Thomas Davis (c. 1755 – c. 1837) was a

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans *Mohawk people (Kanien’kehá:ka), an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language (Kanien’kéha), the language spoken by the Mohawk people *Mohawk hairstyle, from a ...

war chief. In

he was called Tehowagherengaraghkwen.

Early life

Davis' place of birth is uncertain, but he was probably born in upstate

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Military life

During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, Davis fought as an ally of the British, rising to the position of war chief. After Britain's defeat, he travelled to

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

with his cousin

Joseph Brant Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York and, later, Brantford, in what is today Ontario, who was closely associated with Great Britain du ...

, settling on the Six Nations reserve, building a farm about five miles north of the Mohawk Village which became

Brantford Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully indep ...

. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, Davis was active on the British side.

Religious conversion

Sometime before 1820, Davis was

baptised Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. There was little access to

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

near his home on the Grand River. Reverend Ralph Leeming made occasional trips through the area. Otherwise lay preachers conducted religious services. Davis took a leadership role in the religious community of the area. He quit

drinking Drinking is the act of ingesting water or other liquids into the body through the mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely among ...

around 1820, and began holding prayer meetings at his farm. He called local Mohawks to prayer by blowing a

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

, and read sections from the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

and the Church of England prayerbook to those who attended. In 1823, a white settler heard the horn, and learnt of the prayer meetings. He offered to arrange for

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

preachers to visit. His offer was accepted, and preacher Edmund Stoney and

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

minister Alvin Torry began making regular trips to the area. As converting Mohawks began to settle around Davis' farm, the area became known as ''Davisville''. Peter Jones brought a number of

Mississaugas The Mississaugas are a group of First Nations peoples located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are a sub-group of the Ojibwe Nation. Etymology The name "Mississauga" comes from the Anishinaabe word ''Misi-zaagiing'', meaning " hose at theGr ...

who had converted to Methodism there in 1824, and Davis' house became insufficient for both his residence and the Methodism mission, so Davis retired to a log cabin while his house was used by the Methodists. The Mississaugas left for the

Credit Mission The Credit Mission was an Indian Mission on the Credit River in Upper Canada. Funded with the proceeds from Purchase #22 or #23, building began in 1826 under the leadership of Peter Jones. When construction began, about 200 Indians lived at the ...

in 1826, and Davisville was once again a purely Mohawk Methodist settlement. By the time of Davis' death, around 150 of the 2000 Mohawks along the Grand River had converted to Methodism. About the same time the Mission site of Davisville was abandoned as spring flood severity increased along the Grand River after forests were cleared to build farms.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Thomas Indigenous people of the War of 1812 Converts to Anglicanism Native American Episcopalians American Episcopalians American Mohawk people Native American people in the American Revolution People from New York (state) 1750s births 1837 deaths