THE DAVID FAMILY — WILMINGTON’S FIRST JEWS

The Wilmington database of area families which covered the Lamb line to the Bass line in detail mentioned the David line in passing. A book on the early days of the Town of Wilmington and a newspaper article added a few details.

Abigail David was born 1752 in New Hanover County and died there about 1809. Her father was David.

David David died 3 Mar 1775 in New Hanover County. His wife was named Ann. But other than his name, I knew nothing for awhile about the man or the family. Then I saw an article in the local paper about the history of the Temple of Israel in Wilmington and it said that David David was the first known Jew in Wilmington. That was quite a surprise, but it is such an unusual name that it just had to be the right man. Further research by me into early town documents has shown that Philip David was the father of David David and he preceded David David in Wilmington. In fact, a book on the history of the town found at the library, shows clearly that Philip David was one of 20 or so men who were very active in the formal establishment of Wilmington as a Town.

Evidently part of the process of becoming a town involved everyone having to do some work in the streets -- it is not clear if it was surveying work or actual physical labor doing street building. And there would from time to time be a list of the offenders in town who had not shown up for their assigned time in the streets. David David was habitually on that list. And then on one list, it said he was absent, but his absence was excused since he was in jail for previous offenses. And finally there was notice that he had paid his fines for not having appeared.

David David, like his father, was a carpenter, and evidently he found it economically advantageous to pay the fines and not do the assigned work.

Philip David died 5 Aug 1747 in Wilmington.

abt 1752. Abigail David was born about this time to parents David and his wife who seems to have been named Ann. David was living in New Hanover County at that time, but whether he was still in the town of Wilmington or had moved out of town to the Long Creek area by that time is not known.

15 Feb 1777. She married William Lamb. Usually an exact marriage date from so long ago comes from a church or bible record, but no such record has been found for Abigail’s marriage — but wonderfully it was in a deed. On 15 Jun 1779, Abigail and her sister Jane (or Jean) and their respective husbands, William Lamb and John Overhison, sold 1/2 a town lot in Wilmington to James Spiller.

abt 1808. She died by then, perhaps quite a few years earlier as there is no mention of her in any documents associated with the settlement of William’s estate.

Abigail left a very faint imprint on history. Other than knowing her name which comes from William’s pension application (?) and assuming she had to be the daughter of David David as the only David present in the area at that time, there is no other mention of her. No tombstone, no church record, no known name of William’s wife from a will or estate file nor even a deed which might have showed up had he ever sold land during her lifetime.

So her life is sketchy at best. My notes do indicate she is mentioned in early court records of Wilmington.

1800. William Lamb is present in New Hanover County. He is over age 45 as is his wife. They have three sons, 2 age 10-15 and 1 age 16-25 and no daughters living with them. His neighbors are Thomas Lamb also age 45+ and Joseph Lsamb age 16-25.

All of New Hanover County, as transcribed by Ancestry.com is divided into two sections -- one called Wilmington and one called Not Stated. William is in the Wilmington section but a close inspection of that section reveals that about half of it is indeed the Town of Wilmington and the remaindet not. William is in the remainder section.

The DAR lists him as “William Lamb: b c 1752 --- d a 16 May 1808 NC m (10) Abigail David Sol PS NC”

Wm Lamb listed in Black River 450a

William Lamb was born about 1750 in then New Hanover County and died there about 1807. He was a planter. He married 15 Feb 1777 Abigail David which is how the David family covered later on joins the Lawther family tree. William served in the Wilmington District Militia during the Revolutionary War and his pension application provides most of the information that I know about him. A 1793 land deed is to William and Thomas (his brother) Lamb for 320 acres on the east side of the North East River, opposite David David’s landing. After he died, his estate was divided in 1808 among his three sons and John D received a 244 acre farm in what is now Pender County and later bought 308 more acres nearby from his brother.

The Sampson County Heritage book says he was born about 1752 and died in 1808.