Davis Family Network

Multiple generations of the Davis family petitioned in multiple jurisdictions for their freedom from various masters, arguing that as descendants of a free, English woman, they should be entitled to their liberty. Whether or not they were successful depended upon if their case was decided before the 1810 decision in Queen v. Hepburn which disallowed hearsay evidence.

The matriarch of the family, Mary Davis, was a white Englishwoman. According to a 1664 act of the Maryland General Assembly, her marriage to an enslaved black man meant that she was to be in servitude for the duration of his life, and any children they may have would be enslaved for life. For more information on this family and their struggle for freedom, see A Mother's Inheritance: Women, Interracial Identity, and Emancipation in Maryland, 1664-1820.



Davis Siblings

These sisters and their children are descendants of Mary Davis, but it is not specified in the court documents how. Rosamond Bentley, the great-granddaughter of Mary Davis, was a witness for their petitions.


George Davis

George is a descendant of Mary Davis, but it is not specified in the court documents how. One of the summonses in his case was also filed in Letitia Davis' case. It is possible they are siblings.


Footnotes

1. Information on the children of Mary Davis and her Bentley descendants—save for Elizabeth Bentley—can be found throughout Courtney C. Hobson, "A Mother's Inheritance: Women, Interracial Identity, and Emancipation in Maryland, 1664-1820" (Master’s thesis, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 2014). The heritage of Elizabeth Bentley and her children is stated in her petition for freedom in the Circuit Court for D.C. [back]

2. The ancestry of Rosamond Bentley was argued in her petition for freedom filed in Prince George's County against Anthony Addison. Her petition was successful and she recovered her freedom on August 28, 1781. Rosamond Bentley v. Anthony Addison, Prince George's County Court (Judgment Record 1777-82, 713-5), Maryland State Archives. [back]

3. It is stated that Eleanor and Mary are the "full sister[s]" of Rosamond in a bill of exceptions filed in Davis v. Minifee and Davis v. Forrest. [back]

4. Elizabeth's petition for freedom states that she is the great-great-grandaughter of Mary Davis. Hobson's research shows that Elizabeth was the daughter of Nell Bentley. Elizabeth was listed as "Polly" along with her mother in a 1760 inventory. On another inventory in 1772, Nell is listed with her daughter, Elizabeth, and two grandchildren: Susanna and William. [back]