What was Davies' Fancy?

When I began my research into the Blakely branch of my family tree, I was fortunate to have been given information that went back a few generations to Charles Blakely and his wife Margaret Davis.  Family lore says Charles was born in Ireland and came to America as a boy.  He is said to have fought in the Battle of King's Mountain.  He lived in eastern Tennessee (Knox and/or Jefferson counties) where his grandson, James C. Blakely was born.  Since James C. was known to be a Presbyterian, and the Battle of King's Mountain was fought largely by Scots-Irish frorntiersmen, it was presumed that Charles was also Scots-Irish.  Other than Margaret's name, there was no information on her heritage or origins.  Although it would have been nice to have primary sources beyond oral histories, having the information was enough to get me started.
 

Fairly early in my search, I uncovered a land record in Southwest Virginia that seemed to fit "our' Charles Blakely.  The land is located in present-day Smyth county near its border with Wythe.  The record described borders with land owned by men named Davis.  Though not conclusive, it seemed likely those borderirng neighbors were relatives of Margaret -- her father, brothers, uncles or cousins.  This discovery provided encouragement that I could find more about the Blakely's life in Colonial America, but, I needed a plan for proceeding with my research, especially given the fact that I live nearly 3000 miles away.  I decided to begin with studies of the Scots-Irish in Colonial America and noticed the migratory pattern of many Oregon pioneers (including the Blakely's) was common to Scots-Irish living in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Tennessee during and after the Revolutionary War.
 

Armed with the Virginia land record and a belief that Charles and Margaret were part of a Scots-Irish community, I started searching for more evidence of their life in Virginia and Tennessee.  It was a challenge at first to reconcile references to Blackly, Blacly, Bleakley, Blakely, Blakeley, and Bickley with "my" Blakely's.  But I soon learned precision in spelling names was not of great import in Colonial times.  Furthermore, the vagaries of penmanship and translation add to the variation of recorded names, so I learned to look for corroborating evidence to determine when the name was a variation on Blakely and when  it was another family's name.  One name, Charles Bickley, remains in question.  Some references to  Bickley seem to fit while others point to another individual.  Perhaps in time, other evidence will surface to clarify the identity of Mr. Bickley.  In the meantime, there is ample evidence that Charles and Margaret lived near families named Davis on the headwaters of the middle fork of the Holston River.
 

Land records provided the key to Margaret's ancestry.  Contained within one of the "metes and bounds" land descriptions was a reference to a parcel as part of a larger parcel known as "Davies' Fancy".  Locating information on this parcel was relatively easy.  The land (1300 acres) was purchased by James Davies (Davis) from Stephen Holston (after whom the Holston River is named) in 1748.  The middle fork of the river begins on this property and a branch of the Great Wagon Road transects the land.  James Davies' home served as a traveler's waystation on that migratory trail and, during the French and Indian War, a fort for the protection of settlers in the area was erected there.  Records of James' transfer of part of the parcel to his sons lend credibility to my theory that Charles and Margaret acquired their land through Margaret's relationship to James.  Proof of the connection remains elusive so the search will continue.  In the meantime, I consider the discovery of  "Davies' Fancy" one of the gems of my genealogical mining.

 

Last fall, while my sister and I were on a trip to Washington, DC, we took a side trip to Southwest Virginia to find "Davies' Fancy".  It was a beautiful, early October day.  The sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze and the trees were sporting their autumn colors of green, gold and crimson.  With the benefit of an Appalachian Trail guidebook, we were able to locate a marker commemorating Davies' Fancy and hike through a portion of the property.  One of the photos we took that day serves as the title photo for this blog.  With the help of a local museum volunteer, we were also able to locate the Davis' homesite.  Although the historic house now standing on the property was built circa 1800, likely after James had died, it stands on what is believed to have been the original homesite.  (Perhaps the location of the old fort, as well.)  It is a charming, well-maintained, brick colonial on the old Lee Highway (successor to the Great Wagon Road).  What a thrilll it was to walk the land and imagine the lives of those who came before.  That I was able to share it with my sister on such a magnificient autumn day put it on the short list of treasured experiences in my life.  For me, "Davies' Fancy" is a beautiful memory.
 

Bjs

(Check out my SmugMug link for more pictures of last year's trek to "Davies' Fancy".)