The Love Story Few Know About: Jefferson Davis and Sarah Knox Taylor
My granny, the little girl sitting on her grandfather's (President Jefferson Davis) knee
In the grand sweep of American history, personal stories often get buried beneath headlines of war and politics. But for me, those deeply personal family stories have always been at the heart of what history truly is.
I’m Dr. Howard Edward Haller—Jefferson Davis’s great-great-grandson—and I want to share one of the stories passed down to me by my beloved grandmother, Lucy White Hayes Young. We called her Granny Lucy.
She didn’t just tell me dates or facts—she breathed life into our family’s past. And Jefferson Davis, my great-great-grandfather, wasn’t just a historical figure. He was a real, breathing, loving man. I knew him through Granny’s eyes, and through the family history she entrusted me to preserve—and eventually, to defend.
One of the most touching chapters in his life was the love story of Jefferson Davis and Sarah Knox Taylor.
A Union Forged in Loyalty and Love
After graduating from West Point, Jefferson Davis served under Colonel Zachary Taylor—Sarah’s father. Some history books suggest their relationship was strained, but the letters tell another story.
In a personal letter dated August 3rd, 1846, Taylor addressed my great-great-grandfather with warmth and friendship:
“My Dear Colonel…”
“…your friend, Z. Taylor.”
Those aren’t the words of enemies or rivals. They’re the words of two men with mutual respect—and, soon, a deeper familial connection.
Jefferson Davis fell in love with Sarah Knox Taylor. But marrying a soldier was something her father, Colonel Taylor, worried about. He didn’t want his daughter to live the hard life of a military camp wife. And so, my ancestor made a bold choice—he offered to resign from the military altogether and build a home for her in Mississippi.
It wasn’t just a romantic gesture. It was a real sacrifice.
Taylor ultimately gave them his blessing, and they married. But just three months later, Sarah passed away from illness. It was a devastating loss—one that shaped the rest of Jefferson Davis’s life.
Why This Story Matters
For most people, Jefferson Davis is a name in a textbook—President of the Confederacy, a controversial figure in a painful chapter of American history.
But for me, and for my family, he was also a devoted husband, a grieving young man, a loyal son-in-law, and someone who made deeply human decisions in a difficult time.
This is the Davis I knew through Granny’s stories.
This is one of the reasons I felt so called to right the wrong and restore his U.S. citizenship.
Because remembering our ancestors as real people—with love, sorrow, strength, and mistakes—is what true history demands.
And it’s why I wrote and recorded The True Story of Jefferson Davis’s Citizenship Restoration.
You can read or listen to it for free.
Just click the orange button below. And if you feel moved, you can leave a tip to support the project.
Thanks for being a part of this journey to preserve truth, memory, and legacy.
—Dr. Howard E. Haller