E.C. (Edward Constantine) Davidson was born on February 17, 1820 at “Rural Hill” in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, the member of a prominent local family. A member of the first graduating class of Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina in 1840, Davidson went on to study law at Harvard, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree in 1843.
After the outbreak of the US war with Mexico, Davidson helped to organize a company for service, and was subsequently commissioned as a 1st lieutenant, assigned to Troop A of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Regiment of Dragoons.
According to a history of Mecklenburg County:
“The county raised a company of Light Horse, Capt. A. J. Harrison and Lieut. E. C. Davidson being commissioned to organize a company of Dragoons. When the company was full, they went to Charleston, S. C, and were conveyed by transports to Vera Cruz. They were in no such battles as we had in Virginia in 1861-'65, but did much service in guarding wagon trains and skirmishing with the enemy. The company returned home, having performed their duty, and were honored by the people at home . . .”
Honorably mustered out with the rest of his regiment in July 1848, Davidson returned to North Carolina, where he practiced law. In 1850, he was elected to the State Legislature as a Representative from Mecklenburg County, where he is said to have served “with marked ability.” Following his term in the Legislature, Davidson retired from his law practice and devoted himself to farming. During the Civil War, he is also said to have served as a major in the Confederate Army.
In 1892 Davidson lost his life in a ferryboat accident on the Catawba River. He is buried at Rural Hill Cemetery in Mecklenburg County.
Bibliography
Alexander, J.B. The History of Mecklenburg County From 1740 to 1900. Charlotte, NC: Observer Printing House, 1902, pp. 99, 118.
Carolana.com. North Carolina House of Commons 1850-1851.
https://www.carolana.com/NC/1800s/nc_1800s_house_1850-1851.html . Accessed 4 April 2023.
Christian-Lamb, Caitlin. “The Twelve Days of Davidson.” 25 December 2013. http://caitlinchristianlamb.com/the-twelve-days-of-davidson/. Accessed 3 April 2023.
Davidson Family Papers #204, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/00204/#folder_3%231 Accessed 31 March 2023.
Find a Grave, database and images https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8584116/edward-constantine-davidson. Accessed 4 April 2023, memorial page for Edward Constantine Davidson (17 Feb 1820-13 May 1892), Find A Grave Memorial ID 8584116, citing Rural Hill Cemetery, Huntersville, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Maintained by Sandy Shores.
Harvard University. Quinquennial Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates 1636-1930. Cambridge, MA: The University, 1930, pp. 973, 1267.
Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, from its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1903, I:355.
Montgomery and Rowntree Families and Genealogy. “Edward Constantine Davidson.” http://www.montyhistnotes.com/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I25446&tree=MontyHistNotesI . Accessed 31 March 2023.
Image Details
Title: E. Constantine Davidson
Date: 1840
Description: An image of E. Constatine Davidson when he graduated from Davidson College. Image courtesy of the Davidson College Archives & Special Collections.
