Doddridge County Roots

A West Virginia Genealogy

Family: William "Greenbrier Billy" DAVIS / Elizabeth JOHNSTON (F15037)

m. CA 1781


Family Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All    |    PDF

  • William "Greenbrier Billy" DAVISFather | Male
    William "Greenbrier Billy" DAVIS

    Born  21 Mar 1758  Shrewsbury, Monmouth Co, NJ Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  6 Jan 1845  Greenbrier Run (Salem), Doddridge Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Buried    Seventh Day Baptist Church Cemetery, Salem, Harrison Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Married  CA 1781  [1]   
    Father  Thomas William DAVIS | F15033 Group Sheet 
    Mother  Tacy CRANDALL | F15033 Group Sheet 

    Elizabeth JOHNSTONMother | Female
    Elizabeth JOHNSTON

    Born  11 Jul 1762  Shrewsbury, Monmouth Co, NJ Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  6 Jan 1845   
    Buried    Seventh Day Baptist Church Cemetery, Salem, Harrison Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Father  Elisha JOHNSTON | F17633 Group Sheet 
    Mother  Catherine MITCHELL | F17633 Group Sheet 

    Mary DAVISChild 1 | Female
    Mary DAVIS

    Born  31 Mar 1782  Shrewsbury, Monmouth Co, NJ Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  16 Jun 1862  Salem, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Buried     
    Spouse  Jonathan Fitz RANDOLPH | F19354 
    Married  9 Nov 1798  Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location

    Peter DAVISChild 2 | Male
    Peter DAVIS

    Born  16 Sep 1783  Shrewsbury, Monmouth Co, NJ Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  4 Mar 1873  Greenbrier Run (Salem), Doddridge Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Buried    Greenbrier 7th Day Baptist Cemetery, Co Rd 17, near Miletus, Doddridge Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Sarah "Sally" DAVIS | F15034 
    Married  9 Nov 1802  Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Sarah F. RANDOLPH | F15035 
    Married  11 Jan 1843  Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location

    Benjamin L. DAVISChild 3 | Male
    Benjamin L. DAVIS

    Born  14 Dec 1785  Shrewsbury, Monmouth Co, NJ Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  1850  West Union, Doddridge Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Buried     
    Spouse  Elizabeth LIPPENCOTT | F18528 
    Married  29 Sep 1806  Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Nancy BROWN | F18529 
    Married  3 Jul 1821  Lewis Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Drusilla DAVIS | F18530 
    Married  15 Oct 1846  Doddridge Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location

    David L. DAVISChild 4 | Male
    David L. DAVIS

    Born  23 Sep 1787  New Jersey Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  1849   
    Buried     
    Spouse  Lydia JEFFREY | F17387 
    Married  10 Mar 1807   

    George J. DAVISChild 5 | Male
    George J. DAVIS

    Born  7 Feb 1790  Monongalia Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  5 Feb 1868   
    Buried    Seventh Day Baptist Church Cemetery, Salem, Harrison Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Catherine DAVIS | F13412 
    Married  10 Nov 1807  Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location

    Rachel DAVISChild 6 | Female
    Rachel DAVIS

    Born  25 Jul 1792  Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  25 Apr 1853   
    Buried     
    Spouse  John SUTTON | F15621 
    Married  2 Dec 1807   

    Aseneth DAVISChild 7 | Female
    Aseneth DAVIS

    Born  27 May 1793   
    Died     
    Buried     
    Spouse  Dudley HUGHES | F49314 
    Married  21 Sep 1813  Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  William BABCOCK | F49315 
    Married  14 Oct 1823  Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location

    Tacy DAVISChild 8 | Female
    Tacy DAVIS

    Born  25 Jun 1801  Virginia (now West Virginia) Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  9 Feb 1872  West Union, Doddridge Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Buried    Blockhouse Hill Cemetery (old SDB section), West Union, Doddridge Co, WV Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Joseph JEFFREY, Jr. | F14887 
    Married  24 Apr 1817  Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location

    Vienna DAVISChild 9 | Female
    Vienna DAVIS

    Born  4 Feb 1804  Doddridge Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  30 May 1886  Carlton Twp, Tama Co, IA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Buried    Standerford Cemetery, Humboldt, Richardson Co, NE Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Uriah DAVIS | F49299 
    Married  7 Nov 1822  Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location

    Sophia L. DAVISChild 10 | Female
    Sophia L. DAVIS

    Born  4 Nov 1810  Salem, Harrison Co, (W)VA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Died  27 Oct 1881  Richland, Shawnee Co, KS Find all individuals with events at this location
    Buried    Maplewood Memorial Lawn Cemetery, Emporia, Lyon Co, KS Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Elione DAVIS | F50004 
    Married     

  • Notes 
    • In 1794 John P. Duvall of Mason, Kentucky sold to John Davis (1754-1842) of Harrison County, Virginia 500 acres on Middle Island Creek in Ohio County, Virginia for 500 pounds. This land adjoined John P. Duvall's resident right which he had obtained from Land Office Treasury Warrant No. 15,345, dated April 2, 1783. On December 11, 1797, John Davis of Harrison County, Virginia sold to his brother William "Greenbrier Billy" Davis of Ohio County, Virginia for 100 pounds the same 500 acres he had purchased from John P. Duvall in 1794 [Harrison County Deed Book 3, p. 264].

      On June 17, 1805, William "Greenbrier Billy" Davis sold to his son Peter Davis (1783-1873) for 100 dollars 60 acres described as "on Middle Island Creek, corner of John P. Duvall's resident right" [Harrison County Deed Book 5, Page 522]. Given this description, it is clear that these 60 acres were part of the 500 acres originally purchased from John P. Duvall.

      On August 15, 1809, Peter Davis sold those 60 acres to his brother George J. Davis [Harrison County Deed Book 8, p. 258]. On November 9, 1827, George J. & Catherine (Davis) Davis sold to William Fitz Randolph those same 60 acres plus 16 additional adjoining acres previously owned by John & Esther (Davis) Hutson.

      Based on the foregoing land transactions, we know with certainty that William "Greenbrier Billy" Davis was living on Greenbrier Run in present-day Doddridge County in 1797 when he purchased the 500 acres from his brother John Davis. The provenance of that land was from John P. Duvall to John Davis, to his brother William "Greenbrier Billy" Davis, to his son Peter Davis, to his brother George J. Davis, and then to William Fitz Randolph, (1800-1861) whose two-story brick home is still standing on Greenbrier Run.

      William "Greenbrier Billy" Davis and his wife Elizabeth died on the same day. [1]

  • Sources 
    1. [S83] Davis - The Settlers of Salem, West Virginia, Susie Davis Nicholson, (Gordon Printing Co, Strasburg OH, 1979 (Revised & Enlarged) < www.wvgenweb.org/harrison/books.htm >), p. 13.