Document text
mmy 11, 1939.
Mrs. alizabeth mismukes
Pioneer yloridian (90)
21 bay -et.,
ut. Augustine, ylo.
Hose ohepherd, writer.
MRS. hILIZAB3TR DISmUKAS
Mrs. Mismukes, an oreoteslender woman, was interviewed
in her lovely home overlooking matanzas bay. he moves
quickly and speaks with animation, but failing eyesight has
compelled her to give up her beloved pastime of reading.
"But I have a reader come in every evening for an hour or so,
and she reads tile newspapers and excerpts from the leading
magazines, and 'hue i keep fairly abreast of the times, and
know in a general way what is .going on in the world."
with reference to a copy of James momeill whistler's
famous painting O his mother hanging on the wall in the
living room, *re. Dismukes said:
"She married my father's eansilk, beoaming Anna mullein.,
and we alweys culled her 'Aunt Anna,' as she was old when we
first knew her. she had tuberoulosis, or 'consumption' as
they called it in the early days, and alwaie wore the little
white shawl around her shoulders. she looked just like the
picture. They. were five sons and one daughter in Aunt Annage
family. I never saw James momeilllwhistler, as he was sent
abroad early in life to study art and did not live in ot. Aug-
ustine, but I knew his younger brother, willie,vary well.
He mz.rried his cousin, Ylorida king, who was my cousin also.
That is her portrait just below that of Mrs. whistler. My
father, labeveser kingsley's sister Isabel married malph King.
26006
Mrs. Dismukes st. Augustine 2.
and that is how the relationship came in. She lived in Brooklyn.
"Willie whistler studied medicine and during the war
between the states was a surgeon in the UonfederateAxpy.
"In durope, James mcheill whistler developed a de-
voted and lasting friendship with Oscar wilds, Weigh has
beoome the subject of considerable comment in his autobie-
ography and historical sketches of his life.
"Anna McNeill whistler was my father's first cousin,
and she was a young woman when she married John whistler.
she used to come over to our home every day. am the only
parson living today who knew her personally. This pioture
of her is nearly one hunared years OA.. I do not know if
Anna and John Whistler wore married in the old home on the
st. Johns Hiver.
"This portrait of my mother, who was Hettie Slkin, is
painted on wood, and while the color, are very bright still,
it is quote old also. I nevew knew my mother, as she died
when I was born.
"father's widowed sister, Aunt aophia uonper, married
General Duman Lamont Clinch, and an his fame increased she
became very 'high -hat.' she had married a widower with a
bushel of children, though, "laughed Hrs. Dismukes.
"One of his daughters Slisabeth married Anderson Hay-
ward, of fort sumter, south uarolina, and her son, a. Cline's
Hayward, is a former governor of that state. his home is at
uolumbia, south Uarolina.
"Clinch Hayward's grandfather was known as the wealthiest
ars. pismukse at. ,oagustine a.
man in the state of bouth Uarolina. He had three planta-
tions, one in Georgia and two in south Uarolina, and had.
2,600 slaves. He had a book in whioh he kept a rsoord of
every negro he owned whin they were born, married and died,
or if they were parohased from some other planter, the (1,4te
and as much inZormation as he oould secure regarding their
previous life.
When Ulinoh Hayward was governor, one day a splendid
looking negro was ushered into his office, and said:, 'nurse
Ulinoh, A. would like to see The Book,' (That was its title,
and everyone knew it by that name, and also what it was).
Clinch reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and brought
out the record. The man had been a piokaninny on one of the
plantations, and Ashed to establish his identity. The book
gave a complete resort of his genealogy, who his t6ther
and mother were, and also his grandfather and ,rr,...ndmother.
Clinoh has the record book yet, it is one of his prised pos-
sessions.
"Aunt pophia Ulinoh was a homely little old lady. Bare
is a picture of her," she said, selecting from a folder an
old photograph of middle-aged woman in the tight -waist button-
ed -down the front voluminous hoopskirt before -the -war period.
"Clinch sent me this, and if you will write him, he will
no doubt be able to furnish you a copy also. never oared so
much for her, especially after she adopted her haughty attitude
towards her many relatives, but ulinoh always said she was
just the 'grandest grandmother in the world.'
Mrs. Dismukes Mt. Augustine 4.
"There were four forts in various seotions nmmed after
General Clinch.
"An$ by the way, the town of ayard, Slorida, on the
/florid& Aast coast nailway, was =mod for one of his sons,
bayard Clinch, and not for the statesman and cabinet officer,
as is so often claimed.
',Aunt bophis was a good deal like cousin Minnie bathers,
she was tall and very dignified. When I was a little girl,
I was rather scared of Aunt bophia, and stood in great awe
on the occasions of her infrequent visits at our home with
her daughters, Miss nary and Miss Pattie, who wore very much
like her. They were dignified and austere, too.
"Here is a picture of our early home in st. Augustine,
painted vory acourately by Mrs. mewl. -You see it was a
bpaniih type house, very mutih like the burt house, built of
coquina. I have been married sizty-fiv years, and I never
saw that house after was married. it was on bay street,
and was burned twice, the second time never rebuilt.
"I was named for Alisabeth Bolling Gibbs, who lived in
bt. Augustine when I was born.
"I do not remeber anythino,. about the early history of
jaeksonville,, although I do remember grandmother Doggett,
who was married at the age of lb during the beminele war.
She was a Miss Cleland. A sister, wiling, married a buekman.
When I was a little girl six years old, I remember meeting
Colonel buokman, and also mr. Garner, of Jacksonville.
Mrs. Dismukes nt. .i.ugustine b.
Livingston
"Julia/iourrojIghs was adopted into our family when mho
was three years old mud we were reared together. We had
come to Jacksonville, or rather had been brought there on
a visit for a few days, and staid at the Judson /muse- Julia
was very attractive and was always the object of much atten-
tion, while a. was never ;Too& looking,' but i remember we
wore beautifully dreseed in the low-neeked beruffled costumes
of the time, and a gentleman at the hotel looking at ma said:
'Mutta beautiful high chest that little girl has.' I was
mortified at tha remark which i had overheard, and run to
our room, crawled under the bed and cried wad cried, i was
so sensitive. I amainot imagine the bold little youngsters
of the present day being embarrassed by such a remark.
"Mies Lydia rearson was a member of our party, and one of
two gentlemen who ha4 called to aloe her made the 'high chest'
comment.
"I remember another time Julia and I were on river
trip up the st. Johns to visit king Gibbs who had a Planta-
tion at eewoastle, where two s)rvunte were to meet us. But
night overtook us and through some error we left the boat at
Beater's Landing, the station immediately above newoastle.
We were compelled to grand the night with the zephaniuh kings-
leys at Fort George.
"The old woman was there, (Zephaniah kingsley's wife,
the African kr/noes. Ma'am Anna). i remember her very die-
tinotly. she was, not black, and had the most beautiful
features you ever saw. he was a most imposing and very
Mrs. Dismukes 6.
handsome woman. Her smooth, light brown skin, her dark
eyes ant wavy hair made her outstanding, and i would not
keep my eyes away for admiration. She was quiet and moved
with regal dignity I have never seen anything like her,
before or size. He daughter was there also, and she was
v)ry light in color, but not as good looking as her mother.
I was six or seven years old at the time. I Was xingsley's
nisee2The next morning my aunt, mrs. Gibbsesent two servants
for he with a horse and buggy and we were carried over to
mewoastle. My mother was furious that we had spent the
night at ma'am Anna's, but it could not be helped.
"I do not rememb,r the negroes singing an route, they
were well behaved and very quiet. Nor do I recall any
river songsor boat songs sung by the slaves of that day.
°I have had such a varied life. I must have been a
very bad child, because i. spent so much of my girlhood away
from st. Auguetine. from the time i. was five until I was
tatilve years of age I lived most .f the time in erooklyn with
the xings.
"We lived in Bt. Auguotine when the war oame on. My
father took command of the fort here, and the uonfedorate
flag ',Mob flew ov)r it was made by the people of thie city
on the floor of our house. Then father went to Virginia to
Join 4enerial nob)rt m. Lee's army of Virginia. lie later
became a uonfederate aolonel. ny mother followed to be as
near to him as Ivesible in Virginia, and Julia and I were
placed in school a girls' seminary oonduoted by a neverend
Xre. Dismukes ot. Augumtine 7.
Mr. Howard and his three daughters near Immo. oeorgia. There
we spent the whole eriod of the war, without molestation,
and far from the region of pherman's famous maroh through
Olorgia to the sea. I vas sixteen when that huppened. I
remember, though, father beoame alarmed, and sent word to
have us slatted in a troop train leaving stoma, so aulia um&
Florida,
I rods to Quinoy,with a regiment of young oonfed)rates, just
us two young girls with carload of boys, and te had u per
featly grand tiluei
"we went to .1ilicuy v,ith a. trunkful of k•onfedorate mousy.
We staid th;re daring the xeoonwtruotion 0(iriod. loather and
mothor joined us there, aud vs journeyed to &ot. Augustine.
Our house was stauling, but was enti:ely empty. It hud been
ocoupiod by Yederal oI:fioers during the occupation of the
oity, iina had iA3014 looted of everything, furniture, olothing,
all our keepsakes aud heirlooms.
"I wonder to this day how father and mother nanaged to
seoure furniture to equip tho house, bids for us to skoep
on, and food to out. The slaves were all gone. We must
have fared terribly hard.
"I was married in aoohester, now Xork. We lived in
Arkansas for several years, then clams to Quincy, and finally
boated buak hors in dt. Augustine, building this house where
I have made my home for fifty years.
"4verything I had in trunks stored in thq old house
was burned, lattersof my ft4ther and mother, picstures, eta.
i do not be love there is u pioture of 4ephaniah aingeley
extant.
are. Dismakes dt. .uguatine a
"I have raltten my Memoirs* whiuh A Will let you read
some time. sings 1 can't read, L spend most of my time
talking. I tell my daughter, nobbie, now that the bord has
taken my eyes, I have to look inward for contioltAion. most
things in my life do' not seem of muoh impo_tance, now that
I look buck in retrosreotion, but do remember the old city,
its eurly life, lent especialiy what hanpened in the last fifty
years.
"St. Augustine used to be u Taws when the ionue de
boon und the Atloasar were open during lihe winter season. Mnim
Wealthy people, interesting, educated and traveled used to
spend the winter here, but of ,:ourse, no, they go to west
ram Deaoh und Miami, and it soems dead.
"Nme. Louise 4omer and her hvabund, :Adney.nomer, have
been such a welcome aldition to our life here. he is so
charming and unpretentious, lixe all ,Treat people, mud they
both toll of the hardships they have endured in their long
careers striving for :eoognition, she as a singer, and he as
oomeoeer how at one time they were so poor they had to
do without butter for their frugal meals. she gives taus
in her studio -apartment and everybody in town has culled
upon heri although she never returns formul calls. They
are doing a wonderful work in giving of their time and tal-
ents to develop qualified and talented young singers. but
hard times come in everybody's life. I remember once before
I was m,rried and another time four years u -o when a local
mrs. Dismnkes dtr .magnatins 9.
bank failed, L did not have fifty °ante to my
"I shall be .r.lad to hare MS
am oertain it till be intereeting in ite referenoee to
the old families and eur14. days of Juoktionville tind this
seotion of slorida.