July 15, 2026
Introduction: Melissa Davenport Berry writes more about her Davenport family history, going back to the Colonial era. Melissa is a genealogist who has a website, americana-archives.com, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History.
Today I continue my “Tracing My Davenport Family Line” series with a look at my ancestors in Newburyport, Massachusetts, from the mid-18th through the late 19th century, and GenealogyBank’s archives proved to be a valuable tool.
My great-grandmother Melissa Cross (Davenport) Phelps (1874-1910) was the last of my line to live in Newburyport.
I found Melissa listed in the 1880 census with her family, living on Parsons Street, through a GenealogyBank search.
In 1875 a party was held to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of my 3rd grandparents Anthony Davenport Jr. and Sarah Jackson (Little) Davenport, who lived on Beck Street.
A fellow history buff Jack Rybicki helped me find the house as the street and numbered houses changed over time.
I found Anthony and Sarah in the 1880 census through another GenealogyBank search.
I found the original deed revealing that John Beck, housewright, sold the building to Anthony Davenport Sr. and his brother Moses Davenport, both born to Captain William Davenport and Sarah (Gerrish) Davenport.
Next, I found several advertisements placed by Anthony Davenport Sr., such as this one from 1812 to lease out one half of a three-story house “convenient for one family” on Beck Street.
An 1842 deed lists the property as part of Anthony Davenport Sr.’s estate, from which his daughter Mary (Davenport) Coffin (1783-1857) inherited a portion. Mary Davenport, daughter of Anthony Davenport Sr. and his first wife Elizabeth (Woodburn) Davenport, married Charles Coffin, Esq., son of Paul Coffin and Mary (Gorham) Coffin.
Mary relinquished her inherited part of the property, described as an undivided house on Beck Street “bounded southwesterly on Nathan S. Plumer’s land, northeasterly on Thomas Pritchard and others, northwesterly on land of Mrs. Mycall through the centre of the house.”
The house is shown in these arial photos of 19 Beck Street. It has been restored and renovated. You can also take a video tour of this stunning house.
Now, back to that 1875 anniversary party for Anthony and Sarah’s 50th wedding anniversary, held at the Beck Street house. I found a newspaper clip entitled “Golden Anniversary,” which covered the celebratory party.
This article reports:
Golden Wedding. The principal social event of the season was the golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Davenport, which came off Monday evening at their residence on Beck Street. Over two hundred invitations were issued, which were generally responded to; and of all good times we may safely say there was never a better one. The rooms were finely decorated with flowers and vines, an arch of evergreens in the reception room bearing the motto in gold letters “Our Golden Wedding,” which was flanked by two wreaths bearing the dates 1825 and 1875. Among the pictures on the walls was a photograph of an old wood cut of the Wolfe Tavern, which Capt. William Davenport, grandfather of our host, opened after his return from the taking of Quebec, where he fought under Gen. Wolfe [in 1759 during the French and Indian War]. The first sign was a wolf’s head, which was the arms of the General, though when Anthony Davenport the first, his son, inherited the inn, he changed the wolf’s head for the general’s portrait, which swung to the breeze till within less than ten years.
[Below is a reproduction of the Wolfe Tavern sign as it appeared in 1762.]
Anthony Davenport, father of our friend, entertained at the Wolfe Tavern, a hundred years ago, the soldiers who were going to and coming from Lexington and Bunker Hill – alas, a sudden falling off from the loyalty of his father, who fought under good King George on the Heights of Abraham. Mr. Davenport is the youngest of thirteen children, eleven of whom lived to adult age. This is the second golden wedding in the family, Mrs. DeFord, wife of Samuel T. DeFord, who celebrated recently her fiftieth anniversary, being his sister [Catherine Greenleaf Davenport]. Mr. and Mrs. Davenport were married by the celebrated Dr. Payson, of Portland, and they are the parents of nine children, three of whom were in the Union Army during the recent war [Albert Wood Davenport killed in Virginia in 1863; George Davenport; and Edward Little Davenport]. Mr. Edward Davenport, who edited the Newbern Progress while our army occupied that city, is at present the editor and publisher of the Ipswich Chronicle.
Mr. Davenport has at present but seven grandchildren, but his father left thirty-eight, and we trust he will remain with us till he has doubled that number.
[Below is a photo of four of Anthony Davenport Jr. and Sarah Davenport’s grandchildren, born to their son Edward Little Davenport and his wife, Sophronia Angelina (Cross) Davenport, including my grandmother, Melissa Cross Davenport. In this photo we see (left to right): John Greenleaf Davenport; Melissa Cross (Davenport) Phelps and her husband Frederick Winsor Phelps; Sally/Sallie Harris Davenport; and Edward Little Davenport Jr.]
We believe the relatives and friends present and the letters of congratulation represented half the states in the Union, and among the latter was one specially worthy of note. It was from Joseph Harrod, of New York State, who received the invitation to the wedding while he was celebrating his ninetieth birthday, and he immediately wrote a reply, without glasses, in an elegant antique correct hand, almost equal to copper plate, which was on the table among the presents contributed by the many friends of the bride and bridegroom.
To be continued…
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Note on the header image: Davenport-Greeley House, 78 State Street, Newburyport, Massachusetts. Credit: Tate and Foss.
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