Whatever Happened to Jefferson Davis' 6 Children

He lost the Civil War — and then Jefferson Davis lost something even more precious: four of his six children. These are the tragic, untold stories of the Davis family that history books often leave out. From childhood illnesses to fatal accidents, from a son claimed by yellow fever to a daughter forever remembered as the “Daughter of the Confederacy,” the journeys of Jefferson and Varina Davis’s children are filled with heartbreak and resilience.

In this video, we uncover the fate of all six Davis children:

Samuel Emory Davis – the firstborn son, lost to illness before his second birthday.

Margaret Howell Davis Hayes – the only child to marry and have children, remembered as the family’s survivor.

Jefferson Davis Jr. – rambunctious “General” of the Confederate White House, cut down by yellow fever at 21.

Joseph Evan Davis – adored for his sweetness, but tragically fell to his death at age 5 from the White House balcony.

William Howell Davis – born during the Civil War, died of diphtheria at just 10 years old.

Varina Anne “Winnie” Davis – celebrated as the “Daughter of the Confederacy,” but her own life ended too soon at 34.

From Richmond’s Confederate White House to exile in Canada, from Memphis epidemics to Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery, the Davis children’s lives reveal a hidden, human side to America’s most divisive chapter.

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