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- 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]
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