Ancestry and Family of Peter Davis of Warren County, North Carolina By Forrest King (
[email protected]) From a study of the available records, Peter4 Davis was an active member in his community from his arrival in 1754 in Granville County, North Carolina until his death on 27 Jan 1804 in Warren County.[1] He purchased several tracts of land, was frequently found on juries, responded to filling community service requests, and was mentioned in other court documents. The events in Peter’s life before 1754 have been shrouded in both family folklore and conjecture. This paper will begin by showing that Peter4 is the son of Lewis Davis and a grandson of Peter2 Davis of Chowan County, North Carolina. This will be followed by a compiled lineage of these ancestors down through Peter4 and all his children. Brief overview of the ancestry of Peter Davis Peter’s proximity to a William Cooper in 1754 helps to identify his father. Peter4 first appeared in a taxable list in the summer of 1754 living near or next to this William Cooper.[2] On 11 Mar 1755, Peter purchased from William Cooper 100 acres of land on Buffalo Branch. The land description mentions a neighbor named Mr. Davis.[3] A study of land records shows that this next door neighbor “Mr. Davis” is Lewis3 Davis. As will be shown, Lewis is the most likely person to be the father of Peter. Lewis had initiated a request to patent his land from the colonial representatives of Lord Granville beginning on 31 Jan 1754.[4] Peter4 came to live on Lewis’ patent-pending land by the 1754 taxable list and then he purchased land next door.