 He and his twin brother, Michael, married sisters; the sisters, Lucretia and Jane Ballenger, were granddaughters of Kentucky pioneer and eventual state treasurer John Logan.James Davidson was among the first to report the presence of notorious outlaws the Harpe brothers near the city of Stanford, their first reported appearance in Kentucky.In the War of 1812, Davidson, being commissioned a colonel, commanded a company from Garrard County in the regiment of Richard Mentor Johnson.