John Wilson Davis
John Wilson Davis owned several properties in St Ann, some perhaps inherited from his father, Thomas Davis. His ancestry is not very clear, though the Private Act of 1780 suggests he was the grandson of John Wilson, millwright of St Ann, and a Coloured woman. Their daughter, Margaret, was possibly the wife of Thomas Davis, and John Wilson Davis was her son.
Any Indian ancestry would have been Taino/ Arawak rather than Carib, but it seems more likely that his non-European ancestry was African, and that he can be considered to be one of the group of prominent Coloured men who owned property and racehorses in St Ann in the 19th century.
I am still trying to find out more about J W Davis' family; please send any relevant information to: jamaican_sites(at)care2(dot)com
Daily Gleaner, Friday, October 30, 1868
DIED
On 26th instant at Belmont, St. Ann's, John Wilson Davis Esquire — aged 96 years.
Daily Gleaner, Wednesday, October 28, 1868
We regret in having to record the death of the veteran 'Father of the Turf' in this island, John Wilson Davis, Esq., at his residence in St. Ann's, on Sunday last. The deceased was in the full possession of his faculties to the last, having rode round his property on Saturday and given various directions concerning its management. This is almost marvel!ous, when we consider that he had attained the extraordinary age of ninety-seven years. Mr. Davis was known throughout the island and was universally esteemed.
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John Wilson Davis owned a lot of Estates in Jamaica - at the time of his death, at 96, the Bellevue (579 acres), Belmont (1728), Harmony Hill (755), Grierfield , Unity Valley and Malvern Park (1394) and Mammee Bay plantations. In 1858 he conveyed the Milford Plantation to a Robert Wilson, so ownership of this estate must also be assumed. Near Malvern Park estate, above Roaring River, is a small village called Davis Town, quite possibly created as a "free town".
(from a Jamaica Genealogy Forum)
[ The land which forms Bellevue property was granted to Captain John
Davis. Davis Town in the parish was alleged to be named after John
Wilson Davis, the son of Thomas Davis of Bellevue (1745-1834)
- Jamaica National Heritage Trust ]
