Jefferson Davis' unknown wife.

In the same year that Lincoln took his first trip to New Orleans; Jefferson Davis graduated from West Point and entered the army. During his service in the wilds of Wisconsin, the white snow almost blinded Lieutenant Jefferson. He lost ninety-five percent of his vision in one eye.

In 1831, after about three years of service, the army assigned him to Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien. Jefferson was given the task of protecting workers from the Indians as they constructed a sawmill. There he met many friendly Indians. He was interested in learning their culture and customs. He took every opportunity to visit with the Indians. The Indians respected Jefferson Davis and began to call him White Chief.

Jefferson met a brown-eyed half-breed with lustrous black hair named Novella. Novella was born to an Indian squaw and a French trapper. One day, the Frenchman went to check his traps and never returned. A few years later, Novella’s mother died. An Indian brave named Black Hawk and his wife, Singing Bird, adopted her.

The nearly grown orphaned children did not move in and live with their adoptive parents. Older children would remain in their parents’ lodge, and their adoptive parents would look in on them.

Black Hawk and Singing Bird had a daughter named Namequa. Writers often confuse Namequa with Novella. When settlers described Namequa by name, they said she was a plain Jane without any notable social skills.

The young men in the nearby settlements described Black Hawk’s daughter as a beautiful, vibrant young woman with dancing abilities and social skills. They were referring to Black Hawk’s adoptive daughter, not Namequa.

Novella was a brown-eyed, light-skinned beauty and the men at the fort thought of her as Black Hawk’s daughter. She had social skills and enjoyed dancing. She was always welcomed at social events by the white men in town and at the fort.

Jefferson Davis took Novella to a wedding at the fort and the outdoor celebration that followed. One Indian in attendance at the celebration did not like Jefferson being with Novella. He took out his knife and as he approached Jefferson, Colonel Taylor yelled, “Watch out!” Jefferson turned just as the knife blade entered his left forearm. Jefferson pulled his pistol and shot the Indian. Both lived. After Jefferson’s arm mended, he went looking for Novella. He could not find her, and the other Indians in her tribe would not tell him where she was.

Jefferson and Novella went their separate ways. Jefferson met and fell in love with Knoxie Taylor. Soon after being married, Jefferson and Knoxie caught malaria.  Jefferson recovered, but Knoxie died. Jefferson Davis was very weak after his illness with malaria, and an all-encompassing sadness hung over him. His friend told him an ocean voyage and a stay in a tropical climate would be good for him. He sailed from New Orleans to Havana and spent three weeks there. The climate agreed with him and his health improved, but his sadness remained.

When he returned from Havana he was seriously depressed and could not stay anywhere that reminded him of Sarah. Those places contained too many unrealized dreams of a wonderful life.  Jefferson wanted to return to a time before he knew Sarah. He decided to live in seclusion at the cabin in the woods he built near Fort Crawford. He took a steamer up the Mississippi and got off when he was near the cabin. He bought a horse and continued on his way. As he was passing the Indian village he fell asleep on his horse. Jefferson Davis fell from his horse and hit his head. He was confused and decided not to go any further. He spent the night in the woods.

In the morning, Jefferson heard a loud crack. Then the trunk of a dead tree fell across his legs. The tree was large, and he could not move it. He lay there all day. No one was around, and he thought he might die.

That night, someone tripped on his body and fell on top of him. It was the half-breed Novella. She cared for Jefferson until he was better. Six weeks later, Parson James Vernon Dobson married Jefferson and Novella. About nine months later, Novella died in childbirth. The baby lived. Jefferson named him Finis.

To succeed in politics, Jefferson had to keep his marriage a secret. Jefferson’s marriage to Novella was a family secret they kept for over a hundred years.