John Goolman Davidson (1720 - 1793)

Born 1 May 1720 in Drumbo, County Down, Ireland

Husband of Martha (Draper) Davidson — married about 1754 in Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 8 Mar 1793 at age 72 in Laurel Fork, Wythe Co., Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Shayne Davidson [send private message] and Mark Ross [send private message]

Biography

John Davidson served with Civil Service, Virginia during the American Revolution.

John Davidson is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A030103.

This profile is part of the Davidson Name Study.

John was born in 1729. John died on 8 March 1793 and was buried in John Goolman Davidson Plot, Bland County, Virginia, United States.^[1] Spouse

• Martha Draper 1718–1805

Children

• Martha Phoebe Davidson 1757–1836
• Joseph Davidson 1762–1849
• Jane Davidson 1765–1832
• Nancy Davidson 1766–1806
• Andrew Davidson

John and his wife Martha (Draper) were the parents of George (md. Rebecca, Jenny Pepper), Martha (md. George Perry), William, (md. Mary Stinson, Phebe Harman), Col. Joseph (md. Matilda Patton), Jane G. (md. Lowe Brown), Margaret, (md. John Burke), Nancy "Annie", (md. John Bailey), Andrew (md. Rebecca Burke, Sally Muse), John, (md. Margaret ___), Elizabeth (md. Jesse Farley).

Christening

Ireland Births and Baptisms - Name John Davison Gender Male Christening Date 01 May 1720 Christening Place PRESBYTERIAN,DRUMBO,DOWN,IRELAND Father's Name William Davison Citing this Record - "Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F51S-XQ9 : 8 December 2014), John Davison, ; citing PRESBYTERIAN,DRUMBO,DOWN,IRELAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 0823750 IT 1.

Much of what is known about John Goolman Davidson comes from the book "Archives of the Pioneers of Tazewell County, Virginia" by the well-respected genealogist and researcher, Nettie Schreiner-Yantis. She states that he "was born prior to 1729, probably in Scotland or Northern Ireland" though no record of his birth or christening has been found. John's son, William, gave his own birthplace as County Down, Northern Ireland, and birth year as 1759, in his Revolutionary War pension application. This makes it likely that John Goolman Davidson or his ancestors immigrated to Northern Ireland from Scotland during the King James Plantation. Son Joseph Davidson states that he was born in Pennsylvania in 1756 or 1762 in his Revolutionary War pension application. Thus a precise date of emigration for the Davidson family eludes us but we can assume that they came to the colonies circa 1760.

Davidson may have earned a living as a cooper (barrel maker) because he is referred to as "Cooper Davidson" in the book "A History of Middle New River Settlements and Contiguous Territory" by David Emmons Johnston, published in 1906 [1]. Davidson and his family were early white settlers in southwestern Virginia in what is now Bluefield. Johnston also contents that Davidson was born in Dublin, Ireland, however it is much more likely that he was from Northern Ireland, as stated in the William Davidson pension application. The origin of John's purported middle name, Goolman, remains a mystery. The middle name does not appear on any period documents related to John Davidson.

According to Schreiner-Yantis, the Davidson family moved on quickly from Pennsylvania to Virginia. She traced their migrations in Virginia through John Davidson's land purchases, called "land patents". The patents were issued by the Loyal Company, which did the land surveys between 1755 and 1778. Not until 1783 were actual titles to land issued. Schreiner-Yantis notes that John Davidson patented land on Dry River in Augusta (now Rockingham) County in 1767 which he sold the following year. He moved several more times, purchasing and selling land along the way, before purchasing land and settling, in 1774, in Montgomery (now Mercer) County, Virginia.

Along with fellow settler, Richard Bailey, Davidson built the Davidson-Bailey Fort in about 1778 in the area of what is now Bluefield, Virginia [2]. The purpose of the fort was to protect the settlers' families from attacks by Native Americans at a time when the area was sparsely populated by whites.

In February 1793 John Goolman Davidson set out on horseback to travel and conduct business in the area and during the journey he was attacked and killed. The stories vary as to who murdered him. It may have been a disgruntled business associate, a white man named Rice who Davidson had earlier had punished for allegedly stealing a pig. Or it may have been a group of Native Americans who were not happy with the whites encroaching on their territory. Possibly it was both Rice and the Native Americans, working together, who perpetrated the deed. Davidson was supposedly carrying $800 when he was killed, and this was missing when his body was found, providing another motive for the crime. His naked body was located by relatives and friends who went in search of him. Some reports say he had sustained a fatal bullet wound. The search party buried him where he was found at Laurel Fork in Wythe County, Virginia. No one was ever charged with the his murder.

DNA tests on the Y-chromosome of living descendants of John Goolman Davidson reveal the family's early origins to be Scandinavian. The Davidson's haplotype is I1, sometimes referred to as the Viking Chromosome.

Will of John Davidson

Wythe County, Virginia

Written on July 1791

In the name of God Amen, July 1791 John Davidson of Wythe County and State of Virginia being very sick and weak in body but in and of perfect mind and memory thanks be given onto God calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men ? to die do make and ordain this my last will and testament that is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my sole unto the land of almighty God that gave it and my body to recommend to the earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my Executor nothing doubting buy at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God and a touching such wordly Estate where with I hath pleased you to ? me in the life I give and devise and dispose of the same in the following manner and from first I give and bequeath to my sons Andrew, John and George Davidsons my land at the mouth of Absolam ?? 400 acres to be decided between them as follows..Georges coner to stand at the meadow and run the along the old line to the corner at the Pounding Mill Crench and then the creek to be the line from that through and the remainder part of said Land to be divided between Andrew and John in quantity and quantity likewise I bequeath a tract of mine lying on the Crushy(?) Fork known by the name of the quakers cabans to John Burk likewise I bequeath to my Daughter Betse a track of mine lying of the head waters of Lortons(?) Lick Creek likewise I do bequeath to Martha my beloved wife the plantation on which I now reside which I bought of my son William Davidson to be for her support if thee thinks proper to keep house upon it if not to dispose of the same to George Peery or John Belle for or at its value and to take her maintenance out of the same Land likewise I do bequeath my two sons John and George my still and my wife the third of the (unreadable line) while thee lives. Likewise I bequeath to my sons Wm and Joseph Davidson one Englis Crown Starling ? to George Peery, Lo Brown and John Belle to each of them I bequeath one Crown Starling to be ? out of my estate and I do here by utterly disallow revoke and disannul all and every other formed testaments, will, legacies bequest and Executors by me in any wise before named will and bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament in witness in hereof I have here unto set my hand and seal this 22 day of July in the year of our Lord 1791.

Signed sealed published pronounced

and declared by the John Davidson

as his last will and

testament in the presents of us (Signed) John Davidson

who in his presents and the

presence of each other have here

unto subscribed our names

Robert Wallace

David Wallace

At a Court held for the County of Wythe on tuesday the 3rd day of June 1795. This the last will & Testament of John Davidson Dec'd was exhibited in Court & proven by the oaths of Robert Wallace & David Wallace the witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded. Teste: Samuel Crockett, D.C.

Transcription of the will of John Davidson courtesy of researcher Patricia Craig Johnson

Sources

1. ↑ Burial: "U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current"
   Find A Grave: Memorial #15054737
   Ancestry Record 60525 #83741697 (accessed 17 February 2024)
   John Goolman Davidson burial (died on 8 Mar 1793) in John Goolman Davidson Plot, Bland County, Virginia, United States of America. Born in 1723.

• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 29 Mar 2024), "Record of John Davidson", Ancestor # A030103.

• Revolutionary War Pension application of William Davidson, Virginia #R2695

• Revolutionary War Pension application of Joseph Davidson, Virginia #R2690

• Will of John Davidson, Wythe County, Virginia, Will Book 1, p. 33-34, made on July 22, 1791; probated on June 3, 1795

• "Archives of the Pioneers of Tazewell County, Virginia" by Nettie Schreiner-Yantis, 1973, self published

• "A History of Middle New River Settlements and Contiguous Territory" by David Emmons Johnston, 1906, Standard Printing & Publishing Co., Huntington, W.V.

• Wythe County, Virginia Petition October 17, 1793

• Henry Long vs. Heirs of John Goolman Davidson. In this case (Virginia Chancery Records Case of 1807) Henry Long claims that John Goolman Davidson did not satisfy the terms of a bond for land purchased from him and still owes him 18 pounds. Henry Long is hoping to get the 18 pounds from the heirs of John Goolman Davidson. Mentioned are William Davidson, Joseph Davidson, George and Martha (Davidson) Peery, Low and Jane (Davidson) Brown, Jesse and Elizabeth (Davidson) Farley, Andrew Davidson, John Davidson, and George Davidson. Responding to the claim are William, George, Joseph and John Davidson, George Peery and William Thompson, the man who received the balance of the final payment for the land. The others cited must not have been in the area at that time since they did not give testimony.

• http://www.newrivernotes.com/wythe_documents_1793_petitionfromcitizens.htm