John Davis III (1735 - 1808)

Born 1 Jun 1735 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Huldah (Thayer) Davis — married 2 Jun 1757 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died May 1808 at age 72 in Reading, Windsor, Vermont, United States

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Biography

John Davis III served with 9th Massachusetts Bay Provincial Regiment (1775), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

John Davis III, son of John Davis and Hannah Barrett, was born June 1, 1735, at Concord, Massachusetts. ^[1]

His father John Sr. died in 1753, and on November 19, 1753, sons John Davis, in his 18th year, Ezekiel Davis in his 17th year and Abel Davis in his 15th year, sons of John Davis of Littleton, deceased, petitioned to have John Davis Jr. of Acton, appointed to be their guardian, which was granted by the court. ^[2]

John Davis was married to Huldah Thayer June 2, 1757 by Justice Whiting. ^[1]

He lived at Acton and Littleton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and settled about the time of his marriage at Shirley, Worcester County. His brothers, Ezekiel, Elisha, Silas and Jonathan, also settled in that town. His home was the farm lately owned by the Wilsons and previously by Thomas Clark, where most of his children were born. ^[3]

In 1788 he removed with that part of his family that had not passed their minority to Reading, Vermont, and erected the first saw mill in that section and turned a wilderness into a well-tilled farm. "He fulfilled the mission of life with admirable precision, and went down to his grave, leaving behind an honorable and useful memory." He died in May, 1808. ^[3]

John Davis and his son Levi, took up a tract of land in Reading and they built a saw- mill where C. Hawkins' mill now stands. John and his wife spent their declining years clearing the land, and their remains now lie in the cemetery at Bailey's Mills. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Children

1. John, born October 22, 1759. ^[7]; married Anna Holden; removed to Westminster, where he passed the first ten years of his married life, then returned to Shirley, where he lived the remainder of his life, and died February 8, 1827; had thirteen children. ^[3]
2. Cornelius, born December 13, 1761. ^[7] ; was in the revolutionary army three years and was ensign in Shay's rebel army: settled at Cavendish, Vermont; children: Hiram, Luther and Lucy, settled in Canada. ^[3]
3. Huldah born at Shirley, November 3, 1763. ^[8] ; married Philemon Holden. ^[3]
4. Samuel, born March 13, 1765. ^[8] ; married Phebe Spaulding and widow Mary (Buttrick) Cogswell. ^[3]
5. Lucy, married, 1785, Nehemiah Estabrook. ^[3]
6. Ezekiel, born April 2, 1770; baptized November 10, 1782. ^[8] ; married June 17, 1791, Bethia Grandy born December 29, 1770. ^[3]
7. Thankful born August 21, 1772; married Ezekiel Palmer; died July 8, 1858. ^[3]
8. Eliakim, born March 1, 1775; married Olive Hawthorn, of Reading, Massachusetts; removed from Reading to Sterling, in the same state; had eight children. ^[3]
9. Jonathan, baptized November 9, 1766. ^[8], born in October, 1776; married Sally Francis, of Lexington: had eleven children; cleared a farm at Windsor, Vermont. ^[3]
10. Levi born October 15, 1777; married Jemima Hubbard and Sally Allen; settled at Brookfield, Vermont. ^[3]

Military

• He served his country in the French and Indian war.

• He was sergeant in Captain Henry Haskell's company of minute-men, Colonel James Prescott's regiment, on the Lexington alarm. ^[9]
• He or his son was a drummer in Captain Mills's company, Colonel Joseph Vose's regiment, 1777-79.
• He or his son was in Lieutenant Holden's company, Colonel Jonathan Reed's regiment, enlisting in September, 1777
• In the continental army for three years; sergeant in Captain Barnes's company. Colonel Timothy Bigelow's regiment, from March to December, 1777, credited to Wrentham. residence Shirley, twenty months, twenty-seven days as sergeant, and ten months as private, then for three months sergeant again.
• He was sergeant in Sylvanus Smith's company, Colonel Bigelow's regiment, at Stillwater, Valley Forge and Providence, 1777-78.
• He was sergeant in Captain Dow's company. Colonel Bigelow's regiment, January 1, 1780, to March 1.

Both he and his son John seem to have done long and faithful service in the war. (p. 1739) ^[3]

• Davis, John, Acton. Corporal, Capt. John Hayward's Co. of Minutemen, Col. Abijah Pierce's regt., which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775; service, 5 days.
• Capt. William Smith's Co., Col. John Nixon's (5th) regt.; order for advance pay dated Cambridge, July 7, 1775; also, same co. and regt.; muster roll dated Aug. 1, 1775; enlisted April 24, 1775; service, 3 mos. 15 days; also, company return dated Sept. 30, 1775.
• 3d Corporal, Capt. Israel Heald's co., Col. Eleazer Brooks's regt.; service, 6 days; company marched from Acton to Roxbury March 4, 1776 (p. 406)^[10]

DAVIS, JOHN

Birth: 6-1-1735 CONCORD MIDDLESEX CO MASSACHUSETTS

Death: 5- -1808 READING WINDSOR CO VERMONT

Service Source: MA SOL & SAILORS VOL 4 P 406

Service Description: 1) CAPT HENRY HASKELL,COL JAMES PRESCOTT

SPOUSE: HULDA THAYER ^[11]

Entered by Chris Hoyt, 27 December 2011.

Homestead in Shirley

Davis House, Holden Road: John Davis owned the Sylvanus Holden property off Holden Road. He is credited with planting the "Twelve Apostle" trees on the south side of Holden road. Eleven maple trees for the good Apostles and a pine tree for Judas. His wish that they be a memento of his existence was well carried out.

He fathered thirteen children. Silas and Jonathan Davis were brothers who answered the alarm and did three years of volunteer service. Silas lived in a house in the woods beyond the "Pest House", near the Shirley-Lunenburg line. The children attended the nearest school, which was Pound Hill. Jonathan's family lived on Frost Road, now Fort Devens property. : Shirley, MA, Paths of the Patriots

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Tolman, George, Concord Massachusetts Births, Marriages and Deaths 1635-1850, Printed by the Town, T, Todd Printer, p. 139: 192
2. ↑ Case 6023:p. 1-3: Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB536/i/14471/6023-co2/38225209
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12} Cutter, William Richard, New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 4 , Lewis historical publishing Company, 1913, p. 1739
4. ↑ Davis, Fred C., compiler, John Davis and His Descendants, Compiled, p. 209
5. ↑ Davis, Gilbert A., History of Reading, Windsor County, Vermont. Volume II, 1903
6. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 119854190
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Records of Littleton, Massachusetts Births and Deaths: From the earliest Records in the Town Books begun in 1715 Patriot Press, Concord, Massachusetts, 1900, p. 76
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3} Vital Records of Shirley, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850, NEHGS Boston, Massachusetts, p. 25
9. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 19 Mar 2018), "Record of John Davis", Ancestor # A030412.
10. ↑ Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, Volume 4
11. ↑ DAR.org