Davison, John (1799-1884)

Primitive Methodist Magazine
Englesea Brook Museum ENBM 1990.21.34a
Barber p169

Early years

John was born on 23 November 1799 at Tynemouth to parents John Davison and Jane Humble. He was baptised on 20 December 1799 at St John, Newcastle upon Tyne.

John was converted through William Morris, the potter friend of William Clowes. He joined the first society formed in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Ministry

John went out to Canada in 1847 and became General Committee Secretary to the first Canadian Conference in 1854. Later he served as General Committee Secretary, Book Steward, and Editor in Canada. In retirement, he travelled to the 1869 Grimsby conference.

In the year 1863, John  was appointed by the Canadian Government to the Senate of the University, of which body he remained a member for a period of ten years.

Literature

John published the ‘Journal of William Clowes‘ in 1844.

He also authored the ‘ The life of the venerable William Clowes: One of the founders of thePrimitive MethodistConnexion’ , 1854.

Whilst in Canada, John started a magazine called ‘Evangelist’. When that was merged in the ‘Christian Journal’, he became its editor.

Family

John married Charlotte Temperton (1807-1893), the step-daughter of William Clowes, on 11 October 1825 at Sculcoates. They had four children.

  • Eleanor (1827-1920)
  • Mary (b1830)
  • Ann (b1836)
  • John Clowes (1837-1917)

John died on 1 March 1884 in Toronto, Canada.  He is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Circuits

  • 1824 Hull (6 mths)
  • 1825 Malton
  • 1826 Brigg
  • 1827 London
  • 1828 Manchester
  • 1830 Liverpool (6 mths)
  • 1830 Blackburn (6 mths)
  • 1832 York
  • 1834 Bradford
  • 1837 Malton
  • 1839 Grimsby
  • 1842 Scotter
  • 1845 Ripon
  • 1846 Toronto (Canada)
  • 1850 Gen Sup of Mis
  • 1851 Hamilton
  • 1852 Brampton
  • 1854 Galt & Guelph
  • 1857 Book Steward
  • 1859 Editor
  • 1866 Toronto (S)

References

Primitive Methodist Magazine 1913/273

The Primitive Methodist 1884/197

B A Barber, A Methodist Pageant, 1932, 169

H B Kendall, Origin and History of the PM Church, vol 2, p451

W Leary, Directory of Primitive Methodist Ministers and their Circuits, 1990

The Canadian Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made Men, Ontario Volume, 1880

Census Returns and Births, Marriages & Deaths Registers

 

Comments about this page

  • I have been going over some family records and I have a correction regarding my previous information on Rev. John Davison. He was indeed buried in the Bond family plot when he died in 1884 , he was next to his daughter Annie Bond who had passed away in 1878 age 34 of cancer. However, I have just come across a later document which shows that his son John C. Davison bought a family burial plot in a different cemetery, Mount Pleasant Cemetery Toronto in 1890 and had his father Rev. John Davison moved there Sept. 8 1890. Rev. Davison’s wife , Charlotte Clowes was also buried in the same plot when she died July 15 1893 . (Plot G Sec. 16 Lot 11)

    By Peter Stevenson (12/08/2013)
  • Rev John Davison is buried in the Bond family burial plot in Toronto, but he does not have a headstone. His daughter Annie married my great grandfather, John Bond, and I have recently found out that another of his daughters married a son of Rev Lawson, the first Primitive Methodist minister in Canada.

    By Peter Stevenson (08/08/2013)

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