Documenting the Parents of my 4th Great Grandfather Thomas Davis

Data on the parents of my 4th Great Grandfather – Thomas Davis is very sketchy and limited. A review of data on-line clearly shows that little to no research his been done on Thomas‘s parents and what little information there is mostly secondary information from derivative sources – in other words – it’s junk.  

The parents of  Thomas Davis born 22 March 1760 in Cheraw District, South Carolina are David David, changed to Davis and Jane Miles. 

David [David] Davis was born in Merion Township,  Pennsylvania in Nov. 1717. He was a son of Evan David, Sr. and his wife, Jane Rees.

David moved with his family from the Merion Township,  Pennsylvania  to New Castle, Delaware about 1723.

David  Davis and Jane Miles were married in December 1738, in New Castle, Delaware. Jane is reported to have been born in 1720; there is no documentation for this date and it is my belief to be a “guess” based an assumption of marriage at age 18 (1738) for Jane to David.  

About 1739, David and his family along with his brother Benjamin moved to South Carolina and settled in Craven Co., later Marion District. He served as a member of the militia for many years. 

David Davis and Jane Miles had seven children; their youngest son is my 4th GGFather.  Their children were:

i. John Davis was born in 1741 in Marion,Craven Dist.,South Carolina. He died in May 1778 at the age of 37.
ii. James Francis Davis was born in 1743 in Marion, Cheraw Dist., South Carolina. He died in 1808 or 1809 at the age of 65.
iii. William Davis was born about 1751 in Marion, Cheraw Dist.,South Carolina. He died before 1810 at the age of 59.
iv. Jane Davis was born in 1753 in Marion, Cheraw Dist., South Carolina. She died after 1840. 
v. Samuel Davis was born in Apr 1757 in Marion, Craven Dist., South Carolina. He died between Jan 1836 and Jan 1840 at the age of 78.
vi. David Davis Jr. was born in 1758 in Marion, Craven Dist., South Carolina. He died between in 1831 and 1839.
vii. Thomas Davis, born 22 Mar 1760, Chesterfield, Chesterfield, South Carolina; married Nancy Rivers, 1787 or 1788, Chesterfield County, South Carolina; died 20 Mar 1845, Chesterfield, Chesterfield, South Carolina.
 
On-line trees reports that Jane Miles Davis died before 1772 and that David David died in 1793. As stated previously, these dates are secondary information from derivative sources. They are not sound factual documentation. 

David Davis left a Will dated 29 Apr 1775. Only two of his known children were named within the WILL. They were sons, Thomas and William. 


“and first of all I allow that all my Lawful debts be paid out of my personal Estate.  Also I will and allow to my son William Davis the plantation or tract of Land I now live on adjoining Crowders Creek Also I will and allow to my son Thomas Davis Twenty pounds proclamation money of North Carolina. To be paid to him by son Wm, at the Expiration”
 
Much work remains to properly document this line. It will take actual research in local archives in Pennsylvania, Delaware and South Carolina to accurately document this family history. I don't believe sufficiency data exist do this at home on-line.








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1. Edmund West, "Family Data Collection - Individual Records," database on-line, Ancestry (http://Ancestry.com : viewed 3 August 2014), David Davis & Jane Miles; Birth-Marriage-Death.
2. Charleston County, South Carolina, SC Court of Ordinary Will Books, WILL of DAVID DAVIS; digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org: copied November 1997); Book TT, page 583, Family History Film: #0023477. Courtesy of S. Tenney.
3. Right Rev. Alexander Gregg D.D., History of the Old Cheraws (Columbia, South Carolina: The State Company, 1925), page 245.
4. West, "Family Data Collection - Individual Records," database on-line, Ancestry, David Davis & Jane Miles.