Samuel Davis

  General notes:

Silversmith

  Events in his life were:

• Apprenticed from Apr 1779 to 1785 to George Tyler in Boston MA ¹
At No. 15 Cornhill. Mr. Tyler did not require his apprentices to work at night -- a custom prevalent at the time -- so Davis spent his leisure hours in "improvement of his mind." He contributed poetry, etc. to the Columbian Centinel. While learning the silversmith trade, he also learned how to play the German flute from Mr. Vent (silversmith John Frederick Vent), a journeyman in the shop. He was particularly interested in engraving and described himself as being second to none before he was of age- excepting [Joseph] Callender, [Joseph] Loring, and [Paul] Revere in this specialized art.

• He worked from 1785 to 1810 as a silversmith and jeweler in Plymouth MA ³

• Ladle, 1800-1810
Private Collection
l: 14"

• He was a partner from 1809 to 1816 with Robert Brown in Boston MA as DAVIS & BROWN. ⁶

• Retired from active business c 1810 because of a delicate state of health, and became well-known as an historian and scholar. He was made a member of Massachusetts Historical Society, Jan. 30, 1812. In 1817, Harvard University conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Arts. ³

• He was a partner from 1816 to 1825 with Robert Brown in Boston MA as DAVIS, BROWN & Co. ⁶