Samuel Cole Davis
Samuel Cole Davis was an influential figure born in 1764 in New Jersey to immigrant parents. He was the eldest of six children and grew up in a Quaker household. In 1791, he married Ann Rowand, an Anglican, and together they had four children. Throughout his life, Davis accumulated wealth by renting out properties inherited from his father and grandfather. Despite his financial success, he made extravagant purchases, which he later attributed to a lack of discipline from his parents. His life took a significant turn when he experienced a spiritual awakening, ultimately confessing to personal failings, including adultery, and recognizing the impact of guilt on his relationships. This introspection was documented in a diary he kept while battling cancer, offering a poignant reflection on early Quaker life and the human experience of facing mortality. Samuel Cole Davis passed away in 1809 at the age of 44, leaving behind a legacy that highlights both personal struggle and the cultural context of his time.
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Samuel Cole Davis
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- Born: October 26, 1764
- Birthplace: Salem County, New Jersey
- Died: July 31, 1809
Biography
The oldest of six children, Samuel Cole Davis was born to immigrant parents in 1764 in New Jersey. A Quaker, Samuel married Ann Rowand, an Anglican, in 1791 and had four children with her: Hannah Cole Davis, Ann Cole Davis, Mary Cole Davis, and Samuel Cole Davis, Jr. Davis made his living renting out property that he got from his father, David Davis, and his maternal grandfather, Samuel Coles. Davis was considerably wealthy and made extravagant, unnecessary purchases such as a deer park. He attributed his tendency to make unwise investments to his overly lenient parents.
An unruly and generally religiously uninvolved youth, Samuel Cole Davis made an important spiritual breakthrough later in life: He confessed to committing adultery and also realized that his guilt had caused him to listen to rumors and to accuse his wife of the same sin. This conversion was a key part of his diary, which he began writing while he was combating cancer. As his condition worsened, Davis revealed the thoughts that accompanied his struggle of survival. Although Davis speaks of voices that existed only in his mind, his diary has been praised for its realism in portraying early Quaker life, including its medical and religious aspects, but has been more recognized for the valuable insight it offers into how people of the day thought as they faced the inevitable. He succumbed to the cancer in 1809, at the age of forty-four; he outlived his father by only three years.