Richard Davis Jr. of Charles County and the marriage to Priscilla Coe
What follows is the work of two Davis cousin researchers who have spent hundreds of hours finding and linking documents in order to establish this line. Please do not copy any of the following without asking permission of the authors and then without citing their names. If any of their language shows up on your site or any other cite without this permission it is a copyright violation. They have done the work, and it’s only polite (not to say honest) that we give them credit for the work they have done. Also, people with questions will be able to know where to look for intelligent answers. Thank you.
As with most of what we find in this time period and for decades to come, there is no “smoking gun” that proves this Richard to be the one born in Charles County, MD to Richard Davis and Elizabeth Franklin. But there is enough circumstantial evidence to make a very strong argument for this educated guess. A number of serious researchers have put in uncountable hours going through the records for this place and period.
Some of us have been communicating back and forth and this page is a sort of summation of the things I have received from researchers T.G. Davis and Scott Dupree. The work of both is significant.
First off, a paragraph from History of Callaway County, Missouri, published in 1884 by the St. Louis National Historical Company, Chapter IX, pages 170 – 216. Transcribed by Kris Breid.
http://callaway.dbrl.org/?page_id=225
Richard Davis was a revolutionary soldier. He married Priscilla Coe, of Maryland, and they had Matthew, Catharine, Eli, James, Elizabeth, William, John, Presley, Richard and Alexander. Matthew married Elizabeth King, and moved to Callaway county in 1829. Jane married Baylis Reno, who settled in Callaway in 1831. Eliza- beth married Robert Randolph, who came to Callaway in 1833. William married Mary Randolph, and settled in Callaway in 1830. John married Malinda Luttrell, and settled here in 1837. Grarrett Davis, son of Eli, married Milley Day, and settled in this county in 1826.
Caveat: County histories, even those published as early as this one, are not primary sources. They are prone to error, sometimes due to faulty memory in the people interviewed, mistakes in transcription at any number of stages – mistakes in names, times, relationships and locations. But they give you a good place to start hunting.
Interview with T.D.: (his response to my devil’s advocate stance – and note that he doesn’t use capitol letters as a rule)
much of my narrative has come after eliminating what i call ‘false sources’ i.e. sources which refer to A richard davis. in the colonial u.s. this name was almost as common as john smith.
one of the false sources i have eliminated is from a book by a carl robert coe, ‘coe families of maryland and virginia’ in which he correctly states she was married to richard davis, but then continued on to give the war record of ANOTHER richard davis jr.,, who we determined to be from frederick/washington counties of md and not the same individual.
the best sources on priscilla coe being married to richard davis come from:
1) the fact that they had a son, william coe davis.
2) the secondary source ‘pioneer families of callaway county, missouri’ (1884)… this is accessible on the internet; actual text:
‘richard davis was a revolutionary war soldier. he married priscilla coe, of maryland, and they had….’
3) the will of william coe, 1727-1792. known to have moved from charles county maryland to the bull run area during or shortly after the revolution, where richard had also moved with his family although he had no confirmable relatives there. coe’s will was filed in fairfax county.
keep in mind, that as we study back in time, we reach a point where many records have been destroyed. sometimes simple family histories, bibles, etc. come into play, and other references suggest whether these histories accurately fit with the documents to tell a larger story.
we can’t [absolutely] prove any of this, unless we can all jump in a time machine and witness it for ourselves. what would the proof be? birth and death certificates? i’ve worked with enough of them to know they can be as wrong as any of it. they weren’t there. gravestones? tons of errors.
just about anything from the 18th century and earlier especially, can be instead considered REASONABLE EVIDENCE.
we have reasonable evidence that show that this particular richard davis indeed came from charles county, md to prince william. there’s much more evidence. check the bios on all family members in findagrave for clues. in fact, my family knew about prince william but not that he had come in from maryland.
also i have them at rootsweb with a slightly different bio here:
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=0003019248&id=I4101
ID: I4101
Name: richard II ‘sr.’ private. ^ davis Sex: M Birth: Abt 1753 in charles co.,MD. Death: 1824 in prince william co.,va
Event: richard was a member of the 26th regiment, maryland militia, in the company of capt. hezekiah garner, who had administered the oath of fidelity to richard and his father, and was the witness of richard sr.’s will about this time Military Service 1777 charles co.,md
Note: for decades in the 19th and 20th centuries, before research was accelerated by the internet, little snips of info state that the davises descended from planter richard davis of prince william county, virginia. variations say he was somehow from wales before that.
by numerous accounts, he was a prominent prince william co. tobacco planter. the chart notes of g-g-grandson roscoe conkling capt. davis, usn, state that richard davis of prince william co., va was known as ‘hound’ because of all the hunting dogs he kept.
my earnest ancestors would have been amazed at how close and yet how far off the mark they were.
richard ‘sr.’ davis appears to have been born in charles co., md. in 1752/3. he migrated from maryland to prince william co. about late 1781, perhaps to be with his wife’s family, who moved to Clifton on the pwc/fairfax co. line about the same time.
[note: the following was found on the rootsweb ‘worldconnect’ entry of jeff anderson, Anderson@onramp113.org:]
In December 1781, the younger Richard Davis [referring to ‘sr.’, actually the 2nd of at least 3 continuous generations of richard davises –tgd] added to his property sixty acres which he purchased from Henry Baylis for 10,000 pounds of tobacco. This was a time of severe economic inflation in Virginia caused by the war, and it should be noted that the 10,000 pounds of tobacco he paid probably was an unsellable quantity because the British blockade prevented its sale abroad. [note: but the exchange does demonstrate his ability to produce such quantities–tgd]
>a line in the 1884 history of callaway co., mo states that ‘richard davis was a revolutionary war soldier. . .’
this compiler deems the concept of davis’ service credible, given richard’s social position and age, and the fact that he continued in his family’s occupation as a tobacco planter, a common livelihood for a va patriot, suggests his participation.
there were perhaps upwards of 30 patriotic combatants named richard davis in the war, with at least one per state and many counties having several of the name.
couple this with overly generalized identifications and in some cases complete loss of record, and determining service becomes difficult to impossible.
a recent review of henry c. peden’s ‘patriots of charles county, md’ however, has brought a tentative ending to this compiler’s exhausted search for davis’ war documentation.
it appears we are descended from pvt. richard davis jr. of newport east hundred, aged 26 (1752/3) in 1779 deposition.
does the fact that this richard davis jr. lived in newport e100 instead of his native durham (nanjemoy) parish cause an issue? i say not, for the following reasons:
this was a deft family with a county land deed book, and this would have been 4/5 years after his marriage;
and, his basic independence of his parents was demonstrated by the fact that he moved to prince william county, and it appears that none of his kin came with him, just his wife and the older children.
it would certainly help if more documentation existed regarding the family’s move to pwc. however, it appears the fullness of their migration didn’t occur ’til late in the war.
pvt. davis’ grandson, capt. elias p. davis jr, in the 1880 census, gave his father’s place of birth as maryland, as did a son of william coe davis, and possibly other grandchildren.
peden surmises this pvt. richard davis to be son of richard b.1703 (age 67 in same deposition), which agrees with what we already have, and since this richard jr. was thought to be close in age to wife priscilla (1752) this also seems to fit.
AND, he is too old to be charles co.’s other richard davis jr, (abt 1756/9).
AND, his combat service was with the md militia, 26th battalion, in the company of capt. hezekiah garner, whose name sounded familiar and who it turns out was the primary witness to richard sr.’s 1779 will, info we already had.
this richard was NOT the capt. richard davis jr. 1750-1801 son of col. richard davis, of washington and frederick counties, md, whose elite unit favored by gen. Washington was known variously as the ‘rifle corps’, ‘flying camp’ etc.
nor was he capt. richard davis, 1725-1809 shelby ky, son of thomas davis and sarah fielding of prince william county.
he was never married to a fugate or fuggett.
he was also NOT the richard davis of Wood County, VA whose wife was also priscilla and who also had a son named elias.
richard was ONLY married to priscilla coe, and they were only known to live in: a.) charles co., md and b.) prince william co., va. the children were all born there.
they largely migrated to callaway county, missouri, though many went to fleming co., ky, with some of the latter moving on to callaway.
richard may have also seen military service in prince william county as well, but we may never know for sure.
comparatively, another ancestor of mine, capt. thomas bragg, was said to have served under col. greenup out of prince william. the details as told thru the family are deemed credible. however, pwc records are nonexistent.
a july 1913 report from uber-genealogist william f. boogher lamented the general absence of revolution-era records in prince william county, while granting a cautious approval to bragg’s credibility.
richard and priscilla’s children were:
- andrew f., born feb. 24, 1775;
- matthew, 1777;
- william, 1779;
- catherine;
- elijah, 1781; [note: i’m confident this was elias, as shown in other databases, though the dates given can be problematic in this generation and the one previous–tgd]
- elizabeth, 1783;
- john franklin, 1789;
- jane, 1790;
- james, 1792;
- presley, 1793;
- richard, 1794;
- alexander, 1795.
- william and elizabeth married cousins of thomas Jefferson who were children of influential pwc randolph’s.
[Interjection from me here: Looking at the list of the kids’ names and comparing them to the Richard/Elizabeth lines naming patterns.
- 1. Richard Davis’ Sr.’s will mentions grandson Matthew Davis. We see a Matthew above.
- 2. Richard Davis, the son, isn’t “proof,” simply because this is his father’s name.
- 3. John Franklin Davis: the use of Franklin as a middle name may be significant – it’s his grandmother’s maiden name and is used often in the naming of the children of the Charles County and Pendleton/Anderson SC lines. On the other hand, considering the time period – a LOT of people named children with Benjamin Franklin in mind.]
in accounts of these children of richard davis and their progeny, many are described as ‘tough but educated’ [anderson] with numerous politicians, educators, scientists, legalists and law enforcers over the ensuing times.
believed to have immigrated to prince william county a few years after marriage in charles county, md.
Change Date: 17 OCT 2015 at 00:31:31
the research located here is based on the work of someone who has access to extensive charles county documents. i don’t agree with all his interpretations, and it can be a bit of a melee with all the info, but it is very well considered, with excellent sourcing:
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mrmarsha&id=I052655
More from T.G. Davis – an email to me:
wills are the actually the most reliable source as i see you have found. thankfully prince william’s will books survived and support these particular relationships as expressed. when you study the entire extended family, presley and elias are indeed there. they were sons of william coe, uncles of their davis namesakes.
as i mentioned before, yes, richard davis was a very common name. as youve seen, i’ve spent a lot of time not necessarily poring over wills of the other davis families but looking at secondary sources and obits, looking for contradictions in time and place. your skepticism is basically good, as many have cited false sources all over the place. you have to look at the WAY BIG picture, cousins, neices, step-relations and marriage connections.
yes there were 3 close possibilities in charles county, if i remember correctly, been a few years, one was eliminated as this family readily and another was eliminated by a hair’s breadth (born 1756,) i recommend reading peden, which is a secondary source but its based on the militia records of charles county located in the state library. you see that richard davis b.1703 and presumed son richard jr. b. 1753 take the oath of allegiance administered by capt. hezekiah garner, leader of the md 26th with whom richard served. i was informed by researcher linda reno that the men served under LOCAL commanders generally and carval-hall and rawlings were in washington county, leading to the elimination of the richard davis of the flying camp, smoking gun: capt. garner is also the primary witness to richard sr.’s will probated in 1781.
ok, charles county deeds, (not sure which book but should be findable) has a deed to the property richard sr. left wife elizabeth,in his will in 1781 wherein she transfers it to son RICHARD, named a resident of prince william virginia. the property named is indeed the same property. are we getting anywhere yet?
… :)
just as william coe’s will mentions daughter priscilla davis, likewise john franklin’s will mentions daughter elizabeth davis.
One last email dated Oct 29, 2015:
one common mistake folks have is that richard and/or priscilla went to missouri personally. it appears likely they both died in prince william county.
i’m not sure, but i believe it is a family bible known as spriggs/richardson which has accurate-appearing dates (maybe where those nice DOBs came from) but liner notes are in grievous error: they claim he went to callaway in 1854, 30 years after his death. something went wrong there, not sure exactly what.
as you can see from the callaway history, gerard was the first of the family to move to callaway, probably from fleming co., ky where elias sr., his father, had by then removed to. 1817 is considered the probable date of elias’ move from PWC. fleming county histories mention that frank reno davis (2nd youngest child of elias sr, my g-g-granfather, ‘jr.’ was the youngest.) ‘teamed’ the stones from the old PWC home for use in the construction of the fleming homestead. he would have been 12, elias jr. 7, my g-g-grandfather was a skilled horseman his whole life, serving very effectively with the 40th ky mtd infantry in the war of 1861, and performing the duties of carter’s circuit court clerk and sometime sherrif from 1836-1880s.
jeff anderson had some of anecdotes of interest on rootsweb. i think he’s gone now. don’t know the details, but he stated that his family’s tradition insists that john franklin davis rode into D.C. in a lather over the election of president jackson and was one of the more conspicuous of the rabble which destroyed the furniture in the white house. how priceless is that. i would LOVE to have a citable source on that one. remember clifton, va is now a suburb of d.c. and would have been an easy rider for our ancestors.
nice mention of lower case. i use it for simplicity when keying in lots of information. i got scolded for it on findagrave, as being disrespectful. so i trained myself to use capitals there.
but as you can see from rootsweb,there are somewhere around 32,000 individuals in my database. so it indeed saved me some time.
i should mention that the late linda reno was quite helpful in gathering the right info as well. i like what you said about knowing the story, then using what you know to source it. because life’s too short not too.
linda gave me a list generated by an ancestry program. it had many places and dates going back to william the presumed immigrant. and forward to include my grandfather. it was very earnestly researched and put together. i find the general quality of all the info to be of high accuracy considering the subject. this is the same list as is published as ‘ancestors of donald wayne reneau’ whose son, by the way is dr. don reneau of roseburg, oregon where i live. i purposely went to see him after my car accident and compared notes. against the advice of my surgeons lol who then couldnt understand how my broken pelvis had mostly healed in the week between surgeon visits 1&2. dr. don is super-capable chiropractor/physical therapist (not a back cracker, this is a great combination of skills)
on to carl robert coe. poor guy did what i’ve done before and copied in an error. it has all the markings of one of the dreaded DAR applications you mentioned.
ironically, i had copied in an error in our common coe ancestry, albeit a common one. carl robert has a very high knowledge of all things va/md coe. he called me to task about my error. i didnt have any real info and he made a good case in correcting me. it meant a dead end which had previously gone back to 1340, but since (as you have also said) i bristle at abject error, i was glad to correct it.
i used the opportunity to ask him about richard davis, and was not answered lol. but i believe he has corrected the book since then.
–0–
Transcript by Mike on Rootsweb, paragraphing by me:
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mrmarsha&id=I052655
[William Coe] left a will in Fairfax County dated June 4, 1791. The will was presented to the eourt of Fairfax County for probate by Jane Coe, April 16, 1793. It appears below:
“In the name of God, amen, I William Coe of the County of Fairfax being of sound and disposing mind and memory do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form that is to say, , . . my will and desire is that all ray just Debts be paid by my Execs. hereafter mentioned, and my Funeral expenses paid, I dispose of the rest of my Estate in manner and form following.
Item, my will and desire is that my beloved wife Jane Coe have and enjoy all and every part of my Estate for and during her natural life or widowhood, but and if she marries then my Estate be divided amongst my children in manner and form following.
Item, I give and bequeath unto my beloved son Walter Coe, one negor man named George being now left to him and his heirs forever
Item, I give and bequeath unto my beloved daughter Imbly Langsitt my Negor woman named Delee after my wife’s decease, her and her increase to her and her heirs forever; except a child named Mott the daughter of the said negor Delee.
Item, I give and bequeath unto my beloved son Presley one Tract f land whereon I now dwell in Fairfax County on Bull run it being one hundred and sixty acres, and my Desk after my wife’s decease.
Item, I give and bequeath unto my beloved sons and daughters, Viz, William Coe, Edward Coe, John Coe, and Presley Coe, Priesellar Davis [spelling error may be native to the document or may be a transcription error, but it’s Priscilla. You will notice other words spelled phonetically], and Mary Payne all the rest of my negors to be sold and the money equally divided amongst them after my wife’s decease,
also I leave all the rest of my Estate to he sold and divided equally amongst them after my wife’s decease, also 1 leave all the rest of my Estate to be sold and divided equally amongst my afore last mentioned sons William Coe, Edward Coe, John Coe, and Presley Coe after my wife’s decease.
Lastley I constitute and appoint my wife Jane and my son Edward and my son Presley Exers, of this my last Will and Testament.
In Witness I have hereunto set my hand and Seal this forth day of June 1791 .
Sealed & Delivered in the presents of his John Woodyard William X Coe John Yeoman, Juni: mark Wit: George Slone”
At a court held in Fairfax County, September 16, 1793, an inventory of the estate was presented to be recorded. Among other items the estate contained beds, feathers, fifteen pounds of wool, millstones, a saddle, two candlesticks, a Dutch oven, three cows, a calf, three heifers, two steers, five horses, nine geese, ten sheep, two cupboards, a table, a gun, carpenter tools, a broken horse cart, and Negro slaves Moll, Benjamin and Mill. Total value was judged to be ?249,16.11. Appraisers were James Waugh, Peter Maury, Cornelius Kencheloe, and Edward Ford.
The following comes from A.S. Dupree http://adupree.com/tng/getperson.php?personID=I442714&tree=adupree
Richard Davis: Born About 1747 Charles County, MD Gender Male Died about 1824 Prince William County, VA.
Person ID I442714 adupree Last Modified 29 Apr 2015
Father: Richard Davis, b. About 1702, d. About 1781, Lower Hundred, Durham Parish, Charles, Maryland (Age ~ 79 years)
Mother: Elizabeth Franklin: b. About 1716, Charles County, Maryland d. After 1800, Charles County, MD (Age ~ 85 years)
Notes:
(William and Thomas Davis of South Carolina are a working theory.)
Family ID F26663370
Family Priscilla Coe, b. About 1752 [1, 2, 3]
Children
- Jane Davis, b. 21 Nov 1775, Virginia d. 5 Feb 1859, Callaway County, Missouri (Age 83 years)
- Matthew Davis, b. About 1777, Virginia d. 1849, Callaway County, Missouri (Age ~ 72 years)
- Elias Davis, b. About 1778
- William Coe Davis, b. About 1779, VA d. 12 Jan 1864, Benton County, Missouri (Age ~ 85 years)
- Richard Davis, d. About 1832, Prince William County
- Elizabeth Davis, b. About 1783, Virginia
- John Franklin Davis, b. About 1789, Prince William County, Virginia d. Before 1850, Audrain County, Virginia (Age ~ 60 years)
[The above list is not yet complete]
[S14062] Misc Record.
1788 Prince William County, Virginia
Thompson, Wm and Elender Randolph seel 42 acres to RICHARD DAVIS
This indenture made this seventh day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight. Between Thompson Randalph, William Randalph and Elender his wife all of County of Prince William of one part and Richard Davis of said county of other part. Witnesseth that for the sum of twenty one pounds five shillings current money of Virginia in hand paid by Richard Davis by these presents Thompson Randalph, William Randalph and his wife doth bargain and sell unto RICHARD DAVIS his heirs part of a tract of land containing forty two acres be the same more or less lying in county aforesaid beginning at a white oak on CEDAR RUN a corner tree of John Hooe’s tract of land he purchased of Mason on east side of a small branch thence south 30d east 130 poles to an oak stump in or by a corner to the tract of land that Joseph Williams now lives on belonging to Issac Farrow thence south 11d west 20 poles to a hicory a dividing tree between said Davis and William Randalph thence north 84d west 73 poles to a hickory and box oak corner tree to the land of said DAVIS purchased of Cornelius Kincheloe thence north 3d 30m west 124 poles to a yew tree on the bank of the said run. Thence down the run and binding therewith to the beginning together with all houses profits advantages to said forty two acres of land belonging. To have and to hold with the appurtenances unto RICHARD DAVIS his heirs free and clear from all manner and former incumbrances whatsoever and Thomson Randalph, William Randalph and Elindor his wife do further warrant and defend forever from all persons. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals the day and date first above written.Signed sealed and delivered in presence of: George Purcell Thompson Randalph John Waters William Randolph WILLIAM DAVIS
At a court held for prince William County the 7th day of July 1788.This deed with receipt thereon endorsed from Thomson Randalph, William Randalph and Elinder his wife to RICHARD DAVIS (the Feme being first privately examined and consenting thereto) was proved by the oaths of the witnesses thereto subscribed and admitted to record.
SOURCE: Prince William County Deed Book X, Pages 141 and 142, Abstract by Sparacio.
1824 Prince William County, Virginia
August 6th 1824 (4-78)
Know all men, by these presents, that we John F. Davis, William C. Davis and Richard Davis are held, and firmly bound to Charles Ming, James Foster, Redmon Foster and Seaton W. Norris gentlemen justices of the County Court of Prince William nonow sitting, in the sum of ten thousand dollars to the payment whereof, well and truly to be made to the said Justices or their successors – we bind ourselves and each of us, our and each of our heirs, executors and administrators, jointly and severally, firmly by thes
e presents. Sealed with our seals, and dated this 6th day of August Anno Dom, one thousand eight hundred and twenty four
The condition of the above obligation is, that if the said John F. Davis executor of Richard Davis Sen. deceased, do make a true and perfect inventory of all and singular the goods, chattels and credits of the said deceased,
which have or shall come to the hands, possession, or knowledge of him the said John F. Davis or into the hands or
possession of any other person or persons, for him and the same so made do exhibit into the county court of Prince William, at such time as he shall be thereunto required by the
said court and the same goods, chattels and credits, do well and truly administer according to law; and make a just and true account of his actings and doings therein, when thereunto required by the said court: and further do well ad truly pay and deliver all the legacies contained and specified in the said will, as far as the said goods, chattels, and credits will extend, according to the value thereof, and as the law shall charge him then this obligation to be void or else to remain in full force. Sealed, and delivered, in presence of the Court John F. Davis SEAL
William C. Davis SEAL
Richard Davis SEAL
1832 Prince William County, Virginia
June 4th 1832 (4-134)
Know all men, by these presents, that we Sarah B. Davis, Caleb Stone and Samuel Stone are held, and firmly bound to Charles Ming, Thomas B. Hamilton, Benjamin Johnson, Albert Newman and George Weedon gentlemen justices of the County Court of Prince William now sitting, in the sum of two thousand dollars to the payment whereof, well and truly to be made to the said Justices or their successors – we bind ourselves and each of us, our and each of our heirs, executors and administrators, jointly and severally, firmly by these presents. Sealed with our seals, and dated this 4th day of June Anno Dom, one thousand eight hundred and thirty two The condition of the above obligation is, that if the said Sarah B. Davis administrator with the will annexed of Richard Davis deceased, do make a true and perfect inventory of all and singular the goods, chattels and credits of the said deceased, which have or shall come to the hands, possession, or knowledge of her the said Sarah B. Davis or into the hands or possession of any other person or persons, for her and the same so made do exhibit into the county court of Prince William, at such time as she shall be there unto required by the said court and the same goods, chattels and credits, do well and truly administer according to law;and make a just and true account of her actings and doings therein, when thereunto required by the said court: and further do well and truly pay and deliver all the legacies contained and specified in the said will, as far as the said goods, chattels, and credits will extend, according to the value thereof, and as the law shall charge her then this obligat
ion to be void or else to remain in full force.
Sealed, and delivered, in presence of the Court Sarah B
. Davis SEAL
Caleb Stone SEAL
Samuel Stone SEAL
[S342] Website, http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/m/i/l/Robert-B-Milstead/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0168.html.
[S367] Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=129467510.
Me: this information is a sample of the research aimed at identifying the Richard Davis who married Priscilla Coe and moved to Missouri. The conclusions of the researchers, without a smoking gun, is that this Richard was the son of Richard Davis of Charles County, who in turn was the son of William Davis and Priscilla Trew, and Elizabeth Franklin, daughter of John Franklin. The evidence is strong and the research has been extensive and responsible. Not the result of simply downloading some family tree from Ancestry without checking documentation.
For now, that’s the best we can do.
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