Before There Was Geico There Was... John Maynard Davis!

Over the course of this semester myself and a group of my classmates were tasked with researching a Church Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina as a team. We chose the St. John's Lutheran Church cemetery. For the end of the semester we were also asked to research one of the people buried at our Cemetery. Attached is a walk through of the St. John's Lutheran Church cemetery taken by me.

Although there are several notable graves in this Cemetery, I decided to learn more about John Maynard Davis. I chose Mr. Davis because his picture stuck out to me as I was scrolling through Find A Grave for a suitable research choice. Attached to the entry for Mr. Davis' grave on Find A Grave there was not only a photo of his headstone but also a portrait. I decided that I would like to find out more about it.

The miniature of John Maynard Davis
Photo from Find A Grave

The portrait attached to John Maynard Davis' was painted by Vallée, Jean François de la around 1805. It is a miniature water color painting that is currently on display at the Gibbes Museum of Art. It is on credit at the Gibbes Museum as a transfer with the Charleston Museum. 

John Maynard Davis himself was an insurance agent for The Phoenix Insurance Company of London according to North Carolina Business History. He was born in 1755 and was an England nfative. In the The Charleston Museum Quarterly, it states that Mr. Davis was the first agent in Charleston from the Phoenix Insurance company and was appointed on June 19th, 1805. This means that John Maynard Davis was the first independent insurance agent in the United States. Mr. Davis also made out a policy on June 1, 1806 that hangs in the office of the Equitable Fire insurance Company, Number 49 Broad Street. 

In a genealogical record of the Richardson and Buford families it is noted that Cordelia Moncrief married Mr. Davis in Charleston and they lived and resided there, however, they had no children. Cordelia Moncrief was a descendant of Captain William Richardson, however, I was unable to find her grave. 

Photo of John Maynard Davis headstone courtesy of Find A Grave

John Maynard Davis is buried in the St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery with what appears in the photos on Find A Grave under a ledger. However, his grave could also be a box tomb as it looks to be raised. Mr. Davis died on May 27 1827 when he was around 71. There is a long epitaph on John Maynard Davis' grave, however, it is difficult to make out.

Photo of Mary Moncrief courtesy of My Heritage

 A unique aspect of the headstone is that it carries not only the grave of John Maynard Davis but also Mary Eliza Moncrief. There was a Mary Moncrieff but no where is it listed that Mary Eliza may be the wife of John Maynard Davis. Upon looking up Mary Eliza Moncreif  it is listed on my heritage that she was to married Robert Smith McCart. 

Photo of John Maynard Davis headstone courtesy of Find A Grave