Brief Life History of William J.
When William J. Davis was born on 6 February 1814, in Franklin, Tennessee, United States, his father, Phillip E. Davis, was 19 and his mother, Cynthia Jennings, was 20. He married Maria Colins on 14 March 1854, in Cooper, Missouri, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 1 daughter. He died on 31 March 1902, in Morgan, Missouri, United States, at the age of 88, and was buried in Versailles, Morgan, Missouri, United States.
Photos and Memories (2)
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Family Time Line
Sources (9)
- William J Davis in household of William J Gayhart, "United States Census, 1900"
- William J Davis, "Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991"
- William J. Davis, "Find A Grave Index"
Spouse and Children
1814–1902 Male
1820–1868 Female
Children (2)
1855–1886 Male
1858–1938 Female
Parents and Siblings
1794–1841 Male
1794–1861 Female
Siblings (13)
1812– Male
1814–1902 Male
1816–1898 Male
1817–1900 Female
1820– Female
+8 More Children
World Events (8)
1819 · Panic! of 1819
Age 5
1833
Age 19
1846
Age 32
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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