Z 1538.000 Davenport Family Papers

Following the American Revolution, Henry and Elizabeth Easley Davenport moved from Virginia to Greene County, Georgia, where they engaged in farming. Their son, Robert Davenport, was born on October 3, 1811. Robert Davenport also became a farmer. He married Martha Hester of Decatur, Georgia, in 1833. Robert and Martha Davenport had two children: Stephen, born in October of 1834, and Henry, born in January of 1836. Robert Davenport and his family moved to Jacinto, Tishomingo County, Mississippi, in 1839. There, the Davenport family grew from two to ten children. However, only six children reached maturity: Stephen, Henry, Amanda Elizabeth (Betty), Sallie Anne Eliza, Francis Easley (Fannie), and Robert Burton.

Prior to the Civil War, Robert Davenport was a prosperous businessman, farmer, investor, sawmill owner, and sheriff. He served as sheriff of the town of Jacinto, now located in present-day Alcorn County, Mississippi, from 1850 to 1853 and from 1859 to 1860. He also had investments in the Yellow Creek and Polk Levee toll roads with business associate C. P. Polk.

Stephen and Henry Davenport both served in the Confederate army. Lieutenant Stephen Davenport was assigned to Company C of the Twenty-Sixth Regiment, Mississippi Infantry. He was later promoted to major. Captain Henry Davenport, a recent graduate of Cumberland University in Tennessee, served with the Second Regiment, Mississippi Infantry. The Davenport brothers did not return from the war. In November of 1862, Stephen Davenport was killed in battle at Fulton, Mississippi, leaving behind a wife and young son. In July of 1863, less than one year after his brothers death, Henry Davenport was wounded in battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and taken prisoner. He later died in a Union prisoner of war camp hospital.

The Robert Davenport family faced further hardships during Reconstruction. Robert Davenport lost the majority of his land holdings as a result of unpaid taxes. Davenport and his wife eventually left Jacinto and moved to Booneville, Prentiss County, Mississippi, in 1879. The Davenports were among the earliest settlers of Prentiss County. Robert Davenport continued in public service and was elected sheriff of Prentiss County in 1879. He later served as a member of the board of supervisors of Prentiss County. Davenport was also a Royal Arch degree Mason.

Martha Davenport died on March 8, 1894, and Robert Davenport died on August 7, 1896.

Sallie Davenport Jones, her husband, Lewis Jones, and their eleven children lived in Booneville for the remainder of their lives. Fannie Davenport, who married her first cousin, William Robert, moved to Texas with their five children. William Robert died in 1884, and Fannies youngest brother, Robert Burton Davenport, moved to Texas, where they both resided until their deaths.

The correspondence, financial records, genealogical materials, and Masonic membership record of the Davenport family cover the years from 1852 to 1921. Correspondents include the immediate and extended family and friends of the Davenports.

The documents written prior to the Civil War cover a variety of topics. Letters from Robert Davenports brother, Smith, in Georgia discuss the settling of bank debts, the expense of slaves and mules, and news from siblings. In other letters, Robert and Martha Davenport wrote to their son, Henry, who was attending Cumberland College in Tennessee. In these letters, Henry wrote of loneliness, the rigors of college, and composing essays. Martha Davenport also corresponded with her other children, especially Amanda Elizabeth (Betty) who attended Iuka Normal Institute. In one letter, Martha Davenport indicated that Betty was happy at school, and she encouraged her daughter to conduct herself in a fitting manner. She also discussed Fannie Davenports toothache, Henry Davenports visit with Miss Mary, and Robert Davenports upcoming school visit.

The Civil War correspondence relates many of the hardships that the Davenports faced. This is evident in letters from Martha Davenport to her daughters, Betty and Sallie, and in letters from Fannie Davenport to her cousin, Harris. The morale of the Confederate troops and their living conditions are major themes in these letters. In one instance, Martha Davenport mentioned that 25,000 troops were already at Corinth. Fannie Davenports letter to her cousin, Henry, is also very descriptive. She also expressed the hope that Henry and his fellow troops were well. Included are supply orders and reports of destroyed lumber of Robert Davenport and Captain Jason J. Warren of Company A, Partisan Rangers.

The post-Civil War correspondence of the Davenports includes letters from family members, business associates, friends, and acquaintances. They discuss the loss of Robert Davenports land due to back taxes, an admirer of Sallie Davenport, the growth of Prentiss County, and family gossip. Other letters are from various relatives in Mississippi and Texas. Topics covered in these letters include the cotton harvest, local politics, and the health of family members.

1. Papers. 1851-1921; 1941; n.d. 0.10 cubic ft.