Z 1856.000 Humphreys (David Colin) Collection

Biographies

It was also in 1854 that James Smith, Jr., met for the first time his lifelong friend Jefferson Davis. Davis would later visit James Smith, Jr., and his family at Benvue, Dowanhill, Scotland, in 1869. Likewise, Smith would later visit Jefferson Davis at Beauvoir in 1884. During the Civil War James Smith, Jr., was responsible for sending arms and ammunition for the defense of Jackson. Smith also donated $100 of the $250 necessary to build a fence around the park north of the Governor's Mansion in Jackson. The park was named Smith Park in his honor. James Smith, Jr., died on April 11, 1886.

Robert Alexander Smith, brother of James Smith, Jr., was born in 1836. He emigrated to the United States in 1848, settling in Jackson. Smith was associated in business with his brother, James, Jr. He was commissioned as captain of the Tenth Mississippi Infantry, Company A, on February 1, 1861. On May 28, 1861, Smith was elected colonel of the Tenth Mississippi Infantry. Colonel Smith was mortally wounded in the battle of Munfordville, Kentucky, and died on September 17, 1862. In 1884 James Smith, Jr., dedicated a monument erected at his own expense honoring the sacrifice of Colonel Smith and the men of the Tenth Mississippi Infantry in the battle of Munfordville.

George Dobson was married to Jane Renfrew Smith, sister of James Smith, Jr., and Robert Alexander Smith, and they had three children, Euphemia, Annie Smith, and Madison. Dobson enlisted as a private in the Tenth Mississippi Infantry, Company A, on June 23, 1861. He was commissioned as captain of the Tenth Mississippi Infantry, Company D, on February 22, 1862. Captain Dobson was later placed under arrest pending a court martial for being absent without leave from his company during the battle of Munfordville so that he could assist his mortally wounded brother-in-law, Colonel Smith. However, the charges were apparently dismissed. Captain Dobson resigned his commission on February 26, 1864. After the war Dobson lived in Tampa, Florida, where he was a journalist, justice of the peace, and lawyer.

Annie Smith Dobson returned to Scotland after the Civil War and was looked after by James Smith, Jr. She was later employed by Maria Brown Thin, sister of Annie Brown Smith, wife of James Smith, Jr., as a nanny for her daughter, Amy Jefferson Thin. Annie Smith Dobson lived in London with James Thin, his wife, and three children, Lucy, Harry, and Amy Jefferson. It was during one of Jefferson Davis' postwar visits with James Smith, Jr., and his family in Scotland, that the Thin family had the opportunity of becoming well-enough-acquainted with Davis to ask him to be the godfather of Amy Jefferson Thin. Davis was very flattered by the proposal, and he graciously accepted. Amy Jefferson Thin later married David Mather Bowie, and they had four children, Dulcie, Joan, David Alexander Jefferson, and Betty. Amy Jefferson Thin Bowie also employed Annie Smith Dobson as a nanny for her daughter Joan.

Joan Bowie married Roland Humphreys, and they had two sons, David Colin and Robin. David Colin Humphreys married Jill Allison Cranmer in 1954, and they have three children, David Jefferson, Martin, and Camilla. He served as assistant secretary general of NATO from 1972 to 1976 and as deputy undersecretary of state (Air Force) for the British Ministry of Defense from 1979 to 1985. Humphreys and his wife live at Rivendell, Surrey, England.

Scope and Content Note

Accompanying this collection is a history entitled The Humphreys Family's Connection with Jackson, Mississippi, compiled by John A. Ure of Bonnybridge, Scotland, in 1989. Although this publication focuses on the life of James Smith, Jr., and the history of the Scottish iron stove manufacturer Smith and Wellstood, Ltd., it also contains biographical and genealogical information pertaining to various members of the Bowie, Davis, Dobson, Humphreys, Smith, and Thin families of Great Britain and the United States. The collection also contains obituaries of Varina Howell Davis who died on October 16, 1906, and an engagement announcement of Amy Jefferson Thin and David Mather Bowie.

Series Identification and Description

1. Correspondence, etc. 1861–1863; 1865; 1870; 1874; 1876; 1878; 1880; 1882–1883; 1885; 1887–1894; 1898–1899; 1903. n.d. (11 f.f.) This series includes the correspondence of Jefferson Davis, Varina Howell Davis, George Dobson, Madison Dobson, and Robert Alexander Smith. The letters of Jefferson and Varina Howell Davis addressed to various members of the Smith and Thin families document the sustained interest of the Davises in the welfare of Jefferson Davis' goddaughter Amy Jefferson Thin. The letters of Captain George Dobson, the majority of which were addressed to his wife Jane, document many of the hardships that he endured while serving in the Tenth Mississippi Infantry at various locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; his arrest pending a court martial for being absent without leave during the battle of Munfordville, Kentucky, to assist his mortally wounded brother-in-law Colonel Robert Alexander Smith; and the hardships that Captain Dobson's wife and children faced on the home front in Jackson, Mississippi, while he was away. Of additional interest are two amnesty oaths of George Dobson dated May 31, and July 8, 1865, and George Dobson's commission as justice of the peace of Hinds County, dated October 20, 1865. The letters of world-traveler Madison Dobson, the majority of which were addressed to Annie Smith Dobson and Amy Jefferson Thin (Bowie), were written from various countries including Belgium, England, Scotland, South Africa, and the United States. Of additional interest is the poetry of Madison Dobson, the majority of which was presented to Amy Jefferson Thin (Bowie). There is also a note written by Madison Dobson to Joan Bowie enclosing two unidentified Spanish-American War-era cyanotypes of a young child dressed in a military uniform. The letters of Colonel Robert Alexander Smith addressed to his sister Jane describe military life at Camp Phillips near Pensacola, Florida, in 1861 and 1862. Arranged alphabetically and thereunder chronologically. Box 1, folders 1–11:
• Jefferson Davis Letters. 1870; 1874. (3 items) Box 1, folder 1
• Varina Howell Davis Letters. 1870; 1888; 1893; 1899. (4 items) Box 1, folder 2
• George Dobson Letters and Documents. 1861–1863; 1865. (67 items) Box 1, folders 3–7
• Madison Dobson Letters and Poetry. 1876; 1878; 1880; 1882–1883; 1885; 1887; 1889–1894; 1898; n.d. (31 items) Box 1, folders 8–9
• Robert Alexander Smith Letters. 1861–1862. (2 items) Box 1, folder 10
• Miscellaneous Letters. 1899; 1903; n.d. (3 items) Box 1, folder 11
2. Printed Material. 1989. (1 item) This series contains the publication The Humphreys Family's Connection with Jackson, Mississippi, by John A. Ure, Bonnybridge, Scotland, 1989. Box 1, folder 12
3. Newspaper Clippings. 1906; n.d. (8 items) This series contains obituaries of Varina Howell Davis and an engagement announcement of Amy Jefferson Thin and David Mather Bowie. Arranged chronologically. Box 1, folder 13