Corner Schoolhouse) that was also used by the community.

The generous role of William Siter in the early days of the Radnor Baptist Church is somewhat surprising. Despite the devout commitment of his wife to her faith, William Siter was part of a “band of nonbelievers” and he had built the Music Fund Hall on this land originally to serve as a meeting place for this group. It is not clear what went on in the Music Fund Hall, but church records from the time describe great concern over the potential negative impact of this group and their doings on the morality of the young in the area. Fortunately, this band of non-believers failed to gain much traction in the area and dissolved. Shortly thereafter, William Siter experienced a religious conversion which legend maintains was inspired by his wife. Thus, what was once a strange lodging for a notorious group of shadowy characters whose activities and beliefs are lost to history, became the first structure for the Radnor Baptist Church.

Over time, the Radnor Baptist Church expanded and grew in significance in the community, always remaining true to its abolitionist principles. Around 1890, the congregation replaced its simple wooden structure with a majestic stone church built on the same site as the Music Fund Hall. However, only a few years after the erection of the new building, some members of the congregation began to push for a relocation of the church to the center of Wayne. This group argued that the more central location in town would be beneficial to the community. A lot on Lancaster Ave next to the Wayne Title and Trust Company (still present in Wayne) was available and it was proposed for acquisition by members of the Radnor Baptist Church. Although this motion was rejected, supporters of the move were undeterred and went forward with their idea for establishing this more centrally located church. Ironically, the Central Baptist Church was established in 1896 when
many members split from the Radnor Baptist Church in an action reminiscent of the
birth of their parent church.

This split in the congregation was the beginning of the end of the Radnor Baptist Church.

Membership in the congregation continued to dwindle over the next 30 years and by 1929, the small number of remaining members concluded they lacked the resources to continue with services. Sadly, the Radnor Baptist Church had reached its end. The beautiful stone church remained unused for another 22 years until the property was bought by Louis Fillipone. The church was demolished to make way for the erection of a store, ending the 110 year history of a church that was born out of opposition to the injustice and atrocities of slavery.

The relatively short life of the Radnor Baptist Church may seem inconsequential to local history. However, the significance of this church and its community of members is revealed by a closer look at all that remains from this institution- the graveyard on West Wayne Ave. There are less than 500 people known to be interred in the Radnor Baptist Church Cemetery, and most of those were buried prior to 1930. What is most significant upon review of available records is the large number of military veterans who have been laid to rest here, including more than 20 veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic who fought for the Union during the Civil War. Perhaps more than any other record of church history, the tombstones in the graveyard for those who served in this war stand as monuments to the principles of this small and short-lived community. And none of those monuments represents a greater sacrifice to those principles than that of Mary and Stephen Davis.

Mary Smith Davis was born circa 1814, almost two years before her husband Stephen Davis, in Pennsylvania. Not long after their marriage, their family started to expand rapidly. Between 1839 and 1854, Mary and Stephen had nine children, six boys and three girls. Census records show that the Davis family children were all born when the family was living in Radnor, PA. Stephen Davis worked as a miller in Radnor while Mary tended to their growing family. The Davis’ were also members of the Radnor Baptist Church from its earliest days, and as such were no doubt strong supporters of the abolition of slavery. The clearest evidence of this is the fact that four of the Davis sons enlisted in the Grand Army of the Republic to fight for the Union. In 1861, Thomas, Stephen and Henry Davis traveled to Norristown and enlisted in the 51st Pennsylvania Regiment. Their younger brother George enlisted in the 18 th Pennsylvania Cavalry in 1864, when he was just 16 years old. This was after he had fulfilled a shorter enlistment in the 47 th Pennsylvania Infantry.

The Davis Brothers saw the war at its worst, having fought bravely in some of its most viscous battles and campaigns. And by the war’s end, the Davis family would have suffered through terrible loss. Corporal Thomas Davis was the first to fall. He was killed on September 17, 1862 during the battle at Antietam in Maryland. He was shot during the company’s attempt to take Burnside’s Bridge. He fell that day with many of his comrades in Company I, in what was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, second only to Gettysburg in casualties. It had been less than one year since he enlisted, and he had not yet reached his 22 nd birthday.

Sargent Thomas Davis was killed two years later, on June 17, 1864, early in the siege at Petersburg, Virginia. This campaign went on for nine months, and ended just a month prior to the peace at Appomattox. Sadly, this was after more than 70,000 young men and boys were killed or wounded during the campaign. Thomas was just over 22 years of age, and had been a soldier for almost three years. He was at Antietam when he lost his younger brother.

George Davis was shot while serving with the cavalry on September 28, 1864 near Rock Fish Gap, Virginia. Fortunately, George survived his wound and was mustered out of service at the war’s end. He married, raised children and lived the rest of his life in the area until he died in Malvern, PA in 1916. Henry Davis survived the war as well. Thomas and Stephen Davis were originally buried at the battlefields where they fell, but after the war, the Government paid to have their remains returned to their families. The brothers were reburied in the Radnor Baptist Church graveyard in what became the Davis family plot. Stephen and Mary Davis lived their rest of their lives in the area. Stephen died in 1887, and his wife Mary lived another 6 years. Aside from the loss of their two sons in the war, they lost their youngest daughter in 1877.

On Memorial Day, 2016, Lost History Detectives brought its investigation of the Radnor Baptist Church history to the old graveyard. Gone was the once majestic stone church on the corner of West Wayne Avenue and Conestoga Road. It has been replaced by a medical supplies company and a dry cleaners. The Central Baptist Church, which was born out of a split from the Radnor Baptist Church, still functions at its original site in Wayne. True to their social justice roots, this church remains active in the promotion of civil and human rights. The Baptist Church in Great Valley, from which the Radnor Baptist Church came into being, also still functions in a serene setting reminiscent of its earliest days 300 years ago. Funding to maintain the Radnor Baptist Church cemetery was supposed to be assured from the sale of the land once occupied by the church. Sadly, those funds were exhausted and the churchyard became neglected, overgrown with weeds and littered with debris. Recently, the cemetery came under the care of local groups and the township and is now being properly maintained. But, the quiet peace and rolling fields that once surrounded the graves are gone. The Davis family monument is still there, as are many of the other monuments from the earliest days of the church and include those of many Civil War Veterans. But with each passing year, the Davis monument grows more difficult to read, weathered flat by time. Each day, cars and pedestrians pass the tiny churchyard, unaware of its history or the stories of those who lived in that community so long ago. Equally forgotten is the long owed debt by those of today to the ordinary people of that past time, like Mary Davis and her family. But perhaps even more so, to the brothers, Thomas and Stephen. If you find yourself in the area, take a moment to visit the Radnor Baptist Church Cemetery on West Wayne Avenue as a sign of your respect and gratitude.


Information for this account was obtained from resources at the Radnor Historical Society; “The History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865” by S.P. Bates;Findagrave.com; www.bcgv.org; www.cbcwayne.org; and other internet sources.