Hannah (Vergitt) Davis (bef. 1712 - aft. 1795)

Born before 1712 in Essex, Virginia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of Philip Davis Sr. — married before Oct 1743 in Essex, Virginia

Descendants

Died after 1795 after age 83 in Amherst, Virginia, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: L. K. Henderson [send private message]

Biography

Hannah, wife of Philip Davis of Amherst County VA was one of four "daughters and co-heiresses" of Elizabeth Moss (d/o Thomas Moss) who married 1) William Bendry and 2) Job Virgett Jr. It is currently unclear to me whether Hannah's father was William Bendry or Job Virgett. Neither man mentioned Hannah, or her sisters Elizabeth (wife of William Short), or Kerenhappuch (wife of Peter Jett), in their wills. In his Jan 1700 will, William Bendry mentioned only two children (Thomas and Ann), and in his Nov 1705 will, Job Virgett mentioned only one daughter, Mary, whose mother was Virgett's first wife, Elizabeth Gibson. Several years elapsed between the writing and the probate of Virgett's will, so there was time for him to have had three additional daughters, though why he never updated his will to include them is a mystery. Simply due to timing, he seems the more likely paternal candidate for the three additional daughters of Elizabeth Moss.

I have personally viewed the Essex County VA deed records that confirm Hannah Davis, Elizabeth Short and Kerenhappuch Jett's maternal parentage and will post documents and abstracts on the relevant Moss, Bendry and Virgett profiles as time allows. I am still analyzing and transcribing records and will update Wikitree if any clarity emerges on the paternal side.

-- L. Henderson, July 13, 2019

Note: Job Virgett appears to have married three Elizabeths. His first wife was Elizabeth Gibson (d/o William) who was the mother of his daughter Mary; his second wife was Elizabeth Moss (d/o Thomas) who was the mother of Thomas and Anne Bendry by her first marriage to William Bendry, and Elizabeth, Hannah and Kerenhappuch, probably by her second marriage to Job Virgett. In 1716, four years after Job Virgett died, Alice Shipley (widow of Timothy Pell) wrote a will mentioning her daughter Elizabeth, calling her "Elizabeth Virgett," and leaving her only a single shilling. Since Job Virgett was the only male Virgett in the region, we must assume that Elizabeth Moss Bendry Virgett died prior to 1712, and Job remarried to Elizabeth Pell (d/o Timothy), who must have been his wife at the time of his death. There is no other logical explanation for the mention in the Shipley will.

Records for Hannah, d/o Elizabeth Moss Bendry Virgett and w/o Philip Davis:

1746 Nov 12 Essex Co VA Philip Davis and Hannah, his wife, one of the "daughters and coheiresses of Elizabeth Vergit, formerly Elizabeth Bendry" lease Hannah's 1/4 share of William Bendry's land in St. Ann's Parish to Sarah Brooke for one year. Source: Essex County Deed Book 24, pages 137-141

Note: This lease is verbose and lengthy. I have included images of the lease here on Wikitree and a full transcript on Google Docs.

Sources

• L. Henderson Research Notes, June 20, 2019
• Essex County VA Deed Book 24 Pgs 138-141