Jesse Davenport (1767 - 1822)

Born 1767 in Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Susannah (Thomson) Davenport — married 22 Jun 1802 in Albemarle, Virginia, United States

Descendants

Died 1822 at about age 55 in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mary Richardson [send private message]

Biography

Married Susannah Thompson, daughter of Waddy Thomson (1725-1801) Hanover & Louisa Co’s, Va

Children

James Waddy Davenport (1803-1841)

William Winston Davenport (1805-1878)

John Lewis Davenport (1807-1860)

Charles Warner Davenport (1809-1860)

Mary Frances "Marty" Davenport (1812-1836)

Susan Mildred Thompson Davenport (1815-1898)

After the War, Capt. John "Jack" Jouett was awarded two pistols and and a sword by the Virginia Assembly in gratitude. He ran the Swan Tavern and he and his cronies would smoke pipes and tell tales around the fireplace or out on the large front porch on summer evenings. He moved to Kentucky in the Spring of 1782 and took up a military land grant there in what became Mercer County, Kentucky. Kentucky was then a county of Virginia and he served as elected representative to the Virginia and Kentucky legislatures for five terms. He died 1 Mar 1822 in Bath County, Kentucky.

At some later date, the running of the Tavern was taken on by John Jouett Sr's nephew, Jesse Davenport, son of his sister Frances Jouett and James Martin Davenport. John Hammond Moore writes in "Albemarle, Jefferson's County" (page 97):

Those who went to Charlottesville on Court Day frequently gathered in taverns....A more convenient rendevous for many was Jesse Davenport's Swan Tavern on Court Square. It was so popular that early in January 1822 the harrassed owner published this sad notice in the Central Gazette:

It was the misfortune of the subscriber to have taken a stand, which from its conveniency to the Court House, and from its rooted habits, for houses have habits, too, was the open and convenient resort of the idle and noisy. He has long known that this was an annoyance to travellers and his friends, and he has attempted to remove it. But he has found that the crowd will gather, whilst the attraction remains, and to root out the evil forever, he has nailed up his Bar-Room. To his friends, to travellers, to the public, he promises in their ROOMS the best of liquors--he promises his ardent assiduity to please, and a calm and quiet house. To those who have patronized his Bar-Room exclusively, he returns his thanks for their punctuality of attendance, and kindly begs them to remember the hearth by which they so often reposed, is without a fire!

Jesse Davenport died 28 Sep 1822 and his family moved to Oglethorpe County, Georgia to take possession of land left to him in his mother's will.^[1]

"Susannah Thom(p)son Davenport may have been born to a gentle and pampered life but she proved herself to be as hardy and determined as any of her illustrious ancestors. She also had high ideals for her children and did her utmost to see that they became well educated. The family apparently was well liked as there exists old letters to Susannah from her Virginia relatives saying how much they were missed and pleading for her to come back in the little "Jersey" wagon she left in.

She and her daughters rode to GA. in a small wagon while her sons walked alongside. It is said that she had urged each of her four sons to study medicine and go in different directions to aid the people. Only two seem to have done so and all apparently remained nearby. Jesse and Susannah THOMSON DAVENPORT could be justly proud of many of their descendants as they made their mark in all professions and some were worthy of mention in any Who's Who. Due to the hard life and unhealthy conditions in the area, the mortality rate was very high and many did not survive past their prime. This was so with some of the family but some, and Susannah, managed to live for a respectable length of time.

However, only her second son and last daughter were able to have descendants survive down to the present and a scarce few still remain in the area, though none carry the DAVENPORT name there.

Many famous people in Georgia can trace their family Roots to the same area they settled and even Meriwether LEWIS and his mother lived there for a short time. This was where Gov. George Matthews brought the first settlers from Virginia to GA. years before. It was the crossroad for travelers going west or north and also close to the principal Indian travel routes and one of their main meeting and trading places nearby. Jesse and Susannah Thompson Davenport had four sons and two daughters, all said born in or near Charlottesville, Albemarle Co., Virginia."^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ http://tesstree.blogspot.com/2010/05/swan-tavern-and-jack-jouets-ride.html
2. ↑ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~longkin/Davenport/ps154/ps154_329.html

• See also: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/K12X-1YW