The ancestors of the Davis Families which settled in South Jersey came to this country in the years 1642-1660 in company with a large number of Welsh Baptist emigrants under the leadership of their Pastor John Miles. In this land were the Bowens, Bacons, Brooks, Davis, Barretts, and Sweineys, and perhaps others. They came from Swansea, Glamorgan Co., Wales and landed at Boston, Mass. and made a new settlement near there. They called it Swansea after their native place in Wales.

Being persecuted however by the Puritans they soon left and a large number of these under the leadership of Timothy Brooks in the year 1687 came to New Jersey and settled about Bowenstown, Roadstown, and Shiloh. In this company were the Bowens, Bacons, Brooks, Barretts and Sweineys.

There were three brothers by the name of Davis among those who came from Swansea, Wales with John Miles. These were John, Jonathan and Daniel.

John Davis went to Long Island and married an English woman named Dorothy Gotherson (see Sketch of life of Dorothy Scott, otherwise Gotherson and Hoghen by G.D. Senee, Rugby lodge, Serham Road, Oxford, Eng.). He belonged to the sect known as the Singing Quakers, was quite wealthy and reached the extreme old age of 100 years. Before he died, he and his whole family removed to Pilesgrove township, Salem Co., N. J. about 1795 (see the Shourds History of Fenwick Colony Pages 70-74).

Jonathan Davis also went to Long Island and became an Eminent Baptist Preacher. His wife was Mary and three of his sons with his widow Mary came to Trenton about the year 1700. These children were the Rev. Jonathan Jr., a very prominent Seventh day Baptist Divine. Rev. Jonathan Davis Jr. married Elizabeth Bowen and used to frequently visit his wife's relatives in South Jersey and preach to them in their houses. They left no children. Another child of the elder Jonathan Davis was Elnathan, the Surveyor General of New Jersey whose son Rev. Jonathan is the ancestor of a large number of the Shiloh Seventh day Baptist Community. Their other son, Samuel, was a weaver and lived with his mother at Beardenhead, Burlington Co., N. J. The Rev. Jonathan had four brothers: Elnathan, Nathan, Samuel and John whose descendents with those of Rev. Jonathan constitute the second branch of the Davis family in South Jersey.

I am a descendent of the third branch of the Davis family; descendents of Daniel Davis. He left Swansea, Wales with his brothers John and Jonathan but he settled in Connecticut about the year 1660. His wife was Mary Johnson, an Irish woman.

Benjamin Davis, the only son of whom we have any record was born in Connecticut in the year 1670. He enlisted in the British Service in the war against the French and Indians called King William's War which began in the year 1690 and ended in the year 1697. He deserted from the army and traveled through the wilderness to Cumberland County, N.J. On his way he subsided nineteen days on what he believed to be the head of a horse which he found in the wilderness. (This was doubtless an Elk's head left by some hunter as was the custom, and is left unless it is a head bearing antlers). Soon after his arrival in Cumberland Co. he married Margaret Riley and settled near the Delaware Bay close to a point of land which to this day is known as Ben Davis' Point.

We find four siblings in Cumberland County in the late 1600's. No mention is made of their parents names.

1. Joseph Rayley, Will dated April 13, 1699, recorded April 2, 1700. Inventory made May 9, 1699. Wife, Elizabeth. Leaves where he lives to his child. If there be two then to the two; if no child wife then to my brother James Rayley and my brother Thomas Rayley. Wife app. Ex. Inventory L50.1.3 made by Edward Gilman and Ben Davis.
2. James Rayley, Will dated April 23, 1741, proved June 8, 1743. Son James and Benjamin Davis Executors. Witnessed by William Clark, Mary Davis, Esther Davis. Inventory L54.01.10 made Feb. 26, 1743 by Nathan Whiticar.
3. Thomas Rayley
4. Margaret Rayley - probably a sister and the Margaret who married Benjamin Davis by 1699.

Since Ben Davis was appraiser of Joseph May 9, 1699, and Executor of James 1741 and Ben Davis son-in-law, William Clark, daughter Esther and prob. daughter-in-law, Mary Davis were witnesses to James, and the content of the respective wills, we believe that these Rayleys were of the same family. Also, it was common practice at that time to use phonetic spelling. The change from Rayley to Riley should not be considered unusual.

Capt. William Dare, a mariner, bought 800 acres on what was known as Smith Island. Benjamin Davis purchased a 100 acre portion of this land from] Capt. William Dare and owned along the shore at Sea Breeze and the point of land now known as Ben Davis Point. On one of the lots in Back Neck, near Sea Breeze, Ben built a three story house in the year 1699. The deed for the property dated May 1, 1699 said that Benjamin was a weaver. Benjamin named his place Sea Breeze. The property was located within Fenwick's Salem Tenth, between the Morris river and Cohansey river at Back Creek near the river Tweed. Back Neck is a section of fertile land on the south side of the Cohansey river nearly opposite Greenwich. Benjamin and Margaret lived 28 years at this house and had five sons and two daughters. Their names were Margaret, Benjamin, Uriah, James, Daniel, Esther and Arthur Davis. We do not have any record of where they went to church when living at Sea Breeze. It is possible they went to a Baptist church in Back Neck. The only remaining evidence of this church is a cemetary. It is also possible that they were members of the Fairfield Presbyterian Church.

It is interesting to note that Sarah Francis Ware of Bridgeton reported that, "The Ben Davis house is still standing and in good repair. I saw it on December 26, 1955". We now believe that the house was torn down circa 1975 by Mr. Garrison of Garrison's Nursery. He has stated that he tore down an old three story house soon after he bought the property and that the house was located on the north side of his property. Also, the manager of the Sea Breeze Fish and Wildlife Management Area at Durham Farms on Sea Breeze Road states that the only house that fitted the description in the area was that torn down by Mr. Garrison. He said that there was a small cabin on Ben Davis point but that the building was of more recent origin. He also stated that there was perhaps as much as ten acres on the point which might be farmed but there was no access to the area other than by boat. Because Ben Davis was reported to have farmed nearly forty acres at his Sea Breeze house, it does not seem logical that the house could have been located anywhere but on what is now known as Garrison's Nursery. Also, when June B. Porter Queripel of Shiloh, N.J. wrote her Book, "He Marched To His Own Drummer, The Ben Davis Journal, 1670-1980", which was published in 1980, she has on page 11 of her book, a map of the Back Neck area with a notation, "Probable Home Site". Where she has made this notation on the map would now be the Garrison Nursery. At the time of her publication, the Sea Breeze Ben Davis home would have already been torn down by Mr. Garrison.

In 1711-12, Benjamin Davis was constable for the north side of Cohansey. Ben was on the grand jury on December 28 & 29 in 1714 in Salem County. He was a private in Captain Seeley's County Militia in 1715. In 1720, he was a surveyor of highways. In the history of Salem County, N.J. by Joseph Slicker, we learn of an advertisement of Ben Davis. It runs as follows:

"Run away the 6th of this instant, from Benjamin Davis on Indiantown, in Salem County near Cohansie, a Servant Man named Edward Jones, tall, short hair, a sandy coloured beard and had on when he went away, an old homespun coat, patched and lined with blue, and pewter buttons, no cuffs, two pair of breeches, two shirts almost new, one home-spun, the other Ozenbrigs, old shoes and a felt hat. He has been in the Army and professes himself a drummer. Whosoever takes up the said servant and secures him, so that his said master may have him again, shall have 40 shillings as a reward, and reasonable charges. Paid by me. Benjamin Davis, Indiantown, in Salem County."

The farmers settling here were faced with a labor shortage problem. To overcome this problem, slaves were used to work the farms and this mills. In order to obtain the necessary manpower, they usually traveled to Salem, Burlington, or Philadelphia and brought redemptioners or "term slaves". These redemptioners came from all classes of society. For the most part they were Platinate Germans, Scotch, Irish, English and Scotch-Irish of good and bad families.

Benjamin Davis lived at Sea Breeze for twenty eight years.

In the year 1725 Benjanin purchased one thousand acres of land from the Proprietors of West Jersey, Burlington, N.J., at ten shillings per acre (which in our currency would amount to $1333.33. The English Pound being at that time $2.66. Everybody said, at that price it was a "dear" field, and that gave the Township its name.

Alfred Davis, in the year 1843, gave the boundaries of his ancestor, Benjamin Davis' 1000 acres as follows: This said tract of land commenced at the intersection of the streams on which the Grist and saw mill known as Seeley's Mills now stand (in 1843 the grist mill was owned by William Null and the saw mill by Samuel W. Seeley): it followed the saw mill stream, now known as the Parsonage Stream to the head thereof and the grist mill stream up to where the stream leading from the Deerfield Church empties into it: thence up the above streams until they come to the foot of a small branch above the house where I, Alfred Davis now live and from thence on a straight line east until he got his number of acres. Some of his descendents remain to this day, and have inherited it in a direct line from their ancestors.

Was Benjamin Davis a pirate or did he move from Back Neck to Dearfield to get away from them?

Historical accounts of pirates preying along the Jersey coast during the late 1600's and 1700's are most likely true. Proof that pirates visited South Jersey's shore and inland areas is more than adequate. The presence of pirates in the area is attributed to the Philadelphia Quakers owing to the reluctance of the Quakers to hang rascals. Philadelphia was a favorite place with Black Beard and others of his kind. The Delaware Bay was chosen as a resort for repairs by many an outlaw vessel. The Delaware Bay at Cape May was teeming with pirates, and sometimes the Philadelphia port was actually "Blockaded" by outlaw ships attacking merchants trying to navigate up the Delaware River. In a letter dated June 1, 1669,

Col. Robert Quary, Judge of the Admiralty in Pennsylvania, reported to his superiors: "There had arrived 60 pirates in a ship directly from Mallaigaco. They are part of Kidd's gang. About 16 of them have the ship and are landing in ye government of West Jersey at Cape May. Ye Captain of ship is one Shelly of New Yorke."

The New England Courant reported in its August 6, 1772 issue that Cape May "trade is entirely stopped by them (pirates), no vessel daring to go out."

Some believe that early settlers on the Jersey coast may have practiced a form of piracy themselves. In those days (circa 1696) the governor of East and West Jersey appointed agents from among costal residents to retrieve shipwrecks that washed ashore. More often than not, the goods that washed ashore were appropriated by the residents before they could reach the governor.

The Greenwich Township marshes near Beacon's Neck are dotted with small islands, among them Tindalls and Nancy's islands. Captain Kidd, one of the more notorious pirates during the 1700's apparently felt his presence here would not be disclosed to authorities. It is said that Captain Kidd was not the only pirate who felt this way. Blackbeard (Edward Teach), Captain Worley and Stede Bonnet were among others who sailed into the Deleware Bay and came ashore here. Blackbeard, who boasted that when he buried his treasure he always buried two dead men to guard it, and his pirate crew used to bring their ships into Back Neck Creek in Back Neck, just below Fairton, and spend the winter "out of sight and out of reach" of any harm. On the land they built log houses. They went ashore to mend their sails. A few miles below the place used for sail mending was a wharf known as Wood's Landing. Here is a road from the creek to Brick's Mill, four or five miles distant. It was a short cut for those early watermen and was known as "The Devil's Highway".

In the year 1781, Joseph Sheppard built a new brick house on the land of the pirates winter quarters. The house is still standing. It is now known as Durham Farms, Box 65, Sea Breeze, N. J.

When Bejamin moved his family to Dearfield in 1726, his oldest child, Margaret, would have been 26 years old and probably already married to William Clark; his youngest child, Arthur, would have been 15 years old. No doubt, Arthur and his older brothers had a lot to do to help establish the new homestead and start developing the farm. The nearest neighbor was two miles and the next nearest four miles.

Dearfield originally was the name of the township, rather than a specific village. The closest town was Greenwich, almost twelve miles away through winding forest trails. Dearfield was perhaps the first settlement lying beyond access to a navigable stream to be established in the Cohansey area. In 1803, with the establishment of a post office, the spelling, "Dearfield" was changed to "Deerfield". The village officially was named "Deerfield Street", and retains that name today.

Benjamin Davis' 1000 acre property was just south of what is known today as the Deerfield Presbyterian Church.

Benjamin died in 1732. (Inv. made December 30, 1732, proved February 22, 1733).

Benjamin's family (2nd generation from Daniel Davis) are as follows:

1. Margaret Davis, born 1700, married William Clark, son of William and Patience Clark and had 4 children: James Davis Clark, Sarah, Margaret and Percilla Clark.
2. Benjamin Davis Jr., born 1702, wife unknown, had 6 children: Benjamin Davis III, John Davis, Rufus Davis, James Davis, Margaret Davis and Esther Davis.
3. Uriah - died a young man.
4. James Davis, born 1706, married Mary Lummis, daughter of Edward Lummis and Abigail Waiscoate, had 10 children: Abisha, Sarah, Othoniel, Elizabeth, Rachel, Jonathon, Johanna, Esther, James Davis Jr., David.
5. Daniel Davis, born 1708, married Mary Bradway, had 9 children: Mary, Patience, Broadway, Amon, Uriah, Joseph, Hannah (died as a child), Arthur, Hannah.
6. Esther Davis, born ?, married Benjamin Perry and had 2 children: Benjamin Perry Jr., and a daughter.
7. Arthur Davis, born June 13, 1713 and died in Wilmington, Del., November 15, 1789. He married three times, 1st in 1736 to Marhta Moore, d. January 1743, and had 4 children: 2nd (our line) December 1743 to Esther Preston, daughter of Levi Jr. and Mary Preston. (Esther was born June 20, 1723 and died September 3, 1781) and had 8 children. His third wife was Mrs. Esther Meek. He married her on March 20, 1782. He had no children by his third marriage. Arthur's body was brought across the Deleware River on the ice and was said to be buried in the old Davis family graveyard on what was known in later years as the Welsh farm. His grave was said to be near the road.

Near the southwest corner of the Deerfield Presbyterian Church graveyard there is a tombstone which is difficult to read but I believe to be inscribed as follows:

In Memory of ARTHUR DAVIS Deacon Who departed this life November 15th, 1789 Aged 76 years My Flesh shall slumber in the ground Till the last Trumpet blast shall sound Then bursting chain with some reprise And in my Savior I will rise

This may be the true resting place of Arthur Davis, the son of Benjamin Davis.

Arthur Davis' children (3rd generation from Daniel Davis) are as follows:

1. Phoebe, born August 18, 1737. d. August 1771 @ 34, had 9 children: Amon, Jeremiah, Phebe, Patience, Benjamin, Esther, Samuel, Elijah, and Percilla Thompson.
2. Jeremiah, born September 2, 1739, died young
3. Elijah, born September 21, 1740, d. August 23, 1810 @ 70 Married to Patience Thompson October 1762, no children.
4. Daniel, born January 2, 1743, d. December 6, 1805, married Hannah Foster, had 9 children: Ruhama, Jemima, Elijah, Hannah, Isaac, Aaron, Phebe, Aaron, Daniel Jr.
5. Levi, born June 26, 1746, d. at 3 or 4 years of age.
6. Martha, born January 25, 1748, d. July 25, 1813, married Jonathon Ogden November 8, 1769 and had 6 children: Hannah, Ruth, Esther, David, Naomi and Rebecca Ogden.
7. Ruth, born December 15, 1750, d. December 15, 1797, married William Garrison and had 4 children: Ruth, William, John and Abijah Garrison.
8. Arthur II, born September 30, 1752, d. May/June 18, 1804 Married Mary Tullis November 1774 @ 52, had 11 children. She died April 15, 1797 @ 57. She was the daughter of William and Mary (Platts) Tuillis. Mary was born August 23, 1756 and died April 15, 1814. She was buried at Deerfield Presbyterian Church. Mary's second marriage was to Otheniel Davis, a cousin of Arthur. (No issue by this marriage). Otheniel died about 1799.
9. Esther, born May 23, 1756, died August 1764 @ 8.
10. Charles, born February 2, 1758, died an infant.
11. Naomi, born July 6, 1759, d. March 1792, married Rubin Shull and had 2 children: Ann and Jacob Shull.
12. Benjamin, born April 19, 1762, d. February 25, 1837 @ 75, had 6 children. - THE SOURCE OF MOST OF THIS INFORMATION - the children were: Jeremiah, Esther, Jane, Richard, Alfred and James.

Our lineage comes from Arthur II. his children and 4th generation from Daniel Davis are:

1. Levi, died November 26, 1776
2. John,, (birthday unknown), married Lydia Hann March 19, 1799 at Methodist Church in Salem, N.J. and had 9 children. (our lineage). He died before May 12, 1856 which was the settlement date of the estate.
3. Ruth
4. Obijah
5. William, married February 25, 1808 to Rachel VanMeter
6. Arthur III
7. James, born 1788, married Susan Crumm and had 4 children: Rebecca, Isaac, Arthur, and James Davis Jr.
8. Joel, married Priscilla Coombs and had 12 children: Mary, Ruth, Joshua, John, Joel, Esther, Sarah, Benjamin, David, Jesse, Jane and Smith.
9. Benjamin, died October 27, 1810 @ 10.
10. Mary, married David Davis, son of James Jr. and Ruth Dare Davis and had 6 children: Ephraim, James, Mary Ann, Ruth, Harriet and Sarah.
11. Esther, married Isaac Sheathen.

Our lineage is from John. His children and 5th generation from Daniel Davis were:

1. Sarah, married Amon Woodruff
2. Eli (our lineage)
3. Jacob, married 3 times: 1st Sarah Edwards, 2nd Maria Miller, 3rd Rhoda Creaner.
4. Catherene
5. Lydia, married David Jaggers
6. Elizabeth, married Henry Hampton
7. Susannah, married Isaac Tompkins
8. John, married Ruth Harris
9. Margaret, married Thomas Finch

Eli Davis, born about 1803, died February 14, 1861. Eli Davis' first wife was Anna M. (tombstone), Family Bible uses Mariah. Local historians refer to her as Ann Maria & Ann Mariah. She was born about 1807 (tombstone), died August 10, 1837 (tombstone). Eli's second wife was Rhoda Creaner, born about 1822, died November 1, 1867 (tombstone). Eli had 10 children, 1 daughter and 2 sons by his first wife and 3 sons and 4 daughters by his second wife. Our lineage is by his first son, the second child by his first wife, Daniel J. Davis.

Our 6th generation from Daniel Davis is as follows:

1. A daughter, name unknown, b. circa 1828.
2. Daniel J. Davis, born 1830, died February 8, 1865 (Family Bible). He married Maranda Graner or Grannin. The family Bible uses Griner and the marriage certificate says Grannin. They were married May 7, 1852 at Commerce Street Methodist Church, Bridgeton, N.J. Daniel was a Waterman -- He was Captain of the sloop Olive and the sloop The Jane T. Daniels. They had 4 sons and 1 daughter. Our lineage is from his second son, Albert Franklin Davis.
3. A son, Matthins, b. 1834
4. Jacob, b. 1844
5. Anna Elizabeth, b. 1846
6. Eli, b. 1848
7. James N., b. 1851
8. Susana J., b. 1852
9. Roberta J., b. 1856
10. Lydia, b. 1859

Our 7th generation from Daniel Davis is:

1. Charles H., born 1853, had two children: Charles, Myrtle Rose
2. Albert Franklin Davis, born 1856, d. 1930. (Our lineage).
3. Louise (Gallagher) b. 1858, had two sons, David Gallagher and Robert Simpkins Gallagher.
4. George Davis, b. 1862, had two sons, George and Granville Davis.
5. William Sink Davis, b. 1864, had two children: Anna (West), John Micheal, born 1892.

Our 8th generation from Daniel is from Albert F. Davis, born February 16,1856 in Fairton, N.J., married Lydia Irene Bryant of Bridgeton, N.J. July 11, 1894, died April 21, 1930 at Minotola, N.J. Lydia Irene (Bryant) Davis was born January 1, 1877. Her father was in the Civil War. During his enlistment he was known at John O'Brian. He later changed his name to Bryant. John married Isabella Davis. My grandmother, L. Irene Davis, knew of no close relationship between her mother, Isabella Davis, and her husband, Albert Davis. L. Irene Bryant died in 1964. She and Albert are buried at Overlook Cemetary, Bridgeton, N.J. Their children were:

1. Irvin Kirk Davis, born June 14, 1895 in Fairton, N.J. (From Albert F. Davis Bible). He married Marguerite Alice Neff of Slatington, Pa. July 6, 1920 at Elkton, Md. He died July 12, 1973. Marguerite A. (Neff) Davis was born in Washington Township, Lehigh County, Pa., March 27, 1895, died February 13, 1986. Both are buried in Union Cemetary, Slatington, Pa.
2. A daughter,died an infant circa 1912, buried at Overlook Cemetary, Bridgeton, N.J.

Our 9th generation from Daniel Davis is:

1. Bernice Sylvia Davis, daughter of Irvin K. and Marguerite Davis, born April 24, 1921 in Palmerton, Pa. She died April 1, 1933 in Palmerton, Pa., buried in Union Cemetery, Slatington, Pa.
2. Irvin Francis Davis, son of Irvin K. and Marguerite Davis, was born July 31, 1923 in Palmerton, Pa. Irvin F. Davis and Madlon Louise Leininger, Denver, Colorado, were married in Danforth Chapel on the campus of Colorado State University at Fort Collins, Colorado August 7, 1957. Their primary residence was at 102 Mercy Street, Mountain View, Ca. 94041-2230. They had two children, Charles Kirk Davis and Janet Irene Davis. Madlon passed away Easter Sunday morning April 19, 1992 in Santa Clara, Ca. She was buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, Ca.

Our 10th generation from Daniel Davis is:

1. Charles Kirk Davis, son of Irvin F. and Madlon Davis of Broomfield, Colorado was born July 5, 1958 at the Porter Hospital, Denver, Colorado.
2. Janet Irene Davis, daughter of Irvin F. and Madlon Davis of Fort Collins, Colorado was born January 1, 1960 at Larimer County Hospital, Fort Collins, Colorado. Janet has not married.

Our 11th generation from Daniel Davis is from Charles. K. Davis. He married Laura Ann Miller June 11, 1983 at Oakview, Ca. They have two boys and two girls.

1. Benjamin Kirk Davis, born May 9, 1985
2. Brianna Joy Davis, born January 8, 1989
3. Brandon Charles Davis, born August 9, 1991
4. Bethany Grace Davis, born July 26, 2004

To the best of my knowledge our Davis lineage is as follows:

Daniel Davis, b. Wales
1. Benjamin Davis, b. in Conn. 1670, d. in N.J. 1732
2. Arthur Davis I, b. June 30, 1713, d. November 15, 1789
3. Arthur Davis II, b. September 30, 1752, d. May 18, 1804
4. John Davis, b. (date unknown), d. about 1856
5. Eli Davis, b. about 1803, d. February 14, 1861
6. Daniel J. Davis, b. 1830, d. February 8, 1865
7. Albert Franklin Davis, b. February 16, 1856, d. April 21, 1930
8. Irvin Kirk Davis, b. June 24, 1895, d. July 12, 1973
9. Irvin Francis Davis, b. July 31, 1923
   1. Janet Irene Davis, b. January 1, 1960
   2. Charles Kirk Davis, b. July 5, 1958
      1. Benjamin Kirk Davis, b. May 9, 1985
      2. Brianna Joy Davis, b. January 8, 1989
      3. Brandon Charles Davis, b. August 9, 1991
      4. Bethany Grace Davis, b. July 26, 2004