Mary "Polly" Davis

Brief Life History of Mary "Polly"

When Mary "Polly" Davis was born on 11 August 1781, in Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina, United States, her father, Capt Robert J Davis Sr, was 38 and her mother, Mary Watson, was 39. She married Capt. Elias Harmon Sr. on 7 April 1803, in Wythe, Virginia, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 4 daughters. She lived in Giles, Virginia, United States for about 10 years. She died on 23 September 1861, in Bland, Virginia, United States, at the age of 80.

Photos and Memories (3)

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Family Time Line

Capt. Elias Harmon Sr.
1780–1856
Mary "Polly" Davis
1781–1861
Marriage: 7 April 1803
Elias Harman Jr.
1804–
Nancy Harman
1806–1836
Anna Rhoda Neal Harman
1819–1888
Robert W Harman
1811–1890
John W. Harman
1813–1880
Elizabeth Betsy Harman
1813–
Louisa D. Harman
1817–1857
William Neel Harman
1822–1905
W. A. Harman
1823–1892
Dr. James Washington Harman
1830–1905
Thomas B Harman
1834–1866

Sources (23)

  • Polly Harmon (73 yr old) in household of Edwin A Sheppard, Giles, Virginia, "United States Census, 1860"
  • Polly Harman, "Virginia, Library of Virginia State Archive, Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1853-1900"
  • Polly Davis and Elias Harrmon, Wythe County, "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940"

World Events (8)

1783 · A Free America

The Revolutionary War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris which gave the new nation boundries on which they could expand and trade with other countries without any problems.

1788 · Becomes the 10th state

On June 25, 1788 Virginia became the 10th state. 

1803

France sells Louisiana territories to U.S.A.

Name Meaning

English and Welsh: patronymic meaning ‘Dafydd's (son)’, equivalent to Welsh ap Dafydd, the Welsh form of David . The spelling Davis is more typical in southwestern England northwards as far as Lancashire, where the frequency of the surname largely reflects Welsh migration, but may sometimes represent a native English surname based on Davy (compare Davies ). Davis (including in the sense 2 below) is the eighth most frequent surname in the US. It is also very common among African Americans.

Irish and Scottish: adopted for Gaelic Mac Daibhéid ‘son of David’; see McDevitt . Compare Davies .

History: John Davis or Davys (c. 1550–1605) was an English navigator who searched for the Northwest Passage. — By the 18th century there were numerous persons named Davis in America, including the jurist John Davis, born in 1761 in Plymouth, MA, and Henry Davis, a clergyman and college president, who was born in 1771 in East Hampton, NY. — Jefferson Davis, born in 1808 in KY, was president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

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