S5 Ep06: Who Was Jefferson Davis?

Have you ever heard of Jefferson Davis? If so, perhaps you learned from a high school history book that he was the President of the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

In this episode of Your History Your Story, we will be speaking with Jefferson Davis’ great, great grandson, Bertram Hayes-Davis, who, along with his wife Carol, own Vicksburg Old Town Tours. The tours showcase historic Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Bertram admits that he, like many others, knew little of his famous ancestor except for his role as the head of the Confederate government. However, in 1976, that all changed when he was elected President of the Davis Family Foundation, whose mission is to support programs, organizations and events to educate people about Jefferson Davis and his life.

From that point on, Bertram began a journey that enabled him to uncover the entire story of the life of his great great grandfather. Through his research, Bertram discovered that in addition to being the President of the Confederacy, Davis was also a plantation owner, slaveholder, West Point graduate, war hero, U.S. Senator, Congressman, Secretary of War and author. Additionally, Bertram found that Davis had experienced some great personal tragedies in his life including the death of his first wife and several children.

Bertram firmly believes in the importance of sharing all of the facts when telling history and will be sharing a full account of his great great grandfather’s life, so the listener can weigh the facts for themselves and ultimately answer the question… Who was Jefferson Davis?

Photo(s): Courtesy of Bertram Hayes-Davis

Music: “With Loved Ones” Jay Man