Rezin Davis (abt. 1714 - 1814)

Born about 1714 in New Castle, Delaware

Descendants

Died 6 Jun 1814 at about age 100 in Savannah, Chatham, Georgia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Donnie Blackstone [send private message], Rita Davis [send private message], Phil Phillips [send private message], and Stephanie Lathrop [send private message]

Biography

Captain Reason Davis served with Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment (1776), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Rezin (Mentzel #1) was born about 1714. He passed away in 1814. He married Elizabeth Causey nee Wood late in life as his second wife. She was the relick of the late Absolem Causey.^[1] There is no pension file found on Rezin Davis but there is a Service Record for one Rezin Davis (Ref: BL.WT 586300) but no papers are found there. It was explained that the papers were burned in the War Department fire of 1800.^[2] It appears from a register of land warrants prior to 1800, National Archives Warrant 586 for 300 acres of bounty land issued on 25 Sept 1789 on account of Rev. War service of one Rezin Davis as Captain with the Maryland troops.^[3]

Ensign Maryland Rifle Company, 21st Jun, 1775; Captain of Stephenson's Rifle Regiment, 11th Jul, 1778; Taken prisoner at Fort Washington, 16th Nov, 1776; escaped 7th Jul, 1777; retained in Rawling's Continental after his escape; retired 1st Jan, 1781. (Name also spelled Davies)^[4] Rezin followed his brothers or sons into Newberry District, South Carolina.^[1]

Land

394 Acres on Windy Hill, Barnwell district, SC 4 Jan 1803.^[1]

70 Acres Feb 1803 - use of Rev. Land grant noted above?.^[1]

Barnwell District: Know all men by these present that whereas Absolem Causey of Barnwell Dist., lately deceased intestate, possessing at the time of his death certain real estate, having a wife and children, and whereas Elizabeth Causey the widow of sd. Absolem Causey has since intermarried with Rezin Davis and Elizabeth Davis being by law intitled to 1/3 of the Real Estate of the sd. Absolem Causey know ye that we the sd. Rezin and Elizabeth Davis of Beaufort District, SC do sell the right of 1/3 of land granted 21 Nov. 1755 to Abselom Causey on Boby's Creek, Orangeburg Dist. SC dated 23 June 1807. Deed Bk. C., page 341 Barnwell Co. SC.^[1]

Will

Will dated 24 Jun 1811. Filed 1 Jun 1814 (need to check file date and probate date)^[5]

Rezin Davis of Chatham Co., Ga., planter:

To my beloved wife, Elizabeth, four Negroes: Lacy, Milly, Juno and Peter, with all the former property she was in possession of before marriage. Also the rest of my property to be divided among my heirs and that as equal as they can, only considering what has been received by those that are gone, to be part of the same property.

Exec: Elizabeth and Aaron or Asa Davis.

Wit: Jonathan B. Brown and Robert Stafford.

Ref: Will #71

Children

1. Brevet Major Harmon Davis b. 1738 (Mentzel #2) ^[1]
2. Vann Davis b. 1740 (Mentzel #3)^[1]
3. William Davis (Mentzel #4)^[1]
4. Rezin (Reason) Davis Jr (Mentzel #5)^[1]
5. Aaron-Asa Davis (Mentzel #6)^[1]

• I found a Elnathan Davis born about 1748 in South Carolina and died 1820. Is on finadagrave with headstone, but I have not found anything yet to confirm he was a child of Rezin. so, he is not yet number in children.
• Mentzel noted on page 2 that Rezin may had several other children but did not have any records to support.^[1]

Notes

• I cannot find a hard sourced date for his death. The date of 6 Jun 1814 comes from a number of other trees. His will could have been filed several days before his impeding death. The Edmund West compilation of Family data Collection has his death in the year 1814, but that is not hard evidence to my satisfaction.
• Apparently, Elizabeth Causey nee Wood, widow of Absolem Causey, he married late in life as his second wife. I have not found a record of 1st wife or if he had any children with Elizabeth. ^[1]
• Note that I have the birth date for Vann Davis as 1740. On his profile it is 1725. All the data points that Harmon was the older brother born in 1738. If Vann was actually born in 1725 his father, Rezin, would have been 11 which is highly improbable.
• 2 Feb 2021 - I had a long phone conversation with Lamar Davis from Toccoa, GA and direct descendant of Hezekiah Davis one of Vann Davis' sons.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11} "Davis families of the Savannah River Valley..." Mentzel, Laura W. (Laura Watson Speer), Hobby Press,31 Bryan Avenue, Salt Lake City Utah. Copyright 1978. Call #929.273. Online version:https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/459241-davis-families-of-the-savannah-river-valley-containing-a-record-of-the-descendants-of-van-and-harmon-davis-from-1725-1978-covering-the-counties-of-newberry-anderson-pickens-oconee-counties-of-south-carolina-habersham-franklin-hart-ste?viewer=1&offset=0#page=1&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q
2. ↑ https://wardepartmentpapers.org/s/home/page/about
3. ↑ U.S. Revolutionary War Bounty Land Warrants Used in the U.S. Military District of Ohio and Relating Papers (Acts of 1788, 1803, and 1806), 1788-1806; Microfilm Publication M829, 16 rolls; ARC ID: 635444. Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives at Washington, D.C.
4. ↑ "Davis Family History" by J. Montgomery Seaver. American Historical-Genealogical Society. 2000 North Broad Street. Philadelphia, PA. Page 63. https://archive.org/details/davisfamilyhisto00seav/page/62/mode/2up?q=rezin
5. ↑ Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Chatham County); Probate Place: Chatham, Georgia. Filed date: 1 Jun 1814. Case #71

See also:

• Revolutionary War Rolls Name: Reason Davis. Gender: Male. Military Date: 15 Aug 1778. Military Place: USA. State or Army Served: Miscellaneous. Rank: 3rd Lieutenant. Source Information: Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M246, 138 rolls); War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, Record Group 93; National Archives, Washington. D.C.
• "Davis Family History" by J. Montgomery Seaver. American Historical-Genealogical Society. 2000 North Broad Street. Philadelphia, PA
• Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Chatham County); Probate Place: Chatham, Georgia. Probate date: 1 Jun 1814. Case #71
• "Davis families of the Savannah River Valley..." Mentzel, Laura W. (Laura Watson Speer), Hobby Press,31 Bryan Avenue, Salt Lake City Utah. Copyright 1978. Call #929.273. Online version:https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/459241-davis-families-of-the-savannah-river-valley-containing-a-record-of-the-descendants-of-van-and-harmon-davis-from-1725-1978-covering-the-counties-of-newberry-anderson-pickens-oconee-counties-of-south-carolina-habersham-franklin-hart-ste?viewer=1&offset=0#page=1&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q
• American Biographical Library. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Ancestry Inc., 1996. Name: Rezin Davis Title: American Biographical Library; The Biographical Cyclopædia of American Women; Volume II; Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution; A Proclamation; Schedule of the Names and Rank of Most of the Officers of the War of Independence; Maryland Comments: Davis, Rezin, Captain, Infantry. Page: page 633.
• Memorial for Reason Davis on Fold3.com (accessed 22 Dec 2021)

Acknowledgments

• Davis-21786 was created by Rita Davis through the import of Borecky _ Davis Family Tree.ged on Mar 31, 2014 and by Patton McHenry, November 18, 2014