Notes |
- His name is from his daughter Sarah’s marriage record. He and his wife were second cousins (his mother's mother is a Metcalf).
In Rowley church records, he appears as "Isreal, s. Nathan, bp. Apr. 7, 1728."
First marriage:
"Israil" Davis and Hannah Metcalf appear in the records for Ipswich as married on March 20, 1750.
The Fowler Family, a genealogical memoir of the Descendants of Philip and Mary Fowler, of Ipswich, Mass. (118) says that his oldest son, Charles, was the son of Israel Davis and Hannah Metcalf:
171. Elizabeth (John, John, Philip, Joseph, Philip) was born in Ipswich, 10 Oct., 1750; baptized there 14 Oct.,1750; married in Topsfield, 23 June, 1773, Charles Davis, who was born in Topsfield, baptized there, 30 Dec, 1750, the son of Capt. Israel and Hannah (Metcalf) Davis. [This continues on to give a history of Israel Davis' service in the war, and then of Israel Davis' family.]
Second marriage:
These records appear for her marriage: ("int" means "intentions"):
Rowley marriage records, under Davis: "Israil, of Ipswich, and Sarah Dresser, int. Mar. 9, 1754."
Rowley marriage records, under Dresser: "Sarah, and Israil Davis of Ipswich, int. Mar. 9, 1754."
Ipswich marriage records, under Davis: "Israel, and Sarah Dresser [of Rowley int.], Apr. 16, 1754"
Ipswich marriage records, under Dresser: "Sarah [of Rowley, int.] and Israel Davis, Apr. 16, 1754"
(Why would intentions be dated before the marriage Should this be 1753?) In any event, these are church records for Linebrook Parish Church in Ipswich, so they seem to have been married in Israel Davis' parish (his mother's father James Davis had been a founder of the church). Charles, the son of Israel, is baptized in Ipswich as well in 1750. Sarah daughter of Israel is baptized there in 1751. Only the year is given for the two children.
If Charles was born in Topsfield, as the Fowler history says, above,, this contradicts the Boothbay birth record. In the event, Charles Davis does not appear in the Topsfield Vital records.
All of Israel's first seven children appear in the Boothbay vital records, and all as the children of "Sarah —." This might make sense of a father who had brought his first two children to Boothbay and incorporated them into his second wife's household. He registerd his children and all were given the current wife's name.
This marriage must be a second marriage because it would not account for Israel's first two children, born 1750 and 1751. (These two birth records as they appear in Boothbay actually say 1740 and 1741: This would seem to be an error.)
Third marriage:
Record of the marriage to Hannah Barter appears most extensively in the pension application that she made in 1739. She also lists there her four children with Israel Davis.
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Two other marriages that have been proposed:
first: The History of Boothbay, p471, gives this for the Family History of Davis:
Israel Davis came to B. before 1750. He m. Sarah, dau. of John and Lydia McFarland. He lived near the head of Campbell's Cove, was moderator of the first town meeting in B. and captain during the Rev. War. He was a leading citizen. He sold Thomas Hodgdon, Jeremisquam, 200 acres of land, Sept. 21, 1767, situated bet. the Campbell's Ponds and Cove and the Sheepscot.
They had eight chil.: Charles, 1750; Sarah, 1751; Hannah, 1755; Israel, Jr., 1757; Betty, 1763; John Dresser, 1766; Prudence, 1768; Mary, 1772. Of the above, Hannah m. Andrew Reed, son of Henry, 1773. The mother d. Sept. 20, 1772. At the close of the Rev. War the fam. moved to Pownalboro.
second: In The Boynton family history, Sarah Boynton (not Sarah Dresser) is said to have been born on 14 Feb. 1730/1, and to have married Israel Davis in Ipswich on 9 March. 1754. She is said there to have been the daughter of Joshua Boynton and Mary who were m. 1727 in Haverhill, MA. I don't see support for this. [3, 4, 5, 6]
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