The Mixed-Race Wife of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States

[@sharonwilliams3202]

This is why we need to teach history and biology from all perspectives. Racism makes no sense.

[@carmenhomer1965]

Amen

[@sugarplumfayreye]

Talk about it.

[@jsanders9975]

It makes perfect sense, it's based off of fear and genetic survival. They can't help but to be racist

[@nileaugustine5882]

Race is not a biological reality. Human beings are 99.9% identical at the genetic level.

[@2kx62]

Nah, we need to segregate again, but different circumstances, we need our own side of America, similar to how the Mexicans or Hispanics are positioned, and we need full owner ship of our section of America.

[@rebeccamd7903]

The US has had mixed race families since at least the 1590’s. History has been hidden and whitewashed for a looong time but if you know….you know. I have done extensive research into my dad’s tree and all of his grandparents were mixed race. We go by Melungeon and are close cousins to the Redbones through DNA and paper trails. Creating slavery in this country has messed our society up for hundreds of years. We have been a melting pot since the beginning and we should be proud of that. I will never hide my ancestors. They deserve better…their voices heard!!

[@SandraPerkins-h7l]

Truth to power! It's soooo pathetic this country is built in secrets and lies.

[@peachygal4153]

You mean North America. USA did not exist in 1590's.

[@JohnnyWalker-kq7ds]

☝️ It's also how we have the race or culture we now know as Mexicans. There have only been Mexicans for about (500) five hundred years around when the European Spaniards conquered the native American. Spaniards+Native Americans babies were the first people who became Mexicans‼️👌

[@monnieeeeyt7037]

I've read that Abraham Lincoln was Melungeon too

[@corynnshantih3019]

Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley was the designer and seamstress for Varina and Jefferson Davis just before the war started. Varina asked Keckley, who was formerly enslaved and bought her own freedom and her son's, if she would be the live-in seamstress for the family when Davis became president, but she declined. It's ironic because Varina (or Jefferson Davis) never got to the White House, but Keckley would go on to design many dresses for Mary Todd Lincoln and become friend and cofidante to both Abraham and Mary. I find her connection to Varina interesting because Keckley was also mixed race and debatably might have been able to pass, but chose to stand proudly with her community and became one of the most famous Black elite entrepreneurs in DC during that era. She also served as a department head at Wilberforce, the first private HBCU.

[@reneedennis2011]

Yup. I've read about this lady Thanks for the info.

[@corynnshantih3019]

@@reneedennis2011 If you haven't already, I highly recommend reading her autobiography "Behind the Scenes". While a good portion of it is about her friendship with Mary Todd Lincoln, Keckly is so riveting as a person, I feel like she could exist today and have the same impact.

[@reneedennis2011]

@@corynnshantih3019 Thanks for the suggestion 😁!

[@jonathanborchardt891]

@corynnshantih3019 I have heard of her . Several diferent sources so she's goi g on my list to look for.

[@kimadams446]

Did Keckley have a last name?

[@gloriouslove9009]

I’ve Researched my family back to slavery. A lot of Black people today would be shocked to find out that there were actually black affluent people that owned slaves.

[@blackhistory767]

Unfortunately

[@amaradominique]

Not mine

[@deansupreme92]

Many of the Dutch people who migrated to America were transplanted there from Al Andalus and were of mixed Moorish and Sephardic Jewish ancestry.

[@dorothyd4160]

I didn’t know that. Thank you.

[@whymillie]

no such thing as Jewish ancestry. Being a Jew is a religion not a race.

[@deansupreme92]

@@whymillie ok

[@queenmab7592]

😅😂 love your response! So droll!!​@@deansupreme92

[@GregTurdHauler]

Facts!! I'm actually impressed by your level of understanding regarding that historical dynamic. The Black Dutch as they were called were very integral in the foundation of what would become the New World. My ancestor Meinert Doodes who settled in Jamestown in the late 1600s was part of this group, so I know it to be true.

[@ea42455]

This KZbin post just popped up on my feed. Very interesting enlightening. I'll suggest Julia Chinn as the subject of an overview. She was the mixed-race common law wife of Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson. Johnson (a fellow Kentuckian) served as vice president under President Martin Van Buren. Although information regarding Julia Chinn is somewhat scant, what can be found shows her to be a fascinating and capable lady. Although a mixed-race marriage was illegal in Kentucky, Johnson publicly acknowledged Julia Chinn as his "wife" and gave her control of his Kentucky plantation when he was away serving in various government roles Proof of that is found in Johnson's papers instructing his overseer to obey Chinn's instructions and management in his absence. Again, just a suggested biographical overview... but Julia Chinn is worthy of note in U.S. history.

[@blackhistory767]

Thanks! I’ll definitely do her story!

[@stevenpringle9492]

Passing was dangerous before the war. If found out, it could mean death.

[@reneedennis2011]

Yup.

[@el_deplorablede_tejas1394]

WHO Said that??? Share where your got this info.

[@margaretmary-dj1ps]

HEAVEN Help us 🇺🇸

[@kareemsupremet.v.5189]

Facts I learned that from watching the movie Queen

[@deansupreme92]

@@stevenpringle9492 men and women we’re marrying who they wanted to marry the community may give them hell but in most case they weren’t just killing people but it could get you arrested thats why they started passing laws to prevent it but know how much people abide to all the tenets of the law. Research Abraham Lincoln defending William Dungy or Black Bill as they called him.

[@KathyAustin-LaPoint]

I am a 67 year old white woman, and this video was fantastic. I love learning historical info. I don’t ever remember being told much of anything about Jefferson Davis much less Mrs. Davis. Thank you so much!

[@blackhistory767]

Welcome! So glad you enjoyed!

[@tinaluna1509]

I am 60yr woman and thanks to my daddy I love history. He lived through everything I was taught in school. My mother also lived through a lot of the same things.

[@tinaluna1509]

​@blackhistory767 thank you for your videos. I so love history.

[@stiemybcuz]

​@@blackhistory767 a few fun facts.. Varina saved a young mulatto boy from the streets of Richmond. She took him in and raised him alongside her own children, until they were captured and the authorities took him away from her. He was being beaten and she walked right up and snatched him away from the hands of the woman who was beating him. He would later be identified as Jim Limber.. Jefferson and Varina were trying to flee to Cuba by way of Florida. Varina traveled separately with the children,a few friends,a few hands and a maid who was very endearing to hear. Jefferson traveled South by the Danville Train Varina by stage coach for weeks.. Jefferson was jailed for 2 years but you are right he didn't get a prison sentence. Varina led a very interesting life and after reading so much about her over the past few years I believe that she was against slavery, while we all Mr. Davis was not. Varina had 6 living children with Jefferson Davis, Samuel their first born 1852 died at 2 years old. Margaret born 1855 lived to age 54. Jefferson Jr. born 1857 died at 21 from yellow fever, Joseph born 1859 died at 5 from a fall from a tall story window,William born 1861 died from diphtheria at 10 years. Varina Anne born 1864 lived to be 34. Varina had started using opium after the death of her first child passed.. I believe that Varina and Jeff Davis had very different ideologies.

[@RuralmoneyOfficial]

Mixed and passed!

[@kathybrem880]

Maybe

[@elysiyah3364]

And STILL NOT black!

[@MelJackson-j8f]

Passed? How? You can't look at that woman see she isn't white?

[@kameralkutie5594]

@@elysiyah3364this one☝🏽she passed as what she was which was majority white. I wish black people would wake up.

[@curtispeoples8146]

That lady was mixed with black,I can go around the corner and get this lady who look just like her!

[@gc-vz4ib]

I have cousins darker than Mrs Davis. We are, both sides, a mixed race family. Daddy used say we were Heinz 57.

[@estercobb3436]

@gc-vz4ib Not a politically correct term to use, just because your father said it doesn’t mean it’s considered acceptable. People aren’t dogs, not cute.

[@vannieloumarshall7232]

@@estercobb3436…Oh, lighten up! You are SO looking for an insult when there is none! Heinz 57 is a steak sauce anyway! Nothing to do with dogs! 😡

[@capoislamort100]

@@estercobb3436 Did your folks owned any black slaves??

[@DonnaDouglas-x3x]

This history should be taught in every school in America. Thank you.

[@Muva888]

Thank you for covering this. Please keep in mind that an enslaved woman couldn’t be a mistress. History likes to romanticize those interactions because anyone considered property had no rights and couldn’t refuse sex.

[@blackhistory767]

Thank you for your insight and for watching!

[@Sumayyah-ho1wl]

@Muva888 very true thank you for saying that in some of the comments here and other videos you see ppl claiming their European ancestors had relations with a african or a native woman or mulatto etc. Call a spade a spade these men were rapists

[@AustinB.3322]

Thank you for this. It is important to talk about these things in everyday language, to demystify without disrespecting, to show that they were, after all, people.

[@rebekahmomoh5547]

Love it . I'm glad to see that you have dare to bring this to the public ! I have worked on this bloodline for more than six years . Yes, she was of a mix race. My challenge will be to learn how to use youtube to make it public ! thanks love you it was great ! Rebekah ...

[@blackhistory767]

So glad you enjoyed!!!!

[@josefantasticville]

This was recommended. Always enjoy history and learning wish most of this could be mainstream. Many more stories are out there that would be great to know. Super video thank you

[@blackhistory767]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@tonimarie9985]

This is why Virginia started that one drop rule. To stop them from passing and running away. 😢

[@blackhistory767]

Wow!

[@JohnnyWalker-kq7ds]

☝️Well J. Edgar Hoover got away passing as a total White Caucasian, director of the infamous (FBI) 😁🤣

[@elysiyah3364]

​@JohnnyWalker-kq7ds "white passing" = white hence how he was able to "get away with it"

[@tonimarie9985]

Love history. Thank you for posting this and I'm glad to have came across your channel.

[@blackhistory767]

So glad you enjoyed! Welcome!

[@estercobb3436]

This is no mystery. The Dutch West India Company was founded in 1621, more than two centuries before the Civil War. The people of the Netherlands had intermarried with people of African descent from the Caribbean and sub Saharan Africa for generations prior to the company being instrumental in Dutch colonization in America. You said yourself, her grandfather was governor of New Jersey several times, and guess what New Jersey was originally called….New Netherlands. So yes she in fact WAS Dutch AND mixed race, which was nothing new. Hence the commonly used term Black Dutch to describe Dutch people with darker hair and features.

[@frederickgriffith7004]

My maternal grandfather's family were all White passing Louisiana Creoles.His ancestors all came from either France and Haiti and settled in Louisiana in the early 1800s.The stories passed down was that the family was related to the French monarchy.Some of these relatives settled in Haiti in the 1640s and had relationships with African female slaves.But even these relatives acknowledged that the early French Kings had Moorish ancestry.No doubt that African gene is awful strong.The Creole relatives often said some White people may not have any known African blood on American soil.But the still looked Black.Because the race mixing already took place from their ancestors while in Europe.Because race wasn't a social construct until after the European slave trade.

[@ladytj4u]

You are a beautiful orator of wonderful stories!👏🏽👏🏽🫶🏾💐

[@blackhistory767]

Thank you so much for your support!

[@jeanettecastle7916]

Agreed!

[@ilikebeets9600]

Love your retelling of this story! Just as a note, it was her Welsh ancestry that was supposed to cause her dark looks, but I think the photos show she clearly had African ancestry. The painting of her especially reminds me of the way Maya Rudolph or Meghan Markle look as biracial women. One possible source for this ancestry is her mother's mother who was born in Virginia on the wrong side of the blanket. Would love to know more.

[@reneedennis2011]

I didn't know know about this lady. Thank you for this video.

[@blackhistory767]

Thanks for watching!

[@reneedennis2011]

@blackhistory767 You're welcome 🤗.

[@CJ-dg3bm]

Please correct that: slaves couldn't ever be mistresses. There never was a choice. There was non "no" as a slave.

[@MGood-ij1hi]

I'm a Black man who took a DNA test out of curiosity and like most Black people in America I have some White ancestry from the slave era. What was surprising is the list of "DNA relatives" or strangers who I share an ancestor with . About a third of them are white and from those who share their profiles I saw that many of them have some Black ancestry in their profiles. I've heard that up to 5% of " White " Americans have some Black ancestry that they may not even know about, so "passing" was probably much more common than we know.

[@leighc2982]

My great grandfather was not a rich man and certainly didn't own any slaves, but he was a proud former Confederate soldier. He married my great grandmother, a woman of mixed race, and they stayed happily married until her death. ❤❤ I am proud to be descended from both of them.

[@pls5201]

“A proud former confederate soldier.” Your ancestor fought for the denigration, subjugation and exploitation (unpaid labor) of a whole group based on race, then married someone from the subjugated class and you think all is right with the world down through the generations. Too many in Americans share the sickness of white supremacy and racism. Sad.

[@TheT74]

And he fought for his wife's African side to be enslaved. Make it make sense.

[@ms.natour5116]

​. I know, right?? He's proud of a grandfather who would have died to keep other people oppressed. Dude, real slaves weren't treated like Mammie from "Gone With the Wind." Watch "Roots" or read some real slave's accounts on the horrors of slavery.

[@leighc2982]

@TheT74 The Civil War was primarily about STATES' RIGHTS. This is a fact that a lot of people choose to ignore.

[@pls5201]

@@leighc2982 No that's an interpretation, not a fact. Confederacy used "states rights" to authorize and grow enslavement.

[@danielwatts9803]

I'm a fifty-two year old black man from South Carolina. My mama' and daddy are both regular ol' black folks. His wife look just like my mama'. Ain't no long explanation needed. That's it and that's all...

[@AGrace-ff3cu]

☺️

[@dalillala3143]

Stupid comment

[@Sumayyah-ho1wl]

@danielwatts9803 Mr grandmother's family is from Orangeburg South Carolina

[@danielwatts9803]

@@Sumayyah-ho1wl cool.

[@DonnyBrook762]

Prior to the Civil War, slavery was not solely a condition of race but rather a condition of economics. The number of people who owned slaves was actually very few; however, some of that few were wealthy blacks and mulattos.

[@Imissyoulou]

VERY FEW. The MAJORITY of enslaved people were owned by whites. The census, will bear out that FACT. Additionally, if you do readings about enslaved people that ran away, again, they speak of having white enslavers. The Bullwhip Days, The Underground Railroad, by William Still will give you some insight. Wealth Black and mulattos, does that make you feel better?

[@reallydarlings-se2xf]

Thank you for your excellent material and presentation. Outstanding explanations.

[@blackhistory767]

My pleasure! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

[@eugenerobinson5669]

Octoroon 1/8 black for sure and or Creole

[@deansupreme92]

@@eugenerobinson5669 I know people who are half and half who look like this. My niece looks like this

[@makaha5750]

Thanks. Octo = 8 in Greek. Example: octopus has 8 tentacles.

[@EyEReign]

Yes, she definitely looks mixed race to me. Thank you for the video; I learned something new. New subbie here. :)

[@blackhistory767]

Welcome subbie! More great history coming!

[@sharonspencer2796]

Her grandfather looks mixed to me.

[@ddcc66]

​@@blackhistory767Don't forget about the child Jim Limber.

[@ddcc66]

​@@blackhistory767 "Jim Limber the Adopted Mulatto Son of Jefferson Davis Met His Adoptive Mother Varina Davis at a Crossroads"

[@kenholloway631]

Thank you for this story, ma’am. Very interesting and informative. I had no idea that Varina Davis was of mixed race. 👍

[@blackhistory767]

My pleasure! Thank you for watching!

[@stacyjpoliticscommunityfai359]

Absolutely, she was definitely mixed with either Black or Indigenous Native genetics. Also her daughter Margaret has extremely curly hair

[@myradioon]

Dutch Jews were not Fair Haired. And there were MANY Dutch Jews who came to the New World and were both practicing Jews here or had already converted to Protestantism. It is well recorded. My bet is she is partially of Dutch Jewish origin with her original ancestry being Spanish/Portuguese Sephardic Jewish (they moved to the Netherlands when expelled from Spain).

[@kareemsupremet.v.5189]

Back then half breed meant half native American /half White And yes, back then the native Americans were copper colored

[@tamarajohnson5771]

In the New York State Military Museum. There is a diary by a CSA lieutenant James Malbone. He discuss this especially after meeting her in person. There were rumors during that time she was of mixed blood because of dark skin,eyes and full lips.

[@sharonmagwood5764]

She was of mixed race and popular native american and latino. My grandmother and aunt were of mixed race. They were dominican descendant and my aunt passed for white. When I saw a picture of great grandmother as she gotten older, I can see the difference in her features.

[@alendahicks1232]

It is true, I believe!!!!!!! I made myself read something about Jefferson Davis once, and I saw a picture of his wife. Her hair looked like white people’s hair, but her face betrayed her black blood. I was shocked but, alas. Everyone of his children died except one daughter-one-by-one.

[@hattiem.7966]

Pres Ike Eisenhower 's Mother was biracial.

[@Dr.KiaPruittOfficial]

I love your story telling. By the way I'm educated but I married at 18 and have a beautiful family. Now, in my 50s, after having raised a family, I'm doing things that I personally as an independent journalist. However, I am very proud of having been a young wife and mother first. :) I love the idea of being educated, but also trained to be a wife and a mother.

[@blackhistory767]

Indeed! How wonderful that God orchestrated an amazing life! I’m looking for a few journalist for my news channel, Black News Update! Email me if interested. [e-mail].

[@derricklangford4725]

First time watching and I'm a huge History Buff💪🏾 New Subscriber 😁

[@blackhistory767]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@terryhoward8263]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, I will be sharing your video.🙂

[@blackhistory767]

Thank you for sharing!

[@AbrahamIsaacMucius-d7z]

I believe Varina Davis was either Quadroon (1/4 African ancestry and the additional ancestry from Europe) or Octoroon (1/8 African and the additional ancestry is European).

[@patriciadavis8535]

She was my great great great grandma.. just

[@sandragoodson6507]

I love family history your great great great grandmother picture is beautiful ❤

[@Christian-Gigi]

She was creole. My grandma was creole and my uncle's name was..... Jefferson Davis!!! My grandma loved that name.

[@geraldcross837]

Being white was a way for light skinned black people to pass and get ahead, often times it lead to them becoming wealthy.

[@Sumayyah-ho1wl]

@geraldcross837 wealthy then abandonjng their family marrying Caucasian when or men then their kids marrying Caucasian and then so on

[@keithrob1450]

My grandmother was a very light-skinned African American woman. She had two sisters, who were also light-skinned like her. One sister decided to "pass: as White. She married a White guy, and spent the rest of her life as a White woman. My grandmother, and her other sister, lived as African American women. They both married AA husbands.

[@sallyintucson]

New subscriber here: well done! I love learning history you don’t see in school books.

[@blackhistory767]

Hi new subbie!

[@richardwest-q8w]

Well done. Davis' first wife was Knox Taylor, daughter of General (and later President) Zachary Taylor. Taylor's daughter's death shortly after her marriage to Davis, cemented the enmity between Davis and General Taylor. Thank you for your efforts to present History accurately,

[@DrLoren668]

Thank you. She looked native american and white...until you saw their son...Then i knew she was black and white and this son was an Aiden Housley genome type.

[@ea42455]

I've read that personal acquaintances of Varina Davis described her complexion as "sallow" (i.e. yellow or pale brown).

[@leahhollis564]

I went to SC with my sister and saw her at Fort Sumter in a picture with J. Davis. I knew she was passing by her features in her face.

[@jamellfoster6029]

She looked Italian or Hispanic. Her grandpa looked Mixed. Varina looks like some of my relatives (I have Creole, Hispanic, & Italian ancestry as well as Irish, Danish, & Black American).

[@GregTurdHauler]

Probably like most from that part of Natchez back then she was a mixture of French (Akkadian), Spanish (Peninsulare and Isleno), West and Central African, Mexican, Indian (Of the many tribes native to the region), and English/Welsh/Cornish/Irish/Ulster Scot to small varying degrees. And remember during that time Natchez was the 2nd largest slave market, a agricultural hub, and one of the most profitable trading and commercial centers in the entire nation. So it also makes sense that the woman had access to mobility both social and physically, city girl sensibilities, and some business acumen.

[@jamellfoster6029]

@GregTurdHauler she was an intelligent lady.

[@GregTurdHauler]

@@jamellfoster6029 Indeed she had to be in order to navigate the South as an ambiguously raced person of the time.

[@LonnieBhi]

This is nothing new, my children look whiter than Varina and they are mixed (father is white). For my kids to look so Caucasian that would mean I've been lied to all my life. Facts don't lie, my great great grandparent was also biracial, but somehow society overlooks mixed individuals when they are darker or tan with afro hair like myself. There are black people who'd be offended if I said I wasn't fully black because society has brainwashed people to accept the U.S. one drop rule and ignore mixed race lineage. Its tiring that we are judged to be a certain "race" based on phenotype alone. I have been told by black and white people alike, you don't look fully black yet I know what racial discrimination feels like therefore I am black in experience. The "look" doesn't even exist if we're being honest because facial features are a shared trait regardless of skintone. You can go across the world and meet someone of a different ethnicity that looks exactly like someone you personally know. No one is going to burden my kids about black issues, slavery, etc all because they were born with lighter skin. Sounds dumb doesn't it? Granted they're ancestors were still slaves too because they come from me. I'm so sick of racism.

[@adrian-h3d]

this is why American history - not secondary so-called black history - is important & fascinating

[@ashleybrown325]

That’s why governor of Florida wants to Ban black history an burn books in schools!

[@pls5201]

Please stop denigrating blackness and try to open your mind and learn. The USA contains many emerging histories that we need to learn. Black history is an essential discipline because (in a racist, anti-black world) it changes who tells the story and what becomes the focus instead of relying on the lies and distortions of white ("American") history.

[@adrian-h3d]

@pls5201 nice point

[@whymillie]

but why should this story be celebrated? she didn't want to be seen as black. She was chosen because she didn't look black. Or am I missing something?

[@adrian-h3d]

@whymillie it's a story about the tragedy of a person having to choose an identity that is in their best interests during a time of limited freedom & opportunity

[@james368j]

Loved your narration of this...

[@blackhistory767]

Thank you!

[@od1452]

Race is a touchy subject. Thanks for discussing this. As you know there were all kinds of descriptions of race used then like quadroon, mulatto , etc. What is interesting is how folks delt with it excluding the hate part. I've wondered how many fathers of relationships with slaves had to be with their offspring and others that couldn't forget social pressures and stigma. ... Jefferson couldn't , yet many did. JD was a military and political hero before the war....but that is almost forgotten now. Maybe Varrina was kinda like Rashida Jones ..not just a beauty but a personality one just can't help but like .

[@brendajackson294]

Very interesting information. My grandmother always told me we were related to Jeff Davis but I have never found a link. Thank you for more info to add to the story.

[@blackhistory767]

Thank you for watching!

[@2abundantacres53]

Subscribed. Thanks for the great content.

[@blackhistory767]

Welcome Subbie! Thanks for watching!

[@theofficialmonicasams]

Definitely mixed race and thank you for this video! I'm so glad it came across my feed.

[@BreezyDaze]

You are my person. I love your spirit and hope to meet you some day. I found out in the last few years that I am mixed race. I always knew in my heart I wasn’t all white but the family story is we were Indian. Much to my surprise my 2nd great grandmother was listed as M all the way until the 1880 census and then she became W. My father had people call him a black man during his life. Well it was true. We do have some Indian but it is so much further back. It was his great grandmother that went from M to W. Confirmed by DNA. DNA has confirmed cousins I never knew. There is a story to tell in this dawn of DNA and genealogy that needs to be told. I’m ready to speak for them. I need to speak for them. One of my lines is the Goins line. Thank you so much for your sense of humor and presentation!

[@blackhistory767]

How awesome! Thank you so much for laughing with me!

[@susanmarie7777]

I had an aunt by marriage and she was supposedly from Gypsy background. She was absolutely gorgeous. Reminds me a lot of this lady in coloring. I was told that she had a black ancestor and that’s why they never had a child. She could pass for white, but there was a chance they could have had a black child. I thought that was so sad. Had another aunt by marriage that was supposed to be of German heritage, but she had coal black wiry hair and a figure that reminded me very much of mix blood. I think she had a black ancestor too, but that’s just how I felt and was never confirmed. Sadly, neither were related to me by blood. They were both wonderful women.

[@asptv4519]

We are a historical, biographical and genealogical based production company. We have done extensive research on the Civil War and learned much about Jefferson Davis!

[@blackhistory767]

Awesome! Let’s connect if you ever need a Social Historian! Thanks for watching!

[@scroogemcduckrich9705]

0:52 this is a light skin biracial

[@michellep3121]

This was very interesting thanks for sharing. I am a mixed race person & I do think she is too!

[@blackhistory767]

Beautiful!

[@deborahcope5879]

First time I heard you really learned and enjoyed you

[@blackhistory767]

Welcome! Thank you for watching!

[@millster9389]

She was beautiful no matter what are background was. I'm white & I have olive skin. I come from Sicilian ancestry.

[@bonniecarruth8429]

I have a coworker who is Dutch. His family is from Indonesia and he is not blonde and blue eyed but dark haired , brown eyed and olive skinned.

[@capoislamort100]

Sicilian and white, you sure about that?

[@millster9389]

@@capoislamort100 yes

[@millster9389]

@@capoislamort100 & Italian.

[@capoislamort100]

@ I’m not convinced that you’re white. Being Sicilian, you should have your DNA 🧬 checked to see if you don’t have any other races in your bloodline.

[@tonimarie9985]

My cousin is doing so. Passing. My aunt refused.

[@difernandez4899]

You are a fine storyteller....

[@blackhistory767]

Thank you so much!!’

[@jonathanborchardt891]

Interesting. I have read that Davis did not use any form of corporal punishment on his slaves. Maybe this could be why?

[@blackhistory767]

Good point.

[@QueenBthatsMe777]

Honey child, I've scanned over your content tall quick and guess what... NEW SUBBIE🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@blackhistory767]

Welcome!

[@laman8914]

Looking at the last picture, that's a Black Woman with light skin. All the features are there, particularly her mouth, the nose and the lips.

[@kingemerald241]

It makes sense when you want to hide the truth.

[@brucedamato2373]

The last photo of Mrs Davis, she looks and reminds me of a native American woman. Just my 2 cents.

[@OneEyedLion]

It wouldn't surprise me. There are rumors that Abraham Lincoln was mixed.

[@AutochthonousNegro]

He was black as the evidence shows. He even stated so himself.

[@robertferguson533]

@@AutochthonousNegroI must have missed that part

[@robertferguson533]

@ I’m sure there are.. That doesn’t mean they’re accurate

[@AutochthonousNegro]

@@robertferguson533 : The information is taken from old books and first hand accounts from that period.

[@robertferguson533]

@ ok. I’m going to look into it and see what I can come up with. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know everything

[@halporter9]

Hard to tell, maybe. Especially if branches of the family stretch back well into French colonial era. I’ve met mixed race persons, maybe two generations, with red hair and white skin with freckles, the classic Celtic mix. She was from a Black working class family, and, no, she wasn’t adopted. I think her childhood was very difficult because of bullying from some of her schoolmates in Black, segregated schools. Another family I know very well had four sons, three light skinned Celtic complexions, one much darker “Mediterranean” complexion. Absolutely clear that they were all full siblings. Genetics does strange things. There are many different genes involved in skin color alone. Furthermore, the expression of some traits don’t average out, but are inherited as clumps of DNA, but that gets really down in the weeds and beyond my background.

[@1a1u1m1a1u1m]

Definitely

[@user-yu1zp2vu9x]

Thanks for sharing. This is new information to me and very interesting. There were many people who had Native American blood in their family lines all throughout most of US history. She could have possibly had Italian, or Greek blood. But I think you are probably correct. She looks Creole to me. Thanks again for this interesting video.

[@MrResearcher122]

Each race has a certain thing about their eyes. Irish blue eyes are distinct, and you can often tell Irish heritage through those eyes. With African heritage, though the skin,color and nose are often clues; but it is also clear there are those Benin eyes, those dark, melancholic myterious eyes of West Africa that carry on,no matter the mixture, through the generations. This woman has those eyes.

[@blackhistory767]

I agree.

[@georgetterobin7122]

Excellent review: a movie could be made of this story.

[@blackhistory767]

Thanks for watching! I agree.

[@KAILYN03]

his brother freed many slaves in MS. and gave them land.

[@Rebecca-le9hn]

And, they formed their own community.

[@pls5201]

Jefferson and Varina Davis knew that southerners left the United States for Article 4, Section 2 of the confederate constitution. It used the word "slaves," granted the right to own people and assumed the right to have slaves returned as well as the extension of slavery to new territories. The confederacy used "states rights" to articulate this policy but that was not the reason to allow hundreds of thousands of its own sons to be killed. The main intent was to preserve and grow the enslavement system.

[@Lance_and_vance]

I enjoyed watching this video thanks for sharing . Now, I am about to do some diligent research on my own to find out about the lineage of Jefferson Davis. Based on his wife , the time period of when they were married and location ,I’m very curious to find out his family heritage and lineage.

[@blackhistory767]

Thank you for watching!

[@hannahpricekarlsson]

Wow! What an interesting story and yes, she looks mixed. I have ancestors who looked whiter than her that lived around this same time period and chose not to pass, and of course, a few relatives who did, especially in the Jim Crow era.

[@blackhistory767]

Thanks for sharing!

[@joykendrick6156]

I'm related to Banks and Davis. My great grandpa was Noah Jefferson Davis.

[@normanlathrop6533]

Very interesting video! You have done a lot of research to put this together.

[@blackhistory767]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@alimazimmer3819]

Thank you for your post. This has been known for years.

[@blackhistory767]

Thanks for listening

[@gloriouslove9009]

My daughter used to call my dad her white granddaddy. My father came from family on his mother side of “mulatto’s”

[@roxxiesladylounge2233]

I enjoyed your content very much.

[@blackhistory767]

I’m so glad! Thank you for your support!

[@55robinwood]

Since she seems to have had Sephardic Jewish ancestry through the Netherlands, she may well have gotten the look that way. I like the way you present the mixed race as a possibility rather than fact. I was brought up in Savannah Georgia. Back in the 50s and 60s we had so many natural blonds here who were of mostly English Irish scotch descent, that I always felt out with my brown eyes and hair back then. I sold shoes at a nice dept store around 1969 (this is when we slipped the shoes on to the feet of the customer and sized their feet and ALL. Savannah has always been a majority or close to that in population of blacks and plenty are professionals and own businesses). The black clientele who I served all had size B with feet. The white women had narrow feet generally. AA or even quad A!. I wore 8 B which was more normal for blacks here. My dad is from Louisiana so I suspected that I was of slight black add mixture. I kept that in my mind, really until I retired. Once I did my ancestry and DNA I found out that I was 100 percent English Isles. I think that we really don't know what white people look like from various parts of Europe. We typecast looks. I was a little sad to find out my heritage was so boring but I did find that my 5th grandfather had been a juror for the Constitution. It is fun to look at these things and you so it so well. Thank you.

[@blackhistory767]

Thanks so much for sharing:)

[@frankweiss597]

I recently read somewhere that DNA testing all over Europe showed that the most substantial component of their ancestry, amidst invasions galore, was -- Celtic! Welcome to the club, boys and girls.

[@amandadaum1725]

As far as her not being Dutch idk it’s still possible… my family is 90% German and yes I’m the stereotypical “German looking” person but my brothers and dad both have more olive skin and brown hair… they’re eyes are more hazel than brown but yeah the dark features isn’t necessarily a tell.

[@timothyhartzell7095]

Varina Davis also became best friends with Julia Grant; a relationship that lasted decades after the deaths of both their husbands.

[@AlexLight-d7n]

All of my female ancestors on my mother’s side look like this, and my daughter also looks like this type. Two of my living Great Aunts passed back and forth: they worked in the white world during the day and came back to the Community after that.

[@Miss_Cali]

While I believe that ALL history should be taught in all schools, parents there’s nothing stopping you from adding to it. Learn about our history as a family. Tfs

[@4gma59]

I'm of Dutch ancestry --- we are dark haired and dark eyed with olive skin. Not sure where you got the idea that most Dutch are blond and light. Famke Janssen is Dutch and a prime example.

[@maggiep3263]

Probably because they think Dutch = German.

[@dorothyblair6741]

@4gma59 Also Mata Hari

[@moviegirl8648]

​​@@dorothyblair6741And Alicia Vikander? Or maybe she is Swedish? But she looks mixed sometimes to me.

[@VictoriaN72]

Love history! Thanks for enlightening.

[@blackhistory767]

Thanks for watching.

[@barbaramoore5135]

I’m from Natchez. Their home, the Briars, is on the same street as my grandma’s house. Definitely believe she was mixed. Could have been Native American too. Natchez is named for the Natchez Indians. There was a large Native American presence in Natchez, along with French & Spanish & enslaved persons because of the slave trade. Tons of plantations in the area & the 2nd largest slave market in the country, only 2nd to NOLA.

[@blackhistory767]

Wow how awesome!

[@rosiebottom3870]

Indonesia was colonised by the Dutch so that could also explain her dark looks.

[@williamwebster7325]

I've worked around a lot of rebels that love black women and hate black men I'm 64yrs old black man and staying in Memphis tn all my life lived next door to a married couple they were passing wife was mixed and husband was to there daughter was white and granddaughter was to they lived with the white side of the family and my grandmother was high yellow and they didn't get along my grandmother bust his head back in 1956😅and went to jail 😅for it

[@tractorsold1]

Reminds me of one picture of Evlis Presley's first wife. She was of european descent, but the lighting conditions of that one picture made her looked mixed, with much the same coloration of these photos of Mrs. Davis. The public reaction to rumors of her being mixed became a problem for his career, and led to their divorce.

[@joantrotter3005]

Did you mean Johnny Cash? According to Finding your roots episode with the daughter, they both had mixed ancestry!

[@tractorsold1]

@joantrotter3005 No. But it may have been girlfriend or fiance, and break-up. I can't find my reference right now.

[@LonnieBhi]

​@@joantrotter3005 Yes Johnny Cash's wife Viven Liberto was Silican descent. Southern Italians will tell you themselves that many of them are mixed with black/African ancestry.

[@anthonyclark7912]

Olive skin will be considered having undertones of tan, or brownish color.

[@M-wi5tw]

Yes. I can see that immediately