The closest I get in ancestry records is <Harry Davidson> born ca. 1858 in Philadelphia, <Wood Carver> and <Wood Engraver>. Parents: Julius Davidson from Poland and Rachel Davidson from England who immigrated in 1844. This Harry Davidson is mentioned in the 1860, 1870 and 1880 US Federal Censuses as living in Philadelphia.

He is listed (by Edo) with chess games playing for Philadelphia in 1899 and for New York (Cable Match vs Berlin) in 1905.

There was a widowed 61-year-old Harry Davidson living in Manhattan New York in 1920, born in Philadelphia "ca 1859" with father from "Germany" and mother from England, profession "artist". This would be same as above, and I was able to copy this from internet version of New York Evening Post, 12 Aug. 1924:

<Harry Davidson ngraver, who died yeaterdav 130 West Eighteenth street, tomorrow evening at the lift Funeral Chanel. l«l •. He was sixty-seven year* retirement a year ago Mr art critic for Vogue, a mags d been connected with the puny, publishers of ( enturv • twenty Sve years lis waa the Salmagundi Chi© of N*<«nbattan Chess Club>>

with the words "ngraver", "art critic for Vogue", and "nbattan Chess Club".

Googling now for Harry Davidson + wood carver we find this in the "Official illustrated catalogue, fine arts exhibit, United States of America, Paris Exposition, 1900":

<HARRY DAVIDSON: born in Philadelphia, 1858. Pupil of Frederick Faust. Awarded honorable mention, Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1889. Member of the Society of Wood Engravers. Address, 132 West 141)1 Street, New York City.>

Example of his art: http://www.artfact.com/auction-lot/...

http://books.google.com/books?id=Lj...

From http://lcpdams.librarycompany.org:8...:

<Frederick Faust, born in Germany in 1849, immigrated to the United States in 1870 and worked as a wood engraver in Philadelphia by the early 1880s. He continued in the trade as an illustrator into the early 20th century and was retired by 1930.>

The same source also has him as a publisher (of his own book):

Faust, Frederick. The City Hall Philadelphia. Architecture, sculpture and history. F. Faust, engraver & publisher. Publisher Philadelphia: F. Faust Date c1897.

Umm, ok so we have a Harry Davidson who died in New York 1924 who was "ngraver" and with connection to "nbattan Chess Club", and who was 67 years old = born ca. 1858.

And we have a Harry Davidson born in Philadelphia 1858 who was Engraver in 1880.

Plus a source from 1900 saying: Harry Davidson, born in Philadelphia, 1858. Pupil of Frederick Faust. Member of the Society of Wood Engravers.

http://www.edochess.ca/players/p383... has this in 1883:

Philadelphia - Manhattan Club Match
Davidson, H. - Elson, J. 1.5 - 0.5

i. e. Davidson is listed by Edo as playing for Philadelphia. Well what team did Jacob Elson play on? Apparently Elson was from Philadelphia, triple sigh.

One of Edo's references for the 1899 match is this report from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of May 31, 1899 (halfway down the second column). It shows Davidson playing for Manhattan on board 11, and mentions that Manhattan had White on the odd-numbered boards, meaning Davidson had White.

http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%... (left half)

http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%... (right half)

Here is best I can do by copying:

Funeral M --- •via** for Harry Davidson
noted wood < --- ngraver, who died yeaterdav
at bis home, --- 130 West Eighteenth street,
will be heir: --- tomorrow evening at the
Stephen Ma --- lift Funeral Chanel. l«l
Eighth aveni --- He was sixty-seven year*
eld
Until his --- retirement a year ago Mr
Davidson wsi --- art critic for Vogue, a mags
•ins. and hi --- d been connected with the
Century Cos --- puny, publishers of ( enturv
Magazine. U, --- • twenty Sve years lis waa
s member of --- the Salmagundi Chi© of N*<«
York, ths M --- nbattan Chess Club and (h
Art Center, --- i c la survived by three aoc«
and a daugt --- ter.

Yes he no doubt left for New York around 1880 (he is listed in the Philadelphia 1880 census). I was mostly worried that you'd come up with another Harry Davidson (there were many), but I think we have him now.

How, after hours of googling, I missed the following obituary in Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 14, 1924, is beyond me.

<Death of Harry Davidson.

The Manhattan Chess Club has lost another one of its staunch oldtime members through the sudden death on Monday of Harry Davidson, whose funeral services were held yesteday at the Stephen Merritt Funeral Chapel, 161th ave., Manhattan. Although not active in chess circles in recent years, Mr. Davidson was in his day ranked among the strongest players and could always be depended upon to hold up his end in any match in which he represented that powerful organization.

The deceased was born in Philadelphia in 1868 and was a participant in the International Centennial Chess Congress in 1876, which was won by James Mason, then of New York, with Max Judd of St. Louis, second, and H. E. Bird of London, third. Mr. Davidson tied with Jacob Elson, another Philadelphian, for fourth and fifth prizes, having made a score of 9—7. He won one of his games from Mason, defeated Judd by 1 1/2 to 1/2, and drew a game each with Bird and Elson. In a brief biographical sketch in the congress book, he was referred to as "probably the most brilliant player in the country, the youngest contestant, of indomitable pluck and daring style."

http://fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html

Perhaps not all in there can be reached by googling from Europe. The link you sent took a long time to download.

http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers...