Person:William Davidson (61)

Will of William Davidson

Will of William Davidson, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland, proved 1723.

"Dromore Will: --

William Davison of Legacorry, parish of Shankill, Co. Armagh. smith

My oldest son George Davison to pay the debts I owe to my brother John Davison out of the legacy I hereby bequeath to my said son.

My on John Davison to pay £20 which I borrowed from Rev. Dr. Penney for him my said son John.

My other son George Davison to pay half the debt I owe Robert Newel and my beloved wife to pay the other half thereof.

My wife to have the rents due out of my lands hereafter bequeathed to them, except for £1-10p, which my son John is to allow to his mother, and my Son John to have the sorrel mare to make up for the said £1-10p.

My beloved wife that part and proportion of my land from my dwelling house to the stony ditch with said dwelling house, excepting my smith's shop, and also to have a little pasture park joining the stony ditch for grazing of John McCollum's cow, all to be held by my wifee Elizabeth Davison during widowhood, and I order she may bring up my four youngest daughters.

"I order that the lane from my dwelling house or from the highway shall be in common between my wife, and my sons George and John Davison.

"To my son George Davison my whole half of my land & tenements except as above stated to my wife, with the black filly & smith's tools and shop, & Wm Marshall's house & garden.

"The low meadow to be equally divided bewteen my sons George and John.

"To my son John Davison the other half, except as above to my wife, with Thomas McGowan's house and garden.

"My sons to pay their respective portions of the landlord's rent & to pay the rent for their Mother's part as above, and also the following legacies.

"The division between my two sons shall run: to my son George his part shall begin at the stony ditch to Alex. Tough's march, straight over the breadth of the land, and John's part to be the low end.

"To my eldest daughter Anne Davison alias McCollum wife of John McCollum 2/6.

To my daughter Elizabeth Davison £20 to be paid to her provided what money I was bound for with John McCall to the Rev. Dr. Penney is paid, then my said daughter to have £15.

"To my daughter Helen Davison £20 on similar condition.

"To my daughter Judith £20 on similar condition when 21.

(Each of my wife, my two sons and four daughters to pay their share equally of my funeral expenses)

"To my daughter Margaret Davison £20 on similar conditions when she is 21.

"If any daughter marry against the will of my wife Elizabeth or Mr. Robert Wilson of Buckcomary, whom I appt. trustee and overseer with my wife, such daughter only to get 5p.

"My wife to have all my moveable goods to help to school and maintain the children, that is only during her widowhood.

"If my exors are obliged to pay that money for which I am bound for Mr. John McCall to Rev. Dr. Penney, my wife is to pay a proportional shre with my two sons.

"Appoint my two sons exors.

In witness whereof, 15 January 1721/22. Signed Will X Davison (his mark)

Witnesses: Thomas Binks, John Binks, Thomas Gilpin (Gilkin?)

Indorsed: "The Will of William Davidson Exhibited 30th Aug. 1723"

Dromore Diocese, a few miles south of Lough Neagh, not far from the city of Lurgan, in Skankill Parish in County Armagh.

Analysis of will:

William Davison made his mark on his will in Legacorry, Parish Shankill, County Armagh, (Northern) Ireland on 15 Jan 1721/1722. The will was proved a year and seven months later, on 30 Aug 1723, so Will Davison probably died in 1723. ... named wife Elizabeth, a brother John, his oldest son George, son John, a married daughter Anne (wife of John McCollum, whose property adjoined that of the testator), and four "youngest daughters" whom he named in the will, and of whom at least Judith and Margaret were under 21. George was bequeathed Will's "Smith's tools and shop", from which we infer that Will (William Davison) was a blacksmith. At one point on its eastern short County Antrim, Ireland, which adjoins County Armagh, is only seven miles west of an island on the east coast of Scotland, and it seems likely that this Presbyterian Davison family came originally from Scotland, perhaps as part of the settlement instigated by Queen Elizabeth I about a hundred years earlier. Elizabeth caused Scots to move to Ulster in order to displace the native Irish (Catholics), following the uprising and expulsion of the "Earls" from Ulster in the very early part of the seventeenth century. (Source: Ancestors of Edna May James, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~markfreeman/emj.html)

Information on William Davidson

From "Ancestors of Edna May James" ; (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~markfreeman/emj.html)

William Davison of Co. Armagh left a will which has been used by several researchers to conclude that he was the father of George and John Davidson of Augusta Co., VA and NC. Researchers are reviewing other evidence which indicates that may be a speculative connection, and that they may be the sons of George Davidson, and not so closely related to Ann, Helen, Judith & Margaret as this report indicates. Samuel Davidson may also be a sibling of Old John Davidson and George.

Much of the information in this line was found in "Davison / Davidson Family: The Descendants of William and Elizabeth Davison of County Armagh, Ireland" by Robert Stephens Hand, c 1990, 2nd ed. 1991.

http://205.180.85.40/w/pc.cgi?mid=16341&sid=10700

According to William Davison's will (A record in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland entitled T 748 page 90), the LDS, The Compendium of American Genealogies(Vol 4 pg 320), and Robert S. Hands book William had a brother John, 2 sons - George(the eldest) and John and 5 daughters - Anne who was married at the time of his death to John McCollum, Elizabeth, Helen, Judith and Margaret who were both under 21. All children were born in Legacorry, County Armagh, Ireland. George and John were married with children when they came to America in the early part of the 1700's after their fathers death. Prood of importation records show John imported from Ireland to Philadelphia with wife Jane, sons George, Thomas, William and Samuel(twins born 1736 - there is more information on them in a book called "Rivers of America, The French Broad" by Wilma Dykeman pgs 47 - 49) They also after settling in NC added the second d later, from Davison to Davidson. It had probably originally been Davidson, but sometime in the 1500's after being force from Scotland to Ireland was probably changed to Davison.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Davidson Genealogy Page of Anne Davidson Bartee, (http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/1512/two.htm).