Samuel Davis (abt. 1764 - 1843)

Born about 29 Apr 1764 in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Harriet (Hagar) Davis — married 23 Aug 1798 (to 22 Jun 1830) in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England

Descendants

Died 24 May 1843 at about age 79 in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Bio researched and written by Susan Stopford . First publ.16 August 2020. Last updated: 2 Mar 2022. ©2020-2022 Susan Stopford.

This profile is a work in progress. If you would like to contribute or have any additional information, please leave a Comment below or send me a Private Message. Thanks, Susan.

Samuel Davis was born in Bedfordshire, England.

Samuel Davis, son of Mr Samuel Davis (1740-abt.1807) and his wife Mary , was born 29 Apr 1763/1764 and baptised on 29 May of the same year in Woburn.^[1][2]

There are no further entries for Samuel Davis in the Woburn Parish Register.^[3]

His probably spent his childhood in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, where his father worked as a solicitor like his father and uncle before him.

Samuel followed the family tradition and was also a solicitor.^[4]

He married Harriet Hagar, a daughter of Robert Hagar & Mary Pigott, by Licence on 23 Aug 1798 in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. He signed the Register "Davis junr".^[5][4]

Samuel and Harriet Davis had a daughter, Harriet Davis, baptised on 17 September 1799.

Harriet (his wife) died on 22 Jun 1830 aged 62 years.^[4]

Samuel passed away aged 79 years at Ampthill on 24 May 1843. His remains were interred in the All Saints Churchyard in Leighton Buzzard.^[4][6]

There is a memorial tablet in the parish church of All Saints in Leighton Buzzard for Samuel and his wife Harriet,^[4] and separate tablets for his father, Samuel Davis snr, who died in 1807, and his wife Mary (Samuel's mother) who died in 1796.

Alternative Hypotheses

(i) Some researchers believe the Samuel Davis born 29 Apr 1763/1764 and baptised on 29 May in Woburn married Ann Gale on 26 Nov 1791 in Colmworth.

There was a Samuel and Ann Davis that baptised three sons in Colmworth, Bedford between 1792 and 1797.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

However, it seems most unlikely that it was the Samuel Davis bp 29 May 1763/1764 in Woburn that married Ann Gale and lived in Colmworth. Multiple documents (wills, mortgage documents and insurance records) support the hypothesis that the Samuel Davis of Woburn married Harriet Hagar, a daughter of Robert Hagar & Mary Pigott, on 23 August 1798 in Ampthill, Bedfordshire.^[12]There is no evidence that he married or had children with Ann (legitimate or illegitimate) from Colmworth.

See: Samuel Davis (bef.1780-bef.1848) and Ann (Unknown) Davis (bef.1780-1828)

(ii) Many researchers also believe that the same Samuel and Ann Davis from Colmworth were the parents of the James Davis baptised in Roxton in 1799. This is probable.

They further show that it was the James Davis from Roxton that migrated to the Colony of New South Wales in 1848 on the Emperor and claimed to be the son of Samuel and Anne Davis and a native of "Cometh", Bedfordshire. See: James Davis (abt.1799-1879) This is also probable.

A book compiled by Mrs Ann Marsh for the Davis Reunion held in New South Wales, Australia, in 1988 may be the source of these hypotheses which were apparently proposed by a Mrs Gale. The Davis book shows James' father, Samuel Davis, a "traveller" or "Coachman" was baptised in Woburn on 29 May 1764, married Ann Gale on 26 Nov 1791, lived in Colmworth and was the father of the four boys. However, these entries are essentially unsourced, apart from a statement that the information was taken from the IGI and provided by Mrs Gale.^[13]

Research Notes

(a) Entries for Samuel Davis in Woburn Parish Register:

• 1709 OC 9 Saml Davis, Schoolmaster Burials. p.176
  
• 1738 NO 23 Jane d Saml Davis Baptism. p.66
  
• 1739 JA 21 Saml s Saml Davis, gent. Baptism p.67
  
• 1740 JA 20 Charlotte d Mr. Saml Davis Baptism p.67
  
• 1740 JA 23 Charlotte d Mr. Saml Davis Burials. p.189
  
• 1741 JA 30 Charlotte d Mr. Saml Davis Baptism p.68
  
• 1743 AU 2 Geo d Mr. Saml Davis Baptism p.69
  
• 1745 SE 16 Fanny d Mr. Saml Davis Baptism p.70
  
• 1762 AP 7 Mr. Saml Davis Burials. p.202
  NOTE: This is probably his grandfather, Samuel Davis (bef.1717-1762), i.e. father of Samuel Davis (bef.1740-)
• 1763 AP 29 MY 29 Saml s Mr.Saml Mary Davis Baptism p.82
  

Entries for Mary Davis in Woburn Parish Register:

• 1753 JL 11 Sarah d Jn & Mary Davis, Traveller Baptism. p.75
• 1763 Fe 2 Mary Davis, Widow Burials. p.202
  

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPNN-4RS : 19 March 2020), Samuel Davis, 1764. 1763 AP 29 MY 29 Saml s Mr.Saml Mary Davis
2. ↑ "England, Bedfordshire Parish Registers, 1538-1983", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP7N-T5Q9 : 15 October 2019), Samuel Davis, 1764. Note: The baptism entry reads 1763 but is possibly an OS calendar entry.
3. ↑ See Research Note (a)
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/216910972/samuel-davis : accessed 9 October 2021), memorial page for Samuel Davis (1764–24 May 1843), Find a Grave Memorial ID 216910972, citing All Saints Churchyard, Leighton Buzzard, Central Bedfordshire Unitary Authority, Bedfordshire, England ; Maintained by Vonderene (contributor 48246769). See image of Memorial Stone added by Vonderene on 14 Oct 2020.
5. ↑ Bedfordshire Parish Registers. Bedfordshire County Record Office. Emmison, F. G. (Frederick George), 1907-1995, editor. Publ. 1931. Bedfordshire Parish Reg. Vol. 17 Ampthill Tingrith Page A74.
6. ↑ "England, Bedfordshire Parish Registers, 1538-1983", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPWY-Z9HD : 15 October 2019), Samuel Davis, 1843.
7. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J9XH-HRM : 19 September 2020), Samuel Davis in entry for Samuel Davis, 1792.
8. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NDY7-KRM : 19 September 2020), Samuel Davis in entry for Samuel Davis, 1792.
9. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JSRF-95L : 19 September 2020), Samuel Davis in entry for Haiam Davis, 1793.
10. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J9XH-HRC : 19 September 2020), Samuel Davis in entry for Haiam Davis, 1793.
11. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7D9-P2S : 19 September 2020), Samuel Davis in entry for Samuel Davis, 1797.
12. ↑ Email from RG, Petawawa, Ontario, Canada, to Susan Stopford, 29 Sep 2021.
13. ↑ Marsh, Ann. 1988, Davis family & descendants : 140 years in Australia, 1848-1988 / compiled by Ann Marsh. Privately published by A. Marsh Grafton, N.S.W. ISBN:0731642880. Notes: Available for viewing in NSW Library Reading Rooms. https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/22647114. See: page 2-9

• Additional sources to be added by Author.