General Notes

"Charles Davis was born in Wales and came to America is 1724 to settle in Pennsylvania.  Married Hannah Elizabeth Metcalf and lived in Pennsylvania, New Jersy and North Carolina.  Joined the Quakers and was a charter member of the Deep Creek Church in Yadkin County, North Carolina." from Good Folks by Colonel Thomas F. Gunn, Big Mountain Press, Denver,1964  (Note: Yadkin County before 1850 was a part of Surrey County)
--

The origin of Charles Davis, possibly from the English and or Welsh Davie, Davies or Davies. One of the stories is based on information of a possible inheritance. Another story, was of a Charles Davies was the son of Josiah or one of two brothers Charles along with a brother Thomas, who died shortly after arriving in America. Another version has Charles as an apprentice lace weaver, who ran away from this situation and signed aboard a chip who brought him to America from England, Wales or Ireland. Upon his arrival in Philadelphia he was indentured to a Quaker family to pay for his passage. Charles inability to prove his possible collection from his Heirs was a story in its self. He couldn't prove he was a Quaker, neither could he prove his mother's name. The fact that he had lost his records while crossing a turbulent stream or that his wife Hanna, may have burned the records for fear if he returned to England to claim his estate, he would be drafted. The story that I would personally hope to be true is the following. Charles birth has been estimated as about 1706, on the basis os av erage indenture time and his marriage date. Charles spelled his name Davies. This spelling was common in Bedfordshire, England. Recall the "Tradition" that Charles was apprenticed to a lace weaver. The Morman's computer index (CFI) for Bedfordshire turned up a Charles Davie, born about 1706, who lived in the Parish of Luton. He was the son of a Thomas, as on might expect for our Charles. There is no evidence, found, that their was a link between Charles of Luton to Charles of Pennsylvania or to disprove it. Charles of Luton could have been born and died in England, he could have been shipped off to the wars, or even hung as a thief.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am pleased to inform you that I have received the following report from our research consultant at the Family History Library in Salt Lake
City:

The identification of Charles Davies' origin in England has been located.
The parish register transcripts of Luton, Bedfordshire, England were examined and the baptism of Charles Davie was located as follows:

   Charles son of Thomas and Mary Davie bapt. 18 April 1707, Luton
   (Docs.#1& #2)

A further study of the Luton church records confirmed that the names Davie and Davies were interchangeable as the following example illustrates:

   Edward son of Thomas and Mary Davies born 20 Aug 1703 of West Hyde, farmer
   Edward son of Thomas and Mary Davie bapt. 24 Aug. 1703
   (Doc.#1)

The family of Thomas and Mary Davie/Davies was then extracted from the Luton church records.  Information provided at the beginning of this research session had identified the name of Thomas Davie/Davies' wife as Mary North.
   The Ordinance Index was consulted and their marriage was located in the nearby parish of Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire:

   Thomas Davie and Mary North married 25 July 1695, Whathampstead, Hertfordshire
   (Doc.#4)

Wheathampstead is located 4-5 miles south of Luton.  The Wheathampstead church records were examined, thoroughly, for the baptisms or births of Thomas Davie/Davies and Mary North but without success.  Furthermore, there was no evidence of Davie/Davies or North family members residing in this

parish during the late 1600's.

Earlier searches were then made in the Luton parish registers for the parentage of this couple.  Although there were earlier Davie/Davies entries the baptisms of Thomas Davie/Davies and Mary North were not located.
Interestingly, the following marriage was located in the Luton parish register transcripts:

   Thomas Davie and Susan Styles married 20 March 1686/87, Luton
   (Doc.#1)

A Susan Davice died and was buried about eight years later:

   Susan wife of Thomas Davice buried 2 Aug. 1694, Luton
   (Doc.#1)

It is proposed that Susan Styles was the first wife of Thomas Davie/Davies/Davice and that Thomas married Mary North almost one year after Susan's death.  However, there was a burial, in the Luton burial register for a, widowed, Susan Davis 3 Aug. 1729.  Certainly, further research is

required to determine if this Susan Davis was the same Susan Styles who married Thomas Davie 1686/7.

The probate indexes of the Archdeaconry Court of Bedfordshire were consulted next, searching for Davies, Davie and Davis and North wills in Luton through the period 1700-1800. (Doc.#5)  Three North wills, and a Davey will and one Davis will were located and read.  The information provided in those wills did not link up with the ancestral Thomas Davies/Davie and Mary North.

Searches were made in the Ordinance Index, further afield from Luton, for the baptism of Thomas Davies/Davie.  One entry was located for a Thomas son of John Davie and Elizabeth, 31 Dec. 1672 at Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, about 13 miles south of Luton.  (Doc.#6)  It is doubtful, at this point,

that this Thomas was ancestral.  It is recommended that continued searches be made into the christening registers of parishes lying within a five mile radius of Luton for the baptisms of Thomas Davies/ Davie and Mary North.

The Ordinance Index did produce the following entry for the baptism of Mary
North:

   Mary daughter of William North bapt. 25 March 1676/7 at Cardington,
(Caddington) Bedfordshire
   (Doc.#7)

Caddington lies next door to Luton and so it appears that this entry is very likely, ancestral.  However, further research is required to confirm the

ancestral candidacy of this family.

It was at this juncture that time in this research session expired leaving exciting prospects to extend the Davies/Davie and North families.  It has been a pleasure to assist you.  Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CANE CREEK MONTHLY MEETING  Orange (now Alamance) County, North Carolina  [Cane Creek is close to the Guilford border, and was the "mother" of several area meetings]
Cane Creek Monthly Meeting was established 7th of 10th month, 1751, being located on the stream from which it took its name, in the central part of the large area which comprised Orange County. This area included all the present counties of Caswell, Person, Alamance, Chatham and Orange and parts of Rockingham, Guilford, Randolph, Lee, Wake and Durham. In 1771, Chatham, Guilford and Wake Counties were established -- each taking a part of Orange County. The division line between Orange and Chatham was run a short distance to the south of the meeting house, so the meeting continued to be in Orange County, but the residences of many of the members were thrown into Chatham. This accounts for the fact that in a large number of families the older children are recorded as having been born in Orange County and the younger ones in Chatham County. In 1849 Orange County was again divided, the western portion, including the site of Cane Creek Meeting, being set off as Alamance County. The meeting house is today located in that county, adjacent to the village of Snow Camp, and about 15 miles south of Graham, the county seat.
The meeting was set up under authorization of Perquimans and Little River Quarterly Meeting as set forth in the following minutes, dated 1751, 6, 31: "Friends on Cane Creek wrote to our Quarterly Meeting Desiring a Monthly Meeting to be settled amongst them, which was referred to this meeting & several Friends of them parts appeared at this meeting and acquainted Friends that there is Thirty families and upwards of Friends settled in them parts & Desire still in behalf of themselves and their Friends to have a Monthly Meeting settled amongst them, which request upon mature consideration Friends think proper to grant & leave to themselves to settle it in the most convenient place amongst the Body."
It is not possible to present a complete list of the thirty or more families of Friends who are referred to in the above minute. That the original membership was scattered over a large territory is shown by a minute in the proceedings of the first sitting, 1751, 10, 7, which states that "Friends of New Garden belonging to this monthly meeting, request the privilege of holding a meeting for worship on first days at that place." The distance from Cane Creek to New Garden was upward of thirty miles. The Cane Creek birth records show that one or more children were born, in Orange County, North Carolina, prior to 10th month, 1751, in each of the following families: William and Hannah Brown, Anthony and Sarah Chamness, John and Abigail Pike, William and Sarah Piggott, Hugh and Mary Laughlin, John and Rachel Wright. At the opening session of the meeting, certificates were produced by John Powel, Martha Hiatt and children, John Hiatt, Joseph Doan, Robert Summers, wife and children, Simon Dixon, Aaron Jones, Henry Ballenger, wife and children, William Reynolds, wife and children, Elizabeth Vestal and sons, William and Thomas.
Other persons who are mentioned in the minutes during the first eighteen months include the following, some of whom were probably among the thirty families: Ann Armfield, William Baldwin, Mary Ballenger, Rachel Ballenger, Bowater Beals, Sarah Beals, Thomas Beals, Benjamin Beeson, William Beeson, Rebekah Branson, Thomas Branson, Juliatha Carr, Thomas Carr, Sarah Chapman, Benjamin Clark, Catherine Cox, William Cox, Charles Davies, Hannah Davies, Daniel Dillon, Peter Dillon, John Doan, Elinor Edwards, Jonathan Harrold, Richard Henderson, Martha Hiatt, Sarah Hiatt, William Hiatt, Sarah Hodgin, John Hodson, Sarah Hodson, John Hoggatt, William Hoggatt, Rachel Howard, Mary Hudson, Eleazar Hunt, Thomas Hunt, William Hunt, Elizabeth Jackson, Isaac Jackson, John Jones, Able Knight, Elizabeth Laky, William Marshill, Edward Matthews, Mary Matthews, William Matthews, Henry Maynor, Mordecai Mendenhall, Hur Mills, John Mills, Thomas Mills, Benjamin Moorman, Matthew Ozbun, Jeremiah Piggott, David Reynolds, Benjamin Ruddock, Joseph Ruddock, Richard Sidwell, Phebe Summers, Frances Taylor, James Taylor, Robert Taylor, Martha Thornton, Thomas Thornton, Thomas Thornburgh, William Thornburgh, Joseph Wells, Thomas Wilkisson, Jonathan Williams. John Hiatt and Sarah Hodson were married 1752, 4, 22. The list of witnesses includes George Hiatt, George Hodson, Henry Ballinger, Thomas Hunt, Eleazer Hunt, Thomas Beales, Martha Hiatt, Mary Hodson, Hannah Ballinger, Abigail Pike, Sarah Beals and Ann Hunt. Eleazer
[end of page 343]