Cephas L. Davis, a minister and teacher, was born a slave in Christiansville (later Chase City), in Mecklenburg County, in 1843, the son of Charles and Frances Davis. He may have attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) and Richmond Theological School for Freedmen (now Virginia Union University). He was ordained in the Baptist Church and was one of the first African American school teachers in Mecklenburg County. He served as pastor of some of the largest churches of his day in Virginia and North Carolina. Mr. Davis represented Charlotte and Mecklenburg Counties in the Senate of Virginia from 1879 to 1880. In 1890 Mr. Davis ran for Congress unsuccessfully in a district in North Carolina. He died sometime after May 26, 1898.
Cephas L. Davis, a minister and teacher, was born a slave in Christiansville (later Chase City), in Mecklenburg County, in 1843, the son of Charles and Frances Davis. He may have attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) and Richmond Theological School for Freedmen (now Virginia Union University). He was ordained in the Baptist Church and was one of the first African American school teachers in Mecklenburg County. He served as pastor of some of the largest churches of his day in Virginia and North Carolina. Mr. Davis represented Charlotte and Mecklenburg Counties in the Senate of Virginia from 1879 to 1880. In 1890 Mr. Davis ran for Congress unsuccessfully in a district in North Carolina. He died sometime after May 26, 1898.