Ellen Barnes and Varina Anne Davis

Sixth plate ambrotype portrait of Ellen Barnes and Varina Anne Davis. Ellen Barnes (later McGinnis) was a mulatto woman who worked as maid to Varina Davis and nanny to the Davis children from 1864 through the duration of the war. She is sometimes referred to as a free woman of color, other times as a slave; her legal status is unknown. A native of Richmond, she was in her mid-twenties at the beginning of the war. Her previous owner was a Richmond druggist. Although married, her slave husband had run away. She was with the Davis family at the time of Jefferson Davis's capture in Irwinville, Georgia. Her husband Charles Barnes is thought to have died in 1866; Varina mentioned that they had a child, but it is unknown what became of this child. Ellen remained in touch with the Davis family after the war. She married Frederick McGinnis near Fortress Monroe (with Varina Davis and Mary O'Melia in attendance) on May 7, 1867. She moved to Baltimore, and had two children with Frederick.

American Civil War Museum Accession # FIC2009.00023