Note: Attended Oxford University

The following was taken from the book "Davis, The settlers of Salem West Virginia"
William Davis, s/o William of Lanstephen, County Radnor, Wales, pleb. St. Mary's Hall, (Oxford University), who matriculated 30 June 1682, aged 18. (Note: According to the dictionary, Matriculate means to enroll in a body or society, as a collegeor university, by entering the name in a register. In otherwords he was registered there as a student on that date.) Note: Rev. William Davis d 1745 in his 82nd year, thus he had not yet celebrated his 82nd birthday. Had he done that he would have been in his 83rd year. He entered Oxford 30 June 1682 aged 18, thus his birthdate was after "late in the year", and before 30 June the following year. This places his year of birth as 1664. William arrived in Phila. PA in 1684, according to his own writing, thus he had spent 2 years at Oxford. He was a recognized preacher of The Society of Friends when he arrived, but left it with George Keith and 46 others in 1691. In 1697 he joined the Pennepek Baptist Church from which he was expelled 17 Feb. 1698/9 for heresy. At this time he wrote a book, "Jesus the Crucified Man", which was printed by Reynier Jansen in 1700. One copy of this book is still existant today. The introduction is most significant as it details the philosophies of Keith, and of the Quakers. It also tells us that William Davis was brought up in the Church Of England, and why he left them for the Quakers. Please note that he chose the Quaker religon while at Oxford, thus depriving himself of the privelege of graduation. Perhaps he later regretted this decision, as he wrote in his introduction to his book "Jesus the Crucified Man","Having at that time a weak capacty to judge in matters of doctrine." Thus, we do not find his name among the list of graduates from Oxford. In 1699 William Davis became a Seventh Day Baptist and organized a congreagation at Frankfort, PA. In 1706 he applied for a membership to the Newport, RI S.D.B. Church. On October 12, 1710 William and his wife Elizabeth applied to Westerly, RI for membership in that Church. They were recieved into Westerly Church 14 July 1711, and he was invited to preach there in 1713. On 1 March 1714 he requested a letter to a church in England, but was persuaded by his friends to remain in America. Soon after 16 May 1717 he left Westerly and settled in PA, where in 1724, he suffered severe loss by fire. From his home in Stonington, Connecticut, 21 Oct. 1734, William again requested membership in the Westerly Church, which was granted 16 Dec 1734. Soon after 1740 a settlement of 7th day Baptists was formed in Monmouth Co. NJ, near the Manasquan River. Joseph Maxson and his family of Stonington, CT sailed for the mouth of the Manasquan River in the fall of 1742, but due to storms and ice, they did not reach their destination until the spring of 1743, having spent the winter on Long Island. The S.D.B.C. at Shrewsbury, NJ was formally organized in 1745 with William Davis as minister. William Davis died there late in the year 1745.

On 6 Jun 1700 when William was 37, he married Elizabeth PAVIOR