Fulk Davis

Ancestry and posterity of Joseph Davis (1773-1865) of Norway, New York, and his wife, Elizabeth Hallock Davis. by William Church Davis (1927)

FOULK DAVIS (1):

Born in Wales or England, probably about 1615. Died Jamaica, Long Island, N.Y., about 1687.

• Married, 1st (name unknown), probably about 1639.
• Married, 2nd, Mary Dayton (wid.), about 1660. Born (place and date unknown). Died Jamaica, L.I., before 1699.

Children (all by first marriage):

• 1. Benjamin(2) b. 1640; d. Dec. 20, 1692, at Southampton; m. Rebecca -, b. 1644; d. prior to 1692.
• 2. Joseph(2) b. Prob. about 1645, at Southampton, L.I.; d. 1691, at Brookhaven, L.I.; m. Elizabeth -.
• 3. Samuel(2) b. Prob. after 1642, at Southampton, L.I.; d. 1692, at Jamaica, L.I. (“Jamaica Town Records”); m. Mary, who survived him (“Jamaica Town Records”).
• 4. Jonathan(2) b. Date and place unknown; d. 1674, at Jamaica, L. I. (“Abstract Early N.Y. Wills”); m. Sarah, who survived him. (Do.do.)
• 5. Sarah(2) b. Date and place unknown; date death, unknown; m. William Salyer (“Early Brookhaven Records”).
• 6. John(2) b. Date and place unknown; d., date unknown. (Son John mentioned in “Small Book of Deeds,” Southampton; transfers land to Brother Benjamin, 1678.)

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Evidence needed to support as child of Foulk Davis, I

Biographical Summary:

Fulke Davy sold his house and lot to Nathaniel Ward before Jan., 1639-40, and probably removed from Hartford; he witnessed a grant from James Fassett to Lion Gardner, of Isle of Wight, March 10, 1639-40; signed the petition from Jamaica, Middleborough, and Hempsted Long Island, to be taken under Connecticut government.

SOURCE: James Hammond Trumbull, editor, The memorial history of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884, Volume 1 (Boston, Massachusetts: Edward L. Osgood, 1886), page 236. Retrieved: 3 May 2011 from Google Books

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Family

Ffulke Davis was one of the founding fathers of East Hampton but was convicted of public indecency and molesting men and chased out of town. His 2nd wife, (her 3rd husband) Mary was also evicted for witchcraft.

"Fulk Davis was a Tenant [SIC: tenant§] Farmer, who could neither read nor write. He originally served as a gardener for Lion Gardiner on Gardiners' Island, New York. He was married twice, first in 1639. She died around 1660. He wed his second wife, Mary, on March 11, 1660. She died before May 4, 1699. He was granted two (2) acres of land on October 9, 1642 (originally described as "Old Land Upon the Playne") in Southhampton, N.Y. He is said to be a native of Wales. Before 1674 he moved to Jamacia, N.Y.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Davy-295

William Church Davis further suggests Foulk's children (all by his first wife) are:

• Benjamin b.1640, d. 20 Dec 1692 at Southhampton; m. Rebecca __, b.1644, d. before 1692. (Information sourced by W.C. Davis from "Early L.I. Wills").
• Joseph b. probably ~1645 at Southampton; d. 1691 at Brookhaven; m. Elizabeth __ ?. Joseph's DoB derived from Southampton records in 1668, noted below.
• Samuel, b. probably aftger 1642 at Southampton; d.1692 at Jamaica, New York. m. Mary ____, who survived him ("Jamaica Town Records")
• Jonathan, b. ?, place unknown; d.1674 at Jamaica, New York. ("Abstract early N.Y. Wills"); m. Sarah ___, who survived him. (ditto)
• Sarah, b. ?, place unknown; d. ?; m. William Salyer ("Early Brookhaven Records")
• John, b. ?; place unknown; d. ?; (John's name appears "Small Book of Deeds", Southampton, transfers land to brother Benjamin 1678)

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Fulk Davis, Hartford Founder

https://www.foundersofhartford.org/the-founders/fulk-davis/

Compiled by Timothy Lester Jacobs, SDFH Genealogist

FULK1 DAVIS, HARTFORD FOUNDER was born abt. 1615 in Wales?, and died bet. 21 Aug 1685 - 04 Nov 1692 in Jamaica, Long Island, NY. He married (1) ________ ______ abt. 1639. She died bef. 1661. He married (2) MARY ______, WIDOW OF JAMES HAYNES bef. 1661. She died aft. 13 Dec 1700 in Jamaica, Long Island, NY.

Fulk Davis (Ffulk, Foulke, Fulke) (Davies, Davys) was one of the original founders of Hartford, but his origin and date of arrival in Hartford is unknown. He sold his house and lot, which was located on the south side of the Little River on the Road from the Mill to the South Meadow, to Nathaniel Ward before January 1639/40. He appears on Long Island, New York, in 1639 when he witnessed the deed to Lion Gardiner of that land which would become known as Gardiner’s Island. He is said to have served as a gardener for Lion Gardiner there, thus was probably on Gardiner’s Island until sometime before 9 October 1642, when the Southhampton records show that the town provided him two acres of ground. He is mentioned in Southampton entries dated 7 March 1644 and 22 October 1644. He removed from Southampton sometime close to 1653 when he was allotted land in in that town.

In 1654 he, his son John, and two others were convicted of proscribed sexual behavior. He later was run out of East Hampton for molesting men, and his wife Mary was also evicted for practicing witchcraft. In 1660 he was a resident of Jamaica, but by 12 December 1670 he had purchased land in the town of Brookhaven. Is uncertain if he ever lived in Brookhaven. He died in Jamaica sometime between 9 February 1686, when he transferred land to his son-in-law, William Salyer, and before 4 November 1692 when a deed of John Hinds mentions him as being deceased.

Acquisition of genealogical data on early Long Island families is extraordinarily difficult, as no vital records were kept, thus genealogical knowledge of these families is derived primarily through land records and legal matters.

Primary sources:

• “The Ancestry and Posterity of Joseph Davis (1773- 1865) of Norway, New York, and his wife, Elizabeth Hallock Davis”, William C. Davis, Walton, NY, 1927
• “The Early Daytons and Descendants of Henry, Jr.”, Donald Lines Jacobus and Arthur B. Dayton, New Haven Colony Historical Society, New Haven, 1959
• “Records of the Town of Jamaica, Long Island, New York, 1656 to 1751”, Josephine C. Frost, Long Island Historical Society, Brooklyn, 1914
• “A History of Long Island”, Vol. 2, William S. Pelletreau, New York, 1905
• Genealogy: “The Ancestry and Posterity of Joseph Davis (1773 - 1865) of Norway, New York, and his wife, Elizabeth Hallock Davis”, William C. Davis, Walton, NY, 1927 (This genealogy only shows Fulk Davis’s children, with the exception of the line of his son Joseph Davis, whose descendant was the Joseph Davis of Norway, New York of the title.)

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https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2018/11/witch-be-gone-a-witch-trial...

Authors note: It may have been Faulke Davis’ 1654 charge of public lewdness (which East Hampton records precisely record) that he was subsequently found guilty of and punished for by East Hamptonite elders, which spurred Goody Davis to scorn Goody Garlick for witchcraft, as a result (prior to 1658). Goody Garlick may have been his accuser, and as such, made herself a target of Faulke’s wife, “Good-wife” Davis. Also, Faulke Davis had an inglorious reputation throughout his long life. Historian and cultural anthropologist Loretta Orion described Faulke in her 2002 lecture “East Hampton’s Legendary Witch,” as a philanderer. After being forced out of the Hamptons in the early 1660’s, Faulke relocated up the Island to Brookhaven Town. Yet, Faulke did not stay long…for he left Brookhaven for Queens County, before dying there (circa) 1691. That none of his many, many descendants ever named their progeny after him speaks volumes. But his brood, unlike Faulke himself, were to become distinguished in their own right, both as Brookhaven Town officials during the Victorian era, as well as during the War for Independence. One of Faulke Davis’ great great grandkids may have even been a Culper spy. His name is Joseph Davis. He is a signer of Brookhaven Town’s 1775 List of Associators, which protested British oppression the the 13 colonies and openly supported the Continental Congress. Culper Spies Caleb Brewster and Abraham Woodhull also were signatories on this same list.

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http://longislandsurnames.com/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I252...

This is an independent site dependent upon donations to continue to exist. It is filled with information on Ffulke Davis, our ancestor who was probably the immigrant on this Davis line. It is PACKED with information, but as the site explains, there is little documentation. Though much may possibly be speculative, the whole picture emerges in a way to make us take notice. Repeating that this is almost all information that needs further research, I'll summarize it a bit, without using the words "alleged" and "unverified." That is to be understood. LT

Ffulke (also spelled Fulk and Fulke) may have been born about 1615 in Glamorganshire, Wales. The people at Long Island Surnames recommend a book that we are not likely to find. Nevertheless:

"'The Ancestry and Posterity of Joseph Davis (1773-1865) of Norway, New York, and his Wife, Elizabeth Hallock Davis' by William C. Davis. Walton, NY, Press of the Reporter Co. (1927). Limited ed. 100 copies. This is not a well known record as there were so few issued."

Whether Ffulke Davis' background is discussed in the book is not mentioned, but some common agreement seems to be that he did come from Glamorganshire. The Timothy Davis family bible (1750-1827) states that the Davis family is of Welsh extraction. The name Davis actually has both Welsh and English roots. We do know that he was in the colonies by 1639, from which we have the first record, that being that Ffulke Davis witnessed the deed of a Lyon Gardiner, who had settled on an island off the current Long Island, New York, in 1635. There is the Gardiner family bible which describes the Gardiner family's move from Holland and their purchase of the island from the Indians. We have to remember that this was only 26 years from the original settling of Jamestown, some distance south, so on a timeline, this is very early.

The closest town, East Hampton, was not founded until 1648. After that, there are records, but not if children are in the room. Ffulke's wife had at some time before 1657 been convicted of witchcraft. This is somewhat the flavor of the records proving our ancestor's life in those parts. It is interesting from a sociological standpoint as well as the preservation of some sensational material that in 1654 Ffulke, his son John and two others were convicted of masturbation. He is in the town records of East Hampton in 1653 and 1656 when he was alloted certain lands, and again on March 11, 1660 when his second wife, Mary (Haynes, Dayton), and he as co-defendant, were sued by a Mr. Baker and Robert Dayton for an action of tresspassing.

What we have, according to these Long Island records, is a somewhat unsavory picture of a settler who could not get along with his neighbors. To emphasize this, he appears to have been run out of East Hampton for molesting men. His wife was also evicted for practicing witchcraft. This may have accounted for his having lived in several different locations, including Southhampton and Brookhaven, finally dying in Jamaica (Queens) New York.

It is possible that NONE OF THIS IS TRUE, but it seems to be all we have at the moment, and as the immigrant heading a long line of Davises, some picture or composite may be better than nothing.

All of the information is contained in the records referred to by the URL at the beginning of this summary. It is a very good read. It might not be possible to make a movie of these remnants of alleged information, to point out that even our brave ancestors of this important century were fully human. Leigh Thomas

P.S. Since summarizing these records I have learned that the AGBA lists Ffulke Davis as having been born in 1920 in New York.

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The first record of Ffulke is a deed he witnessed on Gardiner's Island in 1636. He is mentioned frequently in the early records of Southampton, East Hampton, and Brookhaven. The Collections of the New York Historical Society for the Year 1869, p. 272 is a transcription of a grant from James Farrett, deputy to the Earle of Sterling (Scotland), to Lion Gardiner, of the island, called by the Indians Manchonack and by the English the Isle of Wight. The document was sealed 10 March 1639 and is witnessed by Ffulke Davis and Benjamin Pine. East Hampton History and Genealogies by J E Rattray mentions Ffulke Davis as one of the 24 early settlers who joined 5 of the original 9 settlers of East Hampton. Ffulke Davis is listed in the rate list of Newtown (now Jamaica) for the year 1683 with 2 cows, 2 one year olds, 8 of land, 1 head and estates of 39-0-0 . Ffulke came to Gardiner's Island and settled in East Hampton. He then moved to Brookhaven, then moved again to Jamaica where he died. A transaction of land to his-son-in law, William Sallire, is recorded in the Brookhaven Town Records, 1662-1679 on p. 87. It is dated 25 Oct 1671 and in the "three and twentieth year of the reign of our sovereign lord Charles the second of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King." On page 162 is the record of Ffulke giving his dwelling and some attached land to his son, Joseph. He also gives consent to "make over" the 5 acres of land on the south side of his lot which is 5 acres in exchange (sic).

   * The Davis Lineage traces its roots back to Acton-Turville, Gloucestershire, England. The family members are believed to descend from a man with the surname Davys, living in Acton-Turville in the late 15th century. The Military Survey of Gloucestershire, 1522 lists two men with this surname in Acton-Turville: John Davys and Thomas Davys alias Smyth, one of whom was most likely the man in question. He would have been born about 1500 and had at least five children, James, Edmund, John, and Robert, and a daughter whose name is unknown.

     Fulk Davis was a Tent Farmer, who could neither read nor write. He originally served as a gardner for Lion Gardiner on Gardiners' Island, New York. He was married twice, first in 1639. She died around 1660. He wed his second wife, Mary, on March 11, 1660. She died before May 4, 1699. He was granted two (2) acres of land on October 9, 1642 (originally described as "Old Land Upon the Playne") in Southhampton, N.Y. He is said to be a native of Wales. Before 1674 he moved to Jamacia, N.Y.

Ffulke's birthplace and country of origin have not been determined. It has been suggested that Glamorganshire, Wales is a possible origin, but no references have been cited. The Timothy Davis (1750-1827) family bible states that the Davis family is of Welsh extraction. In 1636 Fulke Davis was in Hartford Connecticut. His name is listed among the first town proprietors and is engraved upon a obelisk in the towns green. The first Long island reference to Ffulke appears in 1639 when he witnessed the deed to Lion Gardiner of Gardiner's Island. Lion Gardiner had settled at the Island in 1635. (In a Gardiner family bible is the following: "In the Year of our Lord 1635 July 10th came I, Lion Gardiner and Mary my Wife from Worden a town in Holland..."etc. It reads further: "Wee came from Woerden to London and from thence to New England and dwelt At Say brooke forte four Years... and then went to an Island of mine own which I bought of the Indians...").

     East Hampton was founded in 1648, and until 1662 was usually known as Maidstone although in 1650 there is at least one reference to East: Hampton. In 1657 Ffulke lived on the Island - this is clearly indicated in the records of the "witch" matter in 1657 in East Hampton - "...Goody Davis saith y't she had dressed her children in clean linen at the island...". Additionally, in this same matter his wife is identified as a serving woman on Gardiner's Island. Whaling was an active business off the coast at Southampton, and in an effort to organize this business "for the prevention of disorder", in 1644 the Town of Southampton was divided into four wards, eleven persons per ward two of whom should be chosen by lot to cut up any drift whales cast up on the beach, and also that after storms and at other times persons should be deputed to patrol the beach looking for whales. Citing East Hampton Town Records, V. 1, p. 3, for the third ward, the name of Ffulk Davies is listed along with Richard Gosmer, Arthur Bostock, Henry Pierson, John Hande, Thomas Hyldreth, John Mulford, John Moore, Ellis Cook, Robert Bond and Mr. Howe. (Note: in this listing is written "ffor the third ward..." etc. notice the use of a double f, as in ffulk.)

     Ffulke again appears in the East Hampton town records in 1654 where Ffulke, his son, John, and two others were convicted of masturbation. Southampton records of October 9, 1642 indicate that that town was prepared to survey and provide "Ffulk Daues and William Rogers each of them two acres of old ground vpon the playne...". These same records mention Ffulke in entries dated March 7, 1644 and October 22, 1644. He re-surfaces in East Hampton records of 1653 and 1656 when he was alloted certain lands, and again on March 11, 1660 when his second wife, Mary (Haynes, Dayton), and he as co-defendant, were sued by a Mr. Baker and Robert Dayton, son of her former husband, Ralph Dayton, deceased, for an action of tresspass.

     Brookhaven, on the North Shore, which had been purchased from the Indians in 1655, was supplemented on June 10, 1664 with the purchase of land at Old Man's Harbor (now Mt. Sinai). The Brookhaven town records for Dec. 12, 1670 and Jan 28, 1671 document land transactions by Ffulke "in this towne", although in 1660 he was a resident of Jamaica. However, in a record of October 25, 1671 he states that his residence is "Jamaica, in the north Rieding of yourkshiere...". There are several references in the Jamaica records to Ffulke and his family. He died there after Feb. 9, 1686 (when he transferred land to his son-in-law, William Salyer) and before Nov. 4, 1692 when a deed of John Hinds mentions "Ffulk Davies, latte of Jamaica, deseast."

     Ffulke reputedly came from Wales (Tyne) directly to Saybrook, LI NY and subsequently resided on Gardiners Island. He obtained notoriety when he was

     run out of East Hampton for molesting men and his wife was also evicted for practicing witchcraft. He lived

From: Artisans1@aol.com

     To: emailus@longislandgenealogy.com

     Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 08:25:27 EST

     Subject: davis surname

hi. my name is gerald davis and i live in danbury ct.in the past two years i

     have researched the davis surname.as being part of three generations from

     ct,for whatever reasons the family history/background was never handed down

     to my generation.so after a lot of research and trips to L.I. plus help from

     people there i was able to trace my heritage back to ffulke davis.with the

     exception of a question of how many benjamins are in my line i have the

     complete line.there is a lot of info that would correct/update/link many

     names already in this file.NOW here is my problem,because of my limited

     computer skills i don't know how to get this info to you.i do have a hard

     copy put together from an article by LeRoy smith on file at the riverhead

     library entitled Foulk Davis family of long island with all the pages of my

     line with notes on where the info came from. I would like to get this on file

     but don't know how to do this.i could send a copy of this to you if you think

     you could take a look and give me some direction.sorry to bother you but am

     at a loss what to do with info.would hate to see it get lost in the upcoming

     years.

From: Stuart Hotchkiss

     To: longislandgenealogy@juno.com

     Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 10:35:40 -0500

     Subject: Re: Fw: davis surname

The note from Gerald Davis is very interesting - must be another

     cousin. The Leroy Smith database is familiar to me and was the

     source of much of my information. My grandmother had left me some

     handwritten excerpts, plus an online friend sent me copies of most if

     not all of the file. None of the Leroy Smith material that I

     obtained gives any confirmation of Eliakim DAVIS, son of Benjamin and

     father of my GGG grandfather, Chapman "Shortcake" DAVIS. I think I

     have it put together correctly, but without additional references

     that I can trust I cannot be sure. I did obtain some additional and

     very useful information from "The Ancestry and Posterity of Joseph

     Davis (1773-1865) of Norway, New York, and his Wife, Elizabeth

     Hallock Davis" by William C. Davis. Walton, NY, Press of the

     Reporter Co. (1927). Limited ed. 100 copies. This is not a well

     known record as there were so few issued.

Gerald is right - there is some Benjamin confusion and again what I

     have is not confirmed, although I think I have it right. I would be

     glad to work with Gerald if you would like me to do that - perhaps I

     could help him and there might be some new info. for you to put on

     the site or the CD. If you would like my help let him know that I

     have offered - I would not interfere without an OK from you both. I

     assume his email is . Otherwise I leave it to

     you, and that would be fine also.

Regards,

     Stu

Ffulke's birthplace and country of origin have not been

     determined. Ref. 22 suggests Glamorganshire, Wales as a

     possible origin, but no references were cited. The Timothy

     Davis (1750-1827) family bible states that the Davis family is

     of Welsh extraction. The first reference to Ffulke appears in

     1639 when he witnessed the deed to Lion Gardiner of Gardiner's

     Island, p. 271. Lion Gardiner had settled at the Island in

     1635. (In a Gardiner family bible is the following: "In the

     Year of our Lord 1635 July 10th came I, Lion Gardiner and Mary

     my Wife from Worden a town in Holland..."etc. It reads further:

     "Wee came from Woerden to London and from thence to New England

     and dwelt At Say brooke forte four Years... and then went to an

     Island of mine own which I bought of the Indians...", p. 265).

East Hampton was founded in 1648, and until 1662 was usually

     known as Maidstone () although in 1650 there is at least one

     reference to East: Hampton ( , p. 230). In 1657 Ffulke lived

     on the Island - this is clearly indicated in the records of the

     "witch" matter in 1657 in East Hampton - "...Goody Davis saith

     y't she had dressed her children in clean linen at the

     island...". Additionally, in this same matter his wife is

     identified as a serving woman on Gardiner's Island.

p 228: Whaling was an active business off the coast at

     Southampton, and in an effort to organize this business "for the

     prevention of disorder", in 1644 the Town of Southampton was

     divided into four wards, eleven persons per ward two of whom

     should be chosen by lot to cut up any drift whales cast up on

     the beach, and also that after storms and at other times persons

     should be deputed to patrol the beach looking for whales.

     Citing East Hampton Town Records, V. 1, p. 3, for the third

     ward, the name of ffulk Davies is listed along with Richard

     Gosmer, Arthur Bostock, Henry Pierson, John Hande, Thomas

     Hyldreth, John Mulford, John Moore, Ellis Cook, Robert Bond and

     Mr. Howe. (Note: in this listing is written "ffor the third

     ward..." etc. notice the use of a double f, as in ffulk.)

Ffulke again appears in the East Hampton town records in 1654

     (, p.32;) where Ffulke, his son, John, and two others were

     convicted of masturbation. Southampton records of October 9,

     1642 indicate that that town was prepared to survey and provide

     "Ffulk Daues and William Rogers each of them two acres of old

     ground vpon the playne...". These same records mention Ffulke

     in entries dated March 7, 1644 and October 22, 1644 (, p 17).

     He re-surfaces in East Hampton records of 1653 and 1656 when he

     was alloted certain lands, and again on March 11, 1660 when his

     second wife, Mary (Haynes, Dayton), and he as co-defendant, were

     sued by a Mr. Baker and Robert Dayton, son of her former

     husband, Ralph Dayton, deceased, for an action of tresspass. (,

     p 17 or p 148 or p 189 &).

Brookhaven, on the North Shore, which had been purchased from

     the Indians in 1655, was supplemented on June 10, 1664 with the

     purchase of land at Old Man's Harbor (now Mt. Sinai). The

     Brookhaven town records for Dec. 12, 1670 and Jan 28, 1671

     document land transactions by Ffulke "in this towne", although

     in 1660 he was a resident of Jamaica (). However, in a record

     of October 25, 1671 he states that his residence is "Jamaica, in

     the north Rieding of yourkshiere..." (). There are several

     references in the Jamaica records to Ffulke and his family. He

     died there after Feb. 9, 1686 (when he transferred land to his

     son-in-law, William Salyer) and before Nov. 4, 1692 when a deed

     of John Hinds mentions "Ffulk Davies, latte of Jamaica,

     deseast." ( ,p. 19)

General Information.
1. According to verbal information by Margaret Gass of Millers

     Place (L.I.) obtained on July 26, 1993, Ffulke reputedly came

     from Wales (Tyne) directly to Saybrook, LI NY and subsequently

     resided on Gardiners Island. He obtained notoriety when he was

     run out of East Hampton for molesting men and his wife was also

     evicted for practicing witchcraft. He lived in Southhampton for

     a time and then Brookhaven, finally dying in Jamaica, NY. His

     relationship to Dolar Davis is unsubstantiated, but they both

     may have come from the same place in Wales and were

     contemporaries.

2. Letter from Margaret Gass, December, 1993:
"A rate list of the town of Newtown (now Jamaica) in 1683 lists

     Fulke Davis as having no horses, 2 cows (2 one -year olds, but

     whether these are the same 2 is not clear), no oxen, no swine, 8

     (acres?) of land and 1 "head" - whatever that may mean - and

     "estates" of 39-0-0 (pounds, shillings & pence I believe), which

     made him one of the poorest men in the area; in fact there were

     only 9 as poor or poorer out of 78. Next to his name is that of

     Samuel Davis (the names are not alphabetical, so I would guess

     they were listed geographically). Samuel had 3 cows, 2 two-year

     olds, 1 swine, 11 of land and 1 "head" and estate of 50-0-0.

     There are only a few households with 0 "heads", so I doubt if it

     would be slaves, which seemed a likely guess at first glance.

     The same year, 1683, the comparable list for Brookhaven town

     lists Joseph Davis as having 1 head, 30 lands and meadows, 1

     horse, 1 two-year old (horse), 2 oxen and bulls, 2 cows, 1

     three-year old (cows), 1 two-year old (cows), 2 yearlings, 0

     sheep and 1 swine. Also listed in Brookhaven that year is

     William Salyer, who married Fulke's daughter, with 1 head, 11

     land, 2 horses, 3 cows, 1 yearling. I believe they were in

     Setauket then. Joseph Davis of Brookhaven is listed in 1675 and

     had 1 head, 2 oxen, 3 cows, 1 one-year old, 1 two-year old, 1

     horse, 2 two-year old (colts), 2 swine and 4 meadowlands and

     estate of 0-72-0 ( ), while Wm. Salyer had 1 head, 3 cows, 3

     three-year olds, 1 horse, 3 meadowlands and 0-60-0. A list of

     freeholders of Brookhaven in 1739 lists Sylvanus Davis (Eastern

     L.I. I think, and possibly no connection), Joseph Davis, Samuel

     Davis, Daniel Davis and Benjamin Davis, all in Mt. Sinai from

     the geographical arrangement. In 1683 there was a John Davis in

     Southampton town and also Benjamin Davis, who had 1 "pole"

     (head? - as in poll tax?) and 107 pounds, 06 s. 08 d. A list of

     inhabitants of Southampton town in 1698 includes "feamales" 2

     Mary Davises, Elizabeth Davis and Mehitable Davis and 6 Davis

     men that are, as best I know, no connection, a Daniel who could

     be. It is my understanding that Fulke came first to Gardiner's

     Island - Isle of Wight - settled in East Hampton, then

     Southampton, then Brookhaven and finally died in Jamaica

     (Newtown) and his children dropped off wherever they came of

     age. The Brookhaven town records are full of lawsuits between

     the Davises and their neighbors and each other, for such things

     as slander, etc., and I get a picture of a quarrelsome lot and

     not popular. Weavers and carpenters predominate." (end).

3. Letter from Margaret Gass, Miller's Place, LI NY 11764,

     1/26/1995: "Dear Cousins, (etc.)...As for Fulke Davis and his

     tribe, there is an incredible lack of information and also a

     terrible amount of misinformation and the result is pure chaos

     more confounded. I have, I am ashamed to admit, been very

     negligent in citing sources in my notes, with the result that I

     have reams of scraps and sheets of paper on which my father and

     I jotted down notes, with very little clue as to source and

     therefore reliability, so I hate to put much into writing that

     will only perpetuate and perhaps seem to authenticate, what may

     not be true at all. There is a common story that Fulke came from

     Wales, but I know of no proof of this fact. Davis is a common

     Welch name, but also common in England. The Fulke is sometimes

     spelled without an "e" on the end and sometimes with a double

     "f" at the beginning, and I think that double "ff" might be a

     Welch spelling. When, where or why he came to the New World I

     don't know, but the first record I know of him was when he

     witnessed a deed on Gardiner's Island in 1636 (sic. deed is

     dated 1639), which was before any of the settlements on L.I.

     proper. He appears frequently in the early records of

     Southampton, East Hampton & Brookhaven Towns and later in

     Newtown and Jamaica at the W. end of the Island. From there I

     think it is true that he had at least 2 wives, the second named

     Mary, being the widow of James Haynes (d.1653) and Ralph Dayton

     (d.1658) and that she was married to Fulke before 1660. I

     presume his first wife was the mother of his children. Of his

     children, Joseph married Elizabeth, who was, I believe sister to

     Sarah who married his brother Jonathan; Benjamin married

     Rebecca, Sarah married William Salyer (or Sallier) and there was

     a Samuel and perhaps a John. For as long as I can remember the

     best historians and geneologists have debated whether there was

     a line of 2 or 3 Benjamins, but the dates seem to me to make it

     clear there were 3, but I also have notes indicating that Joseph

     had a son Benjamin and after that the waters become very murky

     indeed. There were Josephs, Benjamins and Samuels galore,

     fathers and sons, uncles and nephews and grandfathers and

     grandsons. There was never another Fulke, but whether this was

     because it was considered an oddball (foreign) name or because

     no one wanted to perpetuate his memory I don't know." (s/)

     Margaret Gass

p.272 of this ref. is a transcription of a grant from James

     Farrett, deputy to the Earle of Sterling (Scotland), to Lion

     Gardiner, of the "island", called by the Indians "Manchonack"

     and by the English "Isle of Wight", etc. The document was

     sealed March 10, 1639 and is witnessed by Ffulke Davis and

     Benjamin Pine. (Note spelling in signature is Ff (ulk) e).

p162 ff: "12 Decemb 1670. voulk davis (Ffoulke Davis) has

     given his dwelling house that he bought in this town to his son

     Joseph davis as also he gives his full consent to make over his

     land on the south side of his lot which is 5 acres for five

     acres in exchange."

p 163: "28 January 1670." (Prob. should be 1671) "Mr Lane has

     exchanged part of the meadow that he bought of William Fancy.

     It being bounded east by vuld daviis meadow and south with Righ

     Fields meadow and southeast by the highway into the neck as will

     appear by a ring of stakes between Davis and him with Henry

     Rogers for all his meadow of the southward side of the woody

     point commonly called Mabs Holes.

p87: "Know all men by these presents that I (ffoulk) davis of

     Jamaica in the north Rieding of yorkshere* on long Island haue

     fully and absulluetly bargened, Sould and maed over to my sonn

     in law, william Sallire of south ould in the Est Rieding of

     yourkshiere on long Island aforesaied all that my land and

     allottment that I bought of daniell lane situat in setaukcut

     which was formerly Samuell Akerles, with all the medowes,

     vplands and parsels of land whatsoever that doth any wayes

     belong to the sayed acomedations I say. I the sayed (ff)ulk

     daves haue for myselfe my haires, exseqiters fully and

     absullutly sould and maed over to the saied william salliare his

     hairs, exsecutors Administrators or asings all the foere

     menchoned lott and acomadations with all the medows comons,

     vplands, treese, timbers with all and singuler the aprevedges

     apurtenancis profits and inlargmente that any may belong to the

     said lott and acomadation to haue and to hould for ever and

     further I doe hereby warant this my saele good in law fre from

     any kinde of incambarance whatsoever and doe hereby acknowledge

     to haue Reseued for the premisses a valluable consideration to

     my sattisfacktion and to the full and Absullate conformation of

     the premisses and every part therof I the saied Fulk daves haue

     subscribed my name and sett to my seale this fiue and twenty day

     of ocktober in the three and twentith yere of the Raing of our

     souereng lord Charls the second of England scotland france and

     Irland king and in the yere of our lord 1671 his mark fulk X

     davis Sienged sealled and delivered in the presens of vs danell

     Whiethed, Anthony Waters, Clark

*, p. 64. In Feb., 1665 by order of Governor Richard Nicolls,

     first colonial governor of New York, the principal towns were

     asked to send two delegates each to a meeting to be held in

     Hempstead. 16 towns sent representatives. At this meeting it

     was agreed that Long Island, Staten Island (and probably

     Westchester) were to be known as Yorkshire. It was to be

     divided: Suffolk County towns would be the East Riding; Kings

     County the West Riding, and the remainder of the Island the

     North Riding.

("translation")"Know all men by these presents that I (ffoulk)

     davis of Jamaica in the north riding of yorkshire on Long Island

     have fully and absolutely bargined, sold and made over to my son

     in law, William Sallire of Southold in the East Riding of

     yorkshire on long Island aforesaid all that my land and

     allottment that I bought of Daniel Lane situated in Setauket

     which was formerly Samuell Akerles, with all the meadows,

     uplands and parcels of land whatsoever that doth any wayes

     belong to the said accomodations I say. I the said (ff)ulk

     Davis have for myself my heirs, executors fully and absolutely

     sold and made over to the said William Salliare his heirs,

     executors Administrators or assigns all the fore mentioned lot

     and accomodations with all the meadows commons, uplands, trees,

     timbers with all and singular the appendages, apurtenances

     profits and enlargement that any may belong to the said lot and

     accomodation to have and to hold for ever and fufther I do

     hereby warrant this my sale good in law, free from any kind of

     incumberance whatsoever and do hereby acknowledge to have

     received for the premises a valuable consideration to my

     satisfaction and to the full and absolute confirmation of the

     premises and every part thereof I the said Fulk Daves have

     subscribed my name and set to my seal this five and twenty day

     of October in the three and twentieth year of the reign of our

     soverign lord Charles the second of England, Scotland, France

     and Ireland king and in the year of our lord 1671. his mark

     fulk X davis Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of us

     Daniel Whithead, Anthony Waters, Clerk"

Suffolk County. One of the ten original counties organized in

     1683, and named for the county of the same name in England. The

     first settlement was made at Southold about 1630 by people from

     CT, and the county itself was included in the CT colony of New

     Haven. Gardiners Island was settled by Lyon Gardiner in 1635

     (sic. actual settlement was 1639); Shelter Island in 1652;

     Brookhaven in 1655, by emigrants from MA, and Smithtown in 1677,

     by Richard ("Bull") Smythe, who obtained a patent from Rhode

     Island. The people of this part of Long Island never

     acknowledged the claims of the Dutch, and only one governor,

     Calve, ever attempted to force Dutch rule upon the people.

     William Kidd, the pirate, secreted a part of his treasure on

     Gardiners Island, but it is thought that the treasure was seized

     by the Earl of Bellomont, the royal governor, a short time

     afterward. During the War of the Revolution the British

     collected military stores and provisions at Sag Harbor. In May,

     1777, Lt. Col. Meigs, with 170 men, went in whale boats from

     Guilford, CT, across the sound to Southold, dragged the boats

     over land to the bay, rowed to Sag Harbor and destroyed the

     stores - including twelve small vessels, one of which was a

     schooner manned by seventy nine men. In twenty-five hours from

     the time of leaving they were back in Guilford. County seat,

     Riverhead.

Mentions Fulke as one of 24 early settlers who joined five of

     the original nine settlers of East Hampton.

The 1683 Brookhaven Township rate list includes William Salyer.

     # Note: A rate list of the town of Newtown (now Jamaica) in 1683 listsFulke Davis as having no horse s, 2 cows, no oxen, no swine, 8(acres?) of land and 1 head, and "estates" of 39-0-0 (pounds ,shillings & pence ?. Next to his name is that of Samuel Davis(the names are not alphabetic al, so I would guess they werelisted geographically). Samuel had 3 cows, 2 two-year olds , 1swine, 11 of land and 1 "head" and estate of 50-0-0.The sameyear, 1683, the comparable l ist for Brookhaven town listsJoseph Davis as having 1 head, 30 lands and meadows, 1 horse , 1two-year old (horse), 2 oxen and bulls, 2 cows, 1 three-year old(cows), 1 two-year old ( cows), 2 yearlings, 0 sheep and 1swine. Also listed in Brookhaven that year is William Salye r,who married Fulke's daughter, with 1 head, 11 land, 2 horses, 3cows, 1 yearling.Joseph Da vis of Brookhaven is listed in 1675and had 1 head, 2 oxen, 3 cows, 1 one-year old, 1 two-yea r old,1 horse, 2 two-year old (horses?), 2 swine and 4 meadowlands andestate of 0-72-0.In 1 675 Wm. Salyer had 1 head, 3 cows, 3three-year olds, 1 horse, 3 meadowlands and 0-60-0.A li st offreeholders of Brookhaven in 1739 lists Sylvanus Davis, JosephDavis, Samuel Davis, Da niel Davis and Benjamin Davis, all inMt. Sinai from the geographical arrangement. In 168 3 therewas a John Davis in Southampton town and also Benjamin Davis,who had 1 pole and 10 7 pounds, 06 s. 08 d.A list of inhabitantsof Southampton town in 1698 includes "feamales " 2 Mary Davises,Elizabeth Davis and Mehitable Davis and 6 Davis men that are, asbest I kno w, no connection, a Daniels who could be. It is myunderstanding that Fulke came first to Gar diner's Island - Isleof Wight - settled in East Hampton, then Southampton, thenBrookhave n and finally died in Jamaica (Newtown) and hischildren dropped off wherever they came of ag e.The first recordI know of Ffulke was when he witnessed a deed on Gardiner'sIsland in 1636 , which was before any of the settlements on L.I.proper. He appears frequently in the earl y records ofSouthampton, East Hampton & Brookhaven Towns and later inNewtown (Jamaica at th e W. end of the Island).From there Ithink it is true that he had at least 2 wives, the secon d namedMary, being the widow of James Haynes (d.1653) and Ralph Dayton(d.1658) and that sh e was married to Fulke before 1660. Ipresume his first wife was the mother of his children. Of hischildren, Joseph married Elizabeth, who was, I believe sister toSarah who married hi s brother Jonathan; Benjamin marriedRebecca, Sarah married William Salyer (or Sallier) an d therewas a Samuel and perhaps a John."Collections of the New-YorkHistorical Society for t he Year 1869" (1870) p225 ff"Gardiner's East Hampton, Etc." (Notes and observations on th etown of East Hampton at the east end of Long Island written byJohn Lyon Gardiner of the I sle of Wight in April 1798 at therequest of the Rev. Samuel Mille of New York). P.272 of t hisref. is a transcription of a grant from James Farrett, deputyto the Earle of Sterling ( Scotland), to Lion Gardiner, of the"island", called by the Indians "Manchonack" and by the E nglish"Isle of Wight", etc. The document was sealed March 10, 1639and is witnessed by Fful ke Davis and Benjamin Pine. (Notespelling in signature is Ff (ulk) e).Brookhaven Town Recor ds,1662-1679. p162 ff: "12 Decemb 1670. voulk davis (FfoulkeDavis) has given his dwell ing house that he bought in thistown to his son Joseph davis as also he gives his full cons entto make over his land on the south side of his lot which is 5acres for five acres in exc hange."p 163: "28 January 1670."(Prob. should be 1671) "Mr Lane has exchanged part of th emeadow that he bought of William Fancy. It being bounded eastby vuld daviis meadow and s outh with Righ Fields meadow andsoutheast by the highway into the neck as will appear b y aring of stakes between Davis and him with Henry Rogers for allhis meadow of the southwa rd side of the woody point commonlycalled Mabs Holes.p 87: "Know all men by these presents t hat I(ffoulk) davis of Jamaica in the north reading of yorkshire onLong Island have full y and absolutely bargined, sold and madeover to my son in law, William Sallire of Southol d in the EastReading of yorkshire on long Island aforesaid all that my landand allottmen t that I bought of Daniels Lane situated inSetauket which was formerly Samuell Akerles, wit h all themeadows, uplands and parcels of land whatsoever that doth anyways belong to the sa id accommodations I say. I the said(ff)ulk Davis have for myself my heirs, executors full y andabsolutely sold and made over to the said William Salliare hisheirs, executors Admini strators or assigns all the forementioned lot and accommodations with all the meadows commo ns,uplands, trees, timbers with all and singular the appendages,apurtenances profits an d enlargement that any may belong tothe said lot and accommodation to have and to hold for e ver andfurther I do hereby warrant this my sale good in law, free fromany kind of incumber ance whatsoever and do hereby acknowledgeto have received for the premises a valuable consid eration tomy satisfaction and to the full and absolute conformation ofthe premises and eve ry part thereof I the said Fulk Daves havesubscribed my name and set to my seal this five a nd twenty dayof October in the three and twentieth year of the reign of oursovereign lord C harles the second of England, Scotland Franceand Ireland king and in the year of our lord 1 671. his markfulk X davis delivered in the presents of us Daniels Whithead,Anthony Waters , Clerk""East Hampton History and Genealogies",J. E. Rattray mentions Fulke as one of 24 e arly settlers whojoined five of the original nine settlers of East Hampton.The1683 Brookha ven Township rate list includes William Salyer.Anet contact sent me this list of sources o n William Sallier andFfulke Davis which also included this note: (Ffulke) obtainednotoriet y when he was run out of East Hampton for molestingmen, and his wife was also evicted for pr acticing witchcraft.:-)Name: Karen Sue (Salyer) Richey E-mail:richey@brutus.bright.net 7 02 Grant Street Ashland OH44805-3111 USA Telephone: 419 289-6597 Date: 11/13/96 Time: 18:09:12

# Sources

  1. [S20591] Private records of Edna (Davis) Giffen, 111 Shore Rd., Mt..

2. [S20673] Private records of Margaret Gass, Box 524, Miller's Place, NY.
3. [S20582] "The Making of The Empire State", Jacques Wardlaw Redway, FRGS;.
4. [S20599] "The Early Daytons and Descendants of Henry, Jr.", by Donald.
5. [S20610] "The Early History of Southampton, L.I. New York with.
6. [S20628] Correspondence - William G. Ayres.

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East Hampton History and Genealogies by J E Rattray mentions Ffulke Davis as one of the 24 early settlers who joined 5 of the original 9 settlers of East Hampton.

Ffulke gained some notoriety when he was run out of East Hampton for molesting men. His wife was also evicted for practicing witchcraft.

http://breeze.org/kk/f1386.htm#P4005

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It had to happen. I had to find an immigrant who had real problems in his life. At first glance, we can't be particularly proud of this ancestor, we may even want to turn away, but nevertheless, he is in our line and he must have been an interesting, if somewhat unsavory, character.

He is another one of our "little is known of" this man, as far as his early life in concerned. So far I'm not finding a claim of parentage for him, although it appears that he probably came from Glamorganshire, Wales. He is recognized as a founder of the city of Hartford, Connecticut but by the end of 1639 he was on Gardiner's Island, and working as a gardener for the Gardiner family. (The Gardiner family was wealthy and became wealthier, and a descendant of that family still owns the island.). Fulk's status as gardener probably meant that he also farmed for the family, and probably worked to establish whatever fruits and vegetables were grown there.

Probably sometime about 1639, he married, but the name of his wife has not yet been found. She was known as "Goody Davis" and at first was known as a serving woman, and also taught neighbors the art of making flax and spinning it into linen. Perhaps it was one of these neighbors who charged her with witchcraft, which may have been one of the reasons the family left town. Another reason was that Ffulke himself, along with a son, was convicted of improper behavior with other men (to put it politely). Still, he was allotted land in East Hampton, so the town may have forgiven both behaviors, if there was anything at all to either charge.. Fulke's first wife must have died in the late 1650's, for in 1660 he married for a second time,to Mary, who was twice a widow. The couple later lived in Brookhaven, and finally in Jamaica (what was then called Newtown.)

During this time, while Fulke was having a hard time of it, the colony was also suffering. Although Gardiner's Island had been kept a separate entity, it eventually joined with Connecticut and then when Long Island was made part of New York, the government changed again. There was also a considerable Dutch influence here, so it wasn't easy, just keeping track of who was in charge on a particular day.

Fulke must have made some improvements in his economic standing, because in 1671 he allowed his son Joseph the use of his team of six oxen, and in 1670 he had given or sold his dwelling house to Joseph. No will has been found for Fulke, which is not surprising given the economic class he was in. He is believed to have died in 1687, with his widow Mary living until 1699.

One interesting part of Fulke's story is that at one time he was appointed to a committee in Southampton. Their job was to watch the beaches for whales that washed ashore, and to cut them up and presumably dispose of them. This was not a part of life for most of our ancestors, and emphasizes the differences between towns that were really only a few miles apart. I wonder how often this occurred, what kind of whales they were, and whether the whale deaths were natural or were part of the whaling industry.

I'd sure like to know more about this family. As members of the working class, or even lower, their world must have been very difficult. With sexual and witchcraft charges being whispered about, I wonder how the family was able to go out and about their business, and how they prospered as much as they did. Maybe there is more to the story...

The line of descent is:

Fulke Davis-first wife Samuel Davis-Mary Mather Hester Davis-John Finch John Finch-Sarah Nathaniel Finch-Hannah Scofield Jesse Finch-Hannah Hannah Finch-John Bell Hannah Bell-Thomas J Knott John Wilson Knott-Harriet C Starr Edith Knott-Edward Allen Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook (who were married 69 years ago today!) Their descendants.

Notes

Foulk was never accused of adultery. He, in fact, was accused of masturbating in public, an ancient ritual for planting that was supposed to bring about better crops.

References

1. Connecticut Historical Society and the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut. Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut 1639-1663. Hartford, 1928.
2. Gardiner, Johnathan T., Jonathan Baker, Joseph S. Osborne. Records of the Town of East Hampton, Long Island, Suffolk Co., N.Y. With Other Ancient Documents of Historic Value, Vol. I. Sag Harbor, N.Y.: John H Hunt, Printer, 1887.