Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Mathias Marriott

 

The Old Mill by Jacob Alfred Miller

The surname of Marriott entered my family tree with the marriage of Henry Davis and Mary Marriott, who became my 7th Great Grandparents. Mary was the daughter of  William Marriott and Sarah Collier Marriott, daughter of Thomas Collier, my 8th Great Grandparents. William was the son of Mathias Marriott and his wife, Alice, my 9th Great Grand parents and Matthias is the subject of this post.

The name has French origins and means literally "Little Mary" or "son of Mary". It originated with French Huguenots, a group of Protestants who held to Calvinist, or Reformed, Protestant values and traditions. They arrived in England by the 12th Century, when the first recorded Marriott (in its varying forms) was Hervicus Mariot who was found in a listed in the Register of Knight Templar for Warwickshire.

The clip above was shared anonymously on Find-A-Grave from a list of Surry County individuals receiving acreage for the transportation of British settlers to Virginia. Mathias Marriott and his partner, Thomas Hart, received 338 acres of the north side of Blackwater Swamp for transporting seven people from England to Virginia. The land bordered the property of George Blow.

Blackwater Swamp is in the headwater section of the Blackwater River. It begins in Prince George County, flows southeast through Surry and forms borders with Sussex and Isle of Wight, Virginia before crossing into North Carolina. It's a beautiful, but not particularly navigable or profitable area for the early colonists to plant farms. Mathias Marriott became a miller.

From "Early Virginia Families Along the James River: Their Deep Roots and Tangled Branches Vol. III  Louise Pledge Heath Foley

These were the first generations spreading south, west and north out of Jamestown, in someways still inextricably tied to Jamestown. The growth spread like wildfire. Mathias Marriott and his partner Thomas Hart had received that first tract of land in 1672 for transporting William Jellett or Gilette, John and Richard Booth, an unnamed African couple, and two women, Ann January and Alice Price.  Ten years later, in 1782, Robert Caufiled was granted a parcel of 2250 acres, with record of a trail of cadaster from George Blow in 1664 to Mathias Marriott and Thomas Hart in 1672, those before and said 'deserted', meaning they no longer were in possession of this particular property. Why had Marriott & Hart deserted this particular parcel?  Was it dangerous or untamed? Caufield had transported 26 people including "Jacob, an Indian" and "James, a negro" and  Thomas Turner, someone I'm looking at to see if he is the same possible ancestor in another line. 

Mathias Marriott was the son of a William Marriott of Swan's Point, Surry County, Virginia, and I elaborate a little more later on. His date of birth is given as anywhere from 1641 to 1645, with 1644 being given the most often. Sometime during the 1660's, most likely the latter part of the decade, he married Alice Warren, daughter of Col. Thomas Warren, Esquire. I have Warren ancestry through Henry Davis who married Mary Marriott, Mathias's granddaughter, and also, this line through Mary, herself. Whatever the actual marriage, date, we know it preceded 1670.

In the above record from 'Surry County Records" compiled by Eliza Timberlake Davis, Baltimore, on page 377, is found a September 1670 record of an indenture by Mrs. Jane Warren, the widow (seen as 'relict') of Thomas Warren, "late of Surry County, Virginia, deceased, " and "Mathais" Marriott, who had married their daughter, Alice (Alyse) Warren, "ye only sister by ye whole blood unto Wm. (William) Warren, deceased and sonne (son) To ye aforesaid Thos. (Thomas) Warren.'  Apparently Mathias and his mother-in-law, Jane, were not in agreement on the division of property after the death of Thomas Warren Senior. "controversie and variance" the document called it.  Jane was given her due and a stipulation was made that if she or Thomas Jr. (sonne of above said Thomas Warren and Jane his wife) should die before Thomas reached the age of maturity, twenty-one, their portions are to go to the youngest son, named William, and when he died to the heirs of Mathias and his wife, Alice Warren Marriott.

The inheritance was listed as 1667 pounds of legal tobacco, casks, a white mare and her foal, a bed, a gold ring, a castor hat from the estate of William and the full share of a child. Jane, the widow. was given one third of the value of the house, orchards, and estate and Mathias was allowed his own share of the crop of wheat. It was signed Jane Warren, Mathias Marriott, George and Gertrude Watkins, neighbors.

The above clip from the same book, just down the page, leads in with an entry that mentions a Major Marriott on the west side of Besse's Swamp. I don't believe this is Mathias, but his father, William. However, two entries later, we see that on February 24, 1670, John Hunnicutt and Elizabeth Warren had contracted to enter marriage. Witnesses were John Corker and Jane Warren. This was the sister of Alice Warren, and the Jane signing as witness, the widow of Thomas Warren. Elizabeth, who'd received a small inheritance from her father, had suddenly became more marriageable and John Hunnicutt was an opportunist. The Hunnicutt family was an early and expansive one. I don't know it the descendants of this couple were among those who would populate our area of North Carolina, but it is certainly possible. The river of migration flowed in the right direction.

At the bottom of the page is a mention of James Stradling being indebted to William Marriott, father of Mathias. He owed 755 lbs. of tobacco. There were also some random, yet interesting entries that simply told of the details of life at the time in early Virginia. A 19 year old boy testified of the hogs on Hog Island. Had they been placed there for keeping, or were they wild hogs? Also, the body of a man, who had been dead a long time was found in the river. Who was he? Was he English? Had foul play been involved?

On the next page, which ventures into the year 1671, we find the entry stating John Hunnicutt, brother-in-law now of Mathias Marriott, had been given Elizabeth's 'due portion' of the estate of her father, Thomas Warren Sr. by Mathias. Jane Warren is mentioned and George Watkins was witness. The lead in was concerning a Hannah Davis, servant to 'ye Watkins', maybe or maybe not, George. She came to court to testify about her child. What issue about the child was not explained.

Another page over, in 1672, Mathias Marriott sold to George Watkins a man named "Kie". This shows that slavery had began. There were two types of servants, slaves and bond servants. The lead-in mentioned a servant boy with two and a half years remaining in servitude to the Allen family name Edward Welbanks. I hope Edward made it. Only one in ten child servants made it to adulthood and freedom. They were worked hard and fed poorly, sometimes abused. If they fell sick, their recovery was rare, due to lack of treatment, cleanliness, and nutrition. A few were treated like family, and those were the most likely to survive. 

A preserved Colonial Sawmill

In a list of Surry County Proprietors of Surry County is found the name of Mathias Marriott. It was located, "within one mile of the courthouse on the head of Grey's Creek.'  Marriott's Mill was located at Wier Neck, Gray's Creek, Surry County. 

Location of Gray's Creek across from Jamestown

- From the Virginia Gazette (Dixon) October 23, 1779:

"To commence from the first day of Jany 1780, at which time possession will be given, the plantation whereupon the late Mr. Mathias Marriott formerly lived, lying in Surry County, within one mile of the courthouse on the head of Gray's Creek...The sawmill with her appurtenances and a 25 hogshead flat for the use of the sawmill will be included in the lease of his plantation. "Virginia Gazette (Dixon), 23 October 1779, 1:2

His sawmill was so sturdy it would survive him for decades.

While Mathias's year of birth is assumed to have been between 1641 and 1645, that of his wife Alice is known to have been 1645, as she gave her age as 32 in a 1677 deposition. 

Mathias and Alice were the parents of five known (some debatable) children:

Margaret Marriott Flake (1673-1722) Married Robert Flake III

Elizabeth Marriott Mizell Hill (1676-1738) Married Luke Mizell 1st, then Robert Hill, son of Sion Hill

"Marion" Marriott Cripps (1679-1767) Married William Cripps (Matthias's Will names her as "Marriott Cripps, not Marion). 

Rachel Marriott Browning (abt. 1680-?) Married Francis Browning

William Marriott (1688-1767) Married Sarah Collier

William (my line) was the only son.

Some include a daughter, Alice, who married a William Gwaltney. She was instead a granddaughter, daughter of Margaret Marriott Flake. (See lineage at end of post)

Among appearing in other lists of early Virginia colonists, and Surry County records, the family Matthias Marriott and Alice Warren Marriott are also among the descendants of Charlemagne. 

While interesting, this is not rare among anyone who can trace their family lines back to Jamestown. Charlemagne currently has an army of descendants, and any Warren line carries this honor. This brings us to face with a few horrifically sad facts. Many poor families came to unfruitful ends, not having the ways and means to support growing, healthy children who would grow up to propagate. Many of the settlers in the new world, and Jamestown in particular, were the families of younger sons of the landed gentry. Oldest brothers were heirs to the estate, and the younger sons had to seek their fortunes elsewhere. They were, however, not without resources. Many would transport servants and the indentured and endured the same harsh winters, Native attacks and diseases that the disenfranchised and bonded servants did, but they had better accommodations, skills and education, and they ate better, so their offspring were the more abundant and viable. 

One of the earliest records of Matthias in Surry was when he was called to serve on a jury in 1665.  He was called for an inquisition into the death of a young boy, an indentured servant of a man named Ralph Coats. In the end they found that the child had died a natural death. Mathias would have had to have been over 21 at the time to serve on the Jury or born before 1644.

In a timeline of Matthias Marriott's name appearing in court record we next find:

1669- He appears on the list of tithable or taxable citizens with himself and two other people, one of which was a slave.

1670- Matthias was in court in an argument with his mother-in-law, Jane. Jane was an incredible woman. One must keep in mind that women often married very early in these days. Life expectancy was brief, childbirth was dangerous and marriage was often a game played by the parents of a couple that involved inheritances and fortunes and associations. It was not uncommon for a 15-year-old girl to be married to a 48-year-old man. Widows still in their child-bearing years were encouraged to remarry quickly and men with young children often sought a wife to aid in their care quickly, as well.  

Jane Allen had first married a man named John King. After he died, she married Thomas Warren, Sr. on January 1, 1659, at the age of 29.  She married a third time to Samuel Plaw in 1669 at the age of 39. She had three sons, all of them with Thomas Warren: Thomas Jr., Robert Sr. and Allen Warren. Some attribute Elizabeth Plaw, daughter of her third husband, Samuel Plaw, to Jane, but that would be a little disgusting. Elizabeth Plaw would become the wife of Thomas Warren Jr. While stepsibling marriages were not uncommon, as life was short and women were few in those days, but not half-sibling marriages. I would then propose that Elizabeth Plaw was the daughter of a previous marriage of Samuel Plaws, not Jane's child. 

Jane was not Alice's mother. She was Thomas Warren's second wife, as he was her second in exchange. His first wife was Elizabeth Spencer, daughter of William Spencer and Alice Lightfoot. Elizabeth had been previously married to a Robert Shepherd but had married Thomas Warren on September 23, 1654. She was the mother of Alice Warren Marriott, William Warren and Elizabeth Warren Hunnicutt. Also, by her first husband, Anne, John, Robert and William Shepherd. 

In 1670, Jane Allen Warren Plaw and Matthias Marriott had a dispute involving the division of the estate of Thomas Warren, which had been burdened with a number of stipulations, one that had also involved the estate of William Warren, son of Thomas Sr. To solve the issue, a slave or servant by the name of Thomas was to remain in the servitude and home of the Marriotts. The next year, 1671, is when Matthias sold the slave he was likely taxed for in 1669, named "Kie", or in some transcriptions, "Kid", to his friend, George Watkins.

1672- September 4th - Matthias Marriot was found in Contempt of Court. The "Act of the Assembly" was awash with inane rules, one of which forbid servants from walking willy-nilly about town, or anywhere really, on Sunday, typically their only day off. He had given his man, "Thomas", a note, "to go abroad on Sunday, he having no business, also he rendered scurrilous language (Matthias) to the Court both yesterday and to-day". Boy, I'm sourcing the renowned Davis temper that our genomes still carry to this day further and further back. Matthias was fined 200 lbs. of tobacco, the favored currency of the time, and costs. 

1673- Matthias and his wife, Alice sold to John Salway on Jul 23rd, a tract of land that had been inherited by her brother, William, from their father, Thomas, and upon William's death, to her.

1674- Mathias again appears in the list of Tithables, with someone named N. Witherington and one slave, probably Thomas. 

Now, here is where it gets a little confusing.

1675- Matthias Marriott barters the services of one Thomas Boggs, his "manservant" , as security, to Nicholas Meriwether for a debt owed. Now, from previous records, we know Matt had a slave named Thomas. We know from the tax list, that Thomas had to have been black, as his slave was referred to as "Negro", a Spanish word for black, that was used archaically to refer to someone of African origin. In later records, it appears that Thomas Boggs was freed from services and lived as a white man, so there must have been two Thomas's, Thomas Boggs, an indentured servant and an English or Irishman, and Thomas, an enslaved man of African origin.

In 1679, Mathias is listed with two taxables, the other being Thomas Boggs, above.

In 1680, Thomas Boggs is a free man and responsible for his own tithes, or taxes. There is a Mizell next to him, whereas Matthias's daughter would marry a Luke Mizell, and a Charles Marriott, relation unknown, showing up in the household of Walther Flood (later Floyd).

Matthias Marriott is also one of the enumerators that year.

1683, Matthias is in a list of debtors to George Proctor. He is probably 40, or close to it by then.

This document also lists John Hunnicutt as a debtor to the same estate. 

It also mentions the estate of Major Marriott, which refers to Major William Marriott. While there is not one particular document that names Matthias as a son of Major William, there is a weight of circumstantial evidence that implies as much. There was about a three-decade age difference, multiple connections, and locational proximity, for the support of it. 

1688 Matthias is alone as a taxable. No more slaves or indentured servants in his home. His children and in-laws may have been able to provide labor by then, the oldest entering their twenties. 

1695- Things were quite for a number of years until Matthias received a small stipend for some service from the estate of Mary Ironmonger.

1696- Matthias must have been a good boss.

In July of 1696, he purchased land in Southwark Parish in conjunction with Thomas Boggs, his former servant. The land was from the estate of Christopher Lewis, consisted of 200 acres, and part of a grant to Christopher Lawson. James Stanton and Richard Hargrave were witnesses.

As an example of how small this community really was, and how interconnected its people, Jane Plaw, widow of Thomas Warren, Sr., is also mentioned on the same page.

As was Robert Flake (Flacke), who married the Marriotts daughter, Margaret.

The two entries also connect Alice Gwaltney with the Flakes, her parents.

Mathias Marriott died in 1707. He knew the end was near when he wrote his Will on June 12, 1707. It was probated on September 2, 1707, so he passed away sometime that summer between those two dates. Probably in August. He would have been around 65-66 years old. Life was hard.

1707

He left his soul (written 'soule') to God and named Alice, his wife as Executrix.

He required his debts to be paid and wanted all of his 'profits and commodities' to go to Alice, and upon her death or remarriage to go to his son, William. He left his land to William Marriott, his only son, with the stipulation that if William should die without issue, (heirs/children), then his share to go to his grandson Thomas Flake, son of Robert and Margaret Marriott Flake.

Everything else, not before stated to go to William, exceptions listed below that statement. He left a book of 'Deniry" to each of three listed daughters, Margaret Flake, Elizabeth Hill and Marriott Cripps.  Some have her as 'Marion' but it is clear to me in her father's will that it was Marriott. He also left for Elizabeth Marriott Hill a spotted rug, to go to her after the death of her mother. Witnesses were Samuel Thompson, William Humuford and Roger Williams.

One of the coolest things to me when I began climbing my family tree was to be able to see the actual signatures of these long-ago ancestors on the ancient documents. This is Matthias's signature from 319 years ago. 

Inventory of the estate of Matthias Marriott, November 1707.

 Matthias's estate was not much compared to today's capitalistic standards, which is a blessing to us all. But for these early years of scrapping the Virginia swamps, he did pretty well.  Listed was 4 cows, three heifers and one young steer, three calves and one small yearling. He had 32 old books, that must have been shipped over from England. There was the standard amount of furniture, beds, blankets and such, a pallet of pewter, candlesticks, mortar, pallets of wool and cotton, cookware, farming utensils, bridles and other horse-riding apparatus, three sheep, shearing utensils and pottery and poultry and one breeding cock. And several mules.

Descent from William Warren to Mary Marriott Davis

Below is the lineage of Alice Gwaltney to Thomas Warren.

The Order of Americans of Armorial Ancestry. Lineage of Members

Mathias was one of my earliest Virginian ancestors, and an ancestor of Job Davis

Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Captain James Davis

When it comes to counting back to immigrant ancestors, it really doesn't get any further back, as far as number of generations, or as applicable, than Captain James Davis of Jamestown. He is my 11th Great Grandfather. 

James Davis was born between 1575 and 1580 in Gloucester, England. He was the son of another ship captain, Sir Thomas Davis. He married Rachel Keyes around 1607/1608 per The Adventures of Purse and Person, page 238, her name coming from Patent Book 1, page 17, CP 1, p xxiv.

His death was noted by Hotten as "James Davis, dead at his plantation over the water from James City, February 16, 1623".  Some sources say that his plantation fell under attack by indigenous peoples and he was killed in the confrontation. He was not old, only in his forties, but the life he lived in those few years was extraordinary, and he was a true founder of America.

James Davis was a mariner, Captain of many ships, a Colonial Governor, an Ancient Planter and original citizen of Jamestown. He was also Captain of Fort Sagadahoc in Maine and among a group of men tasked with settling the region of Virginia that was called New England. He is very well documented and his exploits could fill a book, and have, many in fact, chapters in others, and he was, himself, an author.

James was the son of Sir Thomas Davis, himself a mariner. In 1607, James and his brother, Robert, also a Captain, came to America. The brothers had been part of a group that included a third brother, John Davis, to aid in the settlement at Fort Sagadahoc, at the mouth of the Kennebec River in Maine. James was named Captain of Fort Sagadahoc, and Robert, a Sergeant Major. James was among the leaders and councilors of the new Colony, but spent most of his time sailing back and forth bringing supplies and people. The settlers in Maine had a difficult go of it, and within three years, most of them had returned  to England. The southern colony, named Jamestown, in Virginia, had a much better climate. The men's father, Sir Thomas Davis, would join them there in 1619, arriving on "The Margaret".

Sir John Popham

Sir John Popham (1531-1607) was the Lord Chief Justice of England, and was known as, "The Hangman" in England, because of his tendency to use the gallows for punishment against Highwaymen, or roadside thieves and robbers, despite the rumor that he, himself, had used this method of criminality, himself, to pay his way through college. Popham was the organizer of the company of young professionals and lesser noblemen tasked with founding the Kennebec Colony. He placed his nephew, George, in charge of the group, which included the three young Davis brothers, sons of Sir Thomas.

A book titled "History of Travel into Virginia Britania", Volume Two or the 'Second Book', by William Srtachey gives a detailed account of the endeavor. Popham was set on starting a Colony on the Sagadahoc River, even after earlier efforts had been waylaid by Spanish pirates, so with a second attempt, he had sent two ships and a flyboat, for shallow water exploration, with more than ample provisions, to try again. The two ships were the 'Gift of God' commanded by George Popham, his nephew and Raleigh Gilbert commanded the 'Mary and John' of London, with 120 passengers. They first saw Nova Scotia, and later dropped anchor near a group of islands, where they were met by a small band of Natives who had possession of Spanish ships, and wanted to trade. Nothing to do with James, but interesting. Soon after, the first mention of the Davis brothers is made, when Captain Robert "Davies" and 12 other men rowed to shore into a bay and found razzberries, strawberries, gooseberries and something called 'hurts', which was reckoned to be huckleberries. A group went to shore after they arrived at their destination, and a preacher named Seymour gave a sermon, and a Commission was organized to start the building of a plantation. George Popham was named President and the other men mentioned were Raleigh Gilbert, James Davis, Mr. Seymour, the minister, Richard Davis (Robert?) and a Captain Harlow. There was afterwards a great deal of trade and interaction with the people there, the native tribes. After a while, Robert Davis was sent back to England with reports of their success and all proof of all they found, with letters for Lord Popham, and requests for more supplies. While he was gone, the group fixed up the fort, built trenches and fortifications, 50 houses, a church and a storehouse and a pinnacle was built by carpenters.

The next year when Robert Davis returned from the port of Exeter with a ship full of supplies, guns, tools, books, instruments, food and mail, he found George Popham and some others dead, but the fort in good repair, relationships with the Natives well, and lots of items stored for trade on a return journey. Captain Gilbert found out through letters that his brother was dead back in England, and therefore, he was needed back to settle the estate, and perhaps due an inheritance. So, they pretty much all loaded up and returned to England, and that was the end of that venture.

“Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Justice of England in the year 1606 procured means and men to possess it.” He sent, among others, Capt. Robert Davis to act as Sergeant-Major and Capt. James Davis to be Captain of the fort. John Davis also is mentioned among the “noble captains” on the expedition.

Author John Bennett Boddie has written several books on Virginia and southern regional history, among them; Historical Southern Families, Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight, and Southside Virginia Families. There are multiple mentions of James Davis and family in these books.

 After the remaining members of that colony gave up and returned in discouragement to England in 1609, James Davis sailed for the southern Virginia colony, called James City,  where he became one its earliest settlers. He and his wife were deemed some of the “ancient planters.” Boddie says that “his [Capt. James Davis’s] descendants in the South can claim to be the oldest New England family, ante dating the Mayflower by 13 years!”

"6 October 1607, James Davis sailed for England as Captain of the “Mary and John”. His narrative in “Relation” suspends on the 6th of October 1607 and Mr. Thayer concludes from this that it was because James Davis sailed away for England. This vessel arrived in England December 1st after a voyage of 53 days. A plan of Fort St. George at Sagadahoc inscribed “taken out on the 8th of October 1607” was found in later years with the narrative.

The “Gift” also sailed from Sagadahoc Colony to England on 15 Dec 1607 and arrived at Plymouth 7 February 1608. These ships on arriving found that Sir John Popham (President) The Chief Justice, had died 10 Jun 1607, ten days after they had sailed away from England to Northern Virginia.

After these ships had left Sagadahoc, the last one carrying 45 persons who wished to return to England, the settlers who remained Began to build a ship with their limited means in the wintertime in this bleak country and when this ship was finished, they called it the “Virginia” and it seems to have been a staunch trust-worthy vessel."

A group had returned to England to find old Lord Popham dead, and Captain James Davis wrote a book on his travels. The remaining colonists set about building their own boat and called it "Virginia". The entire coast was Virginia to them at this point. Now, the following facts are what I find the most fascinating. Captain James Davis, and the men who had been left behind not only built their own ship, in Maine at Fort Sagadahoc, they sailed the thing back to England on October 17, 1608. They were such good ship builders, that with the tools they had brought to this rough and unsettled land, they built a ship that was not only seaworthy, and made it across the Atlantic not only once, but James Davis ended up sailing it back again, this time to Jamestown!

In his “Conquest of Virginia, the Second Attempt,” p. 567, Sams says:

The ships of the Third Supply and their Captains were as follows:

“Unite” – Captain Wood – Departed England 8 (18) Jun1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.“Blessing” – Captain Gabriel Archer – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.“Lion” – Captain Webb – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.“Falcon” – Captain John Martin – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.“Diamond” – Captains Ratcliffe and King – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia Aug 1609.“Swallow” – Captain Moone – Departed England 8 (18)Jun 1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia Aug 1609.“Catch” – Master Matthew Fitch – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and was lost at sea with all aboard.

“Virginia” – Captain James Davis – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and arrived in Jamestown, Virginia 3 Oct 1609.

“Sea Adventure” – Captain Christopher – With Sir Thomas Gates and Sir James Somers on board with the new Charter of the Virginia, Company, which had been drafted by Sir Francis Bacon and signed by King James I on May 23 1609. This ship wrecked on Bermuda during hurricane. The “Deliverance” and “Patience” were built from the wreck of “Sea Adventure” and these two ships then left Bermuda 20 May 1610 bound for Jamestown, Virginia and arrived there May 1610.

Sams quotes first from the writers belonging to the Smith faction as follows: (p. 688)

 ‘The day before the ships departed, C. Davies arrived in a small pinnance with some sixteen proper men more.’ To these were added a company from James Town, under the command of Captain Ratcliffe, to inhabit Point Comfort. Martin and Master West having lost their boats, and near half their men amongst savages, were returned to James Town. For the savages no sooner understood of Captain’s Smith’s loss, but they all revolted, and did murder and spoil all they could encounter. Nor were we all constrained to leave only of that which Smith had only for his own company for the rest had consumed their proportions.”

James Davis escaped harm from Powatan's attacks due to being sent to Fort Algernon. He escaped "the Starving Time", in the winter of 1609-1610, by being enroute for more supplies. We are fortunate for his sailing skills keeping him safe, and therefore, we Davis descendants' exist. 

 Captain Percy’s account of this in his “True Relation” is as follows (Tyler’s Magazine, Vol. III, p. 266):

“I sent Captain Ratcliffe to Powhatan to secure victals and corne by way of commerce and trade, but Powhatan, the sly old king at a fitting time surprised Captain Ratcliffe whom he caused to be bound to a tree naked with a fire afore him and by women his flesh was scraped from his bones, with muscel shells and before his face thrown into the fire wherefrom he miserably perished.”

Captain Ratcliffe, who was held in more esteem by Smith and others, did not fare so well.

Captain Percy’s account continues:

“Upon wch defeate I sentt Capte James Davis to Algernowe foarte to comanwnd there in Capts. Ratliefes place and Capte West I sent to Potoamack with aboutt thirty sixe men to trade for maize and grayne where he in short tyme loaded his pinesse sufficyently yett used some harshe and crewell dealinge by cutteinge of two of the savages heads and other extermetyes and [when they left they came by] comeinge by Algernowns foarte Capteine Davis did call unto them acquaintinge them with our Great wants [they were starving] exhortinge them to make all the speded they cowlde to Releve us upon wch reporte Capte: Weste by the persuasive or rather by the inforcement of his company hoisted upp Sayles and shaped their course directly for England and lefte us in that extreme misery and wante.”

 The violence between the Colonists and the native populations went both ways. The Virginia Colonists became discouraged. Only 60 men were left out of 500, and they decided to embark for England, Captain Davis again commanded his old ship the Virginia, but things then took an unexpected turn.

Percy’s account of this proposed return is as follows (p. 270):

“Then all of us embarking ourselves, Sir Thomas Gates in the “Deliverance” with his company, Sir George Somers in the “Patience”, Percy in the Discoverie (Discovery), and Captain James Davis in the “Virginia.” All of us sailing down the river with full intent to have proceeded upon our voyage for England when suddenly we spied a boat making toward us wherein we found Captain Bruster sent from my Lorde La Ware (Lord Deleware) who was come unto us with many gentlemen of quality, and three hundred men besides great store of victewles municyon and other privisions whereupon all returned to Jamestown.”

So a party of four ships, the Patience, the Discovery, the Deliverance and the Virginia, with James at command, are headed down the James River and giving up on Jamestown, on their way home to England when lo and behold, here comes Captain Bruster (Brewster) with three hundred men, many of them "gentlemen of quality", mostly younger sons of landholding, wealthier families and skilled craftsmen, food and supplies. Had they missed each other, would Jamestown have suffered the same fate as the Maine experiment?

The next adventure for Captain James was leading a show of force against the natives. On page 273, Percy recounts:

“Their sayleigne some two myles down the River I sent Capt. Davis A shoare with moste of my Sowldiers, myselfe being wearyed before and for my owne part, but an easie foote man was Capt: Davis. At his landeinge, he was approached by some Indyans who spared nott to send their arrowes Amongste our men but within A shorte Tyme he putt them to flighte and landed withoutt further opposity on marcheinge About fowrtene myles into the country cutt downe their corne, burned their howses, Temples and Idolles and amongste the reste A Spacyous Temple cleane and neattly keptt A thinge strange and seldome sene amongste the Indyans in those partes. So havinge performed all the spoyle he cowulde Retourned aboarde to me ageine and then we sayled downe the River to James Towne."

In my translation, he had sent James with most of his soldiers, as he (Percy), was weary and James was a good footman. When he landed a band of Indians approached, who did not shoot arrows at the party of men, but later, he sent them on their way, somehow, and came ashore. The men marched 14 miles into the interior, and laid waste to the tribes crops of corn, set their homes on fire, their 'temples and idols', and made note of an impressive and spacious temple of the kind they had not seen before among the tribes. Then, having done all the damage and collecting the spoils that they could, they sailed back down the river to Jamestown.

The next time there is any mention of Captain James Davis is from an event on Mary 2, 1611. Sir Thomas Dale had arrived, and James was at that time in command of Fort Algernon. There were two other forts, called Henry and Charles, that had been abandoned. Each sat at the end of a cape bearing their names. Dale ordered James to take possession of the two abandoned forts and put him in command of all three of them.

Two months later, on June 27th of the same year, a couple of Spanish ships turn up and drop anchor out near Fort Algernon. Now, in my early imagination, I always thought these folks had been rather isolated, strangers in a strange land, but that wasn't quite so. Not only was the land already quite populated and full of human activity, but there were also other European governments sailing about. The Spanish had been exploring the land and setting up colonies long before England, and you also had the French and the Dutch ships out and about. 

The Spanish sent a party out to talk to Captain Davis and asked for his surrender. They 'requested it' says Brown on page 152. Having that Davis spunk and spirit I saw in my grandfather Davis, his ancestor my GGGGGGGGGreat Grandfather said, "Hell to the Naw". Well, what he actually said, according to Captain George Percy, and recounted by Brown was, "Go to the Devil". Same difference.

When the Spaniards made their way to the fort, James Davis and his men lay in wait on the shore prepared to ambush them. He captured their leader, a man named Diego Malina and a few of his men. He attempted to bargain back and forth with them for a while, or 'parlay'. In the end, he let some of them, with an English pilot, go, under the condition that they make their way to Jamestown. Instead, when he got on board the Spanish hoisted their sails and took off, leaving poor Diego and their buddies with the English.

The last days of James Davis were spent more peacefully, between 1612 and 1623, were his "Ancient Planter" Days. He and Rachel settled in with their children on a plantation "over the water from James City", in an area east of Gray's Creek, in what is now Surry County, Virginia. He had started at Fort Algernon and Point Comfort and later moved to Henrico and Coxendale. His property appears to have been on the lower side of James River and east of Grays Creek. This was an area that people had removed to after a March 1622 Indian attack at Henrico. James had been placed in command of Henrico in 1616 and is described in a 1633 patent as 'formerly of Henrico'. He died on February 16, 1623, in what was probably an Indian raid. His widow, Rachel Keyes Davis is also described as an Ancient Planter. She and their son, Thomas, later received the headright and entitlements. 

 James and Rachel Keyes Davis had at least three sons: Thomas, Nathaniel and John. Thomas seems to have been the oldest, named for his grandfather, as the oldest sons inherited the property at that time. There may have been daughters, but they are unknown. We descend through Thomas. His story continues the Davis line. 

Citations
1. Emigrants by Hotten, p. 236.
2. 17th Century Isle of Wight County, VA, by John Bennett Boddie, 1938, Chapter XXIII, Captain James Davis of New England and Virginia; pp. 434-49.
5. True Relation by Captain George Percy, written circa 1607, Tyler’s Magazine, Vol. III.
6. Conquest of Virginia, the Second Attempt, by Sams.
7. The Relation of a voyage unto New England begun from the Lizard, ye first of June 1607 by Captain James Davis, The Georges Society Publication, Vol. IV.
8. Some Southern Colonial Families, III, David A. Avant (Tallahassee, Florida, 1989), pp. 205-52.

Below from True Relation by Captain George Percy

Thirty Fathers in Thirty Day: Horton H. Davis

 

I've posted quite often on my Davis roots, because it was the stories of my mother's father, my Papaw, that inspired my love of history and my desire to search for my family roots. I've posted several times on the life of Hawk Davis, so I didn't originally include him among the chosen subjects of this series. Because what new thing could I add to the narrative that I've not already said? But there are things, little things that could be added, and it's ok if I have to repeat a few facts to get there.

A few days ago, I made a trip south, and coming up through Anson County, I decided to take the scenic route and come through Cottonville, instead of Norwood. While making the drive, I noticed I had a little time left and decided to make a stop by the old Rehobeth Church. Old Rehobeth, the beaming light along the Winfield Road, portions of it still existing, the old roadbed passing by Rehobeth, a stretch of it east of Aquadale, Old Davis Road, and portions still remaining in Anson. I visited the graves of H. H. Davis, his wife, Julina and their little son, Ritchie who died as a child, and the unmarked graves near them, even between them. Who were they?

It seems fitting to honor him, again, with a post. Horton H. Davis, known as "Haut" or "Hawk", was born on October 6, 1846, in Stanly County, I'm sure, but I'm about to toss a few things up in the air here. Stanly County was five years old when Hawk was born. Albemarle, the new county seat to be built on 50 acres that had been part of the Hearne Plantation. Horton was the son of Henry Davis, and his second wife, Martha Palmer Davis. The Davis Plantation, where Henry grew up, lie on the banks of Rocky River, Jack's Branch and Cooper's Branch. That's where Henry had grown up, for certain. But when Stanly County was being formed, Henry, as the oldest son of Job Davis and Sarah Winfield Davis, together, (having three half-brothers and a half-sister from his mother's first marriage.), Henry was a mover and shaker. He was still in the days of his prime. In the early 1840's, when the counties first split, Henry was still on the Rocky, District 8, where he was nominated as a Ranger. About this time, deeds show Henry was purchasing land on Cloverfork Creek. 

I cross over Cloverfork Creek daily, almost, taking the connector from the North to the East side of Albemarle. Crossing over the bridge near Chuck Morehead Park, I often think of Henry living along this Creek.

In the 1850 census, where Horton is shown as a 4-year-old little boy, spelled "Aughton", as it was pronounced at that time, the family is living in District Nine, not District Eight. On the 12th Day of May, Thomas H. Tomlinson had enumerated Henry and Martha Davis's family in Albemarle, District 9, on the very last page. He was a farmer, at 42, Martha 33, his older boys by his first marriage, already out on their own, and with children Sarah, 13, Nancy 12, Hampton, 10, Mary 8, Martha 5, Aughton 4 and Job aged 2. There would be a few more daughters. The family was counted in between Edmund Nash and Henry Marshall, both also 'movers and shakers'. The elderly Henry Marshall and his wife, Mary, were caring for a young man named Levi Coley who was deemed "an idiot". He perhaps was slow mentally or even had Downs's syndrome. This term was applied to multiple maladies, and Henry would eventually earn the same title when alcoholism took over his life. 

But this was not Tyson Township. The Henry Marshall cemetery lies just off of Highway 52 within a section of the city of Albemarle now known as the Wiscasset Mill Hill. The mill is gone, but the neighborhood remains. The cemetery predates the mill era by decades, the tombstones dating back to 1850's. Even the house whose yard the cemetery is now within predates the Mill Village. This is where Henry Marshall lived in the 1850's, near this plot of land. Henry Davis was living on Cloverfork Creek at this time, rather near Henry Marshall. 

Horton H. Davis was not born along the Rocky River, by 1846, his parents had moved to what we now consider part of Albemarle, but at the time was outside of the town, but an easy buggy drive to it. Henry had to be close to play his part in its development. 

Now is a good time to discuss the name. Today we pronounce the name Horton, like "Whore"- ton. That is not how it was pronounced in the 19th Century. As his nickname derived into Haut or Hawk, the first part, in a deeper Southern accent than we possess now, was pronounce like 'ought', as in, 'You ought not to do that'. 

'Ought'- ton. Or 'Haut' - ton. That is why Mr. Tomlinson wrote down the name of that little 4-year-old boy as Aughton. 

The second issue is the middle name. Horton had an older brother named Henry Hampton Davis, who is shown mostly as 'Hampton', as he is in the 1850 census. He also had a younger brother named Job H. Davis, who went west with their sister, Nancy Baldwin Davis Wall and never married. There were two older half-brothers by their father's first marriage, Benjamin Franklin and John Edward. Now Henry Hampton married a widow, and had two children, Emma and Edgar, by whom I have plenty of DNA matches. Hampton settled in Anson County, near his brother, John Edward Davis. His son, Edgar, however, came up to Albemarle, and is buried in the Palestine Cemetery, just outside of Albemarle, with several of Hawk's descendants.

Having two sons whose initials were "H. H." was a cruel thing for Henry and Martha to do to their descendants, but knowing where Hampton lived, in Anson, and where Horton lived, in Stanly, it makes it a little easier. Horton is always seen in records as H. H, Horton H., or Haut or Hawk, which was just a variation of the pronunciation, not anything to do with the bird. So, what was his middle name, really. Now, my grandpa always though his middle name was Hampton, because his own father's middle name was Hampton, William Hampton Davis. And I ran with that. But after thinking about it, would Henry have named two sons with the middle name Hampton? Even youngest, Job, was "Job H.". He may have named them all Hampton, or even all Henry, if you think about it. We don't know. However, William Hampton named a son after his father, Uncle Horton, who was definitely, "Horton Haywood Davis". Could Haut's name have been Horton Haywood, instead? I think it's possible.

Now, in 1860, Hampton H Davis, age 20 and his friend, Allen Carpenter, 18, are living with Edward Winfield Davis, the brother of Henry Davis. This is not Horton; it's his older brother Hampton. The census indicates that they were both in school. At 20 and 18, I would assume perhaps some type of college, but where, I don't know.  Notice just before E. W.'s household, is 4-year-old Julina Aldridge, and her brother, John Adam, age 2. This is Haut's future wife. He would have been 16 this year. Now Uncle Ned, aka E. W. Davis, didn't marry until later in life, at about 56, to an 18-year-old named Rebecca Hathcock. But he also was a businessman and served as the second Sheriff of the County. The family story was that tempers were already flaring as far as the North and South issues. The two young men had frequented a tavern in the area, probably down at the Forks, or Center. Possibly Allenton way, maybe not. They had gotten into a fracas, and Ned took them under his wing in sort of a probationary deal. The age-old adage, money talks. The facts show them as students too, and one doesn't annul the other. The neighbors of Crump and Aldridge show that E. W. Davis was living on the parental plantation below Cottonville on the Rocky River.

Henry and Martha are now living near Lefler's and Ritchies and Austins. This is in District, and enumerated by J.M. McCorkle. Was he still on Cloverfork? This suggests a northern part of the county, closer to Salisbury, where Henry liked to show up. I can't say, without taking a deep dive into the neighbors.

The children in the home were Mary, Martha, Laura and Victoria, all daughters. Where were the younger boys, Haut and Job? They were very much alive and would've been around 16 and 12. Had they been sent off to school? I can't say. But I can say they were educated and perhaps, they were working elsewhere and just missed. 

Haut lost his father in 1862, cause unknown, who was buried in the John Lee Cemetery on the Anson side of the river. The family story is he either drank himself to death, or died of sorrow, which perhaps meat suicide. Haut was 16. He lost his mother the very next year, as was reported in the Southern Christian Advocate. The minor children, of which he was one, seem to have been taken in by Uncles and older siblings. Job went to live with Nancy in Mississippi. Laura with Sallie and her family. And Haut was taken in by his uncle, E. W. Davis.

I heard from my elders that Henry's melancholy was due to the Civil War, or losing sons in the Civil War. As is with many repeated stories, things become embellished, facts are bent. The truth is that Henry does seem to have had "melancholy", or some other issues, however, he died at the beginning of the Civil War, and did not lose any sons, entirely.

Frank, the oldest, was a private in Co. A, 4th NC Calvary. He died Dec. 21, 1898.

John, the second, was a Sergeant in Co. A, 4th Reg. NC Calvary. He died Feb 1, 1878, while cutting down a tree, which in turn fell on him.

Hampton, the third son, was a Private in Co. C., 42nd NC Infantry. He died in 1898.

Horton, the fourth son, enlisted near the end of the war, in Co. D 1st NC Junior Reserves. He would later transfer to the Regular Army. 

His military records reveal facts that I don't believe I have ever shared. He enlisted on June 1, 1864, at Camp Holmes. He had ridden up to Rowan County to join in. He was 17 years, 8 months and 16 days old, when he enlisted. So precise. He was born in Stanly County with an occupation of farmer. He stood only 5 feet and 7 and a half inches tall. Not a tall boy. I believe my grandfather, his grandson, was about the same height. He was fair complected, with red hair and blue eyes. Haut was a ginger! His son, Will and grandson, Lewis, were not gingers, but I have seen it weave through the family. Of my grandfather's siblings, there were two brothers and one sister with red hair. My mother's youngest child has red hair. As does a few of the younger members of the extended family. Among Haut descendants, Julina's darker genes seem to have dominated. 

Haut was later transferred to the regular army in December of that year. This was a fateful decision, or act, as it would result in an injury that cursed him for the rest of his days.  Having named two sons with the same initials, Henry Davis caused their military records, excluding for the Junior Reserves file, to be merged. They can be separated page by page, by knowing that the older brother is often seen as Henry H. Davis and enlisted at 22 at the start of the War. Therefore, anything labeled "Henry" is Hampton and also, anything prior to December 1864, when Haut was transferred to regular troops. Many records also included the enlistment date, which also aids in separating the brothers. 

Haut was injured in battle at New Bern, and sent to first Kinston and later Salisbury, for medical treatment. It resulted in the amputation of one of his legs, I believe his left. He would later receive a pension from the Army stemming from his wounds. H. H. Davis would use a wooden leg to get around from there on out, cushioned with cloth and cotton, and strapped on with leather. The wooden leg remained in the family. I recall seeing it as a child, brought to my grandfather's house by his first cousin, Hal Davis, son of Tom. Since then, I have seen it a second time. Author Dennis Hamann, my second cousin, once removed, according to ancestry. DNA, had it on display at one of his presentations on a series of book he has written, which include stories based on our shared ancestors. Denny doesn't have possession of the wooden leg; it was brought by another distant cousin who does. It remains in the family. Denny's current list of books available, for anyone interested in Stanly County history, or historical fiction and nonfiction alike, are Cottonville Road: The Dusty Path to Power, Cryin's for Hungry Babies, Cottonville Road II; The Rocky River Washed My Sins Away, and Cryin's for Hungry Babies II: After the Last Shot Was Fired. 

The 1870 census found Haut, now 22, in the home and care of his uncle, 'Neddy' Davis, living on the old plantation lands. E.W had married, finally, at age 56, to his 18-year-old bride, and by1870, their first child, Sarah Hortense Davis, had been born, showing as a one-year-old in the document. There was another boarder, Mary Hathcock, Rebecca's sister, and two servants, Priscilla Legrand and George Crump. Neddy, being a businessman, Justice of the Peace, miner, and former Sheriff, still had enough money to live fairly comfortable for the times. 

1880 found Horton H. Davis in his own home, with a housekeeper, Clementine Barringer, and her daughters. He still lived near Edward Winfield Davis, his uncle, with another one of my ancestors, Martha Carpenter Hooks, who had lost her husband, John Hooks, in the war. The Jordan couple living with her was her daughter and son-in -law. Also near the Davis family was the Samuel Christian family who lived just beyond the Dr. Hill family. 

The 1880's was a very busy time for H. H. Davis. He increased his wealth, buried his uncle and started a family, not necessarily in that order, or in that way.

On December 16, 1881, H. H. Davis sold to Martha F Pemberton, wife of S. J. Pemberton, for $125 a tract of land in Albemarle (the town of) "adjoining the land of Martha F. Pemberton, Josephine and Lizzie Hearne & others" "One town lot in the plat of Albemarle known as Lot # 17 containing 1/2 acres more of Less". 

In the original 50 acres town lot for Albemarle, the map of which can be found Here, Lot number 17 in the grid of six squares, with a courthouse and courtyard in a center square of the first four blocks, was located in the top left square, facing First Street, and one lot from second street, so near the corner. The town plat went from South Street to North Street vertically and 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Streets horizontally. That area is now a parking lot, with a closed restaurant building in the middle of it, next to the back lot of the Lutheran Church. Years ago, it was the location of Confederate Chevrolet, where my Grandfather 'traded' regularly, upgrading every year as long as he was able. He frequented the place so often I knew the owners son as a playmate. 

Haut had ended up with a tract of land known as "The Spencer Tract", a tract of land still bearing the name of an early Stanly/Montgomery County family. 

In 1883, J. M. Redwine, the administrator of the estate of E. W. Davis transferred to Horton H. Davis of the State of North Carolina, Stanly County a certain parcel of land. "Whereas a petition was filed in Superior Court January 1883" at the Courthouse Door on 24 Sept. 1883, Monday, the 37 acre tract of land known as the Floyd land adjoining the Josiah Floyd land, the Spencer tract and others, "where Horton H. Davis became the highest bidder". Haut had purchased a part of his uncles land, that had previously belonged to a member of the Floyd family, whose ties to the Davis's went back to Virginia before the Revolution. The land adjoined what Haut already owned. 

About the same time, Haut was ordered to be part of a patrol, "District 8 Patrol Ordered by Court; M.F. Davis, Thomas Sanders & Horton Davis." Marriott Freeman Davis was his youngest uncle. The patrols operated as Peace Keeping entities as there were no police, just a sheriff. 

September 22 1883 - "H H Davis having applied to me for a license for the marriage of John T. Crump 32, son of W. D. Crump and Tiny Crump and Rebecca Davis, 32, daughter of Solomon Hathcock and Vina Hathcock, James W. Redwine JOP".  Neddy had passed away on October 30, 1882 at the age of 70. He left a young widow, Rebecca and three children; Sarah Hortense, Edward Thomas Ashley and John Teeter Jaspar Davis, all minors. A little over a year later, Haut had applied for the marriage license of his younger 'Aunt' and John T. Crump, who ended up raising the children. I often wondered if the youngest, John, was Ned's or John's because of the name, and some other instances, like seeing him as John T. Crump, Jr., but he was the son of Edward Winfield Davis in every way. I have several DNA matches who descend from him. One of them reached out to me just recently. 

On April 20, 1884, H. H. Davis applied for another marriage license for a third party, that of Thomas Howe, colored, of Anson County, the son of Wade Howe, and Eugenia Davis, age 18, daughter of Hamp Davis and Betty Davis, of Stanly County. The service was performed by J. M. Redwine, Justice of the Peace, who had also been the Executor of the Estate of E. W. Davis. Witnesses were H. H. Davis, George Crump and Wade Crump. This was the Hampton and Betty Davis who are buried in the Old Davis Family Cemetery with Job, Sarah, and E. W. Davis. The cemetery is very large, and the largest percentage of the internments are of African Americans who were not only neighbors of the Davis family but were either freedmen or their children. Haut was aiding the marriage of their young daughter, Eugenia, by applying for and paying for the license, as he had done for his uncle's widow. He was a kind man. 

On September 10, 1889, Horton H. Davis married Frances Julina Aldridge. This may have been in response to something that had happened. They had 'put the cart before the horse', so to speak. Julina had lost her father, Garner Aldridge, during the Civil War at the age of six. The children were either pushed into early marriages or bound out to relatives and neighbors still in intact marriages. In January of 1877, Julina, now 21, was taken to court on a charge of bastardy. She was pregnant and named the father as Ephraim Whitley. This was the year her firstborn, Mollie arrived. Two years later, Jesse Filmore Aldridge arrived in 1879.

Filmore would declare himself a descendant of Benjamin Lindsey Whitley in the Permanent Voter Rolls in the 1890's, a Jim Crow Era policy result. B. L. Lindsey was both the father of Ephraim Whitley and the family to whom Julina had been bound. So, her two oldest children were the children of Ephraim Whitley. 

George W., aka 'Gus', came along in 1881. Gus went by the name Davis as an adult. However, the name of his biological father is unknown. He never had children, despite being married twice. He didn't look like the Whitley's, who came before him, or the Davis's, who came after.

There is a six-year gap between Gus and the next child, Titus Henry Davis, in 1887. Sometime during that gap, Haut became involved with the little girl who grew up down the lane. He was ten years her senior. He didn't marry her, at first. She was a 'ruined' woman, below his social status, having had children out of wedlock. He let her move in the house at some point, because the couple was taken to court on charges of fornication.

The children from Titus on down were all biological Davis's. They bore a strong resemblance to each other, especially the sons. After Titus came Rebecca Jane in 1888. After that, Haut made an honest woman of Julina and married her in 1889. The charges were dropped, as such.

William Hampton came in 1891, the first after the marriage.

Martha Priscilla "Mattie" arrived in 1892.

Carrie Julina arrived in 1893.

Thomas Parrish in 1895.

Ritchie Clark Davis, who died at the age of three, was born in 1897.

Cora Victoria, the last child, was born in 1898.

She had her hands full with all those younger ones, coming every year or two. Julina was 42 and Haut, 52 years of age, when the last child was born. 

The entire H.H. Davis family about 1898 or 1899, excluding only oldest daughter Mollie Eliza (Aldridge/Whitley/Davis) Boone. Front Row: Carrie, Will, Tom leaning against Hauts knee, Haut, Julina holding Cora, Ritchie standing beside his mother. Back Row: left to right: Jesse Filmore Aldridge, George "Gus", Titus, Becky and Mattie Davis.

Haut Davis was involved in an organization for Veterans of the Civil War. He struggled with his wounds for decades and passed away at age 60 in 1906. 

Julina, recorded as F. J Davis, was the administrator of her husband's estate. Heirs listed were B J Thompson (Becky), Mattie Holt (Martha), and the following were all listed as 'minors without guardian', although their mother was their guardian; Willie Davis, Carrie Davis, Thomas Davis and Cora Davis. F. J. Davis gave bond with C. H. Aldridge (Caleb Hampton), her brother.

 The children had grown up near the Rocky River, below Aquadale. Their mother, who lived until 1935, moved the unmarried children with her to the town of Albemarle.

Name	Julina Davis
Age in 1910	54
Birth Date	1856
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1910	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Sheet Number	18b
Street	Wiscasset Hill
Race	White
Gender	Female
Relation to Head of House	Head
Marital Status	Widowed
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Native Tongue	English
Home Owned or Rented	Rent
Farm or House	House
Able to read	N
Able to Write	N
Enumeration District Number	0116
Number of Children Born	13
Number of Children Living	10
Enumerated Year	1910
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Julina Davis	54
Titus Davis	22
Carrie Davis	17
Tom Davis	14
Cora Davis	12
Laura Davis	60

In the 1910 census, they are living on the Wiscasset Mill Hill or Mill Village. Laura Davis, Haut's younger sister, is living with them. She will pass away the next year, in 1911. Julina has four children living with her, Titus, Carrie, Tom, and Cora. They are all working in the Cotton Mill, even 12-year-old Cora. The two older women are at home. She says she was the mother of 13 children with 10 living. The 10 living were: Mollie, Filmore, George, Titus, Becky, Mattie, Will, Carrie, Tom and Cora. The three no longer living were Ritchie, who is shown in the above family photo, who was the next to the youngest, and Sarah and Elizabeth, two girls she had before she was married, who were buried behind a house near the intersection of Aldridge and Old Davis Roads. My Dad, who grew up in Aquadale, told me Julina's old house, near her brother Hamps, had been purchased by a Kepley family and Mr. Keply had plowed over the small cemetery spot. How desperate for crop space must he have been to not be able to spare the graves of two infants/toddlers?

Julina's last days were spent in the care of her youngest daughter, Cora Davis Mann. In 1920, Julina is the head of household as "H. H. Davis". They left off the 'Mrs.'  They were living on Leslie Street in Albemarle. Cora and her new husband were in the home. In 1930, Charlie Mann was the head of household and Julina a boarder. They now lived on Lowder Street in North Albemarle.

Julian died on January 25, 1935. She was buried at Rehobeth Church in Aquadale, with Haut, where they attended.