[williamDavis.FTW]

Came to America in 1684. William Davis Founder of Shrewsbury

He may have been the son of a David Davis, one of 4 bros. who weremembers of the Penfay church, a branch of the Baptist Church of Swansea(Wales?)

Page 4, "Seventh Day Baptists in West Virginia" :
On October 12, 1710, William Davis and Elisabeth Brisley, his wife,applied
for membership in the Westerly, afterward the First Hopkinton (RhodeIsland)
Church which had been organized some two years previously. His wife was
immediately received into membership, but the Church deferred final action
upon his membership.

names mentioned in connection w/ Shrewsbury:
John Wilbert Davis (this article states that the first William Davis wasborn in Glamorganshire, Wales
Leonard Davis family--mentions that on the trek to WV, they stopped at
Woddbridgetown Pa and Monongalia Va/WV( where William Davis died (there
were both a Jr and a Sr) then finally settled in Harrison Co VA/WV
Sanford and Jesse Davis---states that William Davis was born in 1663 in
Glamorganshire, wales....he followed William Penn and immigrated toAmerica
in 1684 originally settling w/ the quakers...he had a son John who 's son
William was born in RI) ......Nathan Davis, William's son served in the
Continental army in Sheburn's reg.....History of Doddridge County WestVirgina 1979

He was Quaker in Penn's colony at Philadelphia. In 1696 he joined thePenepek Baptist Church and became is pastor. About 1698 he acepted thedoctorine of the Sabbath and helped organize a church in the Philadelphiaarea, the second SDB Church in America. His descendents formed thenucleus of the Shrewsbury, NJ SDB Church, which, after the RevoltiionaryWar, migrated to Salem, WV. (From "Newport Seventh Day Baptist Trilogy"by Ilou & Don Sanford, 1998)

From Beth Wills page: http://www.kvi.net/~bethw/d982.htm#P8972
William Davis, s/o William of Llanstephen, County Radnor, Wales, pleb.St. Mary's Hall, (Oxford University), who matriculated 30 June 1682, aged18. (Note: According to the dictionary, Matriculate means to enroll in abody or society, as a college or university, by entering the name in aregister. In other words he was registered there as a student on thatdate.)

Note: Rev. William Davis d 1745 in his 82nd year, thus he had not yetcelebrated his 82nd birthday. Had he done that he would have been in his83rd year. He entered Oxford 30 June 1682 aged 18, thus his birth datewas after "late in the year", and before 30 June the following year. Thisplaces his year of birth as 1664. William arrived in Phila. PA in 1684,according to his own writing, thus he had spent 2 years at Oxford. He wasa recognized preacher of The Society of Friends when he arrived, but leftit with George Keith and 46 others in 1691. In 1697 he joined thePennepek Baptist Church from which he was expelled 17 Feb. 1698/9 forheresy. At this time he wrote a book, "Jesus the Crucified Man", whichwas printed by Reynier Jansen in 1700. One copy of this book is stillexistence today. The introduction is most significant as it details thephilosophies of Keith, and of the Quakers. It also tells us that WilliamDavis was brought up in the Church Of England, and why he left them forthe Quakers. ( Paragraph Omitted)
Please note that our ancestor chose the Quaker religion while at Oxford,thus depriving himself of the privilege of graduation. Perhaps he laterregretted this decision, as he wrote in his introduction to his book"Jesus the Crucified Man","Having at that time a weak capacity to judgein matters of doctrine." Thus, we do not find his name among the list ofgraduates from Oxford.
In 1699 William Davis became a Seventh Day Baptist and organized acongregation at Frankfort, PA. In 1706 he applied for a membership to theNewport,RI S.D. Church. On October 12 1710 William and his wife Elizabethapplied to Westerly, RI for membership in that Church. They were receivedinto Westerly Church 14 July 1711, and he was invited to preach there in1713. on 1 March 1714 he requested a letter to a church in England, butwas persuaded by his friends to remain in America.

Soon after 16 May 1717 he left Westerly and settled in PA, where in 1724,he suffered severe loss by fire. From his home in Stoning ton,Connecticut, 21 Oct. 1734, William again requested membership in theWesterly Church, which was granted 16 Dec 1734. Soon after 1740 asettlement of 7th day Baptists was formed in Monmouth Co. NJ, near theManasquan River. Joseph Maxson and his family of Stonington, CT sailedfor the mouth of the Manasquan River in the fall of 1742, but due tostorms and ice, they did not reach their destination until the spring of1743, having spent the winter on Long Island. The S.D.B.C. at Shrewsbury,NJ was formally organized in 1745 with William Davis as minister. WilliamDavis died there late in the year 1745.

Sources:
Title: Harrison County 1784 Heritage 1995
Author: The Harrison County Genealogical Society and The Harrison CountyHistorical Society
Media: Book
Page: 146
Text: lists his birth date as 1663

Title: World Family Tree, Vol. 3
Author: Brøderbund Software, Inc.
Publication: Release date: February 9, 1996
Media: Family Archive CD
Page: #6407

Title: World Family Tree, Vol. 1
Author: Brøderbund Software, Inc.
Publication: Release date: November 29, 1995
Note: Customer pedigree.
Repository:
Call Number:
Media: Family Archive CD
Page: #1298

Title: Descendants of William Davis
Repository:
Note: Family Tree Maker Homepage
Call Number:
Media: Electronic