Annie Somers Gilchrist: A Christian, Prolific Author and Patriotic Lady of the South

 

Annie Somers Gilchrist is the daughter of James Somers, a younger brother to John Somers Jr. the eldest son of Capt. John Somers and Catherine Arden of Caswell County, North Carolina and who is the patriarch of our branch of the Somers family. 

Annie was born March 30, 1841 in Dresden, Tennessee and went to be with the Lord on February 2, 1912 at the age of 70 years. She married John A. Gilchrist in 1859. (Source: Annie Somers Gilchrist (1841-1912) - Find a Grave Memorial)

Annie had a unique perspective on the War Between the States and wrote about her experiences in the novel  Katherine Somerville Or The Southland Before and After the Civil War.  While using fictional names, the novel tells us what life was like for her and her family during this turbulant period in our nation's history. Annie begins by recounting her idyllic childhood and what it was like to grow-up on a Southern plantation, referred to as "The Oaks." She also gives insight into the character of her parents, a well-educated mother of Scottish descent and my particular interest, her father James Somers. This novel is rich in history for our family and those desiring to learn about the firsthand experiences of a woman born and bred in the Antebellum South during the Civil War era.

A description of the book found at Encyclopedia.com observes:

Katherine Somerville; or, The Southland Before and After the Civil War (1906) is probably autobiographical. The subjects indicated in the title are not effectively joined. Perhaps the point of the novel is that zest went out of life in the South after the war; it is more likely that Gilchrist refused to come to grips with the large subjects at war within herself: a slavocracy in which life was good for her, and her aspirations for success in a society that denied the realities of racism to which she could not have been blind. She permits one young Southerner in her first novel, Rosehurst, to argue that the South should have been defeated; no one speaks for him in Katherine Somerville.

In all honesty, I did not like Annie's book when I first read it as I find slavery abhorrent. But I've come to appreciate her and her contribution to history. I recently mentioned to a friend that Annie deserves to be honored even though I disagree with her on some points. Most importantly, while she lost almost everything during the war - beloved family members, wealth, and the Oaks, at the end of the devastation she found Christ, and that, family and friends, is what life's all about!

Here is some biographical information found at Wikipedia under the headings Early life and education and Personal life:

Annie Somers was born at "The Oaks", her father's plantation near Dresden, Tennessee, 1841.[2][3] Her father, James Somers, served in the War of 1812. In 1820, he married Ann McFarland of Wilson County, Tennessee, and removing to Weakley County, Tennessee, he amassed a large fortune, the major part of which he lost during the civil war. She had several older siblings including Jacob, John, James, Jane, Lafayette, and Earskin.[4] John went on to serve as chancellor of the Tenth Division Chancery Court.[5][1]

She was a Daughters of the American Revolution (D. A. R.) by right of her descent from Captain Matthew Somers, nephew of Sir George Somers, the traveler and soldier for whom Somers Islands (now called Bermuda) were named. On her maternal side, Gilchrist was a descendant of Mary Arden's brother; Mary Arden was the mother of William Shakespeare.[a] Gilchrist's grandfather, John Somers, a descendant of Captain Matthew, was born in Warwickshire, England, and, marrying there Catherine Arden (cousin to William Shakespeare), emigrated to the Thirteen Colonies, and held a captain's commission in the Revolutionary War.[1]

In Weakley, September 4, 1860, she married John Alexander Gilchrist (1836-1891),[4] a native of New York, and who was of the well-known Gilchrist family.[1] He was a businessman in her native county of Weakley.[5] She resided with her husband in the North during the civil war, 1861-65, but following the close of the war, returned to Nashville where her husband conducted a hotel. They had at least one child, a son, Oscar.[11] By 1897, she was widowed by some years.[1]

In religion, she was a member of the First Baptist Church, Nashville.[2]

Annie Somers Gilchrist died at her home in Nashville, February 2, 1912.[3] Interment was in Dresden.[11]

You can also find a list of her novels and poems at Wikipedia . 

Regarding her patriotism, please see: 

• Unknown Soldier Monument Historical Marker (hmdb.org) 
• A Souvenir of the Tennessee Centennial: Poems - Annie Somers Gilchrist - Google Books.
• A souvenir of the Tennessee centennial; poems pdf (archive.org) 

Please also see A Look Back at Dresden, Tennessee for more insight into Annie's childhood hometown.

While reading Annie's obituary this morning,  I saw that she passed peacefully with a smile surrounded by family and close friends. Only the Holy Spirit can give that type of peace. Annie Somers Gilchrist knew her Redeemer and became an active evangelical during her adult years. 

May God bless her memory forever.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Lord, 

We thank you for Annie's contribution to recorded history and her faith in You. 

Thank You for the legacy she has given the Somers family: one of Christian faith, using her talents to serve others and  patriotism for the land and people she loved.

In Lord Jesus Name I pray, amen.