Floride Elizabeth Clemson (December 29, 1842 – July 23, 1871) was the daughter of Clemson University founder

Thomas Green Clemson Thomas Green Clemson (July 1, 1807April 6, 1888) was an American politician and statesman, serving as an ambassador and United States Superintendent of Agriculture. He served in the Confederate Army and founded Clemson University in South Carolin ...

, and the granddaughter of former Vice President John C. Calhoun and his wife,

Floride Calhoun Floride Bonneau Calhoun (née Colhoun; February 15, 1792 – July 25, 1866) was the wife of U.S. politician John C. Calhoun. She is best known for her leading role in the Petticoat affair, which occurred during her husband's service as ...

. Clemson was most acknowledged for her diary that took place during and after the Civil War. Her diary states her journey to

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

by multiple forms of transportation in just a little under two weeks.

Personal life

Floride married Gideon Lee III (1824–1894), son of New York governor

Gideon Lee Gideon Lee (April 27, 1778August 21, 1841) was an American politician who was the 60th Mayor of New York City from 1833 to 1834, and United States Representative from New York for one term from 1835 to 1837. Early life Lee was born in Amherst, ...

. They had one daughter, Floride Isabella Lee. Floride Elizabeth died of tuberculosis at their home Leeside in Carmel, New York, on July 23, 1871.

Diary

Floride's diary was published as ''A Rebel Came Home''. It was edited by Charles M. McGee and Ernest M. Lander, Jr. In the book, it states that McGee spent two summers in the Clemson Archives, where he came across Floride's diary and became interested in it. Also he worked with Lander and had the convenience of the artist being close by, which helped with the writing of the book.

References

* 19th-century American writers American diarists People from South Carolina 1842 births 1871 deaths American women non-fiction writers 19th-century American women writers Women diarists 19th-century diarists {{US-writer-stub