Thomas Davis (chief)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Davis was a Mohawk war chief. In Mohawk
he was called Tehowagherengaraghkwen.
, Davis fought as an ally of the British, rising to the position of war chief. After Britain's defeat, he travelled to Upper Canada
with his cousin Joseph Brant
, settling on the Six Nations reserve, building a farm about five miles north of the Mohawk Village which became Brantford
. During the War of 1812
, Davis was active on the British side.
. 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
around 1820, and began holding prayer meetings at his farm. He called local Mohawks to prayer by blowing a horn
, and read sections from the Bible
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 preachers to visit. His offer was accepted, and preacher Edmund Stoney and ordained 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
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
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.
Mohawk language
Mohawk is an Iroquoian language spoken by around 2,000 people of the Mohawk nation in the United States and Canada . Mohawk has the largest number of speakers of the Northern Iroquoian languages; today it is the only one with greater than a thousand remaining...
he was called Tehowagherengaraghkwen.
Military life
During the American revolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Davis fought as an ally of the British, rising to the position of war chief. After Britain's defeat, he travelled to Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
with his cousin Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
, settling on the Six Nations reserve, building a farm about five miles north of the Mohawk Village which became Brantford
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
. During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Davis was active on the British side.
Religious conversion
Sometime before 1820, Davis was baptised an Anglican. There was little access to missionaries or priests near his home on the Grand RiverGrand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
. 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
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
around 1820, and began holding prayer meetings at his farm. He called local Mohawks to prayer by blowing a horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, and read sections from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
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 preachers to visit. His offer was accepted, and preacher Edmund Stoney and ordained 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
Mississaugas
The Mississaugas are a subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations people located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are closely related to the Ojibwa...
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
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 settlement in temporary structures. Thirty log cabins...
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.