Davenport Ancestry in America and Descendants of John Pope Davenport and Edward Wilcox ...

526 Pages·2015·31.69 MB·English

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Davenport Ancestry in America
and Descendants
of
John Pope Davenport
and
Edward Wilcox Davenport
1640-1962
COMPILED BY
MRS. DOR011-IY D. HAl.E,
Published by the
Edward Wilcox Davenport Family Organization
IN`MEMORY
OF
AGNES EIJDORA DAVENPORT SHORT
Daughter of Edward Wilcox Davenport
Whose love for her /an*
inspired this work.
Prinrear try
ART CITY PUBLISHING COMPANY
Springville, Utah
I g62
II
1'
DAVEiNPOR'I'
Butterworth in his book, Old Cheshire Families, says
that the family name of Davenport is of local origin,. It
dates from Ormus de Dauneporte (Orme de Davenport)
who was born about I086, who received a grant of the
manor of that name from the original Norman Lords_
The township of Davenport, from which the name was
taken is about twenty-five miles from the ancient city of
Chester in England.
In the records of early Colonial Massachusetts, many.
ariations are found in the spelling of the name, Daven-
►,
port. This was .lur largely to the fact that most writing
was dent by clerks and names were written as they sounded
to them_ Proaiunciation varied in individuals and so it is
found spelled differently even in the simc family. The
spellings range from Davenport and Devonport to Dar port
and Danforth.
In early England, °row was followed by a son, Rich-
ard, who was granted by charter the chief forestership of
thr forests of Leek and Macclesfield, in northern England.
Later the Davenports were also made "Magistrate-
Sargeams' of the same forests, with power of life and
death over all malefactors and the right to the goods and
chattels of all tondemmed felons and fugitives. In addi-
tion they received a fee of two shillings and a salmon. for
taking a master-robber and one chilling each for hanging
a lesser oars. It was this authority that inspired the crest
used by the Davenport family.
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DAVENPORT COAT-OF-A It MS.
Our right to use this coat-of-arrns has hot yet been
definitely established. Dr. Bennett Franklin Davimport of
BoNton, Massa.chnsetli, who traces his ancestry to the Nitric
immigrant ancestor, Thomas Davenport, whom we do and
who has done extensive research on the Davenport farnilT,
has this to say on the subject;
"No evidence of the relationship between. Franci-9,
Humphrey, the Reverend John, Richard and Thomas. Dav-
enport, the five heads of Davenport farnilics who settled
within the limits of Berton, beforc the year l676., h..9_5 yet
been clisCovcrod- Yet, either they or their immediate deA-
rendants arr. found to have Lilefl as their seal., the same
arms as did the Reverend John Davenixiet., founder of
New Haver:, Connecticut."
This Davenport arms consisbi of.a. sable rhevrne be-
tween three sable crosy&i on. a silver The cre_st con-
sists of a man's head. indicated as a felon by the Oil col-
ored rope haltering his neck. This singular crest was first
borne on the helmets of the master-sergeants as they pa-
trolled thy hills and forests of northern England
:1/41orm;
/halves fortuna jurat
{Fortune favors the bold)
IV
DAVENPORT
AtOates
fortuna
in
FOREWORD
Genealogy has always been a fascinating subject to
me, even as long ago as when as a child of nine, I was kept
in at recd to ViTite the spelling words I should have writ-
ten, instead of thc Its of cousins, by families, that I had
so busily made,
My interests continued to grow and for Ella ny years,
I collected all the information could find about the Dav
enports, my father's p•i:)ple. When Aunt Dora came to
visit me, soon after she moved to Utah, we were delighted
to find that we had the same interests. She told me of her
life-long dream of a complete record of her father's cle-5-
eendants and was happy when l offered to help_ Working
together %re accomplished a great deal.
As time went by, her health and eyesig-ht failed and
she finally turned her records over to me along with the
respmsibilit:i.. of being family genealogist in her stead. She
continued to help and encourage me, but the task was un-
finished when she left us and 1 determined to sonic day
finish it for her.
Among her records was a great deal of information
about her father's brother, John Pope Davenport, and his
family. - I continued her correspondence with her cousin,
Harry Davenport, and his wife, Edna, and received enough
more to make that record very complete. I felt it should
hey kept intact in a safer place than our hornc and talked
to the librarian of the Genealogical Society in Salt Lake
City, Utah, about placing a copy in the library there. She
agreed, but suggested that s finish the record of his brother,
VI
Edward, who was my great grandfather and place the two
there together. That was when I began in earnest to put
the record into book form
I started typing three copies, one for the library, one
for the family historian, and one for myself. Ilyiarva Rydalch
and Jean May, who live in Idaho and arc officers in our
organization, were enthusiastic about the idea of a book
and offered their most welcome help. Being acquainted
'NA the familie_s in Idaho, they took over the task of help-
ing collect the information that we needed] to complete
that part of the book. They have been diligent and persis-
tent and especially deserve a great deal of credit for the
completeness of jo.q!pli Crapo Davenport's and Mary Alice
Pearce's sections.
So many who saw what we were doing wanted a copy,
that the Family Organization decided to sponsor its print-
ing, We wanted our book to be al:5 Complete. and as accurate
an it could possibly be and have tried very hard to make it
so. For any errors and omission:s„ we are truly sorry.
I appreciate very much the support of the officers and
the members of the Davenport Family Organization who
made the printing of this book possible. 1 also realize the
importance E3f iihr work I have been asked to do as genea-
logist for our family and feel keenly the responsibilities it
entails_
May you all enjoy this book as much as we enjoyed
preparing it for you..
—Dorothy D. Hall
VII
ACKNOWI,EDGMENTS
1 am greatly indebted to Marva Davenport Ryda]ch
and Jean Davenport May. who are officers in the Edward
Wilcox Davenport Family Organization, for their help in
collecting and checking ruateriaf used in that portion of
this history and to Mrs. Harald A. Davenport, who so
kindly helped with the John Pope Davenport record and
from whom we received the Matrila] in Part Two, written
by Mary Ann Davenport Shaw_ Much is also due all of
the relatives who so willingly wrote histories and sent in-
formation about their families. Without their help, this
history could not have been written_
All of those who have helped in any way in compiling
this family record have ruy gratitude and thanks — my
daughter, Dorothy. for the copy of the coat-of-arms, Marva
for the map of Engirt Bestr.h and especially my husband for
his encouragement when it seemed too great an under
taking to ever complete_
--Dorothy D. Hall
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