| 23. | Martin Davenport  (3.Thomas2, 1.Martin*1) was born in 1745 in Hanover Co, Virginia; died in 1815 in Avery, Burke Co, North Carolina. Notes:
PAMUNKEY DAVENPORTS IN THE REVOLUTION
Davenport, Martin [of Thomas of Martin, Sr.], Captain, Martin Davenport?s Company, Burke County, North Carolina, Militia. A Battle of Kings Mountain Hero
Martin's heirs as listed in Burke Court Minutes, 1815: Nancy, wife of Gilbert H. White; Hannah, wife of Thomas Cole; David Davenport who married first cousin Mary Wiseman (A3e); Martin Davenport; Robert Davenport; Betsy, wife of Thomas Browning; Polly, wife of John Hopper; Jonas Davenport; and William Davenport. (Thomas and Abner had apparently sold their estate interests to the others
Martin Davenport served in the militia from 1776 when as a Lieutenant, he was in charge of fort fighting Indians. In 1778, he had progressed to Captain and on assignment he was badly injured. He did recover, but after 1780 he did very little with the military while his friends who started with him advanced to Colonels and Generals. He has been one of Ben Cleveland?s scouts and had learned the area so well that he was Andre Michaux?s guide to the top of the Roan, Yellow, Linville, Beech, Table Rock, Hawksbill, and of course, the awesome Grandfather Mountain. He was with Michaux, atop Grandfather, when he sang the French national anthem and asked God to bless both countries. He was the guide when Michaux came through a second time and told the men in Bright?s Settlement about the benefits, medically and financialy, of the Ginseng root. After Michaux returned to France, his son, Francois, came a third time and spent a week with Martin who he found to be very educated and knowledgeable to talk with.
Martin is mentioned in the journal of John Brown, who was sent to buy up large amounts of land for investors from Pennsylvania. He says that "January 12, 1795, I rode four miles (from Mr. Jones, probably Martin?s brother-in-law Joseph) to Mr. Davenport who has a large bottom on the Toe River. He is a great hunter. I suppose we saw over 100 deer skins." They changed money with him for local currency and "we crossed the Toe" and rode up and over the Blue Ridge which he called "Backbone of the Earth". Then he saw about a mile of "the best timber?d land with as rich a soil as I ever seen as we came to the waters of the Catawba, called Peppers Creek". Mr. Brown talks about other stops he made on his way to Salisbury. He returned on May 2, 1795, a Saturday. He asked about a Mr. McCoy who was suppose to survey for him. He had gone home to get his clothes and Mr. Brown waited for his return.
"This Mr. Devinport was a Methodist. About ten or eleven o?clock there was a few people made their appearance and I went into the house. There were seats prepared. I fund that we ware (the spelling or lack of it is quoting Mr. Brown) to have a sermon. I seated myself near one of the doors and looked for our orator. After a considerable spell of grunting, there was a man rose up dress?d in a very differend apperal. He had a midling good pair of old mocasons. His leggons, once linen, but what they ware I more than I can describe. He prayed, they got up and sung their hymns. I sot stil all the time. He told them a grate many little things and made a shoart sermon." (This may have been one of Bishop Francis Asbury?s circuit visits to Martin?s home. He mentions going there in his journals as well as visiting Mulberry Plantation, home of Martin?s sister Sophia and her husband, William White in present day, Collettsville.)
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Martin Davenport was the only son of Thomas Davenport and born about 1745 in Virginia. Since birth certificates were not issued then, it is hard to say exactly where but the area around Culpeper County is most likely. The only clue about his mother's name is a court record naming a Dorothy Davenport due so many pounds of tobacco for coming to court as a witness. Thomas also had a sister named Dorothy and a daughter by that name. This mother's name isn't proven. We know Martin had 6 sisters and that Thomas was born in 1711, because his obituary was published in the Raleigh Star and said he died in December 1809 at age 98 and only named one daughter Sophia who married William WHITE. Every document led to more research.
Working from Culpeper records, Martin bought property on the North Fork of the Rush River and in February of 1775, he sold it. We know his wife was Hannah, because she relinquished her 'dower rights' to the land. It is about this time that old Thomas, Martin and Hannah and their 3 sons, William, Thomas and baby Jonas moved to NC. Martin shows up on a tax list in Surry Co paying a pole for himself and one black man. Part of Surry became the new county Wilkes in 1777.
Martin's sister Mary was married to William WISEMAN and they came too. So did his sister Dorothy who married John BROWNING. As soon as Burke became a county in 1777, they recorded land along the John's River and Wilson Creek. His sister Sophia and her husband William WHITE settled further up the Johns on Mulberry Creek where Collettsville is today. In addition to his children, Thomas was responsible for his widowed sisters coming too. His sister Dorothy, widow of Thomas BAKER, came and settled on the Johns with her sons Henry, David , Charles. Sister Mary, widow of Henry GAMBILL settled in Wilkes. Her son Martin has descendants in Ashe with John's are in Wilkes. Martin had his cousins and brother-in-laws to help him clear his land and build a cabin. From Burke County records we know he lived here until after his wife Hannah died. Again, the exact date of her death is unknown
The only reason we know about it at all is from correspondence between Lyman Draper author of the book "King's Mountain and It's Heroes" and J.C.Harper of Patterson, NC . Harper tells this story to Draper. "Mrs. Davenport died near the close of the Revolutionary War (Rev. War ended officially in 1783) from small pox which she contracted by washing clothes in a tub which she had loaned to a poor family recently from SC. Soon after the death of his wife Martin Davenport, on account of 'Milk Sickness' which prevailed near his farm on John's River removed to Toe River where he again married and as that was then a hunter's paradise he could indulge himself in his favorite occupation of hunting. While living on Toe River, his son William killed the last Elk ever seen in NC."
Then we know he was living on the Toe River around 1785 and his second wife was Jane BROWNING, sister of brother-in-law John BROWNING. Marriage wasn't recorded like it is today, but clues came from wills and court records. In this case we are sure she was a Browning because the same Obituary that gave Thomas Davenport's death also stated that in January 1810 Sarah BROWNING, 97 died at the home of her son-in-law Martin Davenport.
The only Sarah was wife of Nicholas. They had moved from Culpeper Co,VA to Caswell Co, NC along with other brothers. Sarah and Nicholas were John's parents and in court action after Martin died, we see the name Jane as heir. From this same suit we know the names of all Martin's children who lived to adulthood, all eleven. There is no doubt about the names, but as to which mother they belong. Using 1783 as the end of the war meant Hannah could have died 1781-1783 and she had a baby Jonas in 1775. Since babies came about two years apart, it unlikely that she had no more. She is probably the mother of Abner and Robert too. Census records were not exact until 1850 on age, but gave an age range. If the right box was checked they were both born by 1781. The other clue is finding two children one year apart.
That was only possible if you married another wife. Breast-feeding kept children spread out. Hannah (Thomas) COLE and Elizabeth 'Betsy'(Thomas)BROWNING gave their ages on the 1850 census in Giles CO,TN as 66 and 67. Elizabeth could have been the last baby for Hannah and Jane's first child was named Hannah in honor of the first wife. This is speculation since census ages aren't 100% accurate. We do know the other children were Martin, Jr., Mary 'Polly' (John) HOPPER, David and Nancy (Gilbert H.) WHITE . Nancy was the last in 1797. Martin would have at least 30 years to live along the Toe River before he died in December 1815 and most of his family would head west where land was opening up for settlers.
THE WAY WE WERE Life after the Revolutionary War was far different than the way we live today along the North Toe River. The Bright s Trace road used to go to Morganton for court and jury duty was at least four feet wide. When we make a road today, it is at least thirty feet wide for two-way traffic. Men and women made most of the things in their home, plus the home.
Today, we usually earn the money and pay someone else to build the house, make the furniture, make our clothes, kill our meat, produce our food, provide light to read by and bury our dead. In 1785, when the Davenports joined the Brights on Toe River, it was heavily forested with abundant game and fish. There was clean, clear water and this area had rich bottomland to grow the other provisions needed. There were a few general stores in Morganton and occasionally a peddler would stop along this road. A man could earn cash for the animal skins he tanned and buy items like guns, coffee, tea and salt. Every bit of corn that was not needed for meal or food was used to make brandy for medicine or to ward off loneliness. Maple Trees provided syrup for sweetening and the occasional fruit tree was prized. Its fruit could be dried for pies or canned as jam. By today s standards it was long hours and back breaking work. They had an abundance of virgin timbers to build their log homes and burn for cooking and heat, all free. They made their own music. They had just earned their freedom and that felt good. They could decide their own future as to the laws and the role of the government.
What did Martin Davenport do in old Burke County? We find Martin on the 1790 census on Toe River. His neighbors were Samuel Bright, William Wiseman, Thomas Wiseman, Joseph Jones, James Price and William Bright. Martin has 6 sons and 2 daughters. We know he was on the Toe for two reasons, he was next to Samuel Bright and he was listed in Militia Company 10, present Mitchell and Avery County. The roads were built and maintained by these militia men. Several days a year they were required to bring shovels, mattocks and other tools to engage in free labor to have public and new roads.
These roads were dirt that got packed down with use, there were no bridges and you crossed or "forded" a stream at the shallow place. These roads usually followed the waterways a very practical approach for keeping your horse or oxen refreshed. Martin was much in demand in the 1790 s. We know this from three Journals of very different men, Francis Asbury, Andre Michaux and John Brown. It is from them that we get a glimpse of live at the Davenports.
In addition, there are the Burke County Court records on Microfilm that details his civic activities. Oct. 1792, The following a jury to approve and view a road from Pepper s old place up Peppers Creek ("old" always meant they had moved. "Approve and View" was to decide where it would go and the men called had to live within 5 miles of the work). George Damson, Samuel Bright, William Bright, William Wiseman, SR and sons Thomas, William, JR and Davenport Wiseman, Martin Davenport and sons William and Thomas Davenport, Joseph Jones, John Browning and son Martin Browning (we know by the census and this record that the Brownings, Martin s sister Dorothy and her family moved to Toe river by Oct 1792. To pin it down even more, you go to Burke County Land records and find that Samuel Bright sold him 200acres in Oct 1791) and James Taylor.
There were many examples of these men doing the road jury in the 1790 s it tells us when Martin s cousin David Baker moved up to the mountains from the Johns River and when George Crossnore moved into the area (both by 1797). France sent a very learned Botanist, Andre Michaux, to America to find trees and plants to refurbish their forests that were bare from all the wars they had fought. He had a colleague and friend William Bartram in Philadelphia so he went there then he established a home place in Charleston. He would travel between these two with the help of local guides, collect his plants and ship them to France. Over 200 plants still bear his name as the one who discovered them.
From his journals we learn that he did more than hire Martin Davenport, he came to treasure him. " Aug 6, 1794, Stopped at Martin Davenports, it is located near a spring, not far from the Toe River. Davenport, a well-known Whig of a prominent family, soon became his friend, his host, hunting companion, and guide for his Mountain journeys. On Aug.30, 1794, the two men climbed together to the summit of Grandfather Mountain, which Michaux, misled by it s dominant position among it s neighboring peaks, called the highest mountain in all of North America. There on that lofty crest, the two companions, exhilarated by the altitude, the breath-taking vistas and their shared Republican fervor, sang the "Marseillaise" and shouted Long live America and the Republic of France. Long live Liberty, Equality and Fraternity". Michaux stayed until Sept. 6. He came back In May of 1795 " Reached Toe River, Bright s Settlement.
The principal inhabitants of this place are Davenport and Wiseman" and March of 1796, as he was leaving " From Davenports on a trail that followed and crossed the Toe 27 times before going over the mountains to Jonesboro..". Martin took him through the Black and Yellow Mountains and along the Blue Ridge. This would be his last trip before the year was out, he sailed back to France, wrote two definitive books about American plant life and died by 1803. His son Francois returned to America and he too sought Martin to be his guide. Also the Scottish Botanist John Lyon used Martin as a guide from 1803 until Lyon died in Asheville in Sept. 1814. In addition to being a first-rate guide, we learn from John Brown s Journal a lot more about Martin. Brown was a land agent sent from Pennsylvania in 1795 to buy large tracts of cheap land. He says that Martin ran an Inn, was a good hunter who had over one hundred animal skins drying and was also a surveyor who knew all the important people. He hired him and off they went. This John Brown so loved the area that he settled in the Asheville area. His descendants settled on the Linville in Crossnore.
It is known today as Brown s Bottom. From Bishop Asbury, we learn why the Davenports and Wisemans are Methodist. Bishop Francis Asbury came to America to be a circuit-riding evangelist for the Methodist Church. As early as 1788 he stopped annually on the Johns River at the home of William White, Martin s sister Sophia s home. We know from his journal that he came to Martin Davenport s April 14 and 15 in 1796. He says he was exhausted and got rested then proceeded up the Toe, through the Yellow Mountain.
Then the following March 23, 1787, he says, "I came to Davenport s. My subject was Godliness is Profitable . I left on the 24th feeling unwell. Rode a mile when the rain started and I stopped at Joseph Jones" It seems the next year that the road from Jonesboro to Asheville was improved and better than the Yellow Mountain road so Asbury did not come back to Davenports. In 1798 and 1799, we find Martin was a "Warden of The Poor". In brief, here are job descriptions as given in North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local History, by Helen F. M. Leary and Maurice R. Stirewalt (the "Bible" on NC genealogical research), in a chapter written by Raymond A. Winslow, Jr. Wardens of the Poor. "Care of the poor, infirm, aged, mentally or physically handicapped, and other unfortunates was the responsibility of county Wardens of the Poor from 1777 until 1917.
They were occasionally called Overseers of the Poor. They received and disbursed monies for poor relief, determined what persons were entitled to public assistance, and supervised the operation of institutions for the poor. From 1777 to 1868 each county had seven Wardens of the Poor, elected by the voters until 1846 and appointed by the County Courts thereafter." In 1807 Martin served as Coroner. From same source. "County Coroners exercised the duties of Sheriffs in certain special circumstances, but their primary function was the investigation of sudden, unexplained, or unusual deaths. With the aid of juries, Coroners held inquests to inquire into the circumstances of such deaths. Corpses were examined and witnesses were questioned. Reports of inquests, signed by Coroners and jurors, contain dates, places, names of decedents, descriptions of the circumstances, and testimony of witnesses. Inquests are legal judgments, not medical diagnoses." We only see one piece of the puzzle from and one source, but put them all together and you can start to see a man filled with intelligence and a zest for life. If you want to know more about this time he lived on the Toe, there are other Burke County land, tax, court and census records that will add more to this picture.
Until he died in December 1815, he was a man of great influence. HONORING A HERO A lot has been written in the last 200 years about Freedom, but the words pale in comparison to the men who made it possible. Strangely enough these Overmountain Militia men who passed over the Yellow Mountain and across Bright s Trace on their way to win a victory at King s Mountain, literally turned the tide in that war. They gave a faltering army the optimism and pride it needed to keep fighting and win our freedom. This legacy of pride in doing your best and wanting to live free or die was part of Martin Davenport who we honor this day. He was part of the North Carolina Militia, not the Continental Army. The Militia was "an armed force of able-bodied men within a certain age range, who were subject to go into action when the State (NC) needed to defend itself."
From 1776-1806 the age for duty was 16-50. In 1806 it was 18-45. Later, it was changed to 17-64. The Militia was and is a home guard under the command of the Governor. Originally, the Militia was structured by County, then subdivided into Companies commanded by a Captain. All Companies in a County formed a Regiment, commanded by a Colonel. You could be exempt from service if you were a State or County Official or a Physician, Schoolmaster or Clergy. Quakers were exempt from bearing arms in wartime, but were required to furnish substitutes to fight in their place. Martin Davenport served whenever he was called. We know this from NC Pay Vouchers and other Pension Applications of soldiers who served with him. The US Congress voted that any Revolutionary Soldier still living in 1832 could apply for a pension. Not all were approved, but it is a good source for verifying service. Capt. Davenport did not live past 1815, therefore we have no application from him. We know he sold all his land in Culpeper County, VA in 1775 and moved to NC. He was probably Militia in VA too. The first NC record for his service we find is a statement from Jasper BILLINGS in his Pension Application. "I was a Pvt. in the NC Militia. In August 1776, I enlisted / volunteered under Lt. Martin Davenport to fight the Cherokee. I served 6 weeks."
To prove this service there is a Voucher #2046 from "Revolutionary Army Accounts " (Vol., VIII, page 76,Folio 1) dated January 1777. It is paid to Lt. Martin Davenport in the amount of 94 pounds, 16 shillings under the subheading "To cash paid Sundries by Matt. Lock Paymaster to the Meclingburg Regiment of Militia Services done in an Expedition against the Cherokee Indians in the year 1776. Almost 50,000 of these vouchers have survived and are in the NC State Archives by Payee. When Wilkes and Burke became Counties in 1777, Martin is living where the Wilson Creek meets the Johns River, not far from Major Joseph McDowell. He is said to serve under both McDowell and Benjamin Cleveland who lived closer to Wilkesboro. Cleveland had moved to NC in 1769. He was a big man and weighed over 300 lbs. He would as soon hang a Tory as talk to him. He and his men were much hated by the Loyalist. He became a Colonel in 1776 after pushing the Cherokees back into the Mountains. In 1763 the Treaty Of Paris was signed. The British Crown said "Any land beyond the crest of the Blue Ridge is beyond the bounds of Government and therefore are Indian Lands."
In 1772, the Watauga Settlement began between present day Elizabethton and Johnson City, TN. On July 20,1777, the Treaty Of Long Island was signed. The Cherokees ceded to the white man all land East of the Blue Ridge and lands along the Watauga, New, Upper Holston, Toe and Nolichucky Rivers. Washington County was formed. All land to the Mississippi River was in North Carolina.
Our next proof of service for Martin Davenport is a Pension Application statement by Jacob GRIDER on 24 Sept. 1836; "My 1st tour in 1778 was against the Indians who broke out in the frontier part of Burke County in which settlement my father was living". He adds, "A fort was immediately built, under the direction of Capt. Devenport (Martin)." "While we were in the fort in my first tour, a respectable woman, the name of McFalls, had occasion to go a little distance from the fort one evening. The Indians in ambush shot her down and stabbed her we suppose with a scalping knife, and took off her scalp down to both ears. She recovered." In the Davenport family Martin has long been referred to as "King s Mountain Martin". In trying to verify this, Lyman Draper author of "King s Mountain and It s Heroes" tells this story which happened shortly before King s Mountain on the John s River. Draper included it because he received it from three sources.
As stated earlier, Col. Benjamin Cleveland was hated by Tories and so were his men. One morning several Tories led by John Mc Fall came to the Davenport home, hoping to catch and destroy Martin, but Capt. Davenport was not home. He was away in service. They demanded Mrs. Davenport give them breakfast and that the eldest son William feed and water the horses. When breakfast was over they came out to discover the horses unattended. Mc Fall asked William why not and the boy said he wasn t going to do it. The Tory, known to them picked up a stick and whipped him. A short time later, just after the Battle of King s Mountain ended, this Tory was captured.
When Col. Cleveland heard his name, he said " That man Mc Fall went to the house of Martin Davenport, one of my best soldiers, while he was away from home fighting for his country, insulted his wife, and whipped his child. No such man ought to be allowed to live." "Hang him". They did on the spot, but his brother Arthur Mc Fall had been wounded in the arm and Major Joseph McDowell begged for his life and he lived. From the above, we know Martin was in service in 1780. Probably King s Mountain, but not verified by Draper. If he went he would have served with the men from Burke and Wilkes who met the Watauga men at Quaker Meadows.
The last mention of service is found in a Pension Application from KY by Joshua MURRAY. He says, " In the Summer of 1782, I served under Capt. Joseph and Col. John (Charles ?)McDowell in a Company commanded by Capt. Martin Davenport on the Catawba frontier." There is an additional Pay Voucher #4383 to Martin Davenport for 7 pounds, 6 shillings. "Revolutionary Army Accounts (Vol.A, Page 239, folio)"
Heading: The USA to State of NC, for Sundries furnished to the Militia of NC, VA and SC as allowed by the auditors of the Morgan District as per report #43. (report #41 is dated April 1783. #42-45 are undated but #46 is June 1783.)
This seems to confirm that Summer of 1782. In those same letters to Draper, W. W. Lenoir says of Capt. Martin Davenport, " He was a good hunter as well as a favorite soldier and scout of Cleveland and was in afteryears a favorite with Waightstill Avery and his son Isaac T Avery. He was often a welcome guest at their hospitable abode." Dr. Emmett White in his book "Revolutionary Soldiers of Western North Carolina" says "During one of his skirmishes, he (Capt. Davenport) was badly wounded, but recovered." This may be a clue as to why he did not advance in the Militia when his friends did. Col. Cleveland moved to SC in 1786. We believe Martin moved to the Toe by 1785 and in 1790 census he is listed in the 10th militia company. For the rest of his life, Capt. Davenport helped develop this area for other families who enjoyed being free. After he died in Dec 1815, most of his children and extended family moved away. Only one son Jonas, who had married Nancy the daughter of David Baker, stayed in the area. William married Mary Lenoir Gordon and made his home near Ft. Defiance. David, the youngest son moved to the Shooting Creek Area of Clay County, NC. The other eight children, Thomas, Abner, Robert, Hannah, Elizabeth, Martin,Jr., Nancy, David and Mary, all moved out of state and never came back. Over the years the land went through several hands, Tate, Childs, Wiseman. This land was even called Calhoun and the County seat of Mitchell County for 2 years. A lot of wonderful history occurred on this sacred land.
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=monkeys&id=I10363
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1680 - Bef 1735 (< 55 years)