Emma Johnson Davey wrote a letter to her niece, Marie Johnston Dominy, in 1926 about the family history. This letter was the basis of the research done on this branch of the family.

Transcription of letter from Emma A. (Johnson) Davey to Marie (Johnstone) Dominy:
(Transcriber's Notes: There were very few capital letters to begin sentences, or punctuation. These were added for clarity and meaning. Spellings or misspellings left.)
Pasadena June 29__26
Dear Marie, You were a little late writing but am so glad you could go to see your brothers and sisters. You wanted to know what nationality we are. American of course. Your maternal great grandmother & suppose your great grandfather was of the same nationality. They came from Holland not they, but their ancestors and were Revolution stock some of thim leaving their horse and plows in the field and going a way to fight one of the battles.
Your great grandmother was left a widow with seven little children the youngest only 7 days old on a farm in Ohio. She raised them all but one and gave them, for those days, a good education, raising flax and wool to make them
Page 2
clothes, weaving and dying both woll and flax. When I was twenty [Transcriber note:1870], my sister Mary and I make a visit to the old farm and saw the old log house then standing but my grandmother was living in a frame house on the same farm with her son Daniel. He had 3 daughters and one son, and what a lovely visit we had! Your great grandmother's family name was Ganter or Gunter, I think the first. Her name after marriage was Fink. The farm where we visited was in Canfield, Mahoing Co, Ohio. Your grandmother and grandfather were married in Canfield and their marriage license is, I still suppose, in the court house.
Page 3
Your great uncle George Fink was a 49er and went from Canfield to California in one of the famous covered wagons. was six months going across the time of the the great gold excitement. He never came home but allways wrote to my mother until a few years before her death. In the last letter in closed was this add I am sending you. How little he thought that after many years it would travel across the country. You were so good sending the pictures back that I will send this for you to return. He was a batcheler Johnson on your grandfather's side. Your great grandmother's name was Perry, Catherine Perry, but your great grandfather's names I am a little mixed on for one was Henry and the other
Page 4
Daniel. Both were family names and both had two sons by that name. Forgot to tell you that your great grandmother Fink's given name was Susan. Your Johnson ancestor came from England and were given much land on the Western Reserve in Ohio. They owned land in the east, out where cannot remember, but were well thought of and when coming from England were given twice as much land as the minister because they were blacksmiths and were considered more necessary in the country. If I remember the land was cow pasture. This grandmother Johnson (my grandmother) had fifteen children but land
Page 5
on the Western Reserve was not very valuable then. Have a friend in Cleveland who still owns some of the land her grandmother coming all the way from Connecticut on horseback, the saddle now in the museum in Cleveland. How I loved to listen to the stories of the setling of the new country. Think I have somewhere carefully put away a picture of the Johnson coat of arms with their history. If I find it will send it to you but did not suppose anyone would ever care for it. The Johnson family lot in Woodland Cemetry is in Section 40. If there is anything I have not told you, ask me. If you think your sister would care to read this letter, you may send it to her if she will be kind
Page 6
to consider it answer to the one she wrote me. Letter writing is hard for I know of so little to write of not because I would not like to write to her and I would love to get a from her. But please send her my add. Not long ago I gave away a family bible that had been in the Davey family 150 years with the dates of their births and deaths. They brought it from England. Allie was the only heir, and she would not have it. Like myself could not lift it around and no room for it in our little houses. Gave it to a friend who was so kind when I had the broken limb. He had a large collection of interesting things said he would rather have that than a farm. It was a very interesting thing, illustrated with wood cuts
Page 7
but to heavy for a woman to lift. They can afford a room and cases for these things. Keep your letter. Some day you may want to refer to it. It has no money value for there is none in the family unless your side is the lucky posessors. With much love am as ever your aunt,
Emma
with much love, believe this is the day of the birthday dinner. I wish I were there. Keeping house for one is not very interesting.

1850 Ohio, Trumbull County, Warren Township, 2nd District #142, page 766, film M432-733
dwelling 165, family 182
Hiram Johnson, age 28, male, moulder, born New York
Anna Maria----, age 23, female, born Ohio
Emma---------, age 1/2, female, born Ohio

1860 Michigan, Branch County, Coldwater Village, page 52, line 17, stamped page 920, film M653-538 (taken June 7, 1860)
Hiram Johnson, age 37, male, moulder, born Ohio
Anomarish------, age 33, female, born Ohio
Emma-----------, age 10, female, born Ohio
Mary------------, age 8, female, born Ohio
Carra------------, age 7, female, born New York
George-----------, age 3, male, born Michigan

1870 Ohio, Cuyahoga County, City of Cleveland Ward, page 341 or 37, film M593-1189, 4 dated 10 June 1870
dwelling 268, family 289
Johnson, Hiram , age 48, male, moulder, 300, born Ohio
-----------, Annie , age 43, female , keeps house, born Ohio
-----------, Emma, age 20, female, born Ohio
-----------, Mary, age 18, female, born Ohio
-----------, Clara, age 16, female, born New York
-----------, George, age 13, male, born Michigan

1880 Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Cleveland, E.D. 43, sheet 29A, stamped page 15, film T9-1008 (taken 9 June 1880)
Herald St., dwelling 240, family 266
Davey, Thomas, white, male, age 33, head, married, gas fitter, born England, parents born England
--------, Emma, white, female, age 30, wife, married, keeps house, born Ohio, parents born Ohio
--------, Gertrude, white, female, age 3, daughter, single, born Ohio, father born England, mother born Ohio

1900 Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Cleveland township, Vol. 32, E.D. 103, sheet 7A, line 44, film T623-1255 (taken 9 June 1900)
924 Doan St., dwelling 142, family 138
Davey, Thomas L., head, white, male, born May 1847, age 53, married for 27 yrs?, born England, parents born England, immigrated in 1850, in US 50 yrs, naturalized, plumber
--------, Emma, wife, white, female, born Apr 1850, age 50, married for 27 yrs?, born Ohio, parents born Ohio
--------, Gertrude, daughter, white, female, born Nov 1876, age 23, single, born Ohio, father born England, mother born Ohio

1910 Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Lakewood, Rockport, E.D. 35, sheet 14B, film T624-1165 (taken 2 May 1910)
visit # 342
Davey, Thomas L., head, male, white, age 62, married once for 37 yrs., born England, father born England, mother born England, came to US 1852, naturalized, contractor, steam fittings?
--------, Emma L. , wife, female, white, age 60, married once for 37 yrs., had 1 child, 1 living, born Ohio, father born Ohio, mother born Ohio
--------, Gertrude, daughter, female, white, age 33, single, born Ohio, father born England, mother born Ohio, clerk in office

1920 California, Los Angeles County, Pasadena City, E.D. 525, sheet 4A, stamped page 148
138 Marion Ave., dwelling 96, family 106
Davey, Thomas L., head, owns free, male, white, age 73, married, imm. 1850, naturalized, born England, parents born England
--------, Emma, wife, female, white, age 69, married, born Ohio, parents form Ohio
--------, Gertrude, daughter, female, white, age 40, single, born Ohio, father born England, mother born Ohio, clerk in abstract company

--------------------------------------deceased