Saturday, July 18, 2015

Surname Saturday ~ DAVIS of Haverhill, Massachusetts


DAVIS

I am a descendant of Dolor Davis (about 1583 – about 1672) and you can read about him HERE, but I have a second DAVIS lineage from the James Davis (about 1583 – 1678/9).

James Davis was the son of John Davis of Acton Turville, Gloucestershire [ TAG 73:210].  He married Ciceley Thayer at Thornbury, Gloucestershire on 11 June 1618.  He may have been a kinsman (Brother? Cousin?) to Thomas Davis who also settled at Newbury and Haverhill, Massachusetts.  See The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 – 1635, Volume II, pages 310 – 316 for a sketch of Thomas Davis.

The first record of James Davis is 4 March 1634/5 in Newbury when he was made a freeman.  He was given a grant of land at Hampton in 1639, which he sold on 17 August 1648.  In May 1644 he removed to Pentucket, which is now the city of Haverhill, Massachusetts.  He was one of the original 12 settlers of Pentucket, which was settled by families from Ipswich and Newbury.

In February 1658/9 James Davis, Senior and his son Ephraim Davis accused John Godfey of witchcraft in a petition filed at the court in Ipswich.  This case was dismissed, and some years later another neighbor accused John Godfrey of witchcraft again. 

James Davis wrote a will on 17 May 1675, and attached a codicil on 22 July 1678.  He died on 29 January 1678/9 in Haverhill, and his will was proved in 1680.  I descend from his son, James Davis; and his grandson, James Davis; and his great grandson, James Davis.  Four James Davis’s in a row!

Today is the 321st anniversary of James Davis II's death date on 19 July 1694.  

Some DAVIS resources:

The History of Haverhill, Massachusetts, From Its Settlement in 1640 to the Year 1860, by George Wingate Chase, 1861.

Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire,  by Sybil Noyes, 1928.

The Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury, by Mary Lovering Holman and Helen Pendleton Winston Pillsbury, 1938. (see pages 153 – 155 for James Davis).

You can read about James Davis’s wife’s English origins (Cecily Thayer) at The American Genealogist, Volume 73, pages 209 – 219. 

My DAVIS genealogy:

Generation 1:  James Davis, born in England, died 29 January 1678/9 in Haverhill, Massachusetts;  married on 11 June 1618 in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England to Cicely Thayer, daughter of John Thayer and Joan Lawrence.  She was born 1 May 1600 in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England, and died 28 May 1673 in Haverhill, Massachusetts.  Seven children.

Generation 2: James Davis, born 28 January 1621 in England, died 18 July 1694 in Haverhill; married on 1 December 1648 in Haverhill to Elizabeth Eaton, daughter of John Eaton and Ann Unknown.  She was baptized on 31 January 1629/30 in Hatton, Warwickshire, England, and died 21 January 1683 in Haverhill.  Eleven children.

Generation 3: James Davis, born 22 January 1663 in Haverhill, died 5 March 1741 in Gloucester, Massachusetts; married to Bethiah Leach, daughter of Robert Leach and Alice Alls.  She was born about 1660 in Manchester, Massachusetts.  Two children.

Generation 4: James Davis, born 7 May 1685 in Gloucester, died 5 March 1742 in Gloucester; married on 5 January 1704 in Ipswich to Abigail Metcalfe, daughter of Joseph Metcalfe and Rebecca Unknown.  She was born 29 March 1686.  Two children.

Generation 5: Abigail Davis, died 19 April 1776; married on 11 April 1718 at the Hamlet Parish Church, Hamilton, Massachusetts to John Poland, son of James Poland and Rebecca Kimball.  He was born about 1693 in Hamilton or Wenham, and died 21 April 1777 in Hamilton. Nine children.

Generation 6: Daniel Poland married Sarah Bishop
Generation 7: Martha Poland married Alexander Mears
Generation 8: Samuel Mears married Lydia W. Burnham
Generation 9: Samuel Mears married Sarah Ann Burnham
Generation 10:  Sarah Burnham Mears married Joseph Gilman Allen
Generation 11:  Joseph Elmer Allen married Carrie Maude Batchelder
Generation 12:  Stanley Elmer Allen married Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo,  "Surname Saturday ~ DAVIS of Haverhill, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 18, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/07/surname-saturday-davis-of-haverhill.html:  accessed [access date]).  

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