The Davis family has a base in Christchurch but their origins may be further east around Gosport and connections with the Isle of Wight. Most of the family with DNA records seems to come, not from the Davis before 1800, but a group of families around the Gatrells, Rogers and Strottens who have connections with Ringwood and Milton.
The most interesting find in the early days of working on the Davis family centered on the family story that a Davis had been transported to Australia for stealing. The details were vague but it turned out that a descendant of Sarah Ann Davis actually had a letter written to Sarah Ann's mother, Ann Gatrell, from her brother, Isaac Gatrell, while on the hulk awaiting transportation in 1833.
The letter, edited from the original, says:-
"My sister dear remember me and bear me in your mind and donte let me be quite forgot now i am in close confined am your unhappy brother remember me in gaiol for ( eight) long mounths i am here confined and then to take my trial thougts of this makes me quite sad when on my bed i lie to think how i am drawn away all by bad company ever should be my happy lot to gain my liberty ten thousand thank ill offer then unto the lord moust high hear the voice of my complant receive my humble cry send me deliverance from this place back to my cuntrymen not my dear affectente sister sister dear do pray for me that i may be forgiven and if we meet no more on earth may we both meet in heaven forget me not my dear afectenet sister but allways remember me your poor unfortunate brother. Isaac Gatrell."
Records show Isaac was convicted of housebreaking and sentenced to death but commuted to transportation for life on 23rd February 1883 at the Winchester Assizes. He then spent from June to October 1833 on the Hulk 'Hardy' in Portsmouth Harbour. He was transported on the ship 'Aurora' to Sydney and was assigned to Thomas Icely who had a property called 'Saltram' near Bathurst. A biographical article on Thomas Icely is on-line from the Australian Dictionary of Biography at THOMAS ICELY may be of interest because he and his commercial interests are crucial to the subsequent life of Isaac.
Isaac didn't marry until he was around 40 to a Frances Best who, seems to have been around 16 years of age but this is not certain. They had 7 children before Isaac died age 51. Not all of his descendants have been traced but it was significant that a DNA match between descendants of Ann Gatrell and Isaac Gatrell confirmed the relatedness of these families. Subsequently another significant DNA match has been confirmed.
Isaac worked for or on Thomas Icely's properties until he was given a conditional pardon from his sentence by Governor FitzRoy on 1 September 1848. This seems to have allowed him to buy a block of land at Mandurama of 41 acres in 1960 and become a farmer on his own account.
Now back to Christchurch where Ann Gatrell had been born and christened. At age 20 she married Richard Spickernell who was a widower aged 64 who had 8 children all older than Ann. He died 4 years later and Ann then married James Davis in 1840 witnessed by her late husband's eldest son, also Richard Spickernell.
James and Ann had two daughters, Sarah Ann Davis and Emily Maria Davis. My mother recalls visiting Emily when a child going with her grandma, Sarah, to see her 'My grandma (Sarah Ann Davis) used to take me to see her sister (Emily Maria Davis) who had been a lady's maid & was very genteel. She lived in a very old house, 3 Church Street, opposite the Parish Church. It had a a very steep narrow & twisty staircase and was supposed to be haunted. I didn't like going there'.
June 2026