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Davis Family

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  1. In June, 1803, those professing to be of the Methodist persuasion

in Gorham, joined in a petition to the General Court, to be incorporated into a separate Society ; and at a town meeting held at the schoolhouse at Gorham Corner, Jan. 12, 1804, it was "Voted, that this town has no objection to the petition exhibited to the General Court by a number of the Methodists, praying to be incorporated into a distinct Society. The petitioners were : Hugh Moore, Jonathan Moore, James Waterhouse, James Cochran, Josiah Paine, Thomas Irish, James Davis, Daniel Hill, Ebenezer Lombard, Isaac York, Amos Thomes, Samuel Files, Moses Fogg, Josiah Berry, James Lewis, Richard Lombard, Nathaniel Brackett, Elkanah Harding, Abraham Webb, John Whitmore, Lot Nason, Uriah Nason, Simeon Libby, Samuel Dennett, Philip Ayer, Richard Lamb, Thomas Thomes, Daniel Kimball, Sylvanus Bangs, Daniel Lowell, Richard Willis, Joseph Bryant, Thomas Ayer, Stephen Hopkinson, John Whitney, John McGill, Joshua Moody, Asa Whitney and Colman Phinney. These, by an Act of the General Court, were incorporated with their families into, a religious society by the name of "The Methodist Society in Gorham, Buxton and Standish." March i, A. D. 1804.[1]

  1. In the winter of 1790, Capt. Sylvanus Davis taught a school, which was kept

in four private dwellings successively.[2]

  1. PUT WITH SOME DAVIS FAMILY: GENEALOGY. 463 DAVIS.

Of the families of Joshua and Prince Davis we cannot tell which came to Gorham first. Joshua came from Scarborough, where he had two children born before 1762, and we find his name on a Gorham tax bill for 1763. His first child born in Gorham was born in 1762. He lived on the farm near where Fred Sturgis lived at West Gorham. It is believed there are none of this family now in town. His wife's name was Sarah . Children :

  1. Hannah, b. Jan. 23, 1758.

Joshua, b. Mar. 1, 1760.

Sarah, b. Jan. 3, 1762, m. Charles Wood, Sept. 17, 1786.

Elizabeth, b. July 6, 1764.

Mehitable, b. Sept. 20, 1767.

Joseph, b. Aug. g, 1769.

Timothy, b. Oct. 18, 1772.

Gideon, b. Feb. 8, 1775.

Joshua Davis was a soldier in Capt. McLellan's company, in the Penobscot expedition in 1779. He moved to Canton.

Prince Davis, son of Stephen, Jr. and Rebecca Davis, came from Barnstable, Mass., to Gorham about the year 1762. We find him taxed here in 1763. His wife, whom he married Feb. 15, 1750, was Sarah, daughter of Edward Colman of Barnstable, and niece of Martha Phinney, the wife of Capt. John Phinney, the first settler. The house which Mr. Davis built about 1764, or soon after he came to Gorham, stood till recently in a good state of preservation, three- fourths of a mile above the village near the spot where Almon Han- scom now lives on the Flaggy Meadow road, which was the old road to Buxton. When this house was built, on account of the price and scarcity of glass, the windows had only ten squares of glass in each ; two panes wide and five high of 7 x 9 glass. Mr. Davis made the bricks for the chimney himself on the cross-road, a few rods north of his house. Prince Davis was a house carpenter. He was a good citizen and a prominent man. He was several years one of the selectmen ; and we find his name often on committees of importance both in town and church affairs. The children of Prince and Sarah Davis were :

Elijah, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 9, 1757, m. Phebe Hopkins, p. Apr. 8, 1780. Edward, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 9, 1757.

Prudence, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 9, 1757, m. Josiah Jenkins, p. June 15, 1776. Alice, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 9, 1757, m. Enoch Frost, Apr. 24, 1780. Temperance, b. in Barnstable, Nov. 11, 1759, m. Capt. David Harding, Aug.

19, 1781. Isaac, b. in Gorham, Mar. 27, 1762, d. unm. June 20, 1839.


464 HISTORY OF GORHAM.

David, b. in Gorliam, Oct. 20, 1764, m. Martha, dau. of John and Tabitha Wat- son, June 12, 1788; one son recorded in Gorham, Elijah, m. prob. Abigail Moody of Gorham, p. Jan. 6, 1815 ; the family moved to Buxton where other children were born, and where Mrs. Davis d.

Rebecca, b. in Gorham, July 15, 1766, m. Geo. Knight of Windham, Mar. 14, 1787; 2d, David Harding, 181 1.

Thomas, b. in Gorham, May lo, 1768, d. unm.

Jonathan, b. in Gorham, July 10, 1770, m. Mary Murch, Sept. 22, 1796; 2d, Sally Murch.

Josiah Davis, the grandfather of Prince, was a soldier in the com- pany of Capt. John Gorham in King Philip's war in 1675.

Prince Davis died Sept. 17, 1819, at the age of 96. His wife died in 1804.

(2) Elijah Davis, son of Prince, married Phebe, daughter of Con- stant and Phebe Hopkins of Truro, Mass. He was a soldier in the Revolution. One child:

Sarah, b. Sept. 17, 1781, m. Benjamin Emery of Buxton, Oct. 4, 1801 ; 2d, Simeon Bradbury of Buxton.

Mr. Davis died Oct. 5, 1783, and his widow married, July 14, 1785,

Asa Whitney of Gorham.

(2) Jonathan Davis, son of Prince, married Molly, daughter of

Daniel and Mary Murch of Buxton. They lived on his father's old

homestead. Children .

Stephen, b. June 30, 1797.

Daniel, b. Oct. r8, 1798.

Elijah, b. Aiig. 5, 1800, m. Mary A. Webster; moved to Wilton; both d. in

Jay- Harriet, b. Nov. 12, 1802, m. Israel Hall of Saco, Nov. 25, 1827. Sewall L., b. Dec. 4, 1804. William, b. 1806.

Mrs. Molly Davis died Aug. 10, 1806, aged 38, and Mr. Davis

married her sister Sally Murch, Dec. 24, 1807. Children :

Mary Ann, b. July 25, t8o8, m. Thomas Magrath, Nov. 30, 1826. John Colby, b. Nov., 1812, m'. Harriet P. Erskins, p. Dec. 27, 1835. Sarah, b. June, 1815, m. Stephen Emery. Sept. 18, 1834. Joseph, b. Oct. 12, 1817.

Jonathan Davis died Mar. 15, 1852, aged 81, and Mrs. Sarah Davis died Feb. 28, 1858, aged 81.

Josiah Davis also came from Barnstable. He was the son of John Davis, Jr. and his second wife, Anna, daughter of James Allen, who were married Mar. 25, 1736. Josiah came here about the year 1771, for we find his name in the tax bill for 1772. His first wife was Thankful Matthews, whom he probably married about 1754. His children by her were :


GENEALOGY. 465

Josiah, bap. in Barnstable, June 6, 1756, prob. d, young.

Thankful, bap. in Barnstable, June 6, 1756.

Mary, bap. in Barnstable, Sept. 3, 1759, m. James Watson, June 30, 1785.

Mr. Davis married, May 3, 1760, Thankful, daughter of Ebenezer and Temperance Gorham of Barnstable, and sister to Temperance, wife of Jonathan Sturgis. Their children were :

Josiah, bap. in Barnstable, Oct. 11, 1761.

John, b. in Barnstable, about 1763, m. Molly Harper of Falmouth, Feb. 14, 1784; 2d, Patience Irish, Apr. i6, 1789; I'd in Buxton.

Sarah, b. in Barnstable about 1764, m. David Watts, Dec. 9, 1779.

Sylvan us, b. in Barnstable, 1767, m. Hannah Gorham, Nov. 19, 1789. Ch. b. in Gorham, Ebenezer, b. Sept. 4, 1790; Sarah Hoff, b. Mar. 4, 1792 ; this family moved to Buxton, where other ch. are on record. Mrs. Davis d. in Buxton in June, 1S07, and Mr. Davis m. Apr. 24, 1808, Phebe McDonald.

Allen, b. in Barnstable, 1770, m. Martha Morris, July 8, 1792.

James, b. in Gorham, Sept. 27, 1773, m. Thankful, dau. of William and Sarah Paine, Mar. 21, 1793; moved to Standish. Ch: Josiah, b. Dec. 5, 1793, m. Eunice Frost ; Phebe, b. Jan. 31, 1795 ; Martha; Samuel, d. at sea.

Joseph, b. in Gorham, Aug. 10, 1776, m. Abigail Whitney, Sept. 29, 1799.

Solomon, b. in Gorham, Feb. 6, 1780, m. Salome, dau. of Josiah and Sarah Alden, p. Apr. 20, 1805; moved to Buxton. Ch : Julia A, b. Sept. 4, 1806, m. Mr. Rice, d. in Paris; Joseph, b. Dec. 14, 1807, d. in Buxton Centre; 'Josiah A., b. Nov. 25, 1810, m. Harriet J, Gale; Sarah, m. Horace Em<-ry of Buxton, d. in Buxton Centre ; Salome, m. Charles Fogg, d. in Fairfield. Mrs. Salome Davis d. Feb. 3, 1816, aged 29, and Mr. Davis m. Susan Billings of Buxton, by whom he had Enoch, I's at Buxton Centre; Chas., d. in Portland; Mary I'd in Pittston, Me. Mr. Davis d. in Buxton.

Mr. Davis married a third wife, Mrs. Martha Hill of Buxton, Nov. 25, 1802. He died in Gorham Feb. 8, 1824, aged about 86. His wife, Martha, died Jan. 7, 1846, aged 75. Frederick D. Scamman, his great-grandson, now owns and occupies the old homestead, which has been in the family over a hundred years. The late Judge Wood- bury Davis of Portland was the son of Joseph, and grandson of Josiah.

(2) Allen Davis, son of Josiah, lived on his father's homestead.

At one time (1803) he kept a hotel there, in the house where Mr.

Scamman now lives. Mr. Davis married Martha, daughter of Charles

and Rhoda Morris. Children :

Polly, b. Oct. 18, 1792, m. Edward Scamman of Saco, Sept 28, 1819.

Rhoda M.,b. Sept. 9, 1794, m. Joseph Libby of Portland, Oct. 30, 1822 ; d. Aug.

8, 1824. „ J • r, , J

Charies M , b. Jan. 20, 1797, m. Louisa Peabody, Sept. 4, 1822 ; d. m Portland,

Jan. 20, 1876. Anna A., b. Feb. 20, 1799, m. Edward Scamman (2d wife), Oct. 28, 1827. Jo.-iah. h. Nov. 3, 1801, d. at sea, Nov. 25, 1823.

Eliza b Jan 28, 1803, m. Samuel S. Libby of Buxton, Aug. 10, 1835. Martha, b. Sept. 11, 1805, m. William Jameson of Bangor, Nov. 18, 1823. Emeline b May 13, 1808, m. Aaron Brooks of Buxton, Dec. 8, 1830. Frederick, b. June 6, 181 1, I'd in Portland; d. in Brooklyn, N. Y. Ann Louisa, b. Apr. 5, 1813, m. Moses Buck of Stillwater, 1844.


466 HISTORY OF GORHAM.

Allen Davis died May 22, 1818, and his wife, Jan. 9, 1847, aged 75-

(3) Josiah Davis, son of James, married Eunice, daughter of Wingate and Ann (Mitchell) Frost of Limington and lived in Standish till about 1840 when he removed to Gorham, and opened a store at the village. Children :

Charles O., b. Jan. 19, 1822, m. Mary Woodman, 1851 ; he was then of Georgia ;

is dead. Mrs. D. d. Dec. 31, 1S53. Jas. Wingate, b. May 18, 1824, m. Rebecca Hatch of Richmond, Me. ; d. Feb.

14, 1885. Ellen A., b. Feb. 14, 1827, m. Thaddeus Irish, Nov. 29, 1848. Harriet M., b. July i, 1828, d. Sept. 7, 1832. Frances M., b. Apr. 30, 1833, d. unm. Dec. 20, 1859. Frederick, b. July 13, 1835, m. Fannie Wilson of Bangor. Julia E.b. June, 1841, d. Oct. 22, 1841.

Josiah Davis died Aug. 5, 1843, aged 49. Mrs. Davis died in Portland, July 19, 1861, aged 58.

Samuel Davis was in Gorham about the time of the Revolution.

He was born in Barnstable, Sept. 13, 1734, and was the son of Dea.

Gershom and Mary (Hinkley) Davis. He married in Barnstable,

Dec. 22, 1757, Mary, daughter of Ebenezer and Temperance Gorham.

Their six eldest children were baptized in Barnstable, while the

youngest, Elizabeth, was born in Gorham. Children :

Ebenezer, bap. July 6, 1760, d. young.

Samuel, b. June ir, 1762, m. Mary Skillings, Nov. 11, 1784.

Mary, bap. Sept. 25, 1763.

Ebenezer, bap. Feb. 17. 1765, m. Mary Paine, Feb. 18, 1790; d. in Porter, N. Y.

Prince, bap. May 17, 1767, m. Betty Cahoon, Jan. 3, 1797.

William, b. June 9, 1771, m. prob. Martha Kimball, June 5, 1796.

Elizabeth, b. Apr. 14, 1777.

Samuel Davis and his wife Mary settled in Gorham on the hundred acre lot 118, on land now owned by Edward Files, north of land owned by the late Samuel R. Clement, where the apple trees now stand. Mr. Davis was a Revolutionary pensioner.

(2) Samuel Davis, Jr., son of Samuel, lived on the farm above West Gorham, which was cleared by his father. He was a Revo- lutionary soldier in Capt. Whitmore's company. He married Mary, daughter of Isaac and Susanna Skillings. Children : Elizabeth, b. Aug. 5, 1785, d. unm. Apr. 24, 1876.

Sarah, b. Jan. 26, 1787, m. Frost; m. 2d, Parsons Pingree of Denmark:

d. June 28, 1867. Mary C, b. Sept. 8, 1788, d. unm. June 15, 1886. Isaac, b. Mar. 28, 1790, m. Hadassah Shaw of Standish, 1817 ; 2d, Abigail

(Whitney) Boucher; d. in 1867. Zachariah, b. Sept. 24, 1791, m. Susan Ingalls; 2d, Nancy Ingalls ; I'd in Bridgton; d. Mar. 23, 1876.


GENEALOGY. 467

Daniel, b..Apr. i8, 1793, ">• Rebecca Plummer, July 3, 1824; no ch; d. at White Rock, June 12, 1873; Mrs. D. d. Dec. 17, 1868.

Susanna, b. Feb. 3, 1795, m- William Barker of Bridgton, Feb. 18, 1820.

Samuel, b. July 13, 1796, went to S. America, and was never heard from.

John, b. Apr. 15, 1798, m. Nancy Whitten ; I'd in Naples; d. June 10, 1864.

Joanna, b. June 19, 1800, m. Elder John Buzzell of Parsonsfield : d. in Gorham in 1880.

Tabitha, b. Oct. 10, i8oi, d. unm. in 1831.

In March, 1803, Mr. Davis moved to Standish, and settled on the

farm near the brick schoolhouse where his grandson Daniel S. Davis

now lives. The remainder of his children, who were born in

Standish, were :

Mark, b. Apr. 23, 1803, m. Lydia Staples; I'd in Naples ; d. in March, 1842.

Martha, b. Jan. 11, 1805, d. unm. Jan. 10, 1864.

Hannah, b. June 28, 1806, m. Joseph Martin ; I'd in Naples ; d. July 26, 1888.

Caroline, b. Jan. 25, 1808, m. Francis Kimball of Naples.

Infant, b. Oct. 20, 1809, d. Nov. 7, 1809.

At the time of Mr. Davis's death, Jan. 22, 1856, he was the last of the Revolutionary soldiers in Standish. His wife died April 25, 1852, aged 85.

(2) Prince Davis, Jr., son of Samuel, married Betty Cahoon. We know nothing of her, farther than that she is published as of Gorham, and they were married by Rev. Caleb Jewett. Their chil- dren, recorded in Gorham, are :

Capt. Sylvanus Davis was bom May 4, 1756, in Falmouth, Mass.,

from which place he came to Gorham in 1797. He owned the farm

and house now owned and occupied by Jonathan S. Whitney. He

had a large family, the first eight of whom were born in Falmouth,

Mass., and the remaining six in Gorham. His first wife whom he

married in Falmouth, Dec. 7, 1777, was Elizabeth, daughter of

Ebenezer and Tabitha (Robinson) Dimick.

Sylvanus, b. July 6, 1780, d. Aug. 30, 1799.

Chloe, b. June 13, 1782, m. Alexander McLellan, Feb. 9, 1803.

Robinson, b. Apr. 28, 1785, m. Polly Gallison of Windham, May i, i8og; I'd

in Albion ; d. Sept. 10, 1879. Ebenezer, b. Apr. 19, 1788, m. Betsey McLellan, Apr. z6, 1809; went to Farm-

ington about 1815; d. Dec. 30, 1831.

Walter, b. , 1790. d. May 10, 1790.

Edmund, b. May 10, 1792, d. July i, 1792.

Mrs. Elizabeth Davis died July 24, 1792, aged 33, and Capt. Davis married Catherine Smith of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Chil- dren :

Charles, b. Sept. 24, 1794, m. Sophia A. Stewart; 2d, Louisa Carsley; went to Farmington about 1819; d. Dec. 23, 1873.


468 HISTORY OF GORHAM.

Elizabeth, b. Dec. 7, 1796, m. Thos. W. Tobey ; 2d, John S. Scales of Temple ;

d. Feb. 4, 1892. Nathan S., b. Feb. i, 1799, m. Mrs. Betsey (Cooper) Dimick ; 2d, Eunice Bolan ;

d. June 19, 1869. Sylvanus, b. Mar. 31, iSoi, m. Jane Carsley of Gorham; d. in Farmington, Oct.

29. 1853. Caroline, b. Nov. 19, 1804, m. Wm. Scales of Temple; d. Dec. 31, 1891. Abner, b. Jan. 17, 1807, m. Harriet Butterfieldof Farmington; d. Mar. 28, 1846,

in Waldoboro. Thomas C, b. Sept. 3, 1809, m. Rachel Carleton of Whitefield; both d. in

Topeka, Kan. Jabez, b. March, 1812, d. young in Gorham.

Capt. Davis moved to Farmington about 1815. He was killed in

his grist mill by being caught in some of the machinery, Dec. 24,

1831.

Gershom and John Davis were both soldiers in Capt. McLellan's company, in the Penobscot expedition. Gershom was also a soldier in Capt. Whitmore's company in 1776. He married, Dec. 26, 1779, Elizabeth, daughter of William McCoUister. After living in Gorham for a few years, he left town. Of John we have no record.

Daniel Davis of Standish married, March 29, 1826, Miriam, daughter of Jonathan Stone of Gorham. After some years he moved to Gorham, and lived near Little river at Fort Hill, having purchased the saw and grist mill there. Children :

Aveline, b. Jan. 28, 1827, m. Daniel Billings.

Mary Ann, b. Mar. 22, 1829, d. May 25, 1886.

Elizabeth, b. Aug. 18, 1833, m. Ansel Stevens.

Harriet M., b. Jan. 7, 1838, m. Francis Paine; 2d, David Moore; d; May, 1877.

William S., b. Aug. 14, 1840, d. young.

Daniel Woodbury, b. Feb. 14, 1842, m. Emily Morton; 2d, Mary E. Watson, Oct. 22, 1870; I's in the house which his father occupied; the building was moved back from the river in 1881 on to higher ground.

Daniel Davis died Jan. 2, 1873, and his wife, May 25, 1876.[3]

Private, Boothbay, Lincoln Co., Maine, district of Massachusetts. Served under Capt. Israel Davis in defense of the seacoast of Boothbay, Maine. Revolutionary War service from 1 June 1776 to 1 Sept 1776.

The ancestry of William Davis can be found in Hoyt's "Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Mass." The earliest came from England; James Davis, born 1583, was one of the first settlers of Haverhill, Mass.; William Barnes, died 1673, one of the first settlers of Amesbury, was a carpenter; Roger Eastman, died 1694, came in the ship "Confidence" as a servant, was a carpenter and planter; Anthony Colby was a farmer of Cambridge, Mass. in 1635; Phillip Fowler, born 1591, took oath at Southampton, England, on May 24, 1633 and came in the ship "Mary and John". He was a clothworker at Ipswich, Mass.

William Davis married 18 Dec 1764 to Rhoda Goodwin (b. 10 Nov 1730). Children: Charles Davis b. 9 Jan 1766 m. Betsey Brown; Rhoda Davis b. about 24 Jul 1768, m. Joshua Davis; Tobithia Davis b. Jul 1778 d. 1849, m. Samuel Henery.





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