Samuel DAVIS, I  (1610 - 1667)

No complete account of Samuel Davis' arrival and life in the New World 
has yet been discovered; therefore after extensive and careful examination 
of existing civil, church, military, and other published records, the 
following is offered as his story. Local legend says that three brothers 
named Davis settled in Isle of Wight County, Virginia very early in its 
history.

They arrived at Jamestown in the Virginia Colony from London, England on 
6 July 1635, aboard the ship "Paule", the master of which was Mr. Leonard 
Betts. Samuel and his two brothers, John and Richard, were part of a group 
of 115 persons from the town of Gravesend, in county Kent, England which 
carried with them a "certificate from the Minister of Gravesend of their 
Conformitie to the Church of England." His name on the ship's manifest is 
spelled "Samvell Davies" and his age is shown as 24 years. Also listed on 
the manifest were "John Davies", age 23; and "Richard Davies", age 20.

All three brothers probably initially lived in Charles River County, along 
with Samuel's father-in-law, John Benton. In 1642, Samuel assigned 400 
acres in that county to John Benton. Brother John remained in Charles 
River, later called York County. Brothers Richard and Samuel removed to 
Isle of Wight County with Samuel's family.

The first mention of Samuel's name in the records of Virginia does not 
occur until 4 Oct 1640. On that date "Sir Francis Wyatt grants to Samuel 
Davis 100 acres on a branch of Pagan Creek, adjoining Nathaniel Floyd", 
in Isle of Wight County. On 22 April 1668, after his father's death, 
Samuel Davis, II, of Albemarle County, Carolina, deeded this tract to his 
brother, John Davis of Isle of Wight County, Virginia.

On 15 June 1642, he purchased another 100 acres in Isle of Wight County 
from William Strange(*). In the same month, Isle of Wight County was 
divided into two parishes, the Upper and the Lower. The boundary between 
the two parishes was made at Sam Davis' second plantation on Lawne's Creek.
This tract was sold by Samuel Davis, II, to John Bond on 12 May 1668.

Neither a will, nor an inventory of his estate, nor any other document 
detailing the division of the estate of Samuel Davis, I, has been located, 
therefore two of his sons are linked to him by circumstantial evidence at 
present. Three sons lived on plantations which were very near to each 
other in the Lawnes Creek and Southwark Parishes of Isle of Wight and 
Surry Counties of Virginia. The eldest son, Samuel, II, removed to the 
Carolina Colony in about 1660.

(*)There is a conflict between two sources as to the name of the man 
from whom Samuel Davis, I, purchased this tract. Boddie, in his book 
"Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia, states the man's 
name to be "William Stringer"; while Winslow in her book, "History of 
Perquimans County, North Carolina", gives the name as "William Strange". 
One of the other passengers listed in the group that arrived at the 
Virginia Colony aboard the "Paule" in July, 1635 with "Samvell Davies" 
and his brothers was "William Strange". This discrepancy will not be 
resolved until further research or perhaps examination of the original 
document can be made.

Sources:
"Our Early Immigrant Ancestors: The Original Lists of Persons of Quality", 
p.105, John Camden Hotten, 1931. 1968.
"NEHGR", Vol.4, p.61.
"Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia", Vol. I, pp.97, 555, 
556, John Bennett Boddie, Wilmette, IL., 1938. 1993.
"Memories and Records of Eastern North Carolina", pp.49, 51, Mary Weeks 
Lambeth, Curley Printing Co., Nashville, TN., 1957.
"History of Perquimans County, North Carolina", p.336, Mrs. Watson Winslow,
Raleigh, NC., 1931. 1990.