Early Life
Davies was born in New Castle County, Delaware to David Davies and Martha Thomas Davies, Baptists of Welsh descent. Davies's mother eventually became a follower of presbyterian doctrine, which led to his earliest exposure to Calvinist theology. A child of deeply religious parents, his mother named him after the prophet Samuel. The Davieses could not afford to send their son to college, so they instead sent him to receive his early education under the tutelage of Rev. Samuel Blair at the academy he conducted in Faggs Manor, Pennsylvania. Blair's son, also named Samuel, was a member of Princeton's graduating class of 1760, the final class over Davies presided over as school president. The younger Blair later became the second chaplain of the United States House of Representatives.
Read more about this topic: Samuel Davies (Presbyterian Educator)
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