William Osbourne Davis was the son of a Quaker farmer from Pennsylvania and began his career as a teacher and farmer. Jesse Fell asked Davis to join him in Bloomington, Illinois in 1858 to teach school In 1868, Fell asked Davis to join him in the newspaper business with The Daily Pantagraph. Over forty three years as owner an editor, Davis turned the Pantagraph into one of the biggest community newspapers in Illinois. The collection includes one document assembled using including Davis’ obituaries, eulogies, condolence correspondence, resolutions from organizations, etc.