Hi to all this morning. Just received an e-mail this A.M. that I wanted to share in hopes that it might bring more cousins to light. Bud > Bud, thanks much for all the information on John Davis and his >family, and on his wife's family, I'm glad to have it. I looked at all the >John Davises in the 1830 GA and 1830 SC census, and only two of them were a >good match for yours. One was a John Davis in 1830 Twiggs County, GA. >The other was a John Davis in 1830 Greenville County, SC. I think the >latter was yours, since you already indicated that the Roberts family was >in Greenville around this time. > In 1820, your John would have had one son and one daughter, and >the only John I found with this configuration in 1820 SC was the John Davis >in 1820 York. As you know, York is adjacent to Chester, and several of the >Davis families there are related to the Chester families. There were two >Davis men in early York, both named William, who had sons named John and >who might have been the father of your John Davis. One was the Rev. >William Cummings Davis, who died in York in 1833 or so, and the other was >Captain William Davis, who died in York in 1820. > I think the latter was the father of your John Davis. For one >thing, this William's wife was a Spence, or Spencer, and your John named a >son Spencer Davis. Your John also named a son Francis Marion Davis, and >this Capt. Wm. had a son Francis Marion Davis who would have been a brother >to your John Davis. Thirdly the John Davis, son of Capt. Wm., was born, >according to the record which follows, in September 1788, as was your John >Davis. The day of the month differs, but this could easily be due to a >mis-interpretation of the old handwriting in either the record which >follows, or your record, or both. I have more on the descendants of the >Francis Marion Davis born in 1785, by the way. As for this Captain William >Davis, I'm not sure of his connection if any to the Chester District >Davises, but imagine that there was some connection. Both families >probably go back to Mecklenburg Co, NC, and before that, to Maryland. More >on this latter. What follows is my current "best guess" as to the >parentage of your John Davis: >=========================================================================== >=============================== >Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County, NC -- Volume VII, #1, page 28-29 > > > REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION FILE OF > CAPTAIN WILLIAM DAVIS > > (The following data was abstracted by Roy Brooks from the >Revolutionary War pension >application, National Archives. File #W-8653) > Application for pension filed in York District, South Carolina on >November 14, 1850, by >the heirs of WILLIAM ana MARTHA SPENCE DAVIS. They were applying for the >final >payment of the widow's pension, due their mother upon her death. > The application was signed by COLONEL THOMAS DAVIS, on behalf of >himself and >the surviving children of WILLIAM and MARTHA DAVIS, namely FRANCIS DAVIS, >ANN >SCOTT, WILLIAM DAVIS, J0SIAH DAVIS, MARTHA. S. MCKENZIE ( see note ), and >LOUISA M. Davis. (Note: There may be an error in this listing since the >Bible record which was >included with the application, shows the middle name of Louisa as >'McKenzie.' Martha may >have married a McKenzie, or the individual writing the original >application may have mixed up >these names.) > Colonel THOMAS DAVIS stated that his father, the late WILLIAM DAVIS, >served as a >private, a lieutenant, and later as a Captain in the South Carolina Militia >during the >Revolutionary War. The statements made by Thomas Davis as to his father's >military service >were based on information which he had been told by his father and mother. > WILLIAM DAVIS entered the military service first in either 1777 or >1778, and served >until the close of the War in 1783. Most of his service was in Colonel >Bratton's Regiment of >Sumter's Brigade in which he served as a horseman. Some of the engagements >he participated in >were: the Battle of Hanging Rock, Sumter's Defeat, Guilford Courthouse, and >the Battle of Kings >Mountain. > THOMAS DAVIS stated that he still had in his possession his father's >Commission as a >Captain in Colonel W. Bratton's Regiment, and the document was dated May 3, >1781. > This is another paper in the file, apparently not a part of the >application of the heirs, >which indicates that WILLIAM DAVIS also served in the Indian campaign of >1776 in Captain >PETER CLINTON's Company.. This paper may have been a part of the widow's >original >application for pension which is not now in the file.. > WILLIAM DAVIS was married to MARTHA SPENCE in York District South >Carolina >in 1783 or 1784. (NOTE: One paper in the file indicates Martha's name as >"Spencer", but all >other places show it as "Spence.") The original pages from the Family >Register section of the >family Bible was attached to the application and gives the following >information: > FRANCIS DAVIS was born November 28, 1785 > ANN DAVIS was born February 10, 1787 > JOHN DAVIS was born September 19, 1788 > DAVID DAVIS was born October 8, 1790 and died October 4, 1817 > JEAN DAVIS was born January 28, 1793 > WILLIAM DAVIS, JR was born September 20, 1795 > JOSIAH DAVIS was born May 7, 1797 > GEORGE WASHINGTON DAVIS was born September 18, 1799 > and died November 22,1820 > MARTHA SPENCE DAVIS was born September 19, 1799 > LUISA MCKINZIE DAVIS was born September 12, 1801 > THOMAS DAVIS was born October 30, 1803 > POLLY DAVIS was born April 28, 1807 > Among the supporting papers in the pension file, is an >affadavit of a neighbor of the >Davis family, MARY PATRICK, who was then 57 years of age, who stated that >she had been >raised within one half mile of the William Davis family. She stated that >Captain William Davis at >his death was a ruling Elder in the Bethel Presbyterian Church. > CAPTAIN WILLIAM DAVIS died in York District, South Carolina on >November 24, 1820, and his wife, MARTHA SPENCE DAVIS, died on May 20, 1840 >at the home of her son, THOMAS DAVIS, in York District. > >