PAMUNKEY DAVENPORTS & OTHER INTERESTED: Washington County, Virginia (WCV) Tax Lists go back to 1782, but the first Davenport to be listed thereon was in 1786 when Simmes Davenport, 1 White Tithe, 1 Slave, 2 Horses, and 4 Cattle was listed on John Lowery's List. In 1787, Anthony Davenport was on David Carson's List, same assessment, minus one cattle. This was Anthony Simmes Davenport, a son of Abraham Davenport of Berkeley County, Virginia, now Jefferson County, West Virginia. Anthony was an ALTONA DAVENPORT, a Revolutionary veteran who took his Bounty Land in the Virginia Military District of Ohio. He left Washington County and moved north of the Ohio River after the Spring of 1788. In 1789 a William Davenport was on Walter Preston's List, assessed for only one horse, no tithe, suggesting that he was excused from the tithe for one reason or another, was a man of little worth. William was still on Preston's List in 1792. There were no Davenports on Washington Lists in 1790. The 1791 lists on microfilm are too light to read (at least for these old eyes), but others who have provided data from WCV lists offer no readings for 1791. In 1792, David Carson listed Joseph Davenport and assessed him for 1 White tithe, 2 Horses. This Joseph, we believe, was the Joseph associated with the Cumberland/Buckingham Davenports. We would point out that Milly Davenport, eldest daughter of Henry, Sr., and Nancy Ann Pemberton, was married to John Lee in Washington County on 6Sep1791. Joseph Davenport was assessed March-April 1792. Walter Preston did not list any Davenports in 1792. (We have noted that Milly was 17/18-years-old and a maiden in 1791, would hardly have been traveling more than 200 miles from her home in Buckingham by herself, and if John Lee had gone to Buckingham to fetch her, social mores would have required him to marry her there before carrying her off to the Southwest Virginia boondocks.) In 1793, Walter Preston charged William Davenport with 1 horse, no tithe (same as 1789), and David Carson charged Joseph Davenport with 1 tithe, 2 horses (same as 1792). In 1794 David Carson assessed Joseph Davenport the same as previous years and Osborn Davenport, proven son of Julius Davenport of Thomas, Sr., and his wife Mary Noell, was assessed one tithe and one horse. By assessment dates, Joseph and Osborn lived in close proximity. There were no other Davenports assessed in that year. In 1795 David Carson had been replaced by John Stewart as assessor in the Lower District. Stewart used a watered-down ink in recording his assessments. All are now so faded as to be unreadable. Walter Preston still was assessor for the Upper District. He listed William, Joseph, and John Davenport, all assessed in close proximity as men of little property. John was assessed for his tithe and two horses. William and Joseph were charged with one tithe each. These three Davenports, we believe, were sons of Glover Davenport and grandsons of Martin Davenport, Sr., of Hanover. After the Revolution, Joseph and William joined their father in Bedford (Franklin after 1785), then collecting youngest brother John were together in Patrick County before moving west across the Blue Ridge to Washington County. We have no difficulty in keeping Glover's Davenports separate from Julius' Davenports, for they were never in the same taxing district--so far as we could determine. We regret that John Stewart was too cheap to use good ink, for most of the family of Julius Davenport of Buckingham, if not Julius and Mary themselves, appear to have moved to Washington County in 1794-95, joining Joseph and Osborn. In 1796 there was a sizable group of Pamunkey Davenports listed in the County. Matthew Willoughby had succeeded Walter Preston, and listed William, Joseph, and John [all of Glover], still as men of little or no property. John had one less horse. John Stewart used good ink this year, listed Osborn, Julius [the father], Thomas, John, Joseph, and Clayborn. All were assessed one tithe, meaning no sons of age 16 and older. Further, Osborn, Thomas, Joseph, and Clayborn were assessed for horses. Thomas had two. The other three had one. Joseph was in the Julius family cluster. Only Osborn was assessed on a day other than the day that his father, brothers and Joseph enjoyed with John Stewart. (Virginia assessors after the Revolution were required to see for themselves, no longer took the Tithable's word for what he/she owned--as was true in Colonial Times, were required to list the date of their viewing said assets. If the assessor--called a commissioner--did all of Julius' family in one day, the Davenports were living close together. Osborn was living apart, for he was assessed two days before the others.) From this time on there were Davenports in both the Upper and Lower Districts of Washington County. Joseph, William, and John of the Upper District were gone after 1798, but a James and John were there later, and a Joseph was back in 1803. Joseph of the Lower District, who was settled among the Julius Davenport family, was gone after 1802. Whether he was the Joseph in the Upper District in 1803, we cannot tell. In the years 1804-06, a Joseph Davenport was tax listed in Buckingham County. The Henry Davenport Estate/Ann Davenport was not assessed during those years. The assets charged Joseph Davenport in Buckingham were the same assessed to the Henry Estate or Ann in other years. Whether coincidence, we know not. Ann still had minor orphaned daughters of Henry in the first decade of the Nineteenth Century. We have examined the possibility that Joseph of WCV was Joseph, eldest son of James Davenport, Sr., of Halifax, eldest brother of Henry, Sr., and Julius, all being son of Thomas, Sr., of Cumberland. The mystery remains as to what happened to Joseph of James, Sr. Going into that story would take more time and space than currently available. Joseph of James, Sr., we believe, is a possible for the unidentified Joseph preceding and living among the Davenports of Julius in WCV, but we need to get a better handle on the WCV Davenports, fore and aft of Buckingham, before looking elsewhere. Joseph of James, Sr., will still be there. John Scott Davenport Holmdel, NJ