George Thornton Davis was born on May 28, 1844, in Greenfield, Massachusetts, to Wendell and Maria Davis. His father was a lawyer who owned $16,000 of real estate and $10,000 of personal property by 1870. He grew up and attended school in Greenfield, and he graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1863.

 

In October 1863, he received a commission as an ensign in the United States Navy. He took part in the Union blockade and the assault on Fort Fisher. He remained in the navy after the war, and he served with the Pacific Squadron from 1865 until 1868. He was promoted to master in November 1866, to lieutenant in February 1867, and then to lieutenant commander in December 1868. He served with the North Atlantic Squadron from 1873 until 1875, and he spent the late 1870s at the Boston navy yard.

 

He married Ellen Southgate on July 24, 1879, and they had at least four children: Eleanor, born around 1885; Charles, born around 1889; Elizabeth, born around 1893; and John, born around 1898. He was promoted to commander in 1883, and he served as a lighthouse inspector from 1883 until 1885. He then commanded the Juniata with the Pacific Squadron from 1885 to 1887.

 

He retired in October 1889 and returned to Greenfield. He died of “gastric trouble” in Greenfield on March 2, 1908.

 

Image: George T. Davis (Greenfield Daily Recorder, 4 March 1908)

SOURCES