Thomas William Davis

Thomas married Tacy Crandall on 8 Dec 1737 in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island, USA. Tacy (daughter of John Crandall and Mary Yeomans) was born in 1721 in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island, USA; died on 1 Jun 1795 in , Monongalia, West Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1779, Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
• Residence: 1785, Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
• Residence: 1793, Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
• Residence: 1810, , Harrison, West Virginia, USA

Notes:

NATHAN DAVIS, SR. (THOMAS WILLIAM 4, JOHN 3, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 1) was born May 9, 1740 in Washington Co., Westerly, Rhode Island, and died Bef. October 17, 1814 in Harrison Co., Salem, W. Va.. He married ANN GIFFORD January 20, 1761 in N.J., daughter of JOSHUA GIFFORD and HANNAH DEAN. She was born January 07, 1741/42 in N.J., and died October 14, 1820 in Salem, W.Va..

Notes for NATHAN DAVIS, SR. : Nathan and Ann were active in the 7th Day Baptist Church at Shrewsbury, N.J. and later at New Salem, Western, Va. Nathan enlisted in the Continental Army on May 9, 1777 for a period of 3 years, with Sherburns Regiment. He was at Rye on Dec. 6, 1777; at Fishkill, March 4, 1778; at White Plains, July 21, 1778; Warren, Oct. 9, 1778; Bristol, Nov. 1778 to May 1, 1779; absent with leave from Bristol, June 5, 1779; Warwick, Nov. 10, 1779; Morristown, March 2, 1780; discharged, April 30, 1780.
War record #3360 national archives.

More About NATHAN DAVIS, SR. : Burial: Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery

Nathan was part of a close-knit Seventh Day Baptist Church community in Shrewsbury, NJ. In the late 1780's, he moved with his family first through Pennsylvania to western Virginia (now West Virginia), where they eventually settled lots of frontier land purchased from Samuel and Margaret Fitz Randolph and helped to establish the town of New Salem (today Salem, WV) with a number of other SDB families from Shrewsbury, NJ and elsewhere (see Samuel Fitz Randolph's biography for more details). Nathan was one of the original deed owners in New Salem.[1]

1 Corliss Fitz Randolph. (1905). A History of the Seventh Day Baptists in West Virginia including the Woodbridgetown and Salemville churches in Pennsylvania and the Shrewsbury church in New Jersey. The American Sabbath Tract Society, Planfield, NJ. This book can be viewed online or downloaded at https://archive.org/details/historyofseven00rand.


From the church records, Shewsbury church; "September 6, 1789, Then did the body of this church remove from Shresbury in order to settle in the state of Virginia. Names; Rev. Jacob Davis, with his family, William Davis, Sr., John Davis, Ephriam Maxson; Thomas Babcock; Zebulon Maxson; Benjamin Thorp, with all their families." "Sept. 13, 1789, Also set out the following from the same place: Simeon Maxson; William Davis Jr.;William Maxson, and all their families." " The next date that appears in the records is May 13, 1792, after the church had settled at New Salem, Harrison County, Virginia. The church then became known as the New Salem Church, to correspond with the name of the new palce of settlement." The church gives us no record of its history from the time they left until May 13, 1792, nearly three years later. In the meantime, they had in all probabliity gone in a very leisurely manner through Pennsylvania, stopping at various places with friends and acquaintances in the County of Fayette. Thence they crossed over the Cheat river into western Virginia, some settling for the time being on White Day Creek in Monongalia County, and later the most of them making their way across the Mongonahela, following up the west fork of that river, thence up the Ten Mile Creek branch of the West Fork River to the headwaters of the Middlefork of Ten Mile creek. Here lay a tract of land surveyed on Jan. 20,1786, for Joseph Swearington, the son of Catherine Swearington, whose husband, John Swearington, had been adjudged owner of this land. Although the six Nations had formerly relinquished all claim to western Virginia in 1768, they continued their depredations until the summer of 1795. The new settlers on Ten Mile Creek built for
themselves a blockhouse within the present village of Salem, and protected themselves as best they could against unexpected attacks by the savages. In the summer of 1795, occurred the last invasion of this country by the Indians, when they murdered three or four victims, took three prisoners, and returned to their towns in time to surrender their captives to General Wayne. Waynes treaty with the Indians at Greenville on Aug. 3, 1795 forever freed northwestern Virginia from Indian Terrors. Dr. Isaiah Bee of Princeton, West Virginia, a great grandson of both William Davises who emigrated from Shrewsbury, say that his great grandfather, William Davis, Called "Greenbriar Billy," from Green Briar Run, the name of the stream on which he settled in Virginia, told him, then a lad of 8 or 9 years,
that an Indian Chief said to the people at the fort at New Salem, that they were so careless that they (the Indians) could have killed them all had they wanted to do so. But as they wore shoes and coats, the Indians knew they were from Pennsylvania or New Jersey and were friends. Had they wore moccasins and hunting shirts, they would not have left one alive in the fort. Dr. Bee further states that he himself remembers an old lady by the name of Childers, nee Richards, of Meat House Fork, saying that she stood on a stump and saw the Indians scalp her father. These incidents and others indicate that the Indians were active in their bloody pursuits in the locality of the Seventh Day Baptists even
after their arrival at their new homes. The country abounded in game such as buffalo, elk, deer, bear, wolves, wild turkeys and other small game. As soon as they felt that it would be safe to do so, they moved to their farms. Three brothers, Nathan, Joseph and William Davis purchased a tract of twenty thousand acres of land at the rate of twenty three cents an acre. The ground was covered by an unbroken forest of heavy building timber of the best quality in great variety.

Nathan enlisted in the Continental Army on May 9, 1777 for a period of three years with Sherburns Regiment. He was at Rye on Dec. 6, 1777; At Fishkill March 4, 1778; At White Plains, July 21, 1778; Warren, October 9, 1778; Bristol, November 1778 to May 1, 1779; Absent without leave from Bristol Nov. 1778 to MAy 1, 1779; Morristown, March 2, 1780; Discharged April 30, 1780. War record #3360, National Archives.

Nathan & Anne were active with the Salem Seventh Day Baptist Church, in Shrewsbury, New Jersey and later in New Salem, Western Virginia. His dispute with an indentured servant, John Parker, concerning settlement at termination of indenture was settled by the Shrewsbury Church body and recorded in the minutes.
Nathan enlisted in the Continental Army on May 9, 1777 for a period of three years with Sherbourn's Regiment. He was at Rye on December 6, 1777; At Fishkill, March 4, 1778; at White Plains, July 21, 1778; Warren, October 9, 1778; Bristol, November1778 to May 1, 1779; Absent with leave from Bristol, June 5, 1779; Warwick, November 10, 1779; Morristown, March 2, 1780; Discharged, April 30, 1780.
War record Number 3360 - National Archives
He purchased Lot Number 27 and outlet Number 1 in the Village of New Salem by deed, dated February 13, 1796. Lot Number 27 was conveyed to the church by Nathan and Ann by deed dated March 14, 1811.
Joshua Davis was the Administrator of Nathan's Will as shown in Will book 2, Pg. 60, in Harrison County. A sale is listed in book 2, pg. 85, dated Nov. 11, 1814, & Administrative settlement, book 2, pg. 110, dated Nov. 11, 1814.

Nathan married Annie Gifford on 20 Jan 1761 in , Monmouth, New Jersey, USA. Annie (daughter of Joshua Gifford and Hannah Dean) was born on 7 Jan 1742 in Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA; died on 14 Oct 1820 in Salem, Doddridge, West Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1785, Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
• Residence: 1810, , Harrison, West Virginia, USA
• Residence: 1820, , Harrison, West Virginia, USA

Joshua married Content Davis in 1785 in Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA. Content (daughter of James Davis and Judith Maxson) was born on 27 Feb 1758 in Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA; died on 28 Jun 1840 in Salem, Doddridge, West Virginia, USA; was buried in Salem, Doddridge, West Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Stephen married Nancy Fitz Randolph on 14 Apr 1802 in , Harrison, West Virginia, USA. Nancy (daughter of Samuel Fitz Randolph and Margaret Fitz Randolph) was born on 19 Feb 1781 in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA; died on 18 Jul 1871 in Salem, Doddridge, West Virginia, USA; was buried in Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery, Salem, Harrison, West Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1850, , Doddridge, West Virginia, USA
• Residence: 1860, , Doddridge, West Virginia, USA
• Residence: 1870, Grant, Doddridge, West Virginia, USA

Hannah married Jesse Davis on 11 May 1806 in , Harrison, West Virginia, USA. Jesse (son of William "Bottom Billy" Davis and Elizabeth Anna Havens) was born on 18 May 1788 in Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA; died on 23 Dec 1823 in Salem, Doddridge, West Virginia, USA; was buried in Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery, Salem, Harrison, West Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Rulana married Albert H Ford on 10 Mar 1837. Albert (son of Thomas Ford and Elizabeth Dye) was born on 4 Aug 1817 in , Harrison, West Virginia, USA; died on 27 Sep 1888 in , Doddridge, West Virginia, USA; was buried in Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery, Salem, Harrison, West Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]