Pres of Confederate States Jefferson Finis Davis

Notes:

Early life and military career
Davis was the youngest of the 10 children of Samuel Emory Davis (Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, 1756 ? July 4, 1824) and wife (married 1783) Jane Cook (Christian County, (later Todd County), Kentucky, 1759 ? October 3, 1845), daughter of William Cook and wife Sarah Simpson, daughter of Samuel Simpson (1706 ? 1791) and wife Hannah (b. 1710). The younger Davis's grandfather, Evan Davis (Cardiff, County Glamorgan, 1729 ? 1758), emigrated from Wales and had once lived in Virginia and Maryland, marrying Lydia Emory. His father, along with his uncles, had served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War; three of his older brothers served during the War of 1812.

During Davis's youth, his family moved twice; in 1811 to St. Mary Parish, Louisiana and in 1812 to Wilkinson County, Mississippi. In 1813 Davis began his education at the Wilkinson Academy, near the family plantation in the small town of Woodville. Two years later, Davis entered the Catholic school of Saint Thomas at St. Rose Priory, a school operated by the Dominican Order in Washington County, Kentucky. At the time, he was the only Protestant student. Davis went on to Jefferson College at Washington, Mississippi, in 1818, and to Transylvania University at Lexington, Kentucky, in 1821. In 1824 Davis entered the United States Military Academy (West Point).[5] While at West Point, Davis was placed under house arrest for his role in the Eggnog Riot in Christmas 1826. In June 1828, following graduation Second Lieutenant Davis was assigned to the 1st Infantry Regiment and was stationed at Fort Crawford, Wisconsin. Lt. Davis was home in Mississippi for the entire Black Hawk War of 1832, but was assigned by his colonel, Zachary Taylor, to escort Black Hawk himself to prison?it is said that the chief liked Davis because of the kind treatment he had shown.

[edit] Marriage, plantation life, and early political career
Davis fell in love with Zachary Taylor's daughter, Sarah Knox Taylor. Her father did not approve of the match, so Davis resigned his commission and married Miss Taylor on June 17, 1835, at the house of her aunt near Louisville, Kentucky. The marriage proved to be short. While visiting Davis's oldest sister near Saint Francisville, Louisiana, both newlyweds contracted malaria, and Davis's wife died three months after the wedding on September 15, 1835. In 1836 he moved to Brierfield Plantation in Warren County, Mississippi. For the next eight years, Davis was a recluse, studying government and history, and engaging in private political discussions with his brother Joseph.[5]

The year 1844 saw Davis's first political success, as he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, taking office on March 4 of the following year. In 1845 Davis married Varina Howell, the granddaughter of the late New Jersey Governor Richard Howell whom he met the year before, at her home in Natchez, Mississippi.

Jefferson and Varina Howell Davis had six children, but only their daughter Margaret survived young adulthood and married:

Samuel Emory Davis, b. July 30, 1852; d. June 13, 1854
Margaret Howell Davis, b. February 25, 1855; d. July 18, 1909; married Joel Addison Hayes Jr.(1848?1919); had five children
Jefferson Davis, Jr., b. January 16, 1857; d. October 16, 1878; never married
Joseph Evan Davis, b. April 18, 1859; d. April 30, 1864
William Howell Davis, b. December 6, 1861; d. October 16, 1872
Varina Anne "Winnie" Davis, b. June 27, 1864; d. September 18, 1898; never married

A portrait of Varina Davis in old age is held at the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library in Biloxi, Mississippi. Painted by Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862?1947) in 1895, it is dubbed 'Widow of the Confederacy'. It was exhibited at the Durand-Ruel Galleries in New York in 1897. The Museum of the Confederacy at Richmond, Virginia, holds Müller-Ury's 1897-98 profile portrait of the youngest daughter Winnie Davis, which the artist presented to the Museum in 1918.
(Wikipedia)

Jefferson married Varina Banks Howell after 1840. Varina (daughter of William Burr Howell and Margaret L. Kempe) was born on 07 May 1826 in Natchez, Mississippi; died on 16 Oct 1906 in New York City, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jefferson married Sarah Knox Taylor, 1st Lady about 1828. Sarah (daughter of General Zachary Taylor, President and Margaret Mackall "Peggy" Smith) was born on 06 Mar 1814 in Vincennes, Indiana; died on 15 Sep 1835 in St. Francisville, Louisiana. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]