Nancy Rivers Davis is my 4th Great Grandmother. All the data we have on Nancy came from 3 census records, a family Bible, her Revolutionary Pension Record and the Revolutionary Pension Record of her husband – Thomas Davis.
Nancy was born 15 Dec 1767 in South Carolina. She married Thomas Davis in 1787/1788.1 2
Nancy and Thomas had eleven (1) children; 6 sons and 5 daughters. I wrote about them here.
Nancy Rivers Davis died 15 December 1853. I have not found her listed anywhere is the 1850 Population Census. 3
She and Thomas are buried in the family cemetery in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. 4
Her parents are unknown. There are many unsourced documents that claims that she is a daughter of William Rivers and Temple Dempsey. These reports are strictly family folklore and unreliable.
A Family History of the “The Davis Family of Wales and America” by Harry Alexander Davis states that “He married July 1786 Nancy, daughter of Frederick Rivers,* and Mary Boatwright, born 15 Dec. 1767.” Again this is unreliable information and this author for the past 37 years has been been unable to confirm it. The wife of Frederick Rivers in unknown and any information otherwise is pure speculation. 5
State of South Carolina }
Chesterfield District }
Before me personally appeared William Rivers Sr. a resident of Chesterfield District aged 76 years the 25th last month, who being first duly sworn according to law says that he was intimately and personally acquainted with Thomas and Nancy Davis. Since his first recollection, that he was raised within one fourth of a mile from the said Nancy Davis, then Nancy Rivers, deponents aunt and well recollects the time they were married but was not present at the marriage and to the best of his knowledge and belief would say they were married about the year seventeen hundred and seventy seven or eight (1787 or 1788) that the said Thomas Davis lived the year before he was married with his deponents’ father and has known them as husband and wife ever since in which relation they were respectable members of the Methodist Church up to the time of his said Thomas Davis death and lived within two miles of deponent where his widow is still living and raises nine children and had ten issue of their said marriage the youngest of whom was born in the month of December 1812 which fact he knows from the birth of his own son Malachi who was born the 22nd day of August 1812 which record is now before him.
Sworn to and subscribed this 16th day of February 1852 in Open Court.
William Rivers 6
This William Rivers is the first born child of Frederick Rivers, he was born 25 February 1776. He states that Nancy Rivers is his AUNT. That would make Nancy a sister to Frederick, not a daughter as concluded in the Davis Book.
I don’t expect to solved this in my lifetime, the destruction of pre-civil war records makes this a daunting endeavor.
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[1] Family data, John C. Davis Family Bible Family Bible, Holy Bible, (New York: n.p., 1844); original owned in 2004 by Old Darlington District Genealogy Archives, [address for private use], Hartsville, Darlington County, South Carolina.
[2] Thomas DAVIS and W-8655, compiled military record (1779-1783), Rev. War Pension and Land-Bounty Application Files, (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration), NARA microfilm publication M804, Roll 766.
[3] Family data, John C. Davis Family Bible Family Bible, Holy Bible, (New York: n.p., 1844); original owned in 2004 by Old Darlington District Genealogy Archives, [address for private use], Hartsville, Darlington County, South Carolina
[4] Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, digital image, (http://www.findagrave.com : Accessed on 5 June 2012); Headstone for Nancy Rivers Davis; (15 December 1767–15 December 1853); Records of the Davis Cemetery; Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, USA.
[5] Harry Alexander Davis, The Davis Family (Davies and David) in Wales and America: genealogy of Morgan David of Pennsylvania (Washington, D.C.: n.p., 1927), Pages 54.
[6] Affidavit of William Rivers for Thomas Davis Pension Application, compiled military record (5th Co. Capt. Thomas Hall, Marion's Regt. 1779), Rev. War Pension and Land-Bounty Application Files, (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration), NARA microfilm publication M804, Roll 766.
[7] 1810, 1820, 1830 Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
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