Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-10-24
Fund Was Raised Through
Efforts of Miss Mamie
Davis Smith, Grand-Niece
of Confederate President

Through the painstaking effort
and prodigious energy Of Hiss Nan.
ME Davis Smith, a grand niece of
Jefferson Davis, and his Oldest living
relative, every member Of the Davis
family has made a contribution CT
one dollar to the fund being raised
to complete the great Jefferson
Davis monument at. Fairview, KY,
the birthplace and home Of TIE
president Of the Southern Confcd-
eracy.
Mrs. William A. Wright, of At
lAnta, wife Of Comptroller General
Wright Of Georgia, and treasurer Of
the fund being raised by this Cor
federated Southern Memorial asso.
citation to contribute to the monu-
ment, has received from Miss Smith
Ethe last Of the dollar contributions
from members of the Davis family, &.
total of $141, and regards as one of
the most remarkable of all the con-
tributions yet received.
Miss Smith is more than eighty
VNoAo u ClSSV1 OAL III SPIIS I'll LILO
fact she is alert and active, and w.
dertook the task of locating the
members of the Davis family with as
much enthusiasm as a girl in her
teens. Months of correspondence ey-
tending over fourteen states were
required to locate them. She wrote
every one of her letters with her
own hand. Most Of her data regard
ing members Of the family was o.
tanned by her own Individual re.
search in original sources. But as
historian of the family, or "diarist,"
as she sometimes whims1cally styles
herself, she approached the enor.
nous undertaking without a nc;
ment's hesitation when the idea sug-
gested itself to her mind.
AS a result of her work, there is
not only raised for the monument
fund substantial sum, but there
has been gathered and put on record
complete tracing down to date of
every living member of the family,
and the names Of each are to be
spread upon the pages of a special
scroll prepared for that purpose and
preserved in the chapter house on
the grounds adjacent to the Nmonu-
ment.
The complete family history in
comprehensive, brief form has been
put into book in Miss Smiths own
handwriting. and is now in the pos
session of Mrs. Wright, having been
loaned to her by the author, to be
later returned. Miss Smith resides
in the town of st. Francisville, La.
The Davis family goes back to
Evan Davis, a native of Wales, who
came to this country in the early
part Of the seventeenth century and
settled in Wilkes country, Georgia.
Perhaps it is not generally known
that the family goes back to the
soil Of this state. His only son,
Samuel Davis, was the father of
ten children, the youngest of whom
was Jefferson Davis.
Descendants of all Of the ten have
been traced by Miss Smith. They
number a total of Iii adults and re-
side in fourteen different states.
The Jefferson Davis monument is
to be an obelisk similar to the
Washington monument in the ma
tional capital. 1t will rise to
height Of 351 feet and will be second
only to the Washington monument.
About 200 feet of the monument
have been completed, the material
being reinforced concrete. To COM
plete the balance, $4,000 is needed.
The Confederated Southern Memo
rial association, Of which Mrs.
Wright is treasurer; is anxious to
raise this balance without a drive"
or a special solicitation, and to raise
it in time to complete and dedicate
the monument on June 3, 1928, the
next birthday Of President Davis.