Ann Eliza Smith (

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, Mrs. J. Gregory Smith; October 7, 1819 – January 6, 1905) was an American author. She was president of the board of managers for the

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

woman's exhibit at the

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition, officially the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876. It was the first official wo ...

of 1876, at

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, and was frequently chosen in similar capacities as a representative of Vermont women. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, she coordinated a response to the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

raid on St. Albans on October 19, 1864. In 1870, Governor Peter T. Washburn, who had served as adjutant general of the Vermont Militia during the war, recognized her efforts and presented her with an honorary commission as a lieutenant colonel on his military staff.

Early life and education

Ann Eliza Brainerd was born in St. Albans, Vermont on October 7, 1819. The daughter of

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Lawrence Brainerd and Fidelia B. Gadcombe, she was raised and educated in St. Albans.

Career

In 1842, she married J. Gregory Smith, who served as

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

during the Civil War. They were the parents of six children, including Edward Curtis Smith, who also served as governor.

Author

Smith wrote essays, poems and other works, and is best known for her three novels, ''Seola,'' ''Selma,'' and ''Atla.'' Her first published work, ''From Dawn to Sunrise'' (1876) dealt with the historical and philosophical religious ideas of mankind. Its success caused Henry K. Adams, author of ''A Centennial History of St. Albans Vermont'' to call it " e smartest book ever written in Vermont." Her second work was '' Seola'' (1878), which was written as an

antediluvian The antediluvian (alternatively pre-diluvian or pre-flood) period is the time period chronicled in the Bible between the fall of man and the Genesis flood narrative in biblical cosmology. The term was coined by Thomas Browne (1605–1682). The n ...

diary. The next novel published was ''Selma'' (1883), a

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

love story. The third novel, ''Atla'' (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1886), was about the sinking of the legendary lost island called

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

. At least one reviewer, ''The Churchman'', was highly critical of it:— Ann Eliza Brainerd Smith

In 1924, ''Seola'' was revised by the "Bible Students"—later known as

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

—and retitled ''Angels and Women''. Smith usually wrote under her married name, Mrs. J. Gregory Smith, but both ''Seola'' and ''Angels and Women'' were published anonymously; they were later ascribed to her by the

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St. Albans Raid

On the afternoon of October 19, 1864, the northernmost land event of the Civil War occurred, the St. Albans Raid. Confederates infiltrated the town, robbed several banks, wounded two citizens (one mortally), and fled north to Canada. Since he was serving as governor, the home of J. Gregory Smith was a target of the raid. Governor Smith was not at home, and when Mrs. Smith appeared in the front doorway carrying an unloaded pistol (the only weapon she could find), the raiders decided to bypass the house. She then worked to organize the people of St. Albans to mount a pursuit of the raiders, which unsuccessfully attempted to prevent them from escaping to Canada. For her actions in defending the Smith home and efforts to rally the people of St. Albans in pursuing the raiders, Governor Washburn named Mrs. Smith a brevet lieutenant colonel on his staff. Washburn, who served as governor from 1869 until his death in 1870, had served in the Union Army early in the Civil War, and then spent the rest of the conflict as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia. Under Washburn's direction, units of the militia had attempted to pursue the Confederate raiders, and later patrolled the border with Canada to ensure there were no further efforts to conduct Confederate activities in Vermont. Smith wrote of her personal reminiscences of the St. Albans Raid in ''The Vermonter'':—

Death and legacy

Smith died in St. Albans on January 6, 1905. She was buried at Greenwood Cemetery. The town of

Brainerd, Minnesota Brainerd ( ) is a city and the county seat of Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluen ...

was named in her honor.

Selected works

* ''Seola'' * ''The iceberg's story'', 1881 * ''Selma'', 1883 * ''Notes of travel in Mexico and California '', 1886 * ''Poems : "gather up the fragments"'', 1889 * ''Lines to a cricket, holograph poem found in the... by J Gregory Smith, Mrs.'', 1901 * '' Atla: A Story of the Lost Island'', 1886 * ''From dawn to sunrise : a review, historical and philosophical of the religious ideas of mankind'', 1876 * ''Personal reminiscences of early life in Vermont : published in the St. Albans Daily Messenger, starting November 22, 1924 '' * ''Angels and women''

References

Attribution

* * * * * * *

Bibliography

* *

External links

*
"In Search of Mrs. J. G. Smith"
* ''Angels and Women'' :
Online text
:
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ann Eliza 1819 births 1905 deaths 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American women writers American fantasy writers American women novelists People from St. Albans, Vermont Novelists from Vermont People of Vermont in the American Civil War American women science fiction and fantasy writers First ladies and gentlemen of Vermont Pseudonymous women writers Union army officers 19th-century pseudonymous writers Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (St. Albans, Vermont)