Gabriel Davis (abt. 1714 - bef. 1771)

Born about 1714 in Haddonfield, Gloucester, New Jersey

Husband of Sarah (Ballinger) Davis — married before 20 Jan 1744 in Haddonfield, Gloucester, Province of New Jersey

Descendants

Died before 29 Jul 1771 before about age 57 in Gloucester County, Province of New Jersey

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Biography

Gabriel was a Friend (Quaker)

We do not know exactly when Gabriel Davis was born. There is speculation that his father was also named Gabriel Davis and that the father died about 1714. This would mean that the son Gabriel Davis would have been born no later than about 1715. A will of a Gabriel Davis was proved in May of 1714. However, no son named Gabriel Davis is mentioned in that will.

Gabriel Davis Tavern

Gabriel Davis and his wife Sarah (Ballinger) Davis lived in Gloucester County (now Camden County), New Jersey on the north side of the North Branch Big Timber Creek, a tidal creek that entered the Delaware River about 5 miles northwest of their house. We can tell the house was built in 1756 because the year '1756' was written into the brickwork on the east gable end of the house,

The property was offered for sale in 1767, when it was described in a newspaper advertisement as

178 acres of land, on which is a good brick dwellinghouse, two stories high, with four rooms on each floor, a good barn and orchard, 40 acres of land cleared, the rest well timbered, and is good strong land, also about 15 acres of meadow.^[1]

Their location, near the creek and also near the major road from Philadelphia to south east New Jersey meant that they were often visited by travels and watermen seeking food, drink and shelter. Comments in their application for a tavern license indicates their irritation with the situation. He is "a person well qualified to keep a Public House of Entertainment in the house where he now dwells (he is now living at a Public Landing, where a great number of people frequently Resort, which often proves bothersome to him.)"^[2]

The house did not sell. Davis held a tavern license from 1756-1761, again from 1763-1765 and in 1768 and 1769 the license was held in Sarah Davis's name. In those intervening years the license was held by either an employee, a partner or by someone who rented the house. In 1768 with the construction of a new road a mile further from the house business for the tavern must have declined so much that the license was not renewed in 1770."^[3]

Marriage

Their marriage is documented in the Minutes of the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting of Friends, known as Quakers, Quakers have a complicated marriage procedure:

1) the couple must declare their intention to marry before the business meeting of the men and the meeting of the women which meets once a month;
2) each meeting appoints two members to inquire if the parents agree with the marriage and if the couple is free of debt and free of entanglements with others that might raise a question about the proposed marriage;
3) at a subsequent monthly meeting the couple must declare they still intend to be married, then if the inquiry in the couple turned up nothing to preclude them, the meeting gives them their "liberty" to marry. Again, two members are appointed to witness the marriage and report that the marriage occurred at the next meeting.

Gabriel Davis and Sarah Ballinger declared their intention to marry on the 14th of the 9th month, 1743, (25 Nov 1743 by the modern calendar), were given their liberty to marry on the 12th of the 10th month 1743 (23 Dec 1743 by the modern calendar) and they were reported as having been married at the meeting on the 9th of 11th month 1743/4 (20 Jan 1744 by the modern calendar.^[4]

Death

Gabriel Davis of Gloucester County died intestate before 29 July 1771, when his widow Sarah Davis of Great Timber Creek, Gloucester County, petitioned to serve as administratrix; Uriah Cheesman, yeoman, of the same place was fellowbondsman.^[5]

Research Notes

There is an Ancestry tree that has Gabriel as the son of "Gabril" Davis of Cohansie, Salem County who wrote his will 1 Apr 1711. That Gabriel named his wife Jane and underage sons Charles and Elias and an expected child (who would be Gabriel). The inventory was dated 25 May 1714.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ National Park Service Data Sheet, National Register of Historic Places Inventory, p. 8.
2. ↑ Nat, Park Sev. Data Sheet, p. 8.
3. ↑ Data Sheet, p. 8.
4. ↑ Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes 1731-1935, pp. 124-127, images 126-129.
5. ↑ Calendar of Wills, Administrations, Etc. 1771-1780. Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. (Trenton, NJ: Archives of the State of New Jersey), volume 34, page 129
6. ↑ pages 129-130

See also

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabreil_Daveis_Tavern_House
• https://www.facebook.com/glotwphistory
• NJ Marriage records