The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-04-06
Sketch of ". Gilmore Simms
Paper Read Before Friday Afternoon Book Club By
Mrs. Francis NJ. Banberg

William Gilmore SlmmS was porn
in Charleston in 1906. His mother,
who was the grand daughter of Thorn
as Singleton, died at his birth. Will
liam Gilmore Simms, the father, in
despair left Charleston never to re-
turn, so he said. His biographies
tell that his grief for his young wife
was such that his hair turned white
in single night. The baby was
taken by his grandmother, Mrs.
Gates, and the child did not see his
father until he was nine years old.
Simms's freat grandfather was
Thomas Singleton, by birth a rich
tobacco planter and merchant. It is
said Tobacco street, in front of the
Citadel, takes it's name from the
large crops brought by the wagons
from Virginia and stored in the
warehouses fronting upon it.. This
warehouse stood where the Citadel
now stands. Thomas Singleton own
ed the entire square, then called en-
spection," but he lived in Church
street, his house being a great meet
ing place for rebels. He aided men
who stole into the city at night and
forwarded the information to the
camps. He was bravely assisted by
his daughter, Mrs. Gates. Mr.. Single
ton was as liberal as rich and lost
the greater part of his fortune by
lending it to the government anu
being paid in deprecated currency.
Mrs. Gates, his daughter, was the
grandmother of William Gilmore
Simms, the novelist.
There is very little known of the
paternal side of his ancestry. Simms's
father was from Ireland. He came
to American after the revolution.
There was financial trouble in his
family which estranged him from the
rest of his family. He would. not
discuss the matter with his son.
Thus we know very little about his
family in Ireland and nothing about
his brothers who came to this coun-
try with him and settled in the west.
But we not only have wealth of ira
dition of his father, whom the nove-
list loved dearly, but in all his books
we can see his strong influence upon
the author.
William Gilmore Simms, the faith
er of the novelist, married Thomas
Singleton's granddaughter, who was
the daughter of Mrs. Gates, the her
lone of the war period. At the time
of the birth of their son, William Gill
more Simms, the novelist, the for
tunes of their family were reaching
their ebb. Old Tom Singleton's
wealth had dwindled away through
the fortunes of war, and his great
grandson grew up as a poor boy. He
had to attend the public schools Of
Charleston. We of the present time
cannot realize what it meant to at
tend the public schools of those days.
It was unthinkable for one of gentle
birth to have to attend them. Char
lestonians had tutors and governesses
for their children. and later finished
their education in Europe. Even in
1906, when the Columbia university
was organized, it required lot of
patriotism for the, wealthy youth to
forego his foreign education in fav-
or of the home institution,
It is necessary to remember the
public school life of Simms in order
to get Simms's background as he be-
gan life. Even this schooling was
not allowed in the north, for at the
age of nine he had to go to work in
a drug store to help out the slender
means for himself and his grand
mother, who was getting very old.
His father in the mean time had
ridden on horse back, breaking the
jade y\stopping at the rude cabin of
some pioneer, or sometimes resting
in friendly Indian camp. He stored
up many experiences during the trip
which he was later to impart to the
infant son whom he had left behind
in Charleston. He at last settled
in Tennessee, where he made a fast
friend of Andrew Jackson, who was
then not known so we'll to fame. This
was the period when the. war of 1912
was brewing. Early in the war of
1912 the Creek Indians falling upon
Fort Mines in Alabama massacred
500 men, women and children gath
cred there for safety. The country
was Mortified at the massacre and
Tennessee first came to the rescue by
voting $4,000 men to go into the
Indian country under the leadership