Susanna Pettus

Susanna married Evan Ragland in 1680 in Saint Peter and Paul Parish, New Kent, Virginia, USA. Evan (son of Thomas Ragland and Jane Morgan) was born on 31 Mar 1656 in St Decumans Parish, Somerset, England; died on 30 May 1717 in Saint Peter and Paul Parish, New Kent, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Catherine married John Davis, III in 1696 in Saint Peter and Paul Parish, New Kent, Virginia, USA. John (son of John Davis and Sarah Watts) was born on 7 Jul 1681 in Christ Church, Middlesex, Virginia, USA; died on 6 Apr 1734 in St Mark's Parish, Spotsylvania, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Stephen Ragland is first found among the records of St. Paul's Parish, New Kent County, Virginia. In 1711, Stephen is listed as a freeholder with 200 acres of land described as on, "...upper reaches of Chickahominy River..." John Ragland is a neighbor. Parish records list Stephen in various roles in the community. In 1715, Stephen was made overseer of teh preceinct; in 1716 he assisted in clearing the roads; and in 1724 he was named as a superintendent of a road gang. These records indicate that he was a person of responsiblity in the community.
Stephen Ragland married Mary, who Charles J. Ragland identifies as a member of the Hudson family. The only proof of her family name is the use of the "Hudson" name by the Raglands. Charles J. Ragland's idenfication of her as the daughter of John & Elizabeth (Harris) Hudson of Hanover Co., Virginia is believed to be incorrect according to the researchers at the Hudson Family Assciation.
Stephen Ragland removes to North Carolina by 1730. In the NC deeds he is described as "of Hanover County, Virginia." Stephen prospered in North Carolina. By his death in 1747, Stephen has accumulated around 1,690 acres of land and had at least six slaves. He also owned a tobacco warehouse and ran a Ferry. His plantation is said to have been located where present day US HWY 158 crosses the Roanak River into Northampton County. Between 1740 and his death he held the position of Royal Tax Collector of Bertie Precinct.

From Charles J. Ragland, Jr.'s book, The Raglands: History of a British-American Family vol I -
Stephen Ragland of Northampton County, North Carolina, third son of Evan Ragland Sr. and Susanna Pettus, and progenitor of the North Carolina Raglands, was born in New Kent County, Virginia about 1688. He is first mentioned in the public records of Virginia in a 1711 list of property owners for St. Paul's parish (at that time New Kent County but after 1720 Hanover County) as a "freeholder of 200 acres." This property, located on the north side of the Chickahominy Swamp, was undoubtedly part of the tract granted to his grandfather, Stephen Pettus, in 1667. For twenty years following his initial appearence Stephen's name occurs with some regularity in the vestry minutes of St. Paul's parish. In 1715 he was made "overseer of the precinct" and in 1716 was "ordered by the New Kent Court to assist in clearing a new road," and again in 1724 was made Road Gang superintendent for the maintenance of public roads in south central Hanover County. Although Stephen continued to appear in the records od St. Paul's parish as a property holder after 1730, he had in fact moved with his family to North Carolina. Beginning in Jan of 1730 Stephen made several purchases of land "along the north side of the Morottock (Roanoke River)" in what was then Bertie County, North Carolina (Northampton County after 1741) and by the end of the year had acquired 460 acres. Establishing himself on this property, Stephen appears to have been quite busy during the remaining decade and a half of his life. In addition to establishing the plantation; he alsobuilt a number of public warehouses which were leased to the colonial government of North Carolina for the storage and inspection of ter, pitch, and turpentine, and tobacco awaiting shipment to England; and operating a ferry across the Roanoke River. Appointed Royal Tax Collector for the northern part of Bertie Precinct (Northampyon County) in 1740 Stephen assumed not only the responsibility for the inspection of these goods but also for the levying and collection of taxes on all exported goods. He served in this capacity until his death in 1747. During this period he slowly extended his land holdings in Northampton County and across the Roanoke River into Halifax County which by the time of his death had reached a total holding of 1,690 acres. Dying in Jan of 1747 Stephen left in addition to his plantation and land, a ferry crossing, several public warehouses, and six slaves, one of whom was, incidently, an Indian. He married in New Kent County, Virginia about 1713 one Mary (probably Hudson) who survived him by several years dying in Northampton County in 1760. According to his will, Stephen left six children.

STEPHEN RAGLAND Will Feb Court 1747 in Northampton County, North Carolina: --- 20th May 1748

In The Name of God Amen STEPHEN RAGLAND of Northampton County in the province of north carolina Being sick and week in body but thanks bee to almighty God of perfect mind & memory and Calling to mind that it is appointed for all men to die do therefore Constitute and ordain this Present Wrighting To be my last will & testament and my soul I recommend into the hands of Almighty God hoping through the merrits of my beloved savour Jesus Christ to have ---? on for all my sins as to my Body commit to the ground to bee decently Buried at the Discretion of my Executors here after mentioned and as to the temporal Estate as it hath lesed Almity God to Bestow on mee after my Debts and funerall charges bee paid I give and Dispose of as followeth

Impromi ? I give and bequeath to my loving son STEPHEN RAGLAND one hundred and fifty Aker of land be the same more or left together with my ferry --plantation --- the same --negrow woman names -ORK ? after the Dispose of my loving wife MARREY RAGLAND to him and his heirs and assignes forEver

Item my will and desire is that my land and plantation as Bought of ROBERT HARRIS to be sold by my Executors and the money arrising by such sale to be Equally Divided betwen my wife and children sons & Daughters

Item I give and bequeath to my loving son GEORGE RAGLAND my plantation whereon I now Dwell togetherwith one hundred and sixty Akers of land begining at a white oake standing in a bottom betwen my son STEPHEN and my son GEORG his land and to a north --- for the -- to my upper line to him and his heirs & assignes forEver

Item I give & bequeath to my loving son WILLIAM RAGLAND to him and his heirs and assignes forEver one hundred and sixty Aker of land and JAMES --- land & Bound along a line of mark trees to -- & my Dividing line

Item? I give and bequeath to my loving son FREDERICK RAGLAND to him and his heirs and assignes forEver two hundred and Eighty Akers of land bee the same more or less adjoining my other land together with one negrow Boy named RED after the Depose of my loving wife MARY RAGLAND

Item? I give and bequeath to my Loving Daughter AGNESS RAGLAND to her and heirs and assignes forEver one Indian slave named --- ? -- after the Death of my loving wife MARY RAGLAND

Item? I give? and bequeath to my loving son GEORG RAGLAND to him and his heirs and assignes forEver one negrow man named PEETER ? after? the Despose of my loving wife MARY RAGLAND

Item? I give unto my loving wife MARY RAGLAND all the res ? of my Estate Be it as it will with the -- of all my slaves During her natural life after my loving wife -- my will is that what of my Estate is left to be Equally Divided betwen my sons & Daughters the slaves only -- which my will is they be Divided as? & in manner before mentioned all my beloved children and my Desire and will is that what of my Estate that is to bee Divided betwen my wife & children be Equally divided by three of my neighbours freeholders With out troubel to the Corte? or any charges blonging to the same and my will and desires and I hereby Do Nomin ? Constitute and apoint my loving sons EVEN RAGLAND and GEORG RAGLAND to be my Executor to this my last will and Testament and Do hereby -- and Revoke all other wills by mee made and Do Constitute and ordain this to bee my Last will & testament and no other by mee made

Signed Seled and Acknowled to be my last will & testament in the presence of us whose names are and with Subscribed This first Day of march one thousand sevenhundred forty six

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? S RAGLAND (Seal)


ROBERT HICKS Jurat
JOHN HAMILTON

JOHN WEBB Jurat
Northampton County -- February Court 1747
The within written Will of STEPHEN RAGLAND -- was proved in open Court by the oath of ROBERT HICKS & JOHN WEBB two of the subscribing witnesses thereto at same time EVAN RAGLAND? & gEORGE RAGLAND --duly -- Executors thereof

Teste I EDWARD Clerk???

Name: Stephen Ragland
Surname: Ragland
Given Name: Stephen
Sex: M
Birth: 1687 in St Peter's Parrish, New Kent Co., Virginia
Death: Jan 1746/1747 in Northhampton County, North Carolina
_UID: C45C8784D3A54A4A98E744237CE642F6B7A7
Occupation: Planter
Note:
A planter, ferryman, and warehouseman. Stephen served as precinct overseer, road gang supervisor, and tobacco tax collector in St. Peter's Parish, New Kent County, Virginia.Stephen's name appears several times in the vestry minutes of St. Paul's Parrish. He was appointed Royal Tax Collector for the northern part of Bertie Precinct (Northampton County) North Carolina. On his death he left; a plantation, a ferry crossing, several public warehouses and six slaves.


Abstract of Stephen Ragland's Will
March 1, 1746. February Court 1747. Sons William and Frederick (plantation to each), Even. Daugher Agness (one Indian slave). Wife Mary. Executors, Evan and George Ragland (sons). Witnesses: Robert Hicks, John Hamilton, John Webb. Clerk of Court: I Edwards.
1
Change Date: 7 Jun 2005 at 01:00:00

Ancestry Hints for Stephen Ragland

1 possible matches found on Ancestry.com


Father: Evan Ragland b: 31 Mar 1656 in St. Decumen's Parish, Somerset, England
Mother: Susanna Pettus b: ABT 1660 in St Peter's Parish, New Kent Co., Virginia

Marriage 1 Mary Hudson b: ABT 1688 in Hanover County, Virginia
Married: 1713 in St Paul's Parrish, New Kent Co., Virginia
Children
Agnes Ragland b: 1734 in Bertie County, North Carolina
Evan Ragland b: 1714
George Ragland b: 1717
Frederic k Ragland b: 1722
William Ragland b: 1724
Stephen Ragland Jr b: 1732

Sources:
Title: St Paul and St Peter Parrish Records, New Kent, Virginia

Stephen married Mary Hudson in 1713 in Saint Peter and Paul Parish, New Kent, Virginia, USA. Mary was born in 1692 in , Hanover, Virginia, USA; died in 1760 in , Northampton, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

William married Elizabeth Shelton on 9 Oct 1728 in Christ Church, Middlesex, Virginia, USA. Elizabeth (daughter of Ralph Shelton, Sr and Mary Jane Crispen) was born on 25 May 1711 in Christ Church, Middlesex, Virginia, USA; died in 1749 in , Hanover, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Granville County, North Carolina Original Wills Vol 1 1749-1810 By Tim Rackley

250. Benjamin Merritt of Granville Co., NC, 8 Nov 1776

"Being sick of body". I give my land and negro boy Peter to be equally divided between by nephews Ephraim Meritt, son of Stephen Merit, Ephraim Boyd son of John and Mary Boyd, Hud Rose son of William and Elisabeth Rose. To my Mother Agness Langston my young mair during her natural life and after her death to fall to Ephraim Meritt son of Stephen Meritt. To my nephew John Boyd son of John and Mary Boyd one feather bed and furniture. Four head of cattle to my two nephews Ephraim Meritt son of Stephen Meritt and Hudson Rose son of William and Elisabeth Rose. Also my hogs to be equally divided among all my nephews. All of my estate of every kind with my debts due to me after paying all lawful debts to be divided as before mentioned. James Langston and John Williams to be executors.

Wit: James Langston, John Boyd, Shearmon Goss Signed Benjamin Meritt

February Court 1777 prov'd by oath of James Langston and Shearmon Goss. James Langston and John Williams qualified as executors


251. Ephraim Merrit (Nuncupative Will), October 1760

Deposition of Solomon Langston before Robert Hicks 24 October 1760 stated that Ephraim Merrit was at his house sometime before he dyed and his son Stephen and his Negrow boy Ebo alies Luis said Ephraim Merit to the said deponent that newgrow boy will never do me any good, because he have four young children and four young negroes. I give my Negrow boy Ebo or alies Luis to my son Stephen, my negrow boy Peter to my son Bijiamin (Benjamin), my Negrow Girl Dot to my daughter Mary, and my Negrow girl Aechel to my daughter Elisabeth. Ageleus (Agness) Merrit wife of said Ephraim also signed the deposition. [No probate information, appears to never have been recorded].


So it appears that Ephraim Merritt Sr. married Agness. After his death, she remarried to a Langston. Their children were Stephen Merritt, Benjamin Merritt, Mary Merrit Boyd wife of John Boyd, and Elisabeth Merritt Rose wife of William Rose.
The younger Ephraim Merritt appears to be the son of Stephen Merritt.

Agnes married Ephraim Merritt in 1754 in , Northampton, North Carolina, USA. Ephraim was born in 1721 in , Bertie, North Carolina, USA; died on 12 Aug 1760 in , Granville, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Agnes married Joseph James Langston in 1764 in , Granville, North Carolina, USA. Joseph (son of John Langston, III and Mary Agnes Mangum) was born on 12 Dec 1740 in , Granville, North Carolina, USA; died on 26 Mar 1827 in , Logan, Kentucky, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

WILLIAM DAVIS OF PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY

On 16 Mar 1779 William Davis of Pittsylvania County bought 850 acres of land on both sides of the Bannister River and Cherrystone Creek, near Chatham in the middle of Pittsylvania County, from John Booth of Henry County, bordering land owned by Thomas Hardy Sr, George Prosize, Robert Adams, John Short, John Parks, and Robert Wooding, for 1400 pounds. This land included the “William Pigg” mill, which had been built in 1768.

The stone house that William Davis built on this land is still standing but is in bad repair; photos are on the internet.

William Davis appears in the 1779 tithable list in Pittsylvania in a large household including Benj, Garret, and Daniel Davis, and negroes Lemus, Jim, Sue, and Filly. (The tithable lists for 1780 and 1781 have not been indexed, so I haven’t searched them yet. It would be interesting to see if Daniel and Garret Davis appear in these lists. Daniel appears in the 1778 list, apparently the first of the family to locate in Pittsylvania County. At least one of William’s sons named a son Garret, supporting the supposition that Garret was a son of William. Perhaps Garret and Daniel died in the Revolutionary fighting in 1780; many Pittsylvania militiamen took part in the military action in the Carolinas.)

William Davis patented an additional 400 acres on the branches of Bannister River and Cherrystone Creek, bordering the land of Thomas Hardy and Finney. A survey for this land was done 24 Apr. 1780, and he received the patent for the land on 1 Sept. 1780.

A marriage bond was registered in Pittsylvania County on 16 Nov. 1781 for William’s daughter Sarah to marry Thomas Maide (who later spelled his name Meade); surety for the bond were Thomas Maide and Benjamin Davis (William’s eldest son).

In 1782 the yearly tithable lists were replaced by personal property tax lists. In this year William Davis is shown with two “tithables” (white men over 21, presumably William and son Benjamin), nine slaves, four horses, and 16 cattle.

The 1782 land tax shows William Davis with 700 acres, which seems puzzling in light of his purchase of 850 acres (“more or less”) in 1779 and an additional 400 acres in 1780. We know that William Davis gave land to his son-in-law George Myers (part of which was donated to the Upper Bannister Baptist Church), so perhaps this accounts for part of the discrepancy. The 1782 land tax shows George “Miers” with 200 acres. Another possibility is that the total acreage that William bought in 1779 was exaggerated in the deed (indicated by the phrase “more or less”), to match the number of acres that he had just sold in Culpeper County. But this is just speculation; further research should be done in the land records to ascertain just what happened to the two tracts of land that William Davis bought.

William Davis doesn’t appear in the personal property tax records in 1783. Perhaps this was just an omission by the recorder.

In 1784 William Davis appears in the personal property tax list with two white men over 21 (William and son Benjamin), five slaves over 16; four slaves under 16; four horses, and 15 cattle.

On 17 May 1784, William’s son Benjamin entered into a marriage bond with Daniel Bradley, who married William’s daughter Elizabeth.[10]

The 1785 personal property tax list shows William Davis with two white men over 21 (William and son Benjamin), six slaves over 16, four slaves under 16, four horses, and 17 cattle. William had one additional slave and two more cows, compared to the previous year.

On 18 Feb. 1786 (recorded on the 20th), William Davis and John Davis of Pittsylvania County sold to Holt Richardson of King William County a Negro man named Ruben. Is this the same William Davis as the miller of Cherrystone Creek? And if so, who was this John Davis? A brother sharing an inheritance? Witnesses to the deed were Samuel Parks and John Bowden, and Samuel Parks would witness an 1786 deed from William Davis to his son-in-law Daniel Bradley (see below), and serve as surety in 1787 for the marriage bond of William Davis’s daughter Susanna.

The 1786 land tax shows William Davis with 700 acres, same as in 1782. William Davis was consistently taxed for 700 acres until his death in 1791.[11] The 1786 personal property tax list shows William Davis with two white men over 21, eight slaves over 16, ten slaves under 16, four horses, and 17 cattle. William had eight more slaves than the previous year. Had he recently come into an inheritance?

On 1 Dec. 1786 William Davis sold 100 acres on the north side of the Bannister River, "being part of the same tract whereon the said William Davis now lives," to his son-in-law Daniel Bradley.[12] Witnesses to the deed were Thomas H. Wooding, Samuel Parks, and William Ming.

On 19 Feb. 1787, Samuel Parks entered into a marriage bond with William Corbin, who married William Davis’s daughter Susanna. Together with the bond was a note by William Davis, witnessed by son Benjamin and by Samuel Parks, giving permission for Susanna to marry.

The 1787 personal property tax list shows that William Davis paid on April 18, with zero men over 21 (besides William; the recordkeeping was strange this year), six slaves over 16, eight slaves under 16, three horses, and 15 cattle. William had lost four slaves, a horse, and two cows compared to the previous year. On Apr. 20 William’s son Benjamin paid the tax, showing zero men over 21 (besides Benjamin), 1 slave over 16, 1 slave under 16, and 1 horse. This accounts for the horse and two of the slaves. William’s new son-in-law William Corbin had a slave in 1787, perhaps a wedding gift from William.

The 1788 personal property tax list shows William “Davise” with one white male over 21, four slaves over 16, 1 slave 12-16, and four horses. (Starting this year, the number of cows wasn’t listed.) Benjamin “Davise” paid on the same day, with 1 white male over 21 and one slave over 16. John “Davise” paid on the same day, with one male over 21, one slave over 16, and three horses. I believe that this was the John Davis who bought 200 ares on Green Rock Creek (near William Davis) on 1 July 1788, and NOT William’s son John. This John Davis appears in Pittsylvania County as early as 1782, but didn’t own land until 1788. This John Davis had one slave until 1786, when he suddenly had four slaves and a stud horse (similar to William, who also shows a sudden influx of slaves in 1786.) John Davis had the same number of slaves (and the stud horse) in 1787, but in 1788, the year he bought the land, he was back to one slave (and no stud horse). Once again, it seems reasonable to speculate that this John was a brother of William Davis, and it was these two who sold the slave Ruben to Holt Richardson in 1786 (see above).

The 1789 personal property tax list shows that William Davis paid on April 20, with two white males over 21 (presumably William and son John), five slaves over 16, and three horses. William’s son Benjamin had paid on March 16 (with one slave and one horse), the same day as John Davis (with one slave and three horses).

On 4 June 1789 John Davis (presumably William’s son who had recently turned 21) entered a bond with William Rickett, who married William Davis’s daughter Nancy.

The 1790 personal property tax list shows that William Davis (“Cherrystone”) paid on March 15, with three white males over 21 (presumably William and sons Benjamin and John), six slaves over 16, 1 slave 12-16, and three horses. William’s son Benjamin wasn’t on the list this year, so I assume that he was one of the three men listed in William’s household. John Davis (“Cherrystone”) paid on the same day as William, with one male over 21, one slave, and two horses.

William Davis, of Pittsylvania Co., Virginia "being far advanced in life," made his will on 4 June 1790,[13] mentioning:
--son John (receives 3 head of cattle)
--son Benjamin (receives William's house and 150-acre plantation)
--son Joseph (also receives 150 acres)
--son Thomas (receives the rest of William's land, except one acre by creek adjoining William's mill)
--daughter Nancy Rickett (receives a slave; will mentions her husband William Rickett)
--daughter Peggy Davis (receives two slaves and a flock of geese)
--son-in-law Thomas Maide (cancels debt owed by Thomas)
--son-in-law William Corbin (receives a slave and a feather bed, in consideration of a debt related to William's brother's will)
--sons Joseph and Thomas (mentioned again, now receive William's mill with one adjoining acre of land)
--remainder of estate to be divided between youngest children Joseph, Thomas, and Lucy.
--son Benjamin instructed to rebuild the mill, keeping possession of the mill and slaves for three years and then distributing them according to the will's provisions
--single daughters to be provided for as long as they remain single
--if either son Joseph or Thomas dies before arriving unmarried at "lawful age," their share of the mill to go to the other brother
--son-in-law George Mires to receive nothing more than what he now has in his possession
--son-in-law Daniel Bradley to receive nothing more than what he now has in his possession – the land he lives on.
--executors instructed to pay to Daniel Bradley the debt arising from William's executorship of his brother's will
--William's friend John Parks and William's son Benjamin appointed executors
--signed (with mark) June 4, 1790, and proved June 20, 1791
--witnessed by William Miers, Jacob Miers, George Miers, Jr.

The mark on William’s will has been described as“a thick-ish vertical bar (i.e., not just a thin vertical line). Some of the clerks were good about trying to copy marks closely. William’s is pretty distinctive, which usually would indicate he was not one of those who could write in his younger days but had to sign by mark when he got elderly or sick.”[14] (I am inclined to question whether the Pittsylvania County clerk was good about copying marks closely, since the clerk during this time period routinely omitted the names of witnesses to deeds. In addition, the “thick-ish vertical bar” could have been a scratched-out remnant of another mark. The researcher whom I quoted thinks this mark is significant, disproving the possibility that William Davis of Pittsylvania was the same man who sold 850 acres of land in Culpeper County in 1768. I disagree with her assessment, but others may want to draw their own conclusions.)

William's reference to his brother's will correspond to a legal action brought by Daniel Bradley against his father-in-law, which was dismissed in May 1790. The case arose against William as “executor” of the estate of his brother Noire Davis.[15] The name Noire Davis never appears in the land or tax or probate records of Pittsylvania County, so it seems clear that Noire lived elsewhere.

William Davis’s will was probated on 20 June 1791, indicating that he died sometime between March (the previous court session) and June 1791.

Children of William Davis (birth order is educated guesswork):

1. Mary, married George Miers or Myers. It appears that George Myers lived in Culpeper County from 1758 through 1770, according to a researcher who who states that the earliest record found for him in Pittsylvania County was in 1779.

George Miers is listed with 200 acres in the 1782 Pittsylvania land tax. George Miers is listed in the 1782 Virginia census with 9 whites and one black in his household.

George Miers appears in the 1785 Pittsylvania County tax list (on the same page as his father-in-law William Davis and his brother-in-law Thomas Meade) with one adult slave, two horses, and 11 cattle. I didn't find him in 1786 or 1787, but he appears in the 1788 tax list with 2 white males over 16, 1 adult slave, and two horses. (For this and most later years, the tax list doesn't show the number of cattle.)

In the 1789 tax list George "Myers" now has 4 white males over 16, 1 adult slave, and two horses. This corresponds to the three witnesses to William Davis's 1790 will being William Miers, Jacob Miers, George Miers, Jr. the three eldest sons of George. I didn't find George in the 1790 or 1791 lists, and I haven't checked later years.

2. Sarah, born about 1753,[19] married Thomas Maid (or Mead[20]), with the marriage bond dated 16 Nov. 1781 at Pittsylvania Co., Va.[21] Benjamin Davis was listed as surety on the marriage bond. If Sarah’s age was correctly stated in her 1843 widow’s pension application, she was close to 30 years old at the time of her marriage.

Thomas Meade was born 1 Apr. 1754 at Frederick County, Virginia. Thomas Maid/Mead enlisted in the Virginia Line from Pittsylvania County in February 1776; he served in Virginia and North Carolina regiments for the next six years, becoming a "forage master" in charge of obtaining supplies for the army. He was in the battles of Briar Creek (1779) and Guilford Courthouse (1781).[22] Thomas appears in the Pittsylvania County personal tax lists (listed as "Made," "Meade," and "Mead") from 1782 through 1786, after which he disappears from Pittsylvania County.

Thomas Mead appears in the Montgomery County personal tax lists from 1787 through 1789. He disappears from Montgomery County starting in 1790 -- the year that Wythe County was formed from Montgomery County. Thomas Mead appears on the first extant Wythe County personal tax list in 1793, and appears every year thereafter (except 1796) through 1814.

In 1816 Thomas Mead was one of the early settlers of Pike County, Indiana, where he was elected a Justice of the Peace in 1818.[23] He died 14 Jan. 1834 and is buried in the Old Town Cemetery in Petersburg, Pike County, Indiana. On 28 Jan. 1834 William "I." [should read "T."] Wright (Thomas's younger half-brother, per William's affidavit supporting Thomas's pension application) was appointed administrator of Thomas's estate.[24]

Sarah (Davis) Mead was still alive in 1844; all of her children in Pike County had predeceased her.[25] It is claimed that she was buried in the same cemetery as her husband, in an unmarked grave.[26]

3. Benjamin, born before 1757, a Revolutionary soldier, [27]married Lydia Meador (presumably a second marriage) 31 Jan. 1800. Lydia's father Joab Meador made his will on 25 Feb. 1815, naming his "friends" Benjamin Davis and Thomas Davis (together with two others) as executors.[28] Benjamin and Lydia had a daughter Nancy who married Samuel Thompson in 1822 in Pittsylvania County[29]; and their daughter Sarah married her first cousin Jamison Corbin.

4. Daniel, perhaps son of William, appears on the 1778 tithable list; living with William Davis in 1779 tithable list.

5. Garret, presumably son of William, living with William Davis in 1779 tax list. William's youngest sons Joseph and Thomas both named sons Garrett, supporting the supposition that Garret was son of William.

6. Elizabeth (Bettie), married Daniel Bradley (marriage bond 17 May 1784); her brother Benjamin was surety.[30] It appears that Daniel Bradley was born in Cumberland County, son of Isham Bradley.[31] Daniel Bradley was born about 1757, and moved from Cumberland County to Pittsylvania County in 1783, per his 1832 revolutionary pension application.[32]

"Bradley, Daniel, of Pittsylvania enlisted from Cumberland July 1, 1780 in the First Virginia for eighteen months. He served under Captain White and was enlisted by Ensign Belew. He was in the battles of Guilford Courthouse and Eutah, the siege of Ninety-Six and the capturing of Scotch Lake at the blockhouse in Camden and the forts at Friday's, Thompson's and Augusta. ...Daniel was wounded in one of these engagements and was ever afterwards a cripple."[33]

On 1 Dec. 1786 Daniel Bradley received a gift of 100 acres of land on the north side of the Bannister River by his father-in-law William Davis. Daniel Bradley appears in the 1786 and 1787 Pittsylvania County personal tax lists (on the same page as William Davis), with one horse, two cows, and one slave under 16. In 1788 and 1789 Daniel Bradley appears with two horses and no slaves.

Daniel doesn't appear in the 1790 tax lists; perhaps his absence was related to his lawsuit against his father-in-law and neighbor William Davis. (See above.) The lawsuit was dismissed on 3 May 1790. Daniel Bradley reappears in 1791, listed next to his deceased father-in-law.

Daniel Bradley made his will 20 Aug. 1831 and it was probated 16 Apr. 1838. The will mentioned son Isham and "my daughters." The executors were his sons-in-law Reuben Hall and William Chaney. Witnesses were Thomas Wooding, Thomas Davis, Jr., and Lydia Davis.[34]

7. Nancy, married William Ricketts 4 June 1789. Nancy was his second wife; he had four children by his first wife Barsheba Nelson. William and Nancy Ricketts had children Reuben, Nancy, Nathaniel, and Thomas.[36]

8. John, apparently born around 1768, if he was indeed the extra adult male in William’s household per the 1789 personal property tax list. John was mentioned first in his father's will, receiving three cows and no land.

Some researchers have assumed that John was the same as the John Davis who married Nancy Hodnett 26 Sep. 1803 in Pittsylvania County. This is false, as the John Davis who married Nancy Hodnett was clearly identified as “Jr.” – presumably the son of John Davis who lived near William Davis and latter on Pigg River.

9. Susanna, married William Corbin 19 Feb 1787; she was under age at the time of her marriage (her father William gave consent). William Corbin appears in the Pittsylvania County personal tax lists in 1788 and 1789, but I didn't find him in 1790 or 1791. William died before July 1801, when his father Ambrose Corbin was appointed guardian of William's children Jamison, Thompson, and Mary Corbin.[37] Jamison Corbin married his first cousin Sarah Davis, daughter of Benjamin.

Susanna Davis, widow of William Corbin, married (2) William Nelson, whose sister Barsheba was the first wife of William Ricketts, husband of Susanna Davis's sister Nancy.[38]

Ambrose Corbin, son of Rawley Corbin, was born abt. 1723 in Spotsylvania County. He lived in Culpeper County as a child (where his father died in 1773), married Jane Crawford, and died 1807/8 Pittsylvania County, per http://dgmweb.net/FGS/Corb/CorbinAmbrose-JaneCrawford.html
His children included:
--William, b. 1759-64; m. Susanna Davis 19 Feb. 1787 Pittsylvania Co.
--Randolph, b. c. 1770. His Pittsylvania will (1 Sep. 1822) mentions brothers David and Thomas, Thomas's daughter Louisa, nieces Paulina and Sally Myers, and Benjamin Myers' sons Hartwell, William, and Christopher.
--Nancy Ann, b. c. 1773; m. William Myers (son of George Myers and Mary Davis) 14 Apr. 1791 at Pittsylvania County.
--Elizabeth "Betsy," perhaps daughter of a second wife, b. 1786, m. Benjamin Myers (son of George Myers and Mary Davis) 2 Nov. 1808 at Pittsylvania County. Benjamin Myers in Pittsylvania County 1820 (next to George) and 1830; Elizabeth Myers in Pittsylvania County 1840; details at http://dgmweb.net/FGS/M/MyersBenjamin-ElizabethCorbin.html

10. Peggy (Margaret), m. Moses Cheney 15 Aug 1791. "Moses Chaney, the son of Sarah and Jacob Chaney (Chapter I), settled two miles southeast of Laurel Grove, Virginia, on the place now owned by Witcher Slayton. Moses married Margaret Davis, and to this union were born six children. Their names were as follows: William, Singleton, Bird, Moses, Betty and Sallie. Margaret died and after her death Moses married Sallie Polly, a widow, whose name was Haley. To this second union were born two children, Jackson and Eleandor, Moses was a farmer by occupation."[39]

11. Joseph, b. about 1771 (underage in 1790 per father’s will, he first appears in the Pittsylvania personal tax lists in 1793), m. Lucy McGehee Hodnett 19 Mar. 1793 Pittsylvania Co., Va., d. 1 Oct. 1850 at Halifax Co., Va. It appears that several children of Joseph and his brother Thomas moved to Tennessee.[40]

12. Thomas, b. about 1773 (underage in 1790 per father’s will, he first appears in the personal tax lists in 1794), m. (1) Jane Hodnett 13 Jan. 1794 Pittslyvania Co., Va.; m. (2) Sarah Meador 8 July 1797 Pittsylvania Co., Va. Thomas was a prosperous miller and landowner in Pittsylvania County. Children by second wife Sarah Meador: --Garrett B.; m. Anna Thompson 1 Oct. 1822 Pittsylvania Co.
--William, b. 13 Apr. 1800; m. Carmelia Craft 24 Oct. 1824 Pittsylvania Co.
--Mary Taylor, b. 1803, m. Robertson Shelton 3 May 1819 Pittsylvania Co.[41] ---Thomas C., b. 1805, m. Elizabeth Sheppard 22 Nov 1824 Pittsylvania Co.

13. Lucy, married John Hodnett 9 Nov 1792; apparently m. (2) Jessee Woodson 1809.[42]

[1] See http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vapittsy/Davisgen.html
[2] Culpeper County Minute Book 1763-1764, p. 370, in Ruth and Sam Sparacio, Virginia County Court Records, Culpeper County , Virginia Minute Book 1763-1764 (Antient Press, 1998), p. 65, cited in an e-mail from Joan Horsley, 5 Mar. 2012.
[3] Pittsylvania County Deed Book 5, pp. 145-47.
[4]For photos of the house see http://rdricketts.com/blog/2009/08/06/my-4th-great-grandfathers-rock-house-circa-1779-needs-work/
[5] Pittsylvania County Land Surveys, vol. 1, p. 337; the general shape of the tract is diagrammed on the page.
[6] Copy of the marriage bond, from the Pittsylvania Courthouse, sent to me by Sarah E. Mitchell.
[7] Images of the personal property tax lists are available at the subscription website www.binnsgenealogy.com
[8] See http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vapittsy/1782LandTaxes.htm
[9] Pittsylvania Deed Book 17, p. 477, 10 Mar. 1812 (recorded 16 Mar. 1812): George Myers to Moses Hutchings and George Giles, all of Pittsylvania County, “whereas William Davis, deceased, did in his livetime give his bond to the members of the Baptist church (known & called by the name of upper Bannister)” for “one and an half acres of land whenever they might call for the same, where the present meeting house now stands, and the right of said land being in George Myers, and he wishing to comply with said bond,” the church appointed Hutchings and Giles trustees to receive the land (paying one dollar), on the waters of the Bannister River, adjoining Leftwich. Signed: George (x) Myers (his mark). Witnesses: Will Turnstall, Jesse Leftwich, William Hutchings.
Pittsylvania Deed Book 18, pp. 501-502: 24 Nov. 1813 (recorded 18 July 1814): George Myers and wife Mary to William Turnstall, all of Pittsylvania County, 33 acres on Cherrystone Creek, being part of the tract where Myers now lives, adjoining Turnstall (formerly Hardy), and up the sill house branch to Pigg Road, and then along Pigg Road. Signed: George (x) Myers (his mark), Mary Myers. Witnesses: William Walton, John Myers, Benjamin Myers, Isham Myers.
[10] Copy of the marriage bond, from the Pittsylvania Courthouse, sent to me by Sarah E. Mitchell.
[11] Thanks to Joan Horsley for sharing William Davis’s land tax records.
[12] Pittsylvania County Deed Book 7, pp. 719-720.
[13]http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vapittsy/Davisgen.html, citing Pittsylvania Co. Deed & Will Book 11, p. 216
[14]E-mail from Joan Horsley, 14 Mar. 2012.
[15]Pittsylvania County Court Order Book 3, p. 127. The record clearly shows the unusual name “Noire.”
[16]per http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GERMANNA_COLONIES/1997-07/0867753874 .
[17]per http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vapittsy/1782LandTaxes.htm
[18] per http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vapittsy/census.htm
[19]Per her 1843 widow's pension application which gave her age as 90; the following year her age was given as 91.
[20]He appears to have used “Maid” early in life and “Mead(e) later in life. His 1833 pension application pointedly gives both spellingsrepeatedly.
[21]Per copy of marriage license in Thomas and Sarah Mead’s pension file.
[22] Per 1833 pension application; scanned images of the entire file are available at ancestry.com; I personally transcribed the old handwriting. The published version of Thomas's affidavit on pp. 317-18 of the History of Pike and Dubois Counties, Indiana is abridged and badly garbled.
[23] History of Pike and DuBois County, Indiana, p. 251, p. 289; at http://www.archive.org/details/historyofpikedub00good
[24] Pike County, Indiana Will Abstracts 1817-1895, p. 13. A local librarian's visit to the courthouse disclosed the fact that all documents related to Thomas Mead's estate were missing at the time the estate files were microfilmed.
[25] per widow's pension application; the only witness available to support her affidavit was her daughter-in-law Polly.
[26] per Pike County History Bicentennial Year 1776-1976, by Ruth McClellan, p. 163, which misidentifies her as "Lucy."
[27]per http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vapittsy/Davisgen.html
[28]per Abstracts of Pittsylvania County, Virginia Wills, 1767-1820, p. 214. For Joab Meador's family, see http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=monkeys&id=I14768 and duplicate http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=crystalinda22&id=I121128; see also http://genforum.genealogy.com/meador/messages/495.html with a list of researchers.
[29] per http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/t/o/n/Anna-Toner/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0031.html
[30] Per http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/Hodnettgen.html
[31] Per http://www.hallgenealogy.com/ghtout/gp1272.htm
[32]Pension application of Daniel Bradley, http://revwarapps.org/s6766.pdf
[33] per http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mebarbour77&id=I04007 , citing page 160 of Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War by McAllister.
[34] per http://www.hallgenealogy.com/ghtout/np64.htm, citing Wills of Pittsylvania Co., VA 1820-1845 by Mike K. Williams.
[35] Per http://nelson-dna-project.tripod.com/docs/Decendants_of_Ambrose_Nelson_editted.pdf
[36]Per http://www.geocities.ws/athens/forum/1992/descend.html .
[37] per http://dgmweb.net/FGS/Corb/CorbinAmbrose-JaneCrawford.html Son Jamison married Sarah Davis 8 Oct. 1817 at Pittsylvania County; she was the daughter of Benjamin Davis (see above).
[38] See http://nelson-dna-project.tripod.com/docs/Decendants_of_Ambrose_Nelson_editted.pdf
[39] See http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/h/a/Richard-Franklin-Chaney/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0231.html
[40] http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.davis/13865/mb.ashx
[41] Per The Families of James Shelton of McMinn County, Tennessee and His Father Roderick Shelton of Buncombe County, North Carolina and Their Antecedents by Arthur Paul Shelton (August 1987), Chapter 7, online at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tnmcmin2/SheltonCVIIP298.htm
[42]See this Hodnett page (with various Davis connections), but there seems to be confusion about whether mother or daughter married Jessee Woodson: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=AHN&db=eleanor&id=I07766 and see also (better site?) http://www.hallgenealogy.com/ghtout/np64.htm

Disputed Origin and Wife

There are various internet claims that William Davis was either the husband or the son of Elizabeth Shelton. These claims are groundless, without any evidence to support them. Elizabeth Shelton (who definitely married a man named William Davis) may have been the Elizabeth Davis of Culpeper County who was granted letters of administration for the estate of her deceased husband William on 21 July 1763.[1]

It has been claimed that William Davis of Pittsylvania County married Susanna Wills (as his second wife) in 1772 in Halifax County, but that was a different William Davis, and court records in Halifax County show that this other William Davis was the guardian of Susanna’s son by her first husband for several years into the 1780s. Personal property tax records show two very different William Davises living in Halifax County around this time.

William Davis of Pittsylvania County is sometimes confused with a different William Davis of Lunenburg and Mecklenberg Counties, who married Jane Hopkins and left a will in 1801 -- this is clearly a different family.[2]

"Mr. William Chuck Davis [d. 1962, grandson of William, who was son of Thomas, youngest son of William who died 1791] said three Davis brothers came from Wales. One settled in Lunenburg County, Virginia and two from Mecklenburg, and from them three other brothers came to Pittsylvania County and settled. Two of them were our William, his brother, Noire and Thomas. Chuck believes our William and brothers were children of John Davis of Charlotte Court House."[3]

Chuck Davis was unaware that Noire Davis never lived in Pittsylvania County, but there was a John Davis in Pittsylvania County, living near William, with children intermarrying with the same families as William’s children, who could have been William’s brother. In addition, the claim that William had a brother Thomas leads to the question: Which one? There were two early Thomas Davises in Pittsylvania County: Thomas Davis the miller, revolutionary soldier, tavern-keeper, and resident of Stinking Creek; and Thomas Davis (who died in 1809) identified as “taylor” in the tax records.

It seems likely that William Davis, who first shows up in Pittsylvania County in March 1779 when he bought a mill and 850 acres of land, was the same as the William Davis who with wife Sarah sold 850 acres of land in Culpeper County three months before, in December 1778. Supporting this supposition is the fact that William’s eldest daughter Mary was the husband of George Myers, originally of Culpeper County, who first appears in Pittsylvania County in 1779, together with his neighbor William Davis. The year after William Davis appeared in Pittsylvania County, his son Benjamin joined a militia regiment made up primarily of Culpeper men.

William of Pittsylvania’s daughter Sarah had a son with the unusual given name of Graves. Speculation for further research: Several land records in Spotslyvania and Culpeper Counties show a connection between William Davis of Culpeper and a Graves family, leading to the supposition that William's wife Sarah was a daughter of John Graves, Jr. (died after 1772) of Spotsylvania County. There is one bit of contradictory evidence for this: William of Culpeper is reported to have signed various deeds with a rather common mark -- an "I" with a cross-hatch. However, William Davis of Pittsylvania is reported to have signed his will with a different mark -- a thick vertical bar.

The available evidence indicates that William's eldest daughter Mary married George Myers of Culpeper County around 1766, suggesting a birth year for Mary (and marriage year for William) in the late 1740s. George and Mary Myers' three eldest sons were witnesses to William Davis's will in 1790. George Myers first appears in the Pittsylvania County in 1779[4], the same year as his father-in-law and neighbor William Davis.

William Davis of Culpeper County
It appears that William Davis, who first appears in the Pittsylvania County records with a March 1779 purchase of 850 acres, is the same as the William Davis whose final appearance in Culpeper County was three months earlier, when he SOLD 850 acres in December 1778. This Culpeper County land was bought in 1761 as follows:

"17 August 1761 - DEED: Sarah Minor, widow and relict of John Minor, Gentleman, late of Spotsylvania County, Decd., and John Minor, acting executor of said Minor, Decd., to William Davis, planter, of Spotsylvania County, for £150, 850 acres in Culpeper County on both sides of North Rush River, being land purchased by John Minor, Decd., from Francis and John Strother, and devised by said Minor, Decd., to his son William, who has since died underage and unmarried... /s/ Sarah Minor, John Minor. Wit: John Waller (Clerk), Wm Davenport, Jno Arnold, Thomas Minor, J. Lewis, Thos Minor [sic], Francis Meriwether, James Graves."[5]

However, at least one researcher believes that this William Davis who disappeared from Culpeper County in 1779 is the same as the William Davis who settled in Garrand County, Kentucky before dying in Fayette County, Kentucky.[6] Another researcher suggests that this William Davis (d. 1823) was the son of Benjamin Davis (d. 1763) of King William, Spottsylvania, and Culpeper Counties. According to this theory, the John Davis who settled in Pittsylvania near William Davis (d. 1791) was a son of this Benjamin Davis.[7]

William Davis of Pittsylvania County
William Davis (d. 1791) first appeared in Pittsylvania County in 1779. There were two other William Davises who lived earlier in Pittsylvania County, and there were also two early William Davises in neighboring Halifax County. These various William Davises often get confused with each other.[8]

On 16 Mar. 1779 William Davis of Pittsylvania County bought 850 acres of land on both sides of the Bannister River and Cherrystone Creek, near Chatham in the middle of Pittsylvania County, from John Booth of Henry County, bordering land owned by Thomas Hardy, Sr., George Prosize, Robert Adams, John Short, John Parks, and Robert Wooding, for 1400 pounds.[9] This land included the “William Pigg” mill, which had been built in 1768.

The stone house that William Davis built on this land is still standing but is in bad repair; photos are on the internet.[10]

William Davis appears in the 1779 tithable list in Pittsylvania in a large household including Benj, Garret, and Daniel Davis, and negroes Lemus, Jim, Sue, and Filly. (Daniel appears in the 1778 list, apparently the first of the family to locate in Pittsylvania County. At least one of William’s sons named a son Garret, supporting the supposition that Garret was a son of William. Perhaps Garret and Daniel died in the Revolutionary fighting in 1780; many Pittsylvania militiamen took part in the military campaign in the Carolinas.)

William Davis patented an additional 400 acres on the branches of Bannister River and Cherrystone Creek, bordering the land of Thomas Hardy and Finney. A survey for this land was done 24 Apr. 1780[11], and he received the patent for the land on 1 Sept. 1780. (Another William Davis received land elsewhere in Pittslyvania County on the same day; this day appears to have been a busy one for clearing out a backlog of patent grants.)

A marriage bond was registered in Pittsylvania County on 16 Nov. 1781 for William’s daughter Sarah to marry Thomas Maide (who later spelled his name Meade); surety for the bond were Thomas Maide and Benjamin Davis (William’s eldest son).[12]

In 1782 the yearly tithable lists were replaced by personal property tax lists. In this year William Davis is shown with two “tithables” (white men over 21, presumably William and son Benjamin), nine slaves, four horses, and 16 cattle.[13]

The 1782 land tax shows William Davis with 700 acres,[14] which seems puzzling in light of his purchase of 850 acres (“more or less”) in 1779 and an additional 400 acres in 1780. William Davis gave land to his son-in-law George Myers (part of which was donated to the Upper Bannister Baptist Church),[15] so presumably this accounts for part of the discrepancy, as the 1782 land tax shows George “Miers” with 200 acres. Another possibility is that the total acreage that William bought in 1779 was exaggerated in the deed (indicated by the phrase “more or less”), to match the number of acres that he had just sold in Culpeper County. But this is just speculation; further research should be done in the land records to ascertain just what happened to the two tracts of land that William Davis bought.

William Davis doesn’t appear in the personal property tax records in 1783. Perhaps this was just an omission by the recorder.

In 1784 William Davis appears in the personal property tax list with two white men over 21 (William and son Benjamin), five slaves over 16; four slaves under 16; four horses, and 15 cattle.

On 17 May 1784, William’s son Benjamin entered into a marriage bond with Daniel Bradley, who married William’s daughter Elizabeth.[16]

The 1785 personal property tax list shows William Davis with two white men over 21 (William and son Benjamin), six slaves over 16, four slaves under 16, four horses, and 17 cattle. William had one additional slave and two more cows, compared to the previous year.

On 18 Feb. 1786 (recorded on the 20th), William Davis and John Davis of Pittsylvania County sold to Holt Richardson of King William County a Negro man named Ruben. Is this the same William Davis as the miller of Cherrystone Creek? And if so, who was this John Davis? A brother sharing an inheritance? Witnesses to the deed were Samuel Parks and John Bowden, and Samuel Parks would witness an 1786 deed from William Davis to his son-in-law Daniel Bradley (see below), and serve as surety in 1787 for the marriage bond of William Davis’s daughter Susanna.

The 1786 land tax shows William Davis with 700 acres, same as in 1782. William Davis was consistently taxed for 700 acres until his death in 1791.[17] The 1786 personal property tax list shows William Davis with two white men over 21, eight slaves over 16, ten slaves under 16, four horses, and 17 cattle. William had eight more slaves than the previous year. Had he recently come into an inheritance?

On 1 Dec. 1786 William Davis sold 100 acres on the north side of the Bannister River, "being part of the same tract whereon the said William Davis now lives," to his son-in-law Daniel Bradley.[12][18] Witnesses to the deed were Thomas H. Wooding, Samuel Parks, and William Ming.

On 19 Feb. 1787, Samuel Parks entered into a marriage bond with William Corbin, who married William Davis’s daughter Susanna. Together with the bond was a note by William Davis, witnessed by son Benjamin and by Samuel Parks, giving permission for Susanna to marry.

The 1787 personal property tax list shows that William Davis paid on April 18, with zero men over 21 (aside from William; the recordkeeping was strange this year), six slaves over 16, eight slaves under 16, three horses, and 15 cattle. William had lost four slaves, a horse, and two cows compared to the previous year. On Apr. 20 William’s son Benjamin paid his tax, showing zero men over 21 (besides Benjamin), 1 slave over 16, 1 slave under 16, and 1 horse. This accounts for the horse and two of the slaves. William’s new son-in-law William Corbin had a slave in 1787, perhaps a wedding gift from William.

The 1788 personal property tax list shows William “Davise” with one white male over 21, four slaves over 16, 1 slave 12-16, and four horses. (Starting this year, the number of cows wasn’t listed.) Benjamin “Davise” paid on the same day, with 1 white male over 21 and one slave over 16. John “Davise” paid on the same day, with one male over 21, one slave over 16, and three horses. This was presumably the John Davis who bought 200 ares on Green Rock Creek (near William Davis) on 1 July 1788, and NOT William’s son John. This John Davis appears in Pittsylvania County as early as 1782, but apparently didn’t own land until 1788. This John Davis had one slave until 1786, when he suddenly had four slaves and a stud horse (similar to William, who also shows a sudden influx of slaves in 1786.) John Davis had the same number of slaves (and the stud horse) in 1787, but in 1788, the year he bought the land, he was back to one slave (and no stud horse). Once again, it seems reasonable to speculate that this John was a brother of William Davis, and that it was these two who sold the slave Ruben to Holt Richardson in 1786 (see above).

The 1789 personal property tax list shows that William Davis paid on April 20, with two white males over 21 (presumably William and middle son John), five slaves over 16, and three horses. William’s son Benjamin had paid on March 16 (with one slave and one horse), the same day as John Davis (with one slave and three horses).

On 4 June 1789 John Davis (presumably William’s son who had recently turned 21) entered a marriage bond with William Rickett, who married William Davis’s daughter Nancy.

The 1790 personal property tax list shows that William Davis (“Cherrystone”) paid on March 15, with three white males over 21 (presumably William and sons Benjamin and John), six slaves over 16, 1 slave 12-16, and three horses. William’s son Benjamin wasn’t on the list this year, so I assume that he was one of the three men listed in William’s household. John Davis (“Cherrystone”) paid on the same day as William, with one male over 21, one slave, and two horses.

William Davis, of Pittsylvania Co., Virginia "being far advanced in life," made his will on 4 June 1790,[19] mentioning:
--son John (receives 3 head of cattle)
--son Benjamin (receives William's house and 150-acre plantation)
--son Joseph (also receives 150 acres)
--son Thomas (receives the rest of William's land, except one acre by the creek adjoining William's mill)
--daughter Nancy Rickett (receives a slave; the will mentions her husband William Rickett)
--daughter Peggy Davis (receives two slaves and a flock of geese)
--son-in-law Thomas Maide (the will cancels a debt owed by Thomas)
--son-in-law William Corbin (receives a slave and a feather bed, in consideration of a debt related to William's brother's will)
--sons Joseph and Thomas (mentioned again, now they receive William's mill with one adjoining acre of land)
--remainder of estate to be divided between youngest children Joseph, Thomas, and Lucy.
--son Benjamin instructed to rebuild the mill, keeping possession of the mill and slaves for three years and then distributing them according to the will's provisions
--single daughters to be provided for as long as they remain single
--if either son Joseph or Thomas dies before arriving unmarried at "lawful age," their share of the mill to go to the other brother
--son-in-law George Mires to receive nothing more than what he now has in his possession.
--son-in-law Daniel Bradley to receive nothing more than what he now has in his possession – the land he lives on.
--executors instructed to pay to Daniel Bradley the debt arising from William's executorship of his brother's will.
--William's friend John Parks and William's son Benjamin appointed executors.
--signed (with mark) June 4, 1790, and proved June 20, 1791.
--witnessed by William Miers, Jacob Miers, George Miers, Jr.

William's reference to his brother's will correspond to a legal action brought by Daniel Bradley against his father-in-law, which was dismissed in May 1790. The case arose against William as “executor” of the estate of his brother Noire Davis.[20] The name Noire Davis never appears in the land or tax or probate records of Pittsylvania County, so it seems clear that Noire lived elsewhere.

William Davis’s will was probated on 20 June 1791, indicating that he died sometime between March (the previous court session) and June 1791.

Children of William Davis (birth order is educated guesswork):

1. Mary, married George Miers or Myers. It appears that George Myers lived in Culpeper County from 1758 through 1770, according to a researcher who who states that the earliest record found for him in Pittsylvania County was in 1779.[21]

George Miers is listed with 200 acres in the 1782 Pittsylvania land tax.[22] George Miers is listed in the 1782 Virginia census with 9 whites and one black in his household.[23]

George Miers appears in the 1785 Pittsylvania County tax list (on the same page as his father-in-law William Davis and his brother-in-law Thomas Meade) with one adult slave, two horses, and 11 cattle. He appears in the 1788 tax list with 2 white males over 16, 1 adult slave, and two horses. (For this and most later years, the tax list doesn't show the number of cattle.)

In the 1789 tax list George "Myers" now has 4 white males over 16, 1 adult slave, and two horses. This corresponds to the three witnesses to William Davis's 1790 will being William Miers, Jacob Miers, George Miers, Jr. the three eldest sons of George. (The tax records for later years for George haven't been checked.)

2. Sarah, born about 1753,[24] married Thomas Maid (or Mead[25]), with the marriage bond dated 16 Nov. 1781 at Pittsylvania Co., Va.[26] Benjamin Davis was listed as surety on the marriage bond. If Sarah’s age was correctly stated in her 1843 widow’s pension application, she was close to 30 years old at the time of her marriage.

In 1816 Thomas Mead was one of the early settlers of Pike County, Indiana, where he was elected a Justice of the Peace in 1818.[27] Thomas Mead died in 1835 and left a will, which is now missing.[28] Sarah (Davis) Mead was still alive in 1844; all of her children in Pike County had predeceased her.[29] It is claimed that she was buried in the same cemetery as her husband, in an unmarked grave.[30]

3. Benjamin, born before 1757, a Revolutionary soldier,[31] married Lydia Meador (presumably a second marriage) 31 Jan. 1800. Lydia's father Joab Meador made his will on 25 Feb. 1815, naming his "friends" Benjamin Davis and Thomas Davis (together with two others) as executors.[32] Benjamin and Lydia had a daughter Nancy who married Samuel Thompson in 1822 in Pittsylvania County[33]; and Benjamin and Lydia's daughter Sarah married her first cousin Jamison Corbin.

4. Daniel, perhaps son of William, appears on the 1778 Pittsylvania tithable list; living with William Davis in 1779 tithable list.

5. Garret, presumably son of William, living with William Davis in 1779 tithable list. William's youngest sons Joseph and Thomas both named sons Garrett, supporting the supposition that Garret was son of William.

6. Elizabeth (Bettie), married Daniel Bradley -- marriage bond 17 May 1784; her brother Benjamin was surety.[34] It appears that Daniel Bradley was born in Cumberland County, son of Isham Bradley.[35] Daniel Bradley was born about 1757, and moved from Cumberland County to Pittsylvania County in 1783, per his 1832 revolutionary pension application.[36]

On 1 Dec. 1786 Daniel Bradley received a gift of 100 acres of land on the north side of the Bannister River by his father-in-law William Davis.[37] Daniel Bradley appears in the 1786 and 1787 Pittsylvania County personal tax lists (on the same page as William Davis), with one horse, two cows, and one slave under 16. In 1788 and 1789 Daniel Bradley appears with two horses and no slaves.

Daniel Bradley made his will 20 Aug. 1831 and it was probated 16 Apr. 1838. The will mentioned son Isham and "my daughters." The executors were his sons-in-law Reuben Hall and William Chaney. Witnesses were Thomas Wooding, Thomas Davis, Jr., and Lydia Davis.[38]

7. Nancy, married William Ricketts 4 June 1789. Nancy was his second wife; he had four children by his first wife Barsheba Nelson.[39] William and Nancy Ricketts had children Reuben, Nancy, Nathaniel, and Thomas.[40]

8. John, apparently born around 1768, if he was indeed the extra adult male in William’s household per the 1789 personal property tax list. John was mentioned first in his father's will, receiving three cows and no land. Some researchers have assumed that John was the same as the John Davis who married Nancy Hodnett 26 Sep. 1803 in Pittsylvania County. This is false, as the John Davis who married Nancy Hodnett was clearly identified as “Jr.” – apparently the son of William's presumed brother John Davis who lived near William and later moved to Pigg River.

9. Susanna, married William Corbin 19 Feb 1787; she was under age at the time of her marriage (her father William gave consent). William Corbin appears in the Pittsylvania County personal tax lists in 1788 and 1789, but I didn't find him in 1790 or 1791. William died before July 1801, when his father Ambrose Corbin was appointed guardian of William's children Jamison, Thompson, and Mary Corbin.[41] Jamison Corbin married his first cousin Sarah Davis, daughter of Benjamin.

Susanna Davis, widow of William Corbin, married (2) William Nelson, whose sister Barsheba was the first wife of William Ricketts, husband of Susanna Davis's sister Nancy.[42]

10. Peggy (Margaret), m. Moses Cheney 15 Aug 1791. "Moses Chaney, the son of Sarah and Jacob Chaney (Chapter I), settled two miles southeast of Laurel Grove, Virginia, on the place now owned by Witcher Slayton. Moses married Margaret Davis, and to this union were born six children. Their names were as follows: William, Singleton, Bird, Moses, Betty and Sallie. Margaret died and after her death Moses married Sallie Polly, a widow, whose name was Haley. To this second union were born two children, Jackson and Eleandor, Moses was a farmer by occupation."[43] Moses Chaney's sister Elizabeth married Jonathan Davis, from a different Davis family in Pittsylvania County.

11. Joseph, b. about 1771 (underage in 1790 per father’s will, he first appears in the Pittsylvania personal tax lists in 1793), m. Lucy McGehee Hodnett 19 Mar. 1793 Pittsylvania Co., Va., d. 1 Oct. 1850 at Halifax Co., Va. It appears that several children of Joseph moved to Madison County, Tennessee.[44]

12. Thomas, b. about 1773 (underage in 1790 per father’s will, he first appears in the personal tax lists in 1794), m. (1) Jane Hodnett 13 Jan. 1794 Pittslyvania Co., Va.; m. (2) Sarah Meador 8 July 1797 Pittsylvania Co., Va. Thomas was a prosperous miller and landowner in Pittsylvania County. Children by second wife Sarah Meador: --Garrett B.; m. Anna Thompson 1 Oct. 1822 Pittsylvania Co. --William, b. 13 Apr. 1800; m. Carmelia Craft 24 Oct. 1824 Pittsylvania Co. --Mary Taylor, b. 1803, m. Robertson Shelton 3 May 1819 Pittsylvania Co.[45] --Thomas C., b. 1805, m. Elizabeth Sheppard 22 Nov 1824 Pittsylvania Co.

13. Lucy, married John Hodnett 9 Nov 1792; apparently m. (2) Jessee Woodson 1809.[46]

Footnotes
↑ Culpeper County Minute Book 1763-1764, p. 370, in Ruth and Sam Sparacio, Virginia County Court Records, Culpeper County , Virginia Minute Book 1763-1764 (Antient Press, 1998), p. 65, cited in an e-mail from Joan Horsley, 5 Mar. 2012.
↑ Will of William Davis of Lunenburg County, Virginia.
↑ See Davis Family History: a poorly-organized collection of notes on the Davis family in Pittsylvania County].
↑ e-mail from Joan Horsley, dated 15 Apr. 2012, reading as follows: "I corresponded back in 2006 and 2007 with several long-time Moyers/Myers researchers. Their information says that George Moyers (that became Myers in Pittsy), son of George Moyers and Sarah Delph, was born in Orange/Culpeper before 1741, since George and his widowed mother in Culpeper sold part of his deceased father's Culpeper land in 1762-3, thus was at least 21 by then. (George Moyers' family was part of the Germanna community in the part of Orange that became Culpeper.) George is not recorded in Pittsylvania until 1779."
↑ Culpeper County Deeds, C:605, quoted at "The Baker Family of Virginia", with the following supplementary explanation: "Based on the witnesses, this Culpeper deed was obviously made in Spotsylvania County. William Davis was the son of John Davis of King William County, who appears to have been John, son of William Davis, whose plantation was on the opposite of Major John Waller’s 1696 from the Davis Davenport Plantation. [There was a John Davis of King William County, son of William, who deeded land in 1702 per Harris's Old New Kent County, p. 102.] William Davenport was the son of Martin, Sr., and was neighbor to the principals and witnesses of this deed. The two Thomas Minors were father and son. Thomas, Sr., was son of John Minor, Decd., and died before the Revolution. Thomas, Jr., had an active role in Davenport affairs from the mid-1770s on, and was one of the executors of William Davenport’s will in 1798. John Arnold was a brother-in-law to William Davenport, and lived on Davenport land."
↑ See 2010 post at rootsweb archive. More information on the family of this William Davis of Kentucky is available at this genforum post and this rootsweb family tree.
↑ Joan Horsley, "The Jarrell Family of Early Virginia" (2012), pp. 4-5.
↑ John Schmeeckle's research has uncovered no less than ten separate Davis families in Pittsylvania County before 1800. Some of these families are doubtless related to each other. John has a master list (microsoft word document) of early Davis records in Pittsylvania County, sorted by family, which is available to anyone who is interested.
↑ Pittsylvania County Deed Book 5, pp. 145-47.
↑ For photos of the house see Danny Rickett's blog
↑ Pittsylvania County Land Surveys, vol. 1, p. 337; the general shape of the tract is diagrammed on the page.
↑ Marriage bond, from the Pittsylvania Courthouse, photocopy sent to John Schmeeckle by Sarah E. Mitchell.
↑ Images of the personal property tax lists are available at the subscription website [www.binnsgenealogy.com www.binnsgenealogy.com]
↑ See 1782 Land Taxes Pittsylvania County, Virginia
↑ Pittsylvania Deed Book 17, p. 477, 10 Mar. 1812 (recorded 16 Mar. 1812): George Myers to Moses Hutchings and George Giles, all of Pittsylvania County, “whereas William Davis, deceased, did in his livetime give his bond to the members of the Baptist church (known & called by the name of upper Bannister)” for “one and an half acres of land whenever they might call for the same, where the present meeting house now stands, and the right of said land being in George Myers, and he wishing to comply with said bond,” the church appointed Hutchings and Giles trustees to receive the land (paying one dollar), on the waters of the Bannister River, adjoining Leftwich. Signed: George (x) Myers (his mark). Witnesses: Will Turnstall, Jesse Leftwich, William Hutchings. Pittsylvania Deed Book 18, pp. 501-502: 24 Nov. 1813 (recorded 18 July 1814): George Myers and wife Mary to William Turnstall, all of Pittsylvania County, 33 acres on Cherrystone Creek, being part of the tract where Myers now lives, adjoining Turnstall (formerly Hardy), and up the sill house branch to Pigg Road, and then along Pigg Road. Signed: George (x) Myers (his mark), Mary Myers. Witnesses: William Walton, John Myers, Benjamin Myers, Isham Myers.
↑ Copy of the marriage bond, from the Pittsylvania Courthouse, sent to John Schmeeckle by Sarah E. Mitchell.
↑ Thanks to Joan Horsley for sharing William Davis’s land tax records.
↑ Pittsylvania County Deed Book 7, pp. 719-720.
↑ Davis Family History, citing Pittsylvania Co. Deed & Will Book 11, p. 216.
↑ Pittsylvania County Court Order Book 3, p. 127. The record clearly shows the unusual name “Noire.”
↑ Per the Germanna Colonies forum archive.
↑ Per 1782 Land Taxes Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
↑ Per the 1782 Pittsylvania County census
↑ Per her 1843 widow's pension application (in the same file as her husband's earlier pension application -- images available at ancestry.com) which gave her age as 90; the following year her age was given as 91.
↑ He used “Maid” early in life and “Mead(e)" later in life. His 1833 pension application pointedly gives both spellings repeatedly.
↑ Per copy of marriage bond in Thomas and Sarah Mead’s pension file, corresponding to the marriage bond on file at the Pittsylvania County courthouse.
↑ History of Pike and DuBois County, Indiana, p. 251, p. 289.
↑ Pike County, Indiana Will Abstracts 1817-1895, p. 13. A local librarian's visit to the courthouse disclosed the fact that all documents related to Thomas Mead's estate were missing at the time the estate files were microfilmed.
↑ Per her widow's pension application; the only witness available to support her affidavit was her daughter-in-law Polly.
↑ Per Pike County History Bicentennial Year 1776-1976, by Ruth McClellan, p. 163, which misidentifies her as "Lucy."
↑ Per Davis Family History.
↑ Abstracts of Pittsylvania County, Virginia Wills, 1767-1820, p. 214. For Joab Meador's family, see http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=monkeys&id=I14768 and duplicate http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=crystalinda22&id=I121128; see also http://genforum.genealogy.com/meador/messages/495.html with a list of researchers.
↑ per http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/t/o/n/Anna-Toner/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0031.html
↑ Per Hodnett Family History.
↑ Per http://www.hallgenealogy.com/ghtout/gp1272.htm
↑ Pension application of Daniel Bradley
↑ Pittsylvania County Deed Book 7, pp. 719-720.
↑ Per http://www.hallgenealogy.com/ghtout/np64.htm, citing Wills of Pittsylvania Co., VA 1820-1845 by Mike K. Williams.
↑ Per Descendants of Ambrose Nelson.
↑ Per Descendants of William Ricketts
↑ Per Corbin family website.
↑ See Descendants of Ambrose Nelson.
↑ See Chaney family history.
↑ Per a forum post by James Davis. For Lucy Hodnett's ancestry, see this McGeehee tree.
↑ Per The Families of James Shelton of McMinn County, Tennessee and His Father Roderick Shelton of Buncombe County, North Carolina and Their Antecedents, by Arthur Paul Shelton (August 1987), Chapter 7.
↑ See this Hodnett page (with various Davis connections), but there seems to be confusion about whether mother or daughter married Jessee Woodson: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=AHN&db=eleanor&id=I07766
Acknowledgments
Thank you to John Schmeeckle for creating WikiTree profile Davis-19677 through the import of mother_s mother.ged on Dec 3, 2013.

(Rev) married Susanna Wills on 5 May 1772 in , Halifax, Virginia, USA. Susanna (daughter of Filmer Wills and Ann Harwood) was born in 1725 in , Middlesex, Virginia, USA; died on 4 Jun 1790 in , Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA; was buried in , Pittsylvania, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Isbel. Isbel was born in 1740 in , Pitt, North Carolina, USA; died in 1800. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]