Trustrum Davis (say 1705 – after 1777), with some spelling variation of the forename including Tristram, was a veteran of the French and Indian War and my 7th-great-grandfather, being the father of Mary Rutherford by his wife Mary, maiden name unknown. Only tidbits have been found about his life, and I only have tentative speculation as to his heritage.
All known records of him are when he was living in what is now called Wales, Massachusetts, then considered part of the town of Brimfield, and for a time known as South Brimfield.
A history of Hampden County says Trustrum was in Wales in 1732.⟮1⟯ This is confirmed by the birth there of his oldest known child Mary (see below).
Trustrum Davis “of Brimfield” purchased land in the south of Brimfield on 1735-05-20, the earliest land record I have found.⟮2⟯FamilySearch His occupation is given as blacksmith.
On 1741-09-07, Trustrum purchased land from Joseph Davis⟮3⟯FamilySearch, who has been suggested to be a relative, and who is implied to have been an immigrant in his death record.⟮4⟯
Trustrum had children recorded born in Brimfield from 1732 to 1754, as listed below.
Trustrum served in the French and Indian War. He was an ensign in 1755, and a captain in 1756 and as late as 1761.⟮5⟯⟮6⟯
Trustrum purchased land in South Brimfield on 1777-01-03, where he is called a “gentleman”.⟮7⟯FamilySearch It seems this could not be his son of the same name; many sales of land to his son are also recorded. For example, on 1775-04-03 Trustrum Davis gentleman sold land to Trustrum Davis Jr. yeoman.⟮8⟯FamilySearch The Trustrum Jr. below born in 1742 would not be expected to have had an adult son by this date. The next sale in the land book is of Trustrum gentleman to Trustrum Jr. husbandman dated 1770-09-24, and explicitly says that he is his son, in case there is doubt.
On 1776-10-14, Trustrum Davis of South Brimfield yeoman sold land to his daughter’s husband Asa Stoughton.⟮9⟯FamilySearch It is not clear why he is called yeoman here, but by the same logic above, it must be the same person. He personally appeared to file the sale on 1777-04-30, which is the latest record I have found of him alive.
He had a wife of Mary of unknown origin. Records show they had ten children:⟮10⟯FamilySearch⟮4⟯
The three youngest were all baptized on 1756-05-20.
I have found little information about Mary being alive beyond birthing her youngest in 1754.
No record has been found definitively showing Trustrum’s parents. However, there is a good deal of grist for guesswork.
A marriage of Trustrum Davis of Scituate and Sarah Archer of Braintree (probably a widow; see below) is recorded in Scituate, MA on 1695-03-19. While there is almost no chance this is our Trustrum, since a man marrying in 1695 would not be expected to be serving in the military in 1761, he seems a strong candidate for his father. A child named Trustrum of this union would not be unexpected, and for that child to then move inland to the new settlement in the area of Brimfield would be a typical trajectory. The chronology, mainly inferred through our Trustrum’s first child being born in 1732, lines up.
A Trustrum Davis appears in the town records of Dedham, MA in 1721.⟮11⟯Ancestry$/Lib This is likely to be this elder Trustrum, although it could by a bare chance be our subject. This again tracks, as Dedham is between Scituate and Brimfield.
We will consider the origins of this Trustrum below. As for Sarah, the following is recorded in the records of Scituate:⟮12⟯FamilySearch
These may certifie, whom it may concern, that whereas Trustrum Daves of Sittuate hath been a suitor to my daughter Sarah Archer and if they shall proceed to marry, I shall not hinder theire proceeding: Brantery the 16 of March 1695
Stephen French Thomas Holebrook
Joseph Polle Mary Holebrook
Sarah is of course not the daughter of all four of these signatories, so some must be witnesses or godparents or other relatives. None are named Archer, suggesting that she was a widow. A reasonable guess is that Thomas and Mary Holbrook were Sarah’s parents. I have looked for this family but not found anything further.
A few sources claim that the Trustrum Davis of Scituate was the son of Robert Davis of Yarmouth. However, this is asserted to be an error by a later author⟮13⟯, and there seems no reason to doubt this conclusion.
Names similar to Trustrum Davis pop up in various other records and contexts, but scant evidence connects them. I will mention one here that perhaps is the most suggestive.
The colonial figure Nathaniel Byfield (1653 – 1733; Wikipedia) was an English immigrant who settled in Boston, MA. He was only the most prominent member of an enormous family, and had siblings and half-siblings numbering around 25. Many of his family also settled in Boston, and some fanned out from there to other towns.
Nathaniel’s maternal half-sister Elizabeth Wagstaffe had a second marriage to a Davis of unknown forename. We know the names of two of her children (possibly her only ones) from the will of Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s mother Sarah (née Juxson) (Wagstaffe) Byfield dated 1678-02-02 and proved 1678-04-04, which has bequests to grandson Tristram Davis and granddaughter Mary Davis.⟮14⟯ Sarah was buried 1678-03-22.⟮15⟯Ancestry$/Lib Presumably Elizabeth had died before the will was written.
Given that so many of this family migrated to Massachusetts, in the vicinity of Boston, it is plausible that this Tristram is the Trustrum Davis of Scituate, a town only a few miles outside of Boston. The chronology is certainly sensible for this identification.
We have much speculation, but no proof. Even early records state that where Trustrum came from is mysterious⟮16⟯Ancestry$/Lib, and this remains the case today.