Samuel Davis I (1610-1667) was born in either England or Wales and married Elizabeth Benton in 1637. In about 1642 they immigrated to America and settled in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. They were the parents of three children: Samuel Davis II (1638-1687), John Davis (1640-1688), and Arthur Davis I (1648-1718). Descendants live in North Carolina, California and other parts of the United States.

Here is a county history that is extraordinarily rich in primary source materials, including abstracts of deeds from 1681 through the Revolutionary War period and, moreover, petitions, divisions of estates, wills, and marriages found in the records of Perquimans and adjacent North Carolina counties. Numbering in the tens of thousands, the records provide the names of all principal parties and related family members, places of residence and migration, descriptions of real and personal property, dates, boundary surveys, names of executors, witnesses, and appraisers, and dates of recording. Altogether, the index contains references to about 35,000 persons! Researchers should note that Perquimans was one of the original North Carolina precincts--with very close ties to the southeastern Virginia counties of Norfolk, Princess Anne, Nansemond, and Isle of Wight--and for many years had fluid boundaries with the North Carolina counties of Chowan, Gates, and Pasquotank.

"During the War Between the States, there lived in Tennessee a lad named Sam Davis, who was born on a farm near Smyrna in Rutherford County, October 6, 1842, the eldest son of Charles Lewis Davis and his second wife, Jane Simmons. His ancestors were of good steady Virginia and North Carolina Stock ... "--P. 13. Young Sam Davis was a soldier in the Confederate Army serving under Captain H. B. Shaw's "Coleman's Scouts". He was captured by Union soldiers, tried by military court and sentenced to death. He " ... died by hanging as "Spy" at Pulaski, Giles County, Tennessee, November 27, 1863, unmarried. He is known as the "Hero of Tennessee" in the war of 1863-1865."--P. 101. This record includes the genealogical record of the of the family of Sam Davis. "Since this outline is only to show the lineage of one particular branch, that of Sam Davis, the Tennessee hero, and not treating the Davis name in general, all other brances will be eliminated. No effort has been made to trace this lineage beyond David Davis of Middlesex County, Virginia, who apparently was the progenitor. David Davis died in Middlesex County, leaving a will dated Feb. 3, 1712 probated 3 March 1712 ... "--P. 83. Descendants and relatives of David Davis lived in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Texas and elsewhere.

The original records on file in Isle of Wight County and abstracted in this work are: Wills and Administrations Book A (1641-1650); Will and Deed Books 1 and 2 (1658-1659, 1666-1719); Will Books 3-11 (1726-1800); Deed Book I (1691-1695); Administrations and Probates (1666-1701); and The Great Book (1719-1729). In addition to the names of the testators and legatees, the entries provide the names of executors, securities, and witnesses and frequently include assignments of property.