Joseph Evan Davis

Civil War Figure. He was born in Washington D.C. to Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis and his wife Varina, and was named for Davis' brother and grandfather. He was a very bright boy and the apple of his father's eye. At the age of 4, he fell 15 feet from the east portico of the White House of the Confederacy. The fall fractured his skull, and he died within an hour of the fall. Funeral services were held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church the following day and he was buried in lot Q-13 in Hollywood Cemetery. Richmond children collected 40 dollars in May 1866 to buy a monument for their former playmate's grave. On June 4, 1864, President Davis received a letter from Hollywood informing him the lot in which his young son rested, was now his free of charge. The letter went on to state that if the President wished another unsold lot in the cemetery, instead of the one selected under trying circumstances, he was at liberty to exchange. The Davis family chose to exchange lots to what is now known as Davis Circle. Young Joseph and his stone were moved to Davis Circle in 1893. (bio by: [fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=46547901" target="_blank Ugaalltheway)]

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 4 2016, 12:28:40 UTC