Lorenzo Davis was born in Covington, N.Y., April 29, 1812, the son of Jonathan E. and Hannah (Curtis) Davis, natives of Massachusetts. His father was a farmer, teacher and itinerant Methodist Episcopal minister. In 1828, Lorenzo moved to Ypsilanti only to return to New York in 1829, then back again to Michigan in 1831. In 1834 Davis obtained a license to preach, and was received into the Ohio conference, which then included the Michigan Territory. He was pastor in various Michigan communities before finally settling in Ann Arbor in 1845 where he both preached and clerked in a drug store. In his life, Davis had many activities and interests: as a publisher, farmer, as register of deeds for two years, as town clerk and superintendent of the poor, as active member of the Washtenaw County Pioneer Society, and member and secretary of the Agricultural Society of Washtenaw County.
From the guide to the Lorenzo Davis papers, 1822-1899, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)
