James Barrington Davis was educated in Mt. Sterling, KY and served with Kentucky troops in the Mexican War. Returning home, he worked on the family farm while resuming his education in Law. His father, Josiah Davis died at the age of 50 in 1847. In the mid 1850's James moved to Bonham in Fannin County, Texas where he opened a law practice and on 20 April 1858 married Miss Mary Eliza Beauchamp, formerly of Morgan County, KY, but living in Paris, TX with Harriett Graves Wooten and her husband Dr. T. D. Wooten. The wedding reception took place at the Wooten home. The couple then began housekeeping in Bonham. Mary Eliza would return to the Dr. Wooten's home in January 1860 for the birth of her first child, Martha and a second child, Anne, was born here less than 11 months later.

James Barrington Davis is listed as "Private, Co. E, 34th Cavalry, Texas." This Company was known as "The Plow-Horse Cavalry". While in the Army, he was elected to the Texas Confederate Senate and served until the end of the war. How he was able to serve as a State Senator while concurrently serving as a soldier has never been explained to the author.

From: "Biography of James Barrington Davis", by Charles E. Workman, Jr. - Biographies of the 34th Texas Cavalry (Web page of the Lamar County Genealogical Society - 1999)

34th Texas Cavalry, (AKA 2nd Partisan Rangers)

Organized at Ft. Washita, Indian Territory on 17 Apr 1862

(Surrendered on 26 May 1865)

Officers:

Almerine M. Alexander (Colonel)

William M. Bush (Major, Lt. Col.)

John H. Caudle (Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel)

M. W. Deavenport (Major)

Thomas Dove (Major)

John R. Russell (Major, Lieutenant Colonel)

Sevier Tackett (Major)

George H. Wooten (Lieutenant Colonel)

Assignments:

April-May 1862 Indian Territory, Trans-Mississippi District, Dept. #2

May-September 1862 Department of the Indian Territory, Trans-Mississippi Dept.

September-December 1862 Cooper's Brigade, 1st Corps, Trans-Mississippi Dept.

December 1862-January 1863 Bradfute's Brigade, Roane's Div., 1st Corps, Trans-Mississippi Dept.

January-June 1863 Department of the Indian Territory, Trans-Mississippi Dept.

June-September 1863 Speight's Brigade, District of Western Louisiana, Trans-Mississippi Dept.

November 1863 Polignac's Brigade, District of Western Louisiana, Trans-Mississippi Dept.

September 1864-May 1865 4th Texas Brigade, Polignac's Division, 1st Corps, Trans-Mississippi Dept.

Battles:

December 7, 1862 Prairie Grove, AR

September 30,1862 Newtonia, MO

September 29, 1863 Stirling's Plantation, Morganza, LA

March-May 1864 Red River Campaign, LA

September 17, 1864 Atchafalaya River, LA

September 20, 1864 BayoumAL and Morgan's Ferry, LA

(The above is copied from "NORTH TEXAS UNITS, CSA" BY RON BROTHERS, Web page, Lamar County Genealogical Society, Paris, TX. 1999 )

Bibliography: E. B. Long, The Civil War Day By Day, (Garden City NY: Doubleday Inc, 1971.) Robert S. Weddle, "Plow-Horse Cavalry: The Caney Creek Boys of the 34th Cavalry", (Austin, TX: Madrona Press, 1976.)

I feel very proud and honored to have had two of my kin to have served in the Confederate service.