Jacob Davis (1741 - 1814)

Born 4 Aug 1741 in Oxford, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 9 Apr 1814 at age 72 in Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont, United States

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Biography

Colonel Jacob Davis served with 14th Massachusetts Bay Provincial Regiment (1775), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Jacob Davis is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A030345.

Jacob Davis is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 144572
Rank: Colonel

Founder of Montpelier, Vermont. Davis was a farmer and Colonel in the 5th Worcester County militia, served throughout the Revolution, and likely took part in the crossing of the Delaware and attack on Trenton on Christmas, 1776. In 1780 he became involved in acquiring undeveloped land in Vermont, including obtaining the charter for a town he called Montpelier. In 1787 he moved his family to Brookfield, the settled town closest to his undeveloped land. For the next several years he cleared land in Montpelier, becoming its first permanent settler in 1790, and surveying most of the town and laying out its streets. Davis served for several years in the Vermont House of Representatives, and held several local offices including Justice of the Peace. In addition to operating a successful farm, Davis built a grist mill and saw mill. In the early 1800s, creditors obtained judgments against him, which he believed to be unfair, and he was sentenced to "freedom of the yard," which confined him to an area near the Chittenden County jail. Davis moved to Burlington to comply, and lived there for twelve years, refusing all attempts to settle the suits. In 1814 his creditors offered to settle on terms so favorable to Davis that he decided his honor was satisfied, so he accepted. He then prepared to return to Montpelier, but took ill and died before making the journey.

BURIAL Elm Street Cemetery Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont, USA

Sources

• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch
  • (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHY1-3MV : 10 November 2020), Jacob Davis, 17 Nov 1764; citing Marriage, Oxford, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009522.
  • (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHY1-KJZ : 10 November 2020), Jacob Davis, 9 Jan 1765; citing Marriage, Oxford, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009522.

• 5th Worcester Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 2021-01-01), "Record of Jacob Davis", Ancestor # A030345.

• Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Wright & Potter Printing Co., Boston, 1896); Vol. 4, p. 494

• "United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch
  • (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG2M-LZRV : 15 December 2020), Jacob Davis, 07 Feb 1776; citing Military Service, United States, Citing various published state rosters, United States; FHL microfilm 101711083.
  • (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGTL-GYNY : 15 December 2020), Jacob Davis, 29 Jul 1780; citing Military Service, Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, Citing various published state rosters, United States; FHL microfilm 103140758.

• "Massachusetts, Revolutionary War, Index Cards to Muster Rolls, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch
  • (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLV-L1CS : 15 November 2020), Jacob Davis, 19 Apr 1775; citing Military Service, Charlton, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm .
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2RW-RPGR : 17 March 2018), Jacob Davis, 24 Sep 1779; citing Military Service, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,056,235.
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2R4-NT8G : 17 March 2018), Jacob Davis, 29 Jul 1780; citing Military Service, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,048,636.
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2RH-3QBK : 17 March 2018), Jacob Davis, 29 Jul 1780; citing Military Service, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,048,636.
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2RH-C5DF : 17 March 2018), Jacob Davis, 30 Jul 1780; citing Military Service, Sutton, Sutton, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,048,173.
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:78XG-6W2M : 20 September 2019), Jacob Davis, 30 Jul 1780; citing Military Service, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm .

• "Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954", database with images, FamilySearch
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFJC-DYH : 14 April 2020), Jacob Davis in entry for Clarissa Davis, 1789.
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFJC-DY7 : 14 April 2020), Jacob Davis in entry for Clarissa Davis, 1789.
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFJ7-DYH : 14 April 2020), Jacob Davis in entry for Jacob Davis and Caty Taplin, 1791.
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFJ8-CMD : 14 April 2020), Jacob Davis in entry for Thomas Davis and Polly Sawyer, 1795.
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V896-S61 : 14 April 2020), Jacob Davis in entry for Hannah Wing, 1807.
  • (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFJ7-DTT : 14 April 2020), Jacob Davis, 1814.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 01 January 2021), memorial page for COL Jacob Davis (14 Oct 1741–9 Apr 1814), Find A Grave: Memorial #22154541, citing Elm Street Cemetery, Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont, USA ; Maintained by VTSSAR (contributor 47884768) .

• https://archive.org/details/massachusettsmagv5sale/page/n189/mode/1up