John Davis married Mary Henderson, daughter of John and Jane Henderson in 1762. Their first child, David Davis, was borne in 1763.
John was a very successful farmer owning over 680 acres of land. He served as a Private with the 10th Regt. N. C. Continental Line January 1778. Before enlisting to serve in the 10th Regt, John Davis wrote his Will on 24 August 1777. The following is an abstract of this Last Will and Testament:
Will of John Davis of the County of Mecklenburg; to my dearly beloved wife the third part of my moveable estate & her bed & furniture, wearing apparel; mare & saddle; my wife to live on the plantation whereon we now live during her life or widowhood; and to raise my children thereon…to my son David, land I bought of Isaac Sellers; to my son John, bought of Isaac Sellers; to my son John, 50 at his being 20 years of age, and also bound unto a good workman that can teach the
Page 19
Sadlers trade properly, my son James to pay unto my son Joseph L50, at the said Joseph being 21 years of age; Joseph to be bound unto a good workman that can teach the spinning right trade; to each of my daughters herein after named to wit Ann, Mary & Isabelle, L30; if my wife be pregnant as she thinks she is, I order & it is my will that the child be made equal with my sons if male, and to be bound to a trade; if a female, to be equal to my daughters…wife Mary Davis & Capt. James Harris of Reedy Creek, exrs. 24 Aug. 1777 John Davis (Seal)
Wit: Robert Harris, Jr.
William Harris
Robert Harris, Jur. Proved 15 April 1778
Will Book C, pp. 10-12 C. R. 065-801-14
In his Will, John Davis named his wife Mary, 4 sons, John, Joseph, James and David; 3 daughters, Ann, Mary & Isabelle and as to this element of the will (if my wife be pregnant as she thinks she is, I order & it is my will that the child be made equal) Mary was pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, Jane Davis. John Davis and his wife Mary has 4 sons and 4 daughters. John did not lived to enjoy time with his daughter, Jane Davis.
Shortly after his discharge from the military in 1778, John was listed as deceased by May 1778. There is some conflict here and a precise death date has not been established. The Davis Book (see footnotes) makes this statement on page 51.
"John Davis, Private, mustered 10th Regt. N. C. Cont. Line, January 1778 and DEAD May 1778." (N. C. Records.)
Brent Holcomb in his “Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Abstracts of Early Wills” on page 19 states that the Will of John Davis was Proved on 15 April 1778. For a will to be proven in a Court of Law, the testator must be deceased.
If the Last Will was indeed proven on 15 April 1778 then he most certainly had to be deceased prior to that date.
John Davis and Mary Henderson had the following children:
i. David Davis, born abt 1763.
ii. Ann Davis was born about 1765.
iii. Mary Davis, born abt 1767.
iv. James Davis, born Dec 1769.
v. John Davis Jr., born abt 1772.
vi. Isabella Davis, born abt 1774.
vii. Joseph Davis, born 20 Mar 1776, Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; married Nancy Terrill, bef 1800; married Sarah Wilkins, 10 Jul 1809; died 1 May 1852, Jefferson, Jackson, Georgia.
viii. Jane Davis, born abt 1778.
Related Article:
https://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/2019/09/amanuensis-mondaythe-last-will-of-john.html
John Davis, Sr. & Mary Henderson are my 4th Great Grand Uncle & Aunt.
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1. Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Abstracts of Early Wills 1763-1790 (1749-1790) by Brent H. Holcomb, C. A. L. S. ; Clearfield Company; Baltimore , MD, 1980.
2. The Davis Family in Wales and America (Davies and David) Genealogy of Morgan David of Pennsylvania by Harry Alexander Davis pub. Washington, DC, 1927. pages 50 & 51.
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