The ravages of colonial/nationalist wars included the inestimable loss of many records that would have 'filled-in the blanks' making our earliest American family history more complete and accurate. One modern -and increasingly popular- method used for providing 'proof' of ancestry is DNA testing of potential descendants. There are at least three main DNA branches of the Davenport family in America for which some records exist:
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| 17th Century Virgina |
THE PAMUNKEY DAVENPORTS
Our family line stretches back to early descendants of Davis Davenport. [My research shows Davis as son of Martin Davenport who was born and died in King William Co., VA. Although the link between Lancelot and Martin is generally agreed-upon as father/son, records are sparse and speculative.] According to a 1696 land survey, Davis owned a plantation and landing in Pamunkey Neck. The early Pamunkey Davenports were small-farm tobacco planters, but -unlike Lancelot- typically illiterate. Another group settled in the "Northern Neck" area; these were the Tidewater Davenports who were slave-owning, gentlemen planters with possible aristocratic background.
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| Yankee Rebel Tavern Mackinac Island |
The Mackinac Davenports have connections to Michigan's Mackinac Island through "The Yankee Rebel" Ambrose R. Davenport. Born in Virginia in 1771, Ambrose served in the army under General "Mad Anthony" Wayne and was assigned to Mackinac in 1796. Upon leaving the military, he remained on the island to work in the fur trade. When the British took control of the fort at Mackinac in 1812, Ambrose was temporarily deported to Detroit as a prisoner of war along with the entire garrison and some other islanders. Refusing to swear allegiance to the British crown, he is quoted as having said
"I was born in America, and am determined, at all hazards to live and die an American citizen."
He was able to return to his wife and children at the close of the war and lived out the remainder of his long life on Mackinac Island. Descendants from his six children remained in the Great Lakes region, settling in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. [The Yankee Rebel Tavern, located on a side street of downtown Mackinac Island, honors the memory of Ambrose.]  | ||||
| Is this the Davenport Homestead, Hubbard's Annex, Mackinac Island? |
[Info on the Ambrose Davenport house found here.]
Additional info on the Davenport DNA project can be googled, including the following from: http://www.isogg.org/successstories.html
From the Davenport DNA Project
"The "original" Davenport can be traced back to Ormus De Davenport, (one of many spelling variations), alive at the time of the Norman Conquest around 1066 AD in the Cheshire area of England. Almost 800 years later, in 1851, Amzi Benedict Davenport published the first major Davenport genealogy. Although Amzi concentrated on his own line, the Rev. John Davenport, (founder of New Haven, Connecticut), he and others were able to document the line back to Ormus. Twenty five years later he published a newer updated edition. Today, except for a few minor instances, that research has stood the test of time. Because of Amzi's research, it is Ormus that most Davenports hope to trace back to.
In the 1600's, five Davenports resided in the Boston area. They were the Rev. John (1597-1670), Thomas "of Dorchester" (abt 1604-1685), Humphrey (bef 1622-abt 1680), Capt. Richard (abt 1606-1665), and Lancelot (abt 1594-?). All supposedly originated in England and shared the same family crest, but no genealogical link has been found to prove any connections.
One of the original goals of the Davenport Surname DNA Project was to determine if these five Davenport lines were related and, if any were descended from Ormus. In the project's first year, we discovered Rev. John and Thomas shared a common ancestor, while Humphrey did not. Surprisingly, we also discovered that they match the descendents of Richard Davenport, born in England in 1642, and settling in Virginia and then Albemarle, North Carolina. We have not found descendents of Capt. Richard or Lancelot yet.
The next step was to confirm an English connection. In 2005 we began an extensive search for Davenports of known Cheshire ancestry. We found a few and some matched the Rev. John/Thomas/Richard lines. This was encouraging, we were on the right track. Finally, we were able to locate a Bromley-Davenport who was willing to donate his DNA.. The Bromley-Davenport's are one of the few remaining lines with documentation back to Ormus.
The Bromley Davenports matched the others. This means the Rev. John, Thomas of Dorchester, Albemarle's, and several other individuals of "unknown English ancestry" all have a common Davenport ancestor with the Bromley Davenports. It's official now, DNA corroborated our common descent from Ormus De Davenport; but the who, where, and when - we don't yet know. As more markers and participants become available, that day may come."
- - Posted on 5 Jun 2006
"The "original" Davenport can be traced back to Ormus De Davenport, (one of many spelling variations), alive at the time of the Norman Conquest around 1066 AD in the Cheshire area of England. Almost 800 years later, in 1851, Amzi Benedict Davenport published the first major Davenport genealogy. Although Amzi concentrated on his own line, the Rev. John Davenport, (founder of New Haven, Connecticut), he and others were able to document the line back to Ormus. Twenty five years later he published a newer updated edition. Today, except for a few minor instances, that research has stood the test of time. Because of Amzi's research, it is Ormus that most Davenports hope to trace back to.
In the 1600's, five Davenports resided in the Boston area. They were the Rev. John (1597-1670), Thomas "of Dorchester" (abt 1604-1685), Humphrey (bef 1622-abt 1680), Capt. Richard (abt 1606-1665), and Lancelot (abt 1594-?). All supposedly originated in England and shared the same family crest, but no genealogical link has been found to prove any connections.
One of the original goals of the Davenport Surname DNA Project was to determine if these five Davenport lines were related and, if any were descended from Ormus. In the project's first year, we discovered Rev. John and Thomas shared a common ancestor, while Humphrey did not. Surprisingly, we also discovered that they match the descendents of Richard Davenport, born in England in 1642, and settling in Virginia and then Albemarle, North Carolina. We have not found descendents of Capt. Richard or Lancelot yet.
The next step was to confirm an English connection. In 2005 we began an extensive search for Davenports of known Cheshire ancestry. We found a few and some matched the Rev. John/Thomas/Richard lines. This was encouraging, we were on the right track. Finally, we were able to locate a Bromley-Davenport who was willing to donate his DNA.. The Bromley-Davenport's are one of the few remaining lines with documentation back to Ormus.
The Bromley Davenports matched the others. This means the Rev. John, Thomas of Dorchester, Albemarle's, and several other individuals of "unknown English ancestry" all have a common Davenport ancestor with the Bromley Davenports. It's official now, DNA corroborated our common descent from Ormus De Davenport; but the who, where, and when - we don't yet know. As more markers and participants become available, that day may come."
- - Posted on 5 Jun 2006
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