Frances Smith (; April 6, 1785August 3, 1875) was a

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 ...

spy and the mother of General

E. Kirby Smith Four-star rank, General Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824March 28, 1893) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Lo ...

. She is listed as a

Great Floridian Great Floridian is a title bestowed upon citizens in the state of Florida by the Florida Department of State. There were actually two formal programs. The Great Floridian 2000 program honored deceased individuals who made "significant contribution ...

as part of the Great Floridians 2000 program.

Biography

Frances Kirby was born in Connecticut and married Judge Joseph Lee Smith. They moved to St. Augustine, Florida soon after their marriage in about 1820, and though Judge Smith died in 1847, she remained in the city after the Union took occupation of

Fort Marion The Castillo de San Marcos (Spanish for "St. Mark's Castle") is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States; it is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. It was designed by the Spanish ...

(Castillo de San Marcos) in 1862. During the War, She got mail out to

soldiers and entertained

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

officers to learn of plans and pass on the information. Smith was exiled following the spring 1863 Federal government order calling for removal of Southern sympathizers. She eventually returned to Saint Augustine and lived for another decade. She was a critic of

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

and the "loss of true Southern gentility". Various local documents record her as "brilliant and spirited, full of fire and ambition throughout her long life". Smith's residence during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

(present-day

Segui-Kirby Smith House The Segui-Kirby Smith House is a historic house at 12 Aviles Street in St. Augustine, Florida. Built in the late 1770s, it was the childhood home of Confederate States Army General Edmund Kirby Smith (1824–1893), the commanding general of the Tra ...

) houses the St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library. Two bronze statues and a plaque commemorate her life.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Frances Kirby 1785 births 1875 deaths American Civil War spies Burials in Florida Edmund Kirby Smith People from Connecticut People from St. Augustine, Florida Women in the American Civil War