Biography

Thomas Thompson Davis was a coffin maker in Auburn, New York and a nearby neighbor to Frances and William Henry Seward. He is briefly mentioned in a letter sent from Frances Miller Seward to her son, William Jr., in regard to a recent fire that devastated a local cabinet maker, Lewis Richardson. In the letter (18571009FMS_WSJ), Frances writes,  "Fortunately the night was calm or the house on this side and probably Mrs Miller would have  gone– Mr Davis house was on fire at one time." Thomas Davis's house (23 South Street) and his business (27 South Street) were located on the same street of the Seward family. During the fire, Frances says that she spent the entire night (11 p.m. to 3 a.m.) distributing refreshments to the firemen who eventually squelched the fire. 

Thomas Davis was survived by his wife, Lavina Van Sickle Davis, who passed away in 1912 at the age of 91.