William Davis (abt. 1617 - 1683)

Born about 1617 in Radnorshire, Wales [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Alice Lavinia (Thorpe) Davis — married 21 Oct 1658 (to 24 Feb 1667) in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 9 Dec 1683 at about age 66 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Homer Hopper [send private message], Andrea Dolan [send private message], Jennifer Shaw [send private message], and Judith Snyder [send private message]

Biography

Born in Wales in 1617 to William Davis. Mother Unknown

NOTE : In process of sorting out the 16 children with his three wives but it appears that, at WikiTree, a faulty gedcom was uploaded that included his Goddard grandchildren as his children

1st wife Elizabeth____ 2nd wife Alice Thorpe^[1] 3rd wife Jane_______^[2].^[3][4]but what is certain is that William Davis ( Daves) was most likely from Caermarthen in South Wales.^[5]

William married (1) Elizabeth and had 3 children.

William married (2) Alice Thorpe and had 4 children.

William married (3) Jane and had 3 children.

He passed away on 1683 in Roxbury.

The last Will and Testament of William Daves

The last Will and Testament of William Daves of Roxbury in the County of Suffolk in New England the 6th of December in the year of our Lord One thousand six hundred Eighty three, now having my perfect memory & understanding by the blessing of my mercifull Father, into whose hands I commit my Soule:

Unto my daughter Elizabeth (daughter of Alice) I consigne over a bill of twelve pounds and a trunck that was her mothers together with all the things in it. And unto my son Mathew and Jonathon (sons of Alice) when they come to age they shall have the two Orchards lying neer my son Joseph's and if they are not worth Forty pounds then the Overseers of the Estate shall sell some Land for to make it up, their portion twenty pounds apiece.

And then for my beloved wife I do make her sole Executrix of all y rest of my Estate of Lands and movables and give her full power for to dispose of it for her wants as shee see cause, with that full power and Authority over it as I my selfe might have if I had continued For my three eldest son's John and Samuel and Joseph (sons of Elizabeth), they have received their portions already, notwith standing I give unto my son John, the eldest of my Children five shilling, and to Samuel and Joseph five and sixpence to buy them some good bookes to remember me with: And Further my desire is that there should bee two Over Seers chose who my wife see good:

This is my last will and Testament.

In Witness whereof I have set to my hand the day and yeare above written

William Davis a mark

In presence of us, Jabez Tolman, John Searle

At an adjournment of y County Court in Boston 17th December 1685 pursuant to y direction of y Will, Jane Davis Exec made choice of Edward Morris and Jabez Tolman to be overseers for y end proposed in y will, wch, persons y Court approved of Attest Is Addington CT

More on William Davis & Family

William Davis, (I) ancestor of Dyer Davis, of Dudley, was in Roxbury, MA, in 1642. A tradition held extensively in the family is that he came from Wales about 1635. He was born in 1617 and married (first) Elizabeth___. She was buried May 4, 1658. He married (second), Oct. 21, 1658, Alice Thorpe. She was buried Feb. 24, 1667. He married (third) Jane ___. He was admitted to full communion Apr. 20, 1673. He died Dec. 9, 1683. Widow Jane died May 12, 1714, at Watertown, at the residence of Josiah Goddard, who married her daughter Rachel. He had three children by his first wife, four by the second and three by the third. Six other children are believed to have bee the children of Jane. The children were born at Roxbury and baptized in the church there. They were: John, b. Oct 1, 1643; Samuel, b. Feb. 21, 1645; Joseph, b. Oct. 12, 1647; William and Elizabeth (twins), bapt. Jun. 14, 1663, buried Dec. 18, 1678; Mathew, bapt. Jan. 24, 1664, settled at Woodstock, CT; Jonathan, b. Feb. 2, 1665, settled at Woodstock; Mary, b. Mar. 28, 1669; Jane, b. Dec. 24, 1670; Rachel, b. Aug. 26, 1672, married Jan. 28, 1696, Josiah Goddard, of Watertown, and had nine children; Benjamin, bapt. Jan. 7, 1674; Ichabod, bapt. Apr. 1, 1676; Ebenezer, bapt. Apr. 9, 1678; William, bapt. Jan. 3, 1680; Sarah, bapt. Jul. 20, 1681; Isaac, bapt. Apr. 18, 1683.^[6]

Children

All the children were born at Roxbury and baptized in the church there.

By first wife, Elizabeth___, who was buried May 4, 1658. They had: John, b. Oct 1, 1643; Samuel, b. Feb. 21, 1645; Joseph, b. Oct. 12, 1647;

By second wife (married Oct. 21, 1658), Alice Thorpe who was buried Feb. 24, 1667. They had: William and Elizabeth (twins), bapt. Jun. 14, 1663, buried Dec. 18, 1678; Mathew, bapt. Jan. 24, 1664, and settled at Woodstock, CT; Jonathan, b. Feb. 2, 1665, who also settled at Woodstock;

By third wife, Jane (Adams) who died May 12, 1714, at Watertown, at the residence of Josiah Goddard, who married her daughter Rachel. They had: Mary, b. Mar. 28, 1669; Jane, b. Dec. 24, 1670; Rachel, b. Aug. 26, 1672, married Jan. 28, 1696, Josiah Goddard, of Watertown, and had nine children;

Children by wife, Jane, not mentioned in his Will

William had three children by his first wife, four by the second and three by the third.

Six other children are believed to have been the children of Jane are not their children ( they are his grandchildren) Those remaining six are as follows: Benjamin, bapt. Jan. 7, 1674; Ichabod, bapt. Apr. 1, 1676; Ebenezer, bapt. Apr. 9, 1678; William, bapt. Jan. 3, 1680; Sarah, bapt. Jul. 20, 1681; Isaac, bapt. Apr. 18, 1683.

Marriage

Husband: William Davis

First Wife: Elizabeth

Child: John Davis

Child: Samuel Davis

Child: Joseph Davis

By Second wife :

2nd Wife: Alice Thorpe

Child: Elizabeth Davis

Child: William Davis

Child: Matthew Davis

Child: Jonathan Davis

By third wife, :Jane Unknown or Adams

Child: Jane Davis

Child: Mary Davis

Child: Rachel Davis

Supposedly children of Jane and William David not mentioned in his Will

Child: Benjamin Davis

Child: Ichabod Davis

Child: Ebenezer Davis

Child: William Davis

Child: Sarah Davis

Child: Isaac Davis

Child: Alice Davis

Marriage:

1658-10-21 Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States^[7][8]

Sources

1. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHZ9-WJS : 10 November 2020), William Davis, 21 Oct 1658; citing Marriage, Roxbury, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009473.
2. ↑ U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 for William Davis
3. ↑ 'The Davis Family of Oxford, MA & Woodstock, CT
4. ↑ Extracted from Historic Homes & Institutions and Personal Memoirs of Worcester, County, Massachusetts. Prepared under the Editorial Supervision of Ellery Bicknell Crane, and Published by the Lewis Publishing Company, 1907. Vol # 3, pages 69-70
5. ↑ William Davis Source for information on William is also 'Ancestors and descendants of Solomon Davis.' William came, most likely, from Carmarthen in South Wales.
6. ↑ Or, an easier to read version: William Davis was in Roxbury, MA, in 1642. A tradition held extensively in the family is that he came from Wales about 1635. He was born in 1617. He was admitted to full communion Apr. 20, 1673. He died Dec. 9, 1683.
7. ↑ Edmund West
8. ↑ U.S. and International Marriage Records

• Descendants of William Davis by: Janet Johnson Franke

• Public Tree with sources

• Descendants of William Davis, (1) Elisabeth, (2) Alice Thorpe, (3) Jane Adams

• The Davis Family of Oxford, MA & Woodstock, CT

• History of an American Family

• DEATH: Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook)

• Clemens, William Montgomery, American Marriages Before 1699 (Pompton Lakes, NJ, USA: Biblio Co., 1926)

• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Yates Publishing: The Generations Network, Inc. (Provo, UT, USA, The Generations Network, Inc., 2004).

Birth date: 1617 Birth place: Marriage date: Marriage place: of MA

• The Genealogical Exchange (Buffalo, New York, 1904-1911) Feb. 1910, Page 78

• The Spirit of '76, Volume 6, Spirit of '76 Publishing Company, 1899, at p. 137.

• "History of the First Church in Roxbury Massachusetts 1630-1904" by Walter Eliot Thwing published 1908 by W.A. Butterfield of Boston. Page 64 as part of a list of church members William Davies (Davis) emigrant ancestor. Died Dec 9, 1683. Born in 1617 of an ancient Welsh fam. m (1) Elizabeth---; m (2) Alice Thorpe; m (3) Jane -- us.archive.org

• Genealogieonline.nl/fr/noblesse-europeenne/I181270.php claims that William Davis (1617-1683) and wife Elizabeth Stringer (1621-1658) had a son John Stringer Davis (1647-1705)