Anna Georgia was a cook and general house woman in the Davis’ home.  She was a half breed, her mother being a Cherokee Indian.  Her husband, William, was a descendant of the Cheehaw Indians, some of his a forbears being full-blooded Cheehaws.  Their Indian blood was fully evident, states William junior.  The Davis family tree as he knew it was as follows:  three brothers, Sam, Thomas and Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederacy.) Sam was the eldest of the three and had four children, viz:  Jack, Robert, Richard and Washington.  Thomas had four, viz:  James, Richard, Rusha and Minna.  Jefferson Davis’ family was not known to William as he lived in Virginia, whereas, the other brothers and their families lived near each other at “Black Swamp.”

Jack Davis, the master of William Sherman, was the son of Sam Davis, brother of Jefferson Davis.  Thomas and Sam Davis were comparatively large men, while Jefferson was thin and of medium height, resembling to a great extent the late Henry Flagler of Florida East Coast fame, states William.  Many times he would come to visit his brothers at “Black Swamp.”  He would drive up in a two-wheeled buggy, drawn by a horse.  Oft’times he visited his nephew, Jack and they would get together in a lengthy conversation.  Sometimes he would remain with the Davis family for a few days and then return to Virginia.  On these visits William states that he saw him personally.  These visits or sojourns occurred prior to the Civil War.  Jack Davis being a comparatively poor man had only eight slaves on his plantation; they were housed in log cabins made of cypress timber notched together in such a way as to give it the appearance of having been built regular lumber.  It was much larger and of different architecture than the slave cabins, however.

The few slaves that he had arose at 4:00 o’clock in the morning and prepared themselves for the field.  They stopped at noon for a light lunch which they always took with them and at sun-down they quit work and went to their respective cabins.  Cotton, corn, potatoes and other commodities were raised.  There was no regular “overseer” employed.  Davis, the master acted in that capacity.  He was very kind to them and seldom used the whip.  After the outbreak of the Civil War, white men called “patarollers” were posted around the various plantations to guard against runaways, and if slaves were caught off their respective plantations without permits from their masters they were severely whipped.  This was not the routine for Jack Davis’ slaves for he gave the “patarollers” specific orders that if any of them were caught off the plantation without a permit not to molest them but to let them proceed where they were bound.  Will said that one of the slaves ran away and when he was caught his master gave him a light whipping and told him to “go on now and run away if you want to.”  He said the slave walked away but never attempted to run away again.  Will states that he was somewhat