Ann Eliza Smith (

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, 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 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 state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

woman's exhibit at the

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

of 1876, at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

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

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 ...

, she coordinated a response to the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

raid on St. Albans on October 19, 1864. In 1870, Governor

Peter T. Washburn Peter Thacher Washburn (September 7, 1814 – February 7, 1870) was a Vermont lawyer, politician and soldier. A veteran of the American Civil War, he served as the 31st governor of Vermont as a Republican from 1869 to 1870, and was the first Ver ...

, who had served as

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the Vermont Militia during the war, recognized her efforts and presented her with an honorary commission as a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

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 chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Lawrence Brainerd Lawrence Brainerd (March 16, 1794May 9, 1870) was an American businessman, abolitionist and United States Senator from Vermont. A longtime anti-slavery activist, after leaving the Jacksonian democracy, Jacksonians in the 1830s, Brainerd was act ...

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 administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

during the Civil War. They were the parents of six children, including

Edward Curtis Smith Edward Curtis Smith (January 5, 1854 – April 6, 1935) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Vermont. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as the 47th governor of Vermont from 1898 to 1900. Early life Edward Cur ...

, 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. The narrative take ...

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

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to 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 se ...

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

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

. 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 millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

—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

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

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 Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

on his staff. Washburn, who served as governor from 1869 until his death in 1870, had served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

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 in Greenwood Cemetery. The town of

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

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 Women science fiction and fantasy writers First Ladies and Gentlemen of Vermont Pseudonymous women writers Union Army officers 19th-century pseudonymous writers