Betsey L Davis

Female5 October 1807–7 April 1900

Brief Life History of Betsey L

When Betsey L Davis was born on 5 October 1807, in Industry, Franklin, Maine, United States, her father, James Davis, was 34 and her mother, Betsey Look, was 35. She married William C. Downs on 20 February 1853, in Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts, United States. She lived in Maine, United States in 1807 and Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts, United States for about 25 years. She died on 7 April 1900, in Oak Bluffs, Dukes, Massachusetts, United States, at the age of 92.

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Family Time Line

William C. Downs
1798–1865
Betsey L Davis
1807–1900
Marriage: 20 February 1853

Sources (14)

  • Betsey L Downs in household of William Downs, "Massachusetts State Census, 1865"
  • Betsey Davis, "Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900"
  • Betsey Davis, "Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915"

Spouse and Children

  • Marriage
    20 February 1853Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts, United States
  • Parents and Siblings

    Siblings (4)

    World Events (8)

    1808

    Age 1

    Atlantic slave trade abolished.

    1820

    Age 13

    Maine is the 23rd state.

    1832 · The Black Hawk War

    Age 25

    Convinced that a group of Native American tribes were hostile, The United States formed a frontier militia to stop them in their tracks. Even though Black Hawk was hoping to avoid bloodshed while trying to resettle on tribal land, U.S. officials opened fire on the Native Americans. Black Hawk then responded to this confrontation by successfully attacking the militia at the Battle of Stillman's Run and then left northward. After a few months the militia caught up with Black Hawk and his men and defeated them at the Battle of Wisconsin Heights. While being weakened by hunger, injuries and desertion, Black Hawk and the rest of the many native survivors retreated towards the Mississippi. Unfortunately, Black Hawk and other leaders were later captured when they surrendered to the US forces and were then imprisoned for a year.

    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.

    Possible Related Names

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