On the Trail Again with Sophie

Thinking that I moved Sophie ahead too quickly, I'll backtrack a little and cover her husband.  He deserves an intro. In his handwritten words from a paper in my collection:

"My father, William Bibb, married Sallie Wyatt, his second wife, in 1779 and resided in Prince Edward Co. Va. a number of years and removed to Ga. about 1790. They left the following named children to-wit:
William Wyatt Bibb, who represented the State of Ga. in both Houses of Congress from 1800 to 1817. After the organization of the State government in 1819, he was appointed Gov. of the Territory of Ala. by Pres. Monroe in 1817. After the organization of the State government in 1819, he was elected Gov. of the State. He died before the expiration of the term and was succeeded by his brother, Thomas, who was at that time Pres. Of the State Senate. My remaining brothers are Peyton, John Dandridge, Joseph Wyatt, and myself, Benajah S. Bibb, born in Elbert Co. Ga. on the 3rd of Sept., 1796. Their daughters, Dorethea and Martha. Their descendents are living in Ala., Ga., Tenn., Arkansas, Miss., and N. Y. I am 83 years of age."

From my book on the Bibb's role in Montgomery:

"In the early days of Montgomery, the pleasant duty of entertaining most distinguished visitors devolved on Judge and Mrs. Bibb, among whom were Henry Clay, President Millard Fillmore, Secretary John P. Kennedy, Thomas R. R. Cobb, Robert Toombs, William Lowndes Yancey, Judah P. Benjamin, Alexander H. Stephens, and Jefferson Davis, and many others, including Rev. A. A. Lipscomb and other eminent divines. One significant fact was that Judge and Mrs. Bibb were prevailed upon by Montgomery citizens to house General Swayne,  in charge of Federal affairs, immediately after the war so that he might have a real understanding of conditions in this section of the country. A lasting friendship was established and General Swayne did all in his power to ameliorate the condition of our people during the frightful days of Reconstruction."

Among the most interesting documents I found in "the box" were letters between General Swayne and Sophie's daughter, Martha Dandridge Bibb. They were written thirty years after the war when Swayne revisited the Bibbs and wrote to thank them for their friendship and hospitality through the years. I'll quote those in part in a future post. Back to Sophie.

Sophie Bibb was a devoted wife as well as mother to the five children born to her who reached maturity. However, it was not as the wise wife, mother, friend and altruist that Sophie was best known to the world. Her love of the Confederacy and its soldiers was so outstanding that it dwarfed her other activities in the public mind, and she became known to the Confederate soldiers as “Aunt Sophie”.

More on Sophie and her relationship with Jefferson Davis and the Ladies' Memorial Association tomorrow.

Sophie's Trail

I guess the most famous of all the characters along this hike is "Aunt Sophie"--

My great-great-great grandmother

 Lucy Ann Sophia Gilmer (Bibb)
or
Sophie Lucy Ann Gilmer Bibb (as she later referred to herself)
Daughter of Thomas Meriwether Gilmer and Elizabeth Lewis Gilmer
Married 1819
Judge Benajah Smith Bibb
<1796 – 1884>
Son of Captain William Bibb and Sally Wyatt (Bibb)

From my book and my archives:
"In 1819,  Lucy Ann Sophia Gilmer was married to Benajah Smith Bibb, youngest of the six distinguished sons of William Bibb, Gentleman, member of the House of Burgesses and Captain of Cavalry in the Revolutionary Army, and his wife, Sally Wyatt, both of Virginia, and later, of Georgia. Sally Wyatt was the great-great-great granddaughter of the Reverend Haute Wyatt, youngest brother of Sir Francis Wyatt, Colonial Governor of Virginia.

Soon after the marriage of Sophia Gilmer and Benajah Bibb, they moved to Alabama, settling in Montgomery County, where their ability and benevolence placed an indelible stamp upon the State and their community. Judge Benajah S. Bibb was an able and distinguished jurist, and had the distinction of being the first official removed from office by the Federal Government after the War Between the States, because of his devotion to the Confederacy."
The house in the photo is the one built by Sophie and Benajah in 1827 at 117 Moulton Street.  It has a story of its own and I'll tell it, partially as we move along.

Sophie gained her prominence during the Civil War in her efforts to aid in the care of wounded soldiers. This is also from my collection of writings on her:

"In 1861, after the quarters provided by a noble Montgomeryan would no longer house the ever-increasing number of sick and wounded soldiers being ministered to by Montgomery women, an organization known as the “Woman’s Hospital Association” was formed with Mrs. Sophie Gilmer Bibb as its President, and the building at the corner of Bibb and Commerce streets was rented as the quarters for what was known during the rest of the War as the Ladies’ Hospital, which won the commendation from President Jefferson Davis as being “the best ordered hospital in the Confederacy.” Here “Aunt Sophie” and her associates continued their labors throughout the duration of the war, ministering to the sick with their own hands, and Mrs. Bibb’s carriage attended, with herself or some of her associates, the burial of eight hundred soldiers who died in Montgomery, besides those who were brought to Montgomery later for interment. When a soldier-patient in the hospital reached the convalescent stage, he was removed to the home of one of the noble band of women and cared for tenderly. Sophie Bibb’s home always held several convalescents who were waited on by her personal servants under her supervision. One interesting and significant fact in connection with the “Ladies’ Hospital” is that the negro attendants who were employed there remained until it was closed, tho toward the last of the war the wages of these faithful people could not be paid."

There's Aunt Sophie, for a starter. I have more to say about her before I leave her, but that will have to wait. More to come on her life and legacy.