Rebecca Pierce Davis married Joseph Smith Wing on June 8, 1848, 2 days prior to her 17th birthday. Rebecca was the first wife of Joseph Smith Wing, she loved and married him when he was nothing more than a cooper, not becoming a Doctor of medicine until a few years later.

Rebecca Davis Wing supposedly had 3 children by Joseph Smith Wing:

1. Adelia Wing, born June 20, 1850

2. Byron Wing, born November 21, 1852

3. Maggie (Margaret?) Wing

While we know that Adelia and Byron were both the children of Joseph Smith Wing, we do not know at this time if Maggie Wing ever really existed, if she died young, or if Joseph S. Wing ever claimed her. She is not mentioned in his will and there seems to be very little information about her...none at all in fact.

Rebecca Davis Wing divorced Joseph Smith Wing in September of 1854 after he had left her to go to Wisconsin on business for his brother, Stephen Wing. Joseph Smith Wing left in the spring of 1853 for Wisconsin and did not come back for easily 2 years. He wrote her in the early months of 1854 confessing his bigamous marriage to a woman by the name of Frances E. Jarrett.

There seems little question that the relationship between Joseph S. Wing and Rebecca P. Davis was a stormy one as evidenced by the letters that have survived. See Exhibit A, Exhibit B, or Exhibit C or just go to the Main Page where the letters are indexed in the Table of Contents.

Since writing this biography several months ago, I have since discovered documents at the Pike County Courthouse in Pike Co., Illinois several documents that prove that Rebecca gave her children, Adelia and Byron Wing to their Uncle Stephen Wing in the form of an indenture during June of 1854. She entered into this agreement with Stephen Wing before filing her petition for divorce that same year.

In February of 1856, Rebecca takes Adelia back into her own custody and Stephen Wing files a relinquishment of Adelia Wing. Byron remains with his uncle. In June of 1856, Rebecca Wing marries her second husband, Jacob T. Cheek and by August of the same year, Adelia Wing, is made a ward of the State of Illinois.

Amy Wing, grandmother to Adelia, assumes guardianship for Adelia Wing on August 11, 1856. Adelia remains with her grandmother until April 6, 1859, when Dr. Joseph Smith Wing legally reclaims his daughter. Adelia would remain with her father and her step-mother, Sarah Wright Strang Wing. In 1862, Adelia Wing would accompany her father and step-mother and others to Utah where Adelia Wing lived out the rest of her life. Byron Wing remained with his Uncle Stephen Wing.

Legal documents being what they are, cold and factual, give no hint as to why Rebecca Davis would willingly give her own children to other people to raise. I had considered that perhaps Rebecca was in a dire financial condition and could not afford to raise her children properly. I suspected also that she felt as though Joseph Smith Wing would not start a custody fight if her children were in the care of their Uncle Stephen Wing. Stephen Wing was a respected member of his community and he was several years older than his brother, Joseph Smith Wing. She may have realized that Joseph Smith Wing would be reluctant to wage a custody battle with his older and wiser brother.

It seems as though Rebecca was making an attempt in 1856 to bring her own children home to raise herself because she does reclaim Adelia. (I like to think that she was making plans to reclaim Byron.) Then, everything changes after she marries Jacob Cheek. Adelia is made a ward of the court and is taken into her grandmother's home where she lives until Joseph Smith Wing claims her in 1859. Byron never is returned to his mother.

Sometimes more knowledge only creates more questions. I was delighted to find all of these documents at the Pike County Courthouse but dismayed because so many questions are left unanswered. It is clear that Joseph Smith Wing did not kidnap his daughter, Adelia. He used a perfectly legal manuver to gain custody of his daughter. I suspect, however, that his actions came as a surprise to Rebecca and that it was all done rather covertly and perhaps Rebecca did not discover that Joseph Smith Wing at attained custody of Adelia until after the deed was done.

I also wonder about Byron Wing, my great grandfather. It is understood that Amy Wing, Byron's grandmother was getting older and felt as though she could no longer raise Adelia properly. This is the basic premise of how Joseph Smith Wing got custody of Adelia. Did Stephen Wing threaten to fight Joseph Smith Wing if he attempted to also regain custody of his son, Byron? Did Joseph Smith Wing even try to regain custody of Byron? I don't suppose I will ever learn the answers to those questions.

Whether or not Rebecca maintained contact with Byron Wing is also unknown at this time. We do know from Adelia Wing's biography that Rebecca was reunited with Adelia several years later in Utah. This reunion took place after Adelia was married and had several children.