HON. BURR JAY DAVIS.
BURR J. DAVIS, son of Burrit and Sarah Electa (Osborne) Davis, was born
in Oxford, Conn., September 6 1831, and removed to Owego, N.Y. in 1857.
He returned to Connecticut on account of ill health, and later took a
trip abroad, and in 1869 was a member of the Legislature of that State,
from Oxford, Conn. He soon after returned to Owego, N.Y., and assumed
the management of the Central House until 1878, when he purchased the
Ahwaga House and conducted it until his death.
For several years previous to his taking the Ahwaga house he was a
member of the oyster firm of Davis, Corey & Co. In 1878, he
was elected Supervisor, running on the Greenback ticket, which was
endorsed by the Democrats, and held the office two terms. In 1881 he
defeated William Elwell, the Republican candidate for sheriff,
overcoming a Republican majority of 1,500, and served a term of three
years. Upon the death of Sheriff Cleveland in May, 1889, he was
appointed Sheriff of Tiogo Co., N. Y., by Governor Hill and served
until January, 1890. He was a Democrat and an energetic worker for his
party. he was popular throughout the county, and always received a
large Republican vote whenever he ran for office.
He was Past Master in Friendship Lodge, No. 153, F. & A.J., and
Past High Priest in New Jerusalem chapter No. 47, R.A.M., also a member
of Malta Commandery, No. 21, Knights Templar of Binghamton, N.Y.; Since
1864 he has been a very prominent and influential member of the Masonic
fraternity. he was also a charger member of Starr Lodge, A.O.U.W. of
Owego. He was twice married and is survived by one daughter, Mrs. John
F. Ward, by his first wife and two sons and a daughter by the second.
Mrs. F. O. Cable of Owego, N.Y., was h is sister and Bernard H. Davis
of Oxford, his Brother. On the evening of Friday, March 5, 1897,
he retired apparently in good health. On Saturday morning, March 6, not
doming down at 8:45, investigation was made and he was found lying
across the foot of his bed partly dressed, dead. Three physicians and
one of the Coroners of Tioga was summoned and after examination
pronounced the cause of his death as Heart Disease, and that he had
probably died about five o'clock that morning. His funeral was one of
the largest ever held in Owego.
His principal recreations were hunting and fishing for which he had a
great fondness up to the time of his death.
From: Genealogy of descendants of
Col. John Davis of
Oxford, Conn. (formerly a part of Derby, Conn.) : together with a
partial genealogy of his ancestors in the United States, also
biographical sketches and portraits of some of his descendants and
other matters of interest New Rochelle, N.Y.:
1910,pages 275-276.