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Benjamin Davidson

Benjamin Davidson

Male Bef 1743 - Abt 1825  (~ 81 years)

Personal Information    |    Media    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    Event Map    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Benjamin Davidson  [1] 
    Alt. Birth Aft 1737  Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Born Bef 8 May 1743  Augusta County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [1] 
    Christened 8 May 1743  Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church, Beverly Manor, Fishersville, Augusta County, VA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Some sources give this date as 8 May 1742; however, recorded in the book "The Tinkling Spring, Headwater of Freedom" (by Rev. Howard McKnight Wilson, 1954, p. 473), as Benjamin Davison, bp. 8 May 1743, son of Samuel Davison.
    Gender Male 
    Group Davidson 001 Family of Immigrant Samuel Davidson 
    • Descendants of immigrant Samuel Davidson of DNA Family 001
    Group Davidson Direct Descendant 
    • Direct Descendant of any immigrant Davidson
    Group Davidson DNA Family 001 
    • Descendants of John, George, and Samuel Davidson of Beverley Manor, Virginia, and Iredell county, North Carolina
    Group Descendant of Revolutionary War Veteran 
    • DAR or SAR Eligible Descendant of a Revolutionary War Veteran
    Group Proven Davidson DNA Family 001 
    • Proven as a descendant of DNA Family 001 by YDNA test of a direct descendant
    Group Veteran - Army 
    • Veteran of the United States Army
    Group Veteran of Revolutionary War or Patriot 
    • Revolutionary War Patriot or Soldier.
    1790 Census 1790  Burke County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • First Company, p. 106 (89)
      Ben Davidson   2-1-9-0

      Male > 16 : Benjamin Davidson, b. 1742
      Female    : ?Ann ?, b. ?1748
      Male < 16 : Benjamin Davidson, Jr., b. 1784-1790
      Male < 16 : James Davidson, b. 1774-1790
      Female    : Elizabeth Davidson, b. 1773, m. (1803) John Murray
      Female    : Ann Davidson, b. 1783, m. (?) David Hadden
      Female    : Rebecca Davidson, b. 1777, m. (bef 1812) Benjamin D. Gullick
      Female    : Sarah Davidson, b. 1779, m ?
      Female    : Erixina "Rixey" Davidson, b. 1780-1790, m. (1830-1833) James Johnson, Jr.
      Female    : ?Sophia A. Davidson, b. 1784, m. (1813) George Douglas Davis
      Female    : ?Martha Davidson, b. ?, m. (?) Joseph Gray
      Female    : Rhoda Davidson, b. 1755-1774, m. (1790-1800) Samuel Davis

      Missing:
      Polly Davidson, b. ?, m. (?) Isaac Davis
      --> Could Polly and Isaac and daughter be listed with Isaac's father (TBD)
    1800 Census 1800  Buncombe County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Morgan District, pp. 166-167

      p. 166
      George Davidson  10010 - 40100 - 04
      ...
      Hugh Davidson     10010 - 10100 - 03
      William Davidson   00201 - 01001 - 08

      p. 167
      John Davidson    10010 - 20010 - 08
      ...
      John Davidson    40010 - 01010 - 07
      Samuel Davis      20010 - 10010 - 00
      Isaac Davis         20010 - 01010 - 00
      Benjn Davidson   01001 - 10501 - 02

      Male       > 45 : Benjamin Davidson, b. 1742
      Female   > 45 : ?Ann ?, b. ?1748
      Female 16-26 : Elizabeth Davidson, b. 1773, m. (1803) John Murray
      Female 16-26 : Rebecca Davidson, b. 1777, m. (bef 1812) Benjamin D. Gullick (birth 1784-1790 by census)
      Female 16-26 : Sarah Davidson, b. 1779, m ?
      Female 16-26 : Erixina "Rixey" Davidson, b. 1780-1790, m. (1830-1833) James Johnson, Jr.
      Female 16-26 : ?Sophia A. Davidson, b. 1784, m. (1813) George Douglas Davis
      Male     10-16 : Benjamin Davidson, Jr., b. 1784-1790
      Female   < 10 : ?Martha Davidson, b. ?, m. (?) Joseph Gray

      Missing
      James Davidson, b. 1774-1790  -- supposedly went to Missouri - no reliable census (or Wilkes County)
      Ann Davidson, b. 1783, m. (?) David Hadden
    1800 Census 1800  Morgan, Buncombe County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • p. 167
      John Davidson     10010 - 20010
      ...
      John Davidson     40010 - 01010   (The female age 10-16 enumerated with family is not identified.)
      Samuel Davis       20010 - 10010
      Isaac Davis          20010 - 01010
      Benjn. Davidson   01001 - 10501
    1810 Census 1810  Buncombe County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • p. 294 ( 97a)
      Charles Lain   21301 - 21010 - 07
      ...
      Benj Davidson   00101 - 00211 - 01

      Male       > 45 : Benjamin Davidson, b. 1742
      Female   > 45 : ?Ann ?, b. ?1748
      Female 26-45 : Rebecca Davidson, b. 1777, m. (bef 1812) Benjamin D. Gullick
      Female 16-26 : Erixina "Rixey" Davidson, b. 1780-1790, m. (1830-1833) James Johnson, Jr.
      Female 16-26 : ?Sophia A. Davidson, b. 1784, m. (1813) George Douglas Davis
      Male     16-26 : Benjamin Davidson, Jr., b. 1784-1790

      TBD:
      James Davidson, b. 1774-1790
      ?Martha Davidson, b. ?, m. (?) Joseph Gray
    1820 Census 1820  Buncombe County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • p. 112
      Benjaman Gullick       100110 - 00110 - 100
      Benjeman Davidson  300101 - 00100 - 100
      Benj Davidson Sr      000011 - 00011 - 200
      Sarah Davedson       000000 - 21010 - 000
      Mary Daves               000100 - 00100 - 100
      ...
      Margaret Neill             000101 - 00000 - 000
      David Haden              010110 - 01010 - 300
      ...
      Duglass Davis           200010 - 00010 - 100

      Male       > 45 : Benjamin Davidson, b. 1742
      Female   > 45 : ?Ann ?, b. ?1748
      Female 26-45 : Erixina "Rixey" Davidson, b. 1780-1790, m. (1830-1833) James Johnson, Jr.
      Male     26-45 : ?James Davidson, b. 1775-1794
    Died Abt 1825  Davidson River, Transylvania County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • DAR records give 1825 as his year of death. The Revolutionary War commemorative headstone in Davidson River Cemetery gives 1833 as the year of his death. Census records strongly suggest that he died before 1830.
    Buried Unknown  Davidson River Cemetery, Pisgah Forest, Transylvania County, NC Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Died at age 85-89.
    Davidson River Cemetery    		 Davidson River Cemetery, Transylvania County, NC
    Carolyn & John Lisle visited this cemetery on 18 September 2008
    Memorial Marker for Benjamin Davidson (1742-1825)    		 Memorial Marker for Benjamin Davidson (1742-1825)
    Photograph from Davidson River Cemetery, Transylvania County, North Carolina. Supplied by Virginia Green.
    Person ID I632  DNA Family 1 Genealogies | Descendants of Immigrant Samuel Davidson of DNA Family 001
    Last Modified 18 Dec 2023 

    Father Samuel Davidson,   b. Abt 1705, Ireland Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Abt 1787, York County, South Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 82 years) 
    Mother Margaret [--?--],   d. Unknown 
    Married Bef 1736 
    Family ID F280  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Ann Patton,   b. 1748,   d. Aft 1830  (Age 83 years) 
    Married Abt 1760 
    Children 
     1. Martha Davidson,   d. Unknown
     2. Rhoda Davidson,   b. Between 1760 and 1765,   d. Unknown
     3. Polly Davidson,   b. Between 1765 and 1774,   d. Unknown
     4. Elizabeth Davidson,   b. 27 Dec 1773, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 28 Jan 1852  (Age 78 years)
     5. James Davidson,   b. Between 1774 and 1790,   d. Unknown
     6. Sarah Davidson,   b. Abt 1779, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Unknown
     7. Benjamin Davidson, Jr.,   b. Between 1780 and 1790, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Between 1830 and 2 Nov 1835, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 50 years)
     8. Erixina "Rixey" Davidson,   b. Between 1780 and 1790,   d. Between 1840 and 1850  (Age ~ 60 years)
     9. Ann Davidson,   b. 3 Oct 1780, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1 Jul 1864  (Age 83 years)
     10. Sophia A. Davidson,   b. Abt 1784, Burke County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1860  (Age ~ 77 years)
     11. Rebecca Davidson,   b. Between 1784 and 1790,   d. 21 Jan 1845  (Age ~ 61 years)
    Last Modified 4 May 2006 
    Family ID F4577  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsAlt. Birth - Aft 1737 - Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsChristened - 8 May 1743 - Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church, Beverly Manor, Fishersville, Augusta County, VA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google Maps1790 Census - 1790 - Burke County, North Carolina Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google Maps1800 Census - 1800 - Buncombe County, North Carolina Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google Maps1810 Census - 1810 - Buncombe County, North Carolina Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google Maps1820 Census - 1820 - Buncombe County, North Carolina Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDied - Abt 1825 - Davidson River, Transylvania County, North Carolina Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBuried - Unknown - Davidson River Cemetery, Pisgah Forest, Transylvania County, NC Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Badges
    Davidson DNA Family 001    		Davidson DNA Family 001
    This family are the Descendants of John Davidson of Beverley Manor, Virginia; George Davidson of North Carolina, and Samuel Davidson of Beverley Manor and North Carolina.
    Revolutionary War Patriot or Soldier Descendant    		Revolutionary War Patriot or Soldier Descendant
    Revolutionary War Patriot or Soldier    		Revolutionary War Patriot or Soldier

  • Notes 
    • Benjamin Davidson
      Pioneer Settler

      Benjamin Davidson came from a distinguished Scottish family that came to America from Ireland in the early part of 1700s. His father Samuel Davidson, along with a relative (thought to be a brother) John Davidson, settled in what is known as Beverly Manor in Augusta County, Virginia. The Rev. John Craig baptized him there at Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church on 8 May 1742. Rev. Craig also baptized his brothers James, Jesse, and William, and sister Mary Davidson.

      Sometime after 1749, John Davidson and his brother George, the father of Revolutionary War General William Lee Davidson, got land in what is now Iredell County, North Carolina, while Samuel and his family migrated to Fishing Creek in what was originally in North Carolina but, after resolving a border dispute, became part of what is now York County, South Carolina.

      Before the Revolution, Ben and his brothers James and William joined up with some of their Davidson cousins and began settling in the western part of North Carolina. Benjamin married a woman believed to be Ann Patton sometime around 1760. Their first child Rhoda was born about 1760. By the time the Revolution had started Ben had about five children.

      During the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Davidson, along with several of his brothers and cousins joined in the struggle for Independence. The history of this Davidson family is reflected in the cousins named William Davidson. One, General William Lee Davidson, served with distinction until killed at the Battle of Chadd's Ford in 1781; Davidson College is named for him, as are Davidson Counties in North Carolina and Tennessee. Another cousin was Major William Davidson who became one of the leading men of Buncombe County. His brother, Colonel William Davidson, was one of the organizers for Buncombe County in 1792 and went on to become one of the original settlers of Morgan County, Tennessee. Ben served with distinction at King's Mountain under the command of Major Joseph McDowell.

      Ben may have used his Military Land Warrants earned by service in the War to obtain land in what is now Transylvania County. He entered several claims during the 1780s. However, at the time of the 1790 census, he was listed in Morgan District in Burke County with a family of 10 children.

      When you research the Davidson Clan, it is difficult to know who is who because they all seem to give their children the same names. Ben and a William Davidson –   likely, Major William Davidson - became settlers near a stream - now called Davidson's River in Ben's honor - near its juncture with the French Broad River. Ben is said to have built the first house in the region, and it became a meeting place for travelers and for traveling ministers to hold services for the residents of the area.

      It is believed that about 1800 Ben set aside some land and built where the Davidson River Presbyterian Church was built. Originally, it was called a "meeting house" because Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists were welcomed to worship there. His son-in-law Rev. Samuel Davis was the pastor at the time. In the narthex of the present day Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church is a huge stone from the fireplace of Ben Davidson's home.

      Benjamin Davidson deeded his home place to go to his daughter Rixey after his death on the condition that she take care of her mother. We would know much less about Ben's family of two sons and nine daughter were it not for a court case in the 1850s over that land that happened after Rixey's death in the 1840s and her only child's death in the 1850s.

      Benjamin Davidson Sr. died in 1825, a hero of the Revolution, a pioneer of Transylvania County. He is buried in the Davidson River Cemetery in Pisgah Forest on land he also donated to the community. Originally, a simple stone marked his grave with his name scratched into it. A grateful community later replaced that with the marker we see today.

      His descendants are still in the county, but many have spread out across the world.

      His children were: (in estimated order)

      1. Rhoda Davidson was born about 1760-1765 and married Rev.  Samuel Davis in early 1790s. They had three known children: James, Selina, and Ethan Allan Davis. Rhoda and Samuel are said to be buried in Temple, Carroll County, Georgia.

      2. Polly Davidson was born about 1760-1765 and married Isaac Davis before 1790. They had 4 known children and removed to Georgia after 1810. There is no known connection between the Davis men who married Davidson sisters.

      3. Elizabeth Davidson was born in 1773 and died in 1852. She married John Murray in 1803 and had six children. The Murray family has had a longstanding presence in the Transylvania County.

      4. James Davidson was born about 1774-1780. He is still somewhat of a mystery. He was thought to have gone to Missouri and died before the court case; however, recent research suggests that he is likely the James Davidson who married Nancy Isbell and settled in Wilkes County, North Carolina.

      5. Sarah Davidson was born about 1779 and died after 1850.  She had three daughters between 1804 and 1818. In 1850 she was living in Alabama. In 1880 her daughter Jane and Jane's husband Jesse Justice were living in Missouri.

      6. Ann Davidson was born about 1780 and died in 1864. She married David Hadden about 1801 and had four known children. The family continues to live in and around Henderson County to this day.

      7. Benjamin Davidson, Jr., was born about 1780 to 1790.  He married about 1818 Huldah Harriet Lane, daughter of Charles Lane, another early Transylvania area pioneer. Just after 1830, Ben joined his wife's family in Missouri where he died subsequently in 1835. His youngest son was Lunsford Lane Davidson who was born in North Carolina in 1829. Lunsford's great-great grandson joined the Davidson DNA study, and his results were able to confirm both that he is one of the few male Davidson descendants of Benjamin Davidson and Benjamin Davidson's family connection with Gen. William Lee Davidson.

      8. Erixina "Rixey" Davidson was born about 1780 to 1790. She married James Johnson Jr. about 1832 and had one son Benjamin Davidson Johnson who was born about 1834 and died about 1854.  Her listing in the 1830 Federal shows her living with someone believed to be her mother, Ann Davidson, age 80-90. She died before 1850, and then, with the death of her only son about 1854, a court case arose about how to distribute the Davidson land she had inherited from her father. As her siblings were her only heirs, the court needed to find them, or their heirs, in order to settle the estate. The court papers have been useful in identifying Ben's family.

      9. Sophia A. Davidson was born about 1784 and married George Douglas Davis in 1813.  They had at least two children and moved to what is now Clay County, North Carolina. She died after 1860.

      10. Rebecca Davidson was born 1794-1790 (some sources give 1777 but census data do not support that date) and died in 1845. She married Benjamin D. Gullick. He was born about 1786, a son of John Gullick of Lincoln County, North Carolina. They had one son John Calvin Gullick who was born 1812. Some sources say family removed to Illinois; however, they stay in Handerson county area. After Rebecca died, Benjamin Davidson Gullick remarried and they had several daughters.

      11. Martha Davidson was identified as a daughter of Ben Davidson. We know that she married a Joseph Gray and had removed to Tennessee, but know little else about her.
      ______________________

      The following is an abstract from "Abstracts  - Henderson County, NC Estate Records" 1838-1900, by Kathy Summers:

      "An undated document states 'That about 35 years ago Rixy Davidson acquired by gift and descent from her father Benjamin Davidson, a tract of land.  She married James Johnson and had by him one son Davidson Johnson. Then Rixy died intestate leaving her husband with a life estate in the land. About 5 years ago Davidson died, before his father, under age and intestate. When James Johnson died, Rixy had no direct descendants so the land was divided between her siblings, or in the cases where the siblings were already desceased, her nieces and nephews". ---- So everyone that was due to inherit from Rixy had to go to court and claim their part. Which means that all of her siblings  were named and in some cases her nieces and nephews."

      [Other documents having to do with the same were dated 1859.]

      Here is an abstract of a court record that lists Ben Davidson's children and their location:

      Benjamin Davidson Jr. - moved to MO
      Rhoda Davidson, m. Samuel Davis
      Polly Davidson, m. Issac Davis
      Elizabeth Davidson
      Rebecca Davidson, m. Benjamin D. Gullick
      Sarah Davidson
      James Davidson - moved to MO
      Martha Davidson, m. Joseph Gray
      Ann Davidson m. ___Hadden
      Sophia Davidson, m. George Davis

  • Sources 
    1. [S8] Davison/Davidson Family, Robert Stephens Hand, (2nd Ed., 1991), p. 161 (Reliability: 3).


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