Doyle Davidson's Ancestors
Posted March 26, 2009
I have been sharing in the task of researching Doyle’s ancestors and in this process I came across a group of people called the Scots-Irish. The following is a condensed version of some of the information I found.
Nine generations back into Doyle’s family line was a man named James Davidson who was born in North Leith Scotland in 1635.[*Please see note.] His name was listed in the Scottish Covenanters Index who were called "The Covenanters". They were the Scottish Presbyterians who made a stand for political and religious liberty which led to persecution and the migration to Ulster Ireland and eventually, the American colonies. James’ son, John Davidson was born in Ulster Ireland in 1675 and died in Virginia. After the "Nine Years War" between England and Ireland (1595-1602), the local people of Ulster had been severely demoralized. The circumstances made it possible for James I to offer land to any English or Scottish men for them to lease and farm in Ireland. The area was devastated from war, but the land was good and largely unfarmed. The new settlers were encouraged with longer leases, far better than the terms of their native Scotland. The task would have daunted all but the hardiest of spirits. The native Irish chieftains were resentful of changing circumstances and took to the wilds as outlaws and became a real threat to the more isolated settlers. It was definitely a wild frontier these people settled in. The Scots not only brought new methods of farming to the area, but also a strict Calvinistic doctrine. Though they were loyal to the crown, they were a people who through decades of adversity had become self-reliant and never quite lost that feeling that they were surrounded by a hostile world.
In 1704, the government of Queen Anne passed an Act that all office holders were required to take communion in the "Established Church" which virtually wiped out much of civil administration in Northern Ireland. It was even suggested Presbyterian ministers could be brought before the Anglican courts, charged with fornication with their wives. On top of this injustice, by 1710, most of the farm leases written in 1690 were expiring and new leases were withheld until the tenants agreed to pay greatly increased rents; double and sometimes triple, making it impossible for people to live and subsist on their farms. Whole communities, led by ministers began to take ship for America. Thousands crossed the Atlantic through 1750. In 1770, another wave of migration, induced by the greed of landlords, left Ulster Ireland to join the 200,000 already in the colonies of America. The dispossessed had lost everything and they came to America with an intense hostility toward all things British.
Senator John Webb of Virginia, himself a Scots-Irish, wrote a book titled, "Born Fighting, How the Scots- Irish Shaped America". He describes them as a tough, hard-headed, independent minded people who resist outside intervention and the imposition of values from above. Their values come from the bottom up, Webb observes. He traces this vigorous Celtic culture back to the time of the Romans in Britain, who gave up trying to tame them. The Romans built Hadrian’s Wall instead, to fend them off and keep them out. They never bent a knee to Rome, or anyone else for that matter, per Webb’s reading of history.
The Scots-Irish rejected the superimposed church rule, in favor of local, democratic, self-rule and were far different than either the intellectual Puritans of New England who founded universities, or the Cavalier-Tidewater Aristocracy of Virginia. They had been fighting British kings for so long that when the American Revolution came along, it was a wonderful cause for them and they took to it, as in "what took you so long". They fought the British under Washington, routed Cornwallis from the South and stuck out the hard winter at Valley Forge in what became known as "The Spirit of ‘76", which in good measure, was their spirit. Their frontier skills were particularly useful in destroying Burgoyne’s army in the Saratoga campaign. George Washington was moved to say that if the cause was lost everywhere else, he would make a last stand among the Scots-Irish of his native Virginia. Capt. John Henrichs, one of the much despised "Hessians", wrote in frustration, "Call it not an American Rebellion, it is nothing more than an Irish-Scotch Presbyterian Rebellion!"
Out of this group of people came four of our five first presidents; Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. Scots-Irish trailblazers such as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett lead the way west. James Polk, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnston, and Ulysses S. Grant were all Scots-Irish. Stonewall Jackson was a Scots-Irish Presbyterian deacon. The first western president was Andrew Jackson, the Scots-Irish general. Jackson killed the 2nd Bank of the U.S., as an eastern monopoly by which Philadelphian bank president Nicholas Biddle tried to hold the country hostage and threaten another Panic. Jackson epitomized the traits that Webb describes as being characteristic of the Scots-Irish culture for 2000 years, a wide, deep and stubborn streak of faith and dignity in the common man. Yesterdays Scots-Irish became today’s Baptists, Methodists and evangelicals. Much of the American military is attributable to this culture, partly natural tendency and partly the only opportunity available in which to contribute to the greater good. It was their toughness, virility and sense of divine mission that was to help give shape to a new nation. As one man wrote, "they were indeed God’s frontiersmen, the real historical embodiment of the lost tribe of Israel".
In reading through this material, what is apparent to me is: I see the character and personality of these people in Doyle Davidson, a direct descendant. Uncompromising in what he believes, with the same determined and hardy spirit, always ready for the battle. I am reminded of David saying to the children of Israel when they were facing the Philistines and Goliath, "Is there not a cause?" In 1991, after Doyle had sent his five books to preachers of America and received responses from them that weren’t even relevant to the books, God spoke to him and said, "Is there not a cause?" Doyle has shared how in 1969 when God told him to sell his veterinary practice, his family and religious people came against him and tried to rule him. He never let them stop him from obeying God. God told Doyle in 1973 (or 1974) that he had no one else to do this job. God said to him, "I will teach you and give you a ministry like my son's". As I look back through history at God’s plan for Doyle’s life being prepared ahead of him, I am beginning to get a revelation of the divine purpose for his life. We have heard Doyle share many times how he was in Saks Fifth Avenue department store, and was thanking God for his ministry. God spoke to him and said, "I made you for this job". As he reflected on that he said he told God, "well, if you made me for this job, then I can’t fail".
I remember hearing Doyle share about how one night (in 1979) God told him to take his bible and go to the back of the house, He wanted to talk to him. The Lord took him to Ezekiel 2 and 3. The verses that I am reminded of are "Ez3:4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel and speak with my words unto them. 5 For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. 6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. 7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee, for they will not hearken unto me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. 8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. 10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee, receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. 11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus said the Lord God; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear." God said to him, "I am sending you to the United States of America and they will not hear you." He also told him, "be not rebellious, like they are rebellious." Doyle said to God, "if they won’t hear me, why are you sending me?" God never answered him, but over the years he has come to see that God sent him to preach this gospel so judgment would come to those who rejected it.
The Spirit of God spoke out of Doyle’s mouth recently and said it is a great miracle that God can change the heart of a man. For Doyle to humble himself and accept and believe all that God has spoken to him is to me, miraculous. In the days of Jesus’ ministry, the people thought he was arrogant and prideful. They were the religious people of those days and I see those same spirits attacking Doyle and his ministry today. Jesus never let anyone rule him, he only obeyed the Father. When I was reading about Doyle’s ancestors, the words, "like flint" kept coming up in my heart. It is obvious to anyone who has eyes to see, that Doyle came out of a group of people with physical strength, a strong will and a heart to fight until the victory is attained. Fierce comes to mind. Doyle shares very affectionately, words his eldest sister Dorothy said to him, "I can tell God one thing, this man will stand for his convictions". Doyle replied, "Yes Dorothy, like you’re going to tell God anything about me".
Doyle has taught us by the Spirit of God and by example, that we must always be on the offensive, attacking the gates of hell. Mt11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. I encourage everyone who reads this to humble themselves and consider that God had a plan for this nation, and it is to minister this gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the world. God gave this gospel to Doyle Davidson, born of a people he made with a heart ready and willing to fight and sent him to lead his people.
[*Note: Since this post was written, further
research has revealed that the James Davidson discussed here, is not a
direct ancestor of Doyle Davidson as I initially thought.
I would also
like to state that my heart hasn't changed; that the character and
personality exhibted by the Ulster-Scots reminds me of God's servant, Doyle
Davidson, uncompromising in his beliefs and raised by a family whose
strength, integrity and honesty was spoken of by others in their community.
-Kathy Currier / Research 11/10/2015]
In His service,
Kathy Currier
Sources: Ulster Ancestry.com, The Scots-Irish: The Thirteenth Tribe by Raymond Campbell Paterson; The Covenanters, B. Orr @ TheReformation.info; Sheridan: Con-Law Book Review: Born Fighting, by James Webb.
