1.  D.L. Murray & N.R. Murray, compilers.  1996. Marriage Index: AR, MO, MS, TX, 1766-1981 (Broderbund CD-5):

DAVIS, Joseph E

VANBENTHINSON, Elira

1827-Oct-05

Adams Co., MS

2.  Census Index:  U.S. Selected Counties, 1810 (Broderbund CD-313):  there was no Mississippi census (Mississippi did not become a state until 1817). 

3.  Census Index:  U.S. Selected Counties, 1820 (Broderbund CD-314):  please see my WARNING regarding use of this database:  surnames A thru F are missing for MS, TN, and SC.  (The AIS indices and the databases at GenealogyLibrary.com and Ancestry.com are similarly afflicted.)  I did a page-by-page search of Warren and Wilkinson Cos., MS, but did not find Joseph as head-of-household, although I found his father, Samuel, in Wilkinson County.  Based on the numbers, it appears Joseph is living with his father in Wilkinson Co., MS. 

4.  1830 U.S. Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #1 of 52; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1830

MS

Warren Co.

Roll M19_71

p. 194

Ln. 2

Joseph E Davis

000 001 100 - 011 200 000

12 29 10 3 1 0 - 19 15 5 6 2 0

These data indicate:

No., Race, Gender	Age Class	Therefore Born	Individuals Inferred
1 white male	30-39	1790-1800	= Jefferson? (b. 1807/8)
1 white male	40-49	1780-1790	= Joseph (b. 1784)
1 white female	5-9	1820-1825	= Caroline (b. 1823/4)
1 white female	10-14	1815-1820	= Mary (b. 1816)
2 white females	15-19	1810-1815	= daughter Florida (b. 1811) = wife Eliza (b. 1811)
12 male slaves	9 or under	1820-1830	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
29 male slaves	10-23	1806-1820	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? = ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
10 male slaves	24-35	1794-1806	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
3 male slaves	36-54	1775-1794	= ? ? ?
1 male slave	55-99	1730-1775	= ?
19 female slaves	9 or under	1820-1830	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
15 female slaves	10-23	1806-1820	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
5 female slaves	24-35	1794-11806	= ? ? ? ? ?
6 female slaves	36-54	1775-1794	= ? ? ? ? ? ?
2 female slaves	55-99	1730-1775	= ? ?

Joseph is too young to have a son æ 30-39, but could it be his brother, Jefferson DAVIS, in the wrong age class?  One-hundred and two slaves! 

5.  1840 U.S. Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #7-8 of 47; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤•

1840

MS

Warren Co.

Roll 217

pp. 266B-267A

Ln. 12

Joseph E Davis

000 010 010 - 001 101

26 32 22 20 6 0 - 34 34 23 17 7 0

0/148/00000

These data indicate:

No. & Sex	Age Class	Therefore Born	Individuals Inferred
1 white male	20-29	1810-1820	= ?
1 white male	50-59	1780-1790	= Joseph (b. 1784)
1 white female	10-14	1825-1830	= Martha QUARLES?
1 white female	15-19	1820-1825	= Caroline (b. 1823/4)
1 white female	30-39	1800-1810	= Eliza (b. 1811)
26 male slaves	9 or under	1830-1840	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? = ? ? ? ? ? ?
32 male slaves	10-23	1816-1830	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? = ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
22 male slaves	24-35	1804-1816	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? = ? ?
20 male slaves	36-54	1785-1804	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
6 male slaves	55-99	1740-1785	= ? ? ? ? ? ?
34 female slaves	9 or under	1830-1840	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? = ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
34 female slaves	10-23	1816-1830	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? = ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
23 female slaves	24-35	1804-1816	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? = ? ? ?
17 female slaves	36-54	1785-1804	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
7 female slaves	55-99	1740-1784	= ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
148	persons employed in agriculture

Listed one line above Joseph's brother, Jefferson DAVIS, who is six lines above Joseph's married daughter, Florida (DAVIS) McCALEB.  Two hundred and twenty-one slaves!!! 

6.  1850 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #84 of 146 — mis-indexed as being in Vicksburg):  The Town of Warrenton, Warren Co., MS, Roll M432_382, p. 212B, 714/738, enumerated 5 Sep 1850, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1850 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤(•)

Joseph E. Davis	65	M	Planter	100,000	Ga
Eliza       "	39	F			Missi
Caroline Robins	27	F			"
Joseph D. Mitchell	10	M			France
Mary E.	7	F			Missi
Joseph D. Michelson	5	M			"

Caroline's husband, Thomas Enoch ROBINS, supposedly didn't die until 6 Nov 1850, so what is Caroline doing living with her parents in June?  Joseph Davis MITCHELL is the son of our subject's daughter, Mary (DAVIS) MITCHELL, who died in 1846; and he was, indeed, born in France.   Joseph Davis NICHOLSON was adopted by our subjects.  Listed seven households from Joseph's married daughter, Florida (DAVIS) LAUGHLIN. 

7.  1860 Census Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #178 of 185):  Vicksburg P.O., Warren Co., MS, Roll , p. 1063, PN 175, 1398/1368, enumerated 4 Sep 1860, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1860 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

J E Davis	65	M		Farmer	300000	400000	Miss
Eliza "	60	F					"
Jos Mitchell	18	M					"
Louise  "	17	F					"
J Nicholson	15	M					"

Joseph should be 75, not 65, and Eliza should be 49, not 60.  Joseph DAVIS was born in GA, not MS, and Joseph MITCHELL was born in France, not MS.  Listed next to Joseph's youngest brother, Jefferson DAVIS, whose census record also contains errors of age and birthplace. 

8.  Kirk Bentley Barb.  1971.  "Extract from Genealogy of Jefferson Davis."  Appendix III, pp. 488-508 in Papers of Jefferson Davis, Volume 1, 1808-1840.  Haskell M. Monroe, Jr., and James T. McIntosh, eds.  Louisiana State Univ. Press, Baton Rouge.  [Rev. ed. of 1991 not seen.]

9.  Haskell M. Monroe., Jr. & James T. McIntosh, eds.  1971.  "Genealogy of the Davis Family."  Appendix IV, pp. 505-529 in Papers of Jefferson Davis, Volume 1, 1808-1840.  Louisiana State Univ. Press, Baton Rouge.  [Rev. ed. of 1991 not seen.]

10.  Ernesto Caldeira.  1983.  "Davis Family Genealogy."  Appendix II, pp. 402-416 in Papers of Jefferson Davis, Volume 4, 1849-1852.  Linda Lasswell Christ, Mary Seaton Dix, and Richard E. Beringer, eds.  Louisiana State Univ. Press, Baton Rouge.

11.  Genealogy of the Davis Family at Rice University.

12.  Janet Sharp Hermann.  1990.  Joseph E. Davis, Pioneer Patriarch.  Univ. Press of Mississippi, Jackson, MS (out of print, but used copies can sometimes be found at Amazon.com).

Hermann supports a liaison between Joseph Emory DAVIS and a Rachel SHELBY in Christian Co., KY, with a resulting son, William DAVIS, b. 1808.  Her sources are entirely secondary, but despite the total lack of proof, she states, "...family tradition has convinced me that William was indeed Joseph's son" — as if there weren't thousands of fanciful family traditions out there of being connected to Jefferson DAVIS.  William's birthplace, as given in his census records, is South Carolina, which puts him out of contention as a son of Joseph Emory DAVIS, who was never known to have been in South Carolina.  The fact that Joseph acknowledged three illegitimate daughters, but did not acknowledge a son, William, supports that William was not his son.  Certainly, some kind of proof is needed to substantiate such a claim.