The sun., 1908-02-16

u
Jefferson Davis was the son Of Samuel
Davis, a native Of Georgis, a WelshmAn'
by descent, who married Miss Jane Cook,
a South Carolina lady Of Scotch-Irish lin
cage. About the beginning Of he eigh-
teenth century Samu' Davis mON ed TO
Christian county, in central Kentucky,
where he became a tobacco planter and
stock raiser but not, It seems, on large
scale. Here tho future President Of the
Southern Confederacy was born, on June
3. 1903. the youngest Of nine children. IL
is, a. our author says. suggestive Of the
strange vioissi,udes Of human destiny that
Abraham Lincoln first saw the light Home
hundred miles away In the same State of
Kentucky. and only eight months later.
Nor, We are further reminded were the
circumstances Of their births 90 widely
different az has been assumed. for the
parents Of each we're far removed from
the high CIRCLE of ".lrst families" which dis
tingiished Southern society for half a CEN
tury thereafter. The Lincolns we're poor.
even destitute; the Davises belonged to the
middle class Of Southerpers whose mem
bers owned few slaves and whose children
often did much OF the daily lnhor Of the farm
or small plantation. What ia here said Of
Jefferson DaVis's early social environment
in equally true Of Andrew Jackson's and OF
Calhoun's In 1900 Samuel Davis moved
from Kentucky 20 Wilkinson county, in the
lower part Of the Mississippi Territory, and
here, on a plantation about q mile east Of
Woodville. the county seat, and some forty
miles from the Mississippi River, jefferson
spent his early boyhood.
Samuel Davis was a Baptist and Demo-
crat facts which indicate the mans social
standing. for the small circle of Southern
aristocrats during the first decade and a
half OF the nineteenth century was almost
exclusively Episoopalian in religion and
Federalist in politics. His home was
unpretentious and plainly furnished. The
fields were cultivated by members Of the
family and a few negro slaves. under the
personal supervision AZ the master him
self The Oldest son. Joseph Davis. had
been left behind in Kentucky to read law.
He seems to have been unusually success
ful In his profession. for in a few years We
find him settled in Warren county. Miss.
the owner Of a large plantation and many
slaves. When his father died. in 1924, he
became the head Of the family and as
sumed the guardianship Of the younger
children. At the outbreak Of the civil war
ne was rated as worth 81, 900, 600. JEFF
ferson Davis received the rudiments OF
education in a log schoolhouse. but at
the age OF he was sent on horseback a
distance Of nearly 1000 miles TO Catholic
academy for boys in Washington county.
Ky. the very community which young
Abraham Lincoln's father was leaving
because 1T was no country for poor man. T"
The party with whom the boy travelled
stopped on their way at the Hermitage,
and the master OF the estate seems 10 have
made a lasting impression on the mind OF
the young Davis.
After spending two years in the so-called
College OF St. Thomas. q school VI the
Dominican Frisrs, the boy went back to
Mississippi, and was sent 10 another school
with the high sounding name jefferson
College in Adams county OF that State.
From his tenth to his thirteenth year he at
tended the new wilkinson County Academy,
where he made much progress under the
tutelage OF John A. Shaw Of Boston, later
superintendent Of the public schools OF
New Orleans. In the summer OF 1921 young
Davis now just entering his fourteenth
year, became a student in Transylvanil
University. az Lexington Ky.H then the
most important institution Of learning ives,
of the Alleghanics There. ss he tells US in
fragment Of an autobiography. he CON-
pleted his studies In Greek and Latin and
learned little Of algebra. gsolpg7. triy,-
nometry. Surveying. pro'ane and slcrel
history and natural phiIos ,phy. In July.
1924. jefferson Davis les, his father. and
In the following Septe ,nber. apparently
through the influence Of his eldest brother,
received an appointment to West Point.
Here he was brought into close sssocia-
ton with remarkable group Of men. in
cluding Robert Y. Lee, Albert Sidney John
ston and Joseph Y. Johnston. "a well az
many others rendered famous by the events