Davis ni a bi ni Fairview, Kentucky, to a moderately prosperous farmer, the youngest of ten children. O dagba ni Wilkinson County, Mississippi, ati ki o tun gbe ni Louisiana. Arakunrin rẹ agbalagba Joseph Emory Davis ni aabo ipinnu ti Davis ọdọ si United States Military Academy. Lẹhin ti o kẹkọọ, Jefferson Davis sin ọdun mẹfa bi ọmọ-ogun kan ni United States Army. O ja ni ogun Amẹrika-Amẹrika (1846-1848), gẹgẹbi ọgagun ti regiment volunteer kan. Ṣaaju ki Ogun Ilu Amẹrika, o ṣiṣẹ oko nla kan ni Mississippi, eyiti arakunrin rẹ Joseph fi fun u, o si ni ọpọlọpọ awọn ẹrú 113.
ó ní oko ìrèké ńlá kan