GULFPORT, Miss (WGNO) — Bertram Hayes-Davis grew up in Colorado. But a few years ago he and his wife moved to Gulfport, Mississippi.
“We’re the first Davises to be in Mississippi since 1890,” Hayes-Davis says of his family’s history.
Hayes-Davis is often asked about his great great grandfather, Jefferson Davis. He knows all too well about the controversy surrounding statues of the confederate leader. But you might be surprised to get his take on the issue.
Hayes-Davis says that if the confederate statues are offensive, then they need to be moved. But he also says that the monuments need to be taken to appropriate places where they can become part of educational efforts.
“I’m trying to unwrap him from the flag to say he wasn’t incarnate in 1861. There’s 52 years that you want to hear about,” he told WGNO News.
Hayes-Davis says, for starters, Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln were born less than a year apart, less than 100 miles apart, in Kentucky. He also makes an argument for moving the Jefferson Davis monument. Click on the video button above to see our interview with him.
After the Civil War, Jefferson Davis retired in Biloxi. He died in New Orleans in 1889. Part of his funeral was at Gallier Hall. Beauvoir, Davis’ home on the Mississippi coast, remains a big tourist attraction. Below you’ll find some photos.
