Incorrect Lineage for James Davison I

Incorrect Lineage for James Davison I, b. 1720-1730, d. 1794 Russell County, VA

The James Davidson of Russell Co., VA, who died about 1794, was a member of DNA "Family 13" at www.davidsongenes.org

By: Sue Elfving
9 Aug 2009

An incorrect lineage for James Davison I (d. 1794, Russell Co., Va.) continues to appear on the internet with increasing frequency. The ancestry of James Davison I has not been determined. Furthermore, DNA testing for several of his descendants prove this group of Davi(d)sons is not related to Importation John Davison and his wife Jane of Ireland, Virginia, and North Carolina , the most commonly incorrect lineage that is embraced.

Perhaps of even greater significance is that James Davison I has not been linked to any other group of Davidsons that have been tested.

For those interested in DNA testing, James Davison I is represented as Family 13 and the results of the Davidson/Davison/Davisson DNA Study can be found at: www.davidsongenes.org

Some of the major groups of Davidsons to which he is not related:

Family #1: Iredell Co, NC Davidsons (Importation John line)

Family #2: Daniel Davis(s)on of Boston and NJ

Family #3: Patrick Davidson of PA

Family 4 - John Davidson of Bertie and/or Guilford Co., NC

Family 5 - Richard Davison of Middlesex Co., VA (includes Pr Edward Co VA group)

Family 7 - James Davidson, Sr. of PA and Bedford Co., VA

Family 10 - Hezekiah Davidson, died 1793 in Cumberland Co., VA, and William Davidson of Orange/Guilford Co., NC

Family 19 – John Goolman Davidson Family of Tazewell Co, Va.

History of Incorrect Lineage:

If one sees James Davison I (d 1794) listed as a son of Samuel Davison, or as a descendant of John and Jane, son of William and Elizabeth of Armagh, then one knows immediately it is in error.

Briefly, Samuel Davison, son of John Davison, was born 10 Oct. 1736. James Davison I of Russell Co., Va. , who d. 1794, was born by 1730 at the very latest but probably several years earlier. A date of birth range for James is 1720-1730.

This lineage, often seen with respect to Old Revolutionary War Soldier Daniel Davidson Sr. of Clay Co., Ky., (son of James Davison I) was originally put forth by early researchers of this line. Later it was included in Selden Davidson’s genealogy of the same family. There was a notation by Selden that it was not proven, but the warning went unheeded. Selden did not research Daniel’s ancestry but focused on Daniel’s descendants. Selden ’s work on the descendants of Daniel Davidson has been substantially updated and published by Frank Davidson.

James Davison who d. 1794, was probably born by 1720-25 but might have been born as late as 1730. His probable daughter Nancy DAVISON Osborne Wood was born in 1748 which pushes his date of birth back to 1728 or earlier. His three oldest sons, James II, Daniel, and Joseph were themselves born by 1757.

The early researchers never consulted Washington and Russell Co., Va. records; therefore, they never knew that Daniel was the son of James Davison I, nor did they know when James Davison I was born (approximately). As a result, none of the early scenarios worked mathematically. Furthermore, several different Virginia Davidson families were combined together to create one connected family, all from William of Ireland. Later family enthusiasts embraced the original problematic lineage, in part, or in whole, without taking into consideration public records or later research on John and Jane Davison. In more recent times, the lineage has been pared down to only include James Davison I as son of Samuel who was son of John and Jane, who was son of William of Armagh. Now, the entire issue has been scientifically resolved by DNA tests.

Two major documented sources for Importation John Davison’s family are:

1. Those members of the Davison/Davidson Family who descended from William and Elizabeth Davison of County Armagh, Ireland and settled in North Carolina and Tennessee and later in Mississippi, Texas and elsewhere by Robert Stephens Hand, 1990, Second Edition – 1991

2. Carolina Cradle Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762 by Robert W. Ramsey, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill

Importation John Davidson died in 1749 during which period he was in the process of removing to NC. Probate records for him exists both in NC and in Augusta Co. His widow Jane remarried to William Morrison per Augusta Co. records. They also removed to NC. Included in this Davidson group are his sons George, Thomas, Samuel, William, and John (b. 1744 in Va. ), some daughters, a contemporary George Davidson (possibly a brother), and some other Davidsons (exact relationship not yet determined) Davidsons. It is a very large group with several notable Rev. War soldiers and has been extensively researched.

For those of you new to family research or to your James Davi(d)son I ancestry, descendants of James Davidson I intermarried with the Stacys, Combs, and other Perry Co., Ky. , families. Elizabeth Davidson, the daughter of Rev. War soldier James Davidson II, married Simon Stacy, son of Judith Tolson and Simon Stacy. Simon and Elizabeth ’s son Shadrach married Sarah Combs, d/o of Long Jerry Combs. Two sons of Robert Davidson (son of James II) intermarried with the Combs family. Rev. War soldier Daniel Davidson, who removed to Clay Co., Ky. , was a son of James Davison I. He left many descendants who intermarried with a wide range of Perry Co. families including Combs.

The DNA study also proves that John Goolman Davidson of Tazewell Co.,Va, was also unrelated to James Davison I. Periodically a lineage linking the two families surfaces on the internet. This John is well-researched and very “trackable” in Virginia land records. Two of his sons applied for a RW pension and their affidavits confirm John immigrated from Ireland to Pennsylvania in 1758/59 with a young family. They later came to Augusta Co. and eventually settled on land that was in Montgomery, then Tazewell, later Mercer Co. This John was more a contemporary of James Davison I.

In summary, there were many different groups of Davison, Davidson, and Davissons who resided in Virginia in the early to late 1700s. Some groups were large in number and they are hard to separate. Older research incorrectly mixed the various groups together but DNA tests are helping to separate, as well as relate, these early Davidsons.