Raymond Davis - Etcetera - Orestes History on sale

Raymond Davis loved Orestes, Indiana and spent much of his adult life writing and spotlighting the Davis family and the town of Orestes. Raymond wrote about simple life in the village and about everyday happenings. He also loved the Native American Indians and wrote tales of Chief Pipe and his tribe south of Orestes. Without his writings much of Orestes history would have been lost.

Raymond also led the charge along with Madison County Historian Howard Eldon and the Madison County Historical Society to bring attention to the special white oak tree in the community. Their efforts led to statewide recognition of the tree and an annual Oak Tree Festival.

I spent lots of time with Raymond listening to his stories and adventures and above all admiring all the historical items on display in the Davis General Store. It was a museum as well as a grocery store.

If Raymond were here these days no doubt we could be great partners going on field trips and recording Orestes history as it should be. I really wish I could discuss quite a few of my findings and get his reactions and especially get a few extra details about a few pieces of history.

I especially do not wish to undermine any of his work but want to warn of dates used in his writings were vague and seldom precise. Sometimes the year was not correct but the time period was very close. The microfilm and other resources not available to him have enabled Orestes happenings to be recorded with precise dates and times nowadays. The dates and times of events of Orestes do not record the town's personal stories and recollections. We must always be grateful to Raymond for his work and besides it made targeting of events easier to find. Be careful with some of my obituaries. I recorded them with the words that the newspaper used describing the dates and times of their deaths. If you use Google or Yahoo you can search for a date by typing "calendar year 1946", the seach device will take you directly to a calendar for that year and if it said it happened on Saturday you can check the date to be precise.

If you are looking for a precise date you can find it on the yearly summaries here on the website and if you have a question about another happening be sure and ask. The website only reflects about ten percent of my research. A CD is available for viewing at the Elwood, Alexandria, Frankton and Summitville libraries and within the next year the Anderson Public Library.

This page will offer links to some of Raymonds writings. We just can't have an Orestes site without Raymond's stuff. Enjoy it as I have.

Dave Dwiggins