DAVISSON Daniel

Daniel married HARRISON Phoebe about 1743 in Rockingham Co., VA. Phoebe was born in 1724 in Long Island, Queens Co., NY; died in 1807 in Rockingham Co., VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Sr. Josiah Davisson was born on 01 Dec 1744 in Augusta Co., Rockingham Co., VA; died on 09 Sep 1825 in Monroe, Preble Co., OH.
2. DAVISSON Ann was born about 1746 in Augusta Co., Rockingham Co., VA; died on 08 Apr 1822 in Mount Welcome, Shenandoah Co., VA.
3. DAVISSON Phoebe was born in 1748 in Augusta Co., Rockingham Co., VA; died in 1838.

Notes:

With his fathers family moved to North Stonington, CT in 1701 where his father died in 1703. In 1706 when administrator was granted of the fathers estate to Sarah, the mother, and Peter Davison, brother of the deceased, Josiah is recorded as age 14. No record of guardianship has been discovered for any of his father’s children, nothing is known of him in the ensuing five years, to 1711, though a minor, probably acting for himself, from foregoing deeds to him. Josiah had learned the “Potters” trade at age 19 years and was doing business. He afterwards is described as a “Carpenter” and finally as a “Miller”.

Josiah Davisson’s family has become a legion in numbers and in force from ocean to ocean. It is very important that from the day he settled at Wading River, Long Island, until his grandson came out of the dark ages of Virginia. No vital records exist other than a few preserved in Bible and court deeds and records. The fables of family tradition have in a way, aided to locate persons and places.

The seven sons of Josiah Davisson of Millstone, NJ with the possible exception of two, went to Virginia, and Daniel was the first to go. He located in that part of Augusta Co. which is now Rockingham, first on “James Branch”, 1746. During the next 20 years, the older sons of Josiah followed. About 1780 they or their sons were inhabitants of what is now Harrison Co., WV. “The Davisson’s” who are all descendants of Josiah are one of the strong lines of descent from our common ancestor, Daniel Davison, 1630-1693, the “Exile”.

At about 40 years of age, Josiah, for some reason became Davisson. He had eight sons, six of whom took the new name and have sent it down to the present. The reason for this change is shrouded in mystery, but some have believed it was on account of ill will toward Robert Davison of the Monmouth, NJ family. Josiah came to the Millstone Valley below where Princeton now is situated in 1736, with limited means. He purchased thirty-three acres of land, including the site of the Aqueduct Mills, and in a quarter of a century acquired the lands upon the east side of the Millstone up to the Cranbury branch. Here he found Robert Davison in the forks of the streams with Scotch determination to remain, an unverified tradition says. A line fence sometimes makes better enemies, so it may be imagined that Josiah, who had until then non but yielding competition, may have thought this reason enough for putting a new thread in his tartan. This is not history, only tradition, possibly a myth.

Josiah married SKELTON Mary Winthrop in 1716 in Southhold, Long Island Co., NY. Mary was born on 01 Apr 1694 in Wenham, Essex Co., MA; died in 1759 in Millstone, River, near Printceton, Middlesex Co., NJ. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died:
or 1703

Daniel married DODGE Sarah on 28 Jun 1685 in Ipswich, Essex Co., MA. Sarah was born on 13 Jan 1666 in Ipswich, Essex Co., MA; died in 1702 in Beverly, Essex Co., MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died:
Between 1702 - 1703

Notes:

The immigrant ancestor of the most numerous families of Davison in America of that period, was a Scotch Convenanter, a group in Scotland, which struggled for religious liberty. They were called thus because they found themselves in a series of covenants to maintain the Presbyterian doctrines. The Covenanter Army was defeated at the Battle of Dunbar Scotland by Oliver Cromwell in 1650. Daniel is supposed to have been a prisoner of war, who was exiled or deported to the Colonies in 1651 or 52. He built a house in Ipswich Hamlet, Essex, MA in the year 1667. He served in King Philips War 1675-1676. His will was dated December 5, 1693. The earliest record of Daniel Davison is the marriage record in the Essex court record. He was 27, Margaret was 22.

The placing of Daniel as one of the Scotch exiles was in the instance largely upon circumstantial evidence, and family traditions. When this solution was once accepted, it was found so well secured in circumstances that it seemed impossible to rove a flaw of genuineness of the same. The traditions, while indistinct as to the historical facts, were founded in lines of the family descent, and had been separated for two centuries, and could have only a common source at the beginning. Daniel Davison being an industrious, frugal thinking man under the conditions named in Rev. John Cotton’s letter, soon found himself able to reimburse the person who paid for his passage to America and in the short period of six years accumulated enough substance to become a farmer upon his own account, and married into a substantial English family, that has borne a worthy name through the centuries since. His children were able to make marriage alliances with the best families, the Dodges, the Whipples, the Morgans, the Tracys, the Williams and the Reddingtons who took and have maintained, during the eight to ten generations since, leaving good repute throughout the continent. He was an educated man to any degree. The record indicates he did not write. If by any chance, he was taken into the Scotch army on the levy of 1643, he could have had the opportunity for education. While it seems improbable at this time, that a boy of fourteen years would be called, yet in the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Davison, who enlisted at fourteen year of age, and fought in the lines for eight years, was only one of several of Daniel Davison's descendants of similar ages, who fought to make this nation possible.

At the date of dedication of the Hamlet church, 1714, the Davison’s and other residents of the Hamlet withdrew from Wenham church and became charter members of the Hamlet church, now Hamilton. This seems to be the only record that Daniel Davison was a member of the church. The fact that he was a member of the Convenanter Army stands as the strongest evidence that his people were of that faith, and that he was baptized as a child in Scotland.

The bloody and crushing experience of Dunbar and of Worcester, 1650 and 1651, it is said caused these unfortunate captives to curse the King, and clergy for “ensnaring them in misery”. Wheelock observed they could not look upon the perpetual meddling of the minister with the affairs of state, as the real source of all calamities, which had “recently befallen them”.

There is no recorded evidence that Daniel Davison held aloof form the church, except silence, which is not strong when his children were in church, and the record that he was buried by the good man as a member, is sufficient. At this date (1693) and for half a century thereafter, the “Hamlet of Ipswich” was more a part of Wenham than of Ipswich, five miles to the north. Here the Davison’s attended church, school and buried their dead. In the southwest corner of that ancient part of the Wenham cemetery today is a triangular tract that has no marking of burials. The fact that the area has been left, as further burials were made, confirm that belief that the ground is sacred to the memory of their ancestors.

About 1920, permission was asked and received, the consent of the present cemetery board to erect near the middle of the front of this area, a memorial to Daniel Davison and his wife Margaret. Daniel’s number in Rev. Gerrish’s list is 33; hence about the middle of the area may be his resting place. The inscriptions reads: “In Memory of Daniel Davison, Born in Scotland, 1630-1693 and his wife, Margaret Low. Ancestors of the Most Numerous Family of the Name in America. Buried 1693, by Rev. Joseph Gerrish”.
Daniel and Margaret had 13 children.

On September 13, 1666 he signed a loyalist petition. He served as a Major in the Essex Regiment and a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Co. in 1672. He became a member of the Wenham Massachusetts Meeting House on January 5, 1674 and was a resident of Ipswich.

Will of Daniel Davison

In the name of God, Amen. I, Daniel Davison of Ipswich in the county of Essex in New England, being sick in body, but in sound and disposing memory praise be given to God for the same do make this my last will and testament in manner and form following:

First: and principal I resign my soul into the merciful hands of almighty God my creator Asuredly hopeing through the merits of my Blessed Saviour to obtain pardon and remission of all my sins & my body I comit to the earth whence it was taken to be decently buried by the discretion of my Executor hereinafter named & for the worldly goods and estate the Lord hath given me, I dispose thereof as follows: I give unto my son William my dwellinghouse and barne and all my outhouses & orchards together with twenty acres of upland and the rest of the upland adjoining to the house lott on the west & northwest to my son William’s at my beloved wifes decease or when she marries.

Item: I give unto my son John fifteen acres of upland adjoining to Edward Potter and Samuel Lumass their land & so to front upon the road way to Boston also I give to my son John five acres of meadow in Bay Path meadow.

Item: I give unto my son Thomas fifteen acres of upland joining to the land I have given my son Daniel & to joyne to Mr. Whipple’s land; also I give to my son Thomas five acres of meaddow in Bay Meaddow.

Item: I give to my son Peter fifteen acres of upland joyning to the land I have given my son Daniel on the one side & joyining to John Gilbert’s land also I give to my son Peter five acres of meaddow in Bay path meaddow and I do oblige my sons John, Thomas and Peter their proportions of upland and meaddow to my Beloved wife in the same termes as I have obliged my son William. And whereas there is thirty acres of upland lying Between William and Peter’s land not disposed which I value to be worth one hundred & twenty pounds, I doe lieue it in the hands of my Beloved wife whome I constitute & appoint to be my sole executrix of this my last will and testament, to be improved for Legacies to my Daughters Bridget & Dorcas distributing the overplus making them all equal and I doe appoint my son William to pay ten pounds for the use of his mother in order to my daughters portions Bridget & Dorcas; and my sons Daniel, & Thomas, & Peter shall have the priviledge of a high way to the Bay Road throught each others land & if by Gods providence any of my sons dy without issue then their part of land shall be equally divided among the survivers;

In Witness of this my firm act and deed I have hereunto sett my hand and seals_______

Signed Sealed in presence of
Richard Walker Senr; Isaac Swaine.
The Mark of Danll Davison (Seal)

Before ye Honoured Bartho Gedney Esq. Dec. 5, 1693____

Richard Walker Senr; & Isaac Swaine the witnesses within subscribe oath that they saw Daniel Davison sign & seal & heard him declare the written to be his last will & testament and that he was then of a disp

Attest Steph Sewall Regr.

Dated Dec. 5, 1693

Probate Records, Salem, Massachusetts, Vol. 303; "12/15/1692-Last will and Testament of Daniel Davison, Deceased"


Inventory of Daniel Davison
From: Probate records of Salem, Mass. Vol. 303. The inventory of the Estate of Daniel Davison deceased taken this 27th day of November, 1693, by us whose names are under subscribed_________________

A Dwelling House and Barne and outhouses 70L, Home Lott and orchard and meadow belonging 110L, 12 acres of tillage land 72 L, Pasture land and Meadow 76 acres 304L, Neet cattle and sheep 34L 1s, Swine and horse and maire 12L 7s, Feather bed and stock bed with furniture 20L, Sheets, table linen and pewter 7L, Iron potts, brass kettle and warming pan 3L, Chests and boxes and three musketts 4 L 10s, Tramel fire pan tongues and frying pan, All utensells of Husbandry 21L 10s, Sadle pollion and bridle and sword 2L 10s, Spinning wheels and other lumber tables and chairs 2L, Indian corn and barley, wheat and rye 34L 14s, Hay in Barne and oates threshed 17L 12s, Sider and flax 14L 10s, Total 720L 12s, Debts due from the estate fiz, General expense 8L 5s, Other debts 8L 1s.
Richard Walker John Gilbert Davison Exrx.

Before the Honored Bartho Gedney, Esq. 12/5/1693 made oath that the above is a true perfect inventory of ye estate of her late husband Daniel Davison deceased if more comes to her knowledge she will ad the same. Attest Steph Sewall

Sources of Information:
Author: Davisson, Russell Lee.
Title: A history and genealogy, the Davissons : twelve generations,
1630-1992, Davidson-Davison-Davisson families
Publication:
Date: c1993

Author:
Title: Colonial Families of the United States
Publication:
Date:
Text: Cited by Joseph Miller to Dennis Nicklaus in letter of May, 1996.


Title: Probate Records of Salem, Massachusetts
Publication:
Date:
Text: Cited by Joseph Miller to Dennis Nicklaus in letter of May, 1996.

Died:
Interment: Dec 1693, Wenham, Essex Co., MA

Daniel married LOW Margaret on 13 Apr 1657 in Ipswich, Essex Co., MA. Margaret was born in 1632 in Boxford, Suffolk Co., England; died in 1693. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]