Mary Martha Reid
Encyclopedia
Mary Martha Reid is Florida
's "most famous nurse and Confederate
heroine." She is best known for serving as the matron of the Florida Hospital, founded in Richmond, Virginia
in 1862 to treat convalescing Confederate soldiers from Florida. Her husband, Robert Raymond Reid, served as the territorial governor of Florida from 1839 to 1841.
Mary Reid was born in St. Mary's, Georgia, to James and Mary Thorpe Smith. She married Robert Reid on November 29, 1836, after meeting him during a visit to St. Augustine, Florida
earlier that year. They had two sons, William and Reynold. Her husband died in 1841, and their son William died the following year. Following her husband's death, Reid worked as a schoolteacher in Jacksonville and Fernandina
.
After her surviving son Reynold enlisted in the Confederate army, Reid relocated to Richmond
to work as a nurse. Together with Dr. Thomas Palmer, she converted a Richmond home into a 150-bed hospital to treat Confederate soldiers from Florida. With Reid serving as its matron, the hospital treated over a thousand men in its first year of operation. Her requests for donations and supplies as well as letters of thanks to organizations that contributed aid to the hospital were printed in Florida newspapers, and her nursing work earned her the nickname, "Mother of the Florida Boys."
The first Florida chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy
was named in Mary Reid's honor.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's "most famous nurse and Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
heroine." She is best known for serving as the matron of the Florida Hospital, founded in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
in 1862 to treat convalescing Confederate soldiers from Florida. Her husband, Robert Raymond Reid, served as the territorial governor of Florida from 1839 to 1841.
Mary Reid was born in St. Mary's, Georgia, to James and Mary Thorpe Smith. She married Robert Reid on November 29, 1836, after meeting him during a visit to St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
earlier that year. They had two sons, William and Reynold. Her husband died in 1841, and their son William died the following year. Following her husband's death, Reid worked as a schoolteacher in Jacksonville and Fernandina
Fernandina
Fernandina may refer to:*Fernandina Beach, Florida*Fernandina Island, Galapagos Islands*Fernandina , a citrus fruit...
.
After her surviving son Reynold enlisted in the Confederate army, Reid relocated to Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
to work as a nurse. Together with Dr. Thomas Palmer, she converted a Richmond home into a 150-bed hospital to treat Confederate soldiers from Florida. With Reid serving as its matron, the hospital treated over a thousand men in its first year of operation. Her requests for donations and supplies as well as letters of thanks to organizations that contributed aid to the hospital were printed in Florida newspapers, and her nursing work earned her the nickname, "Mother of the Florida Boys."
The first Florida chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy
United Daughters of the Confederacy
The United Daughters of the Confederacy is a women's heritage association dedicated to honoring the memory of those who served in the military and died in service to the Confederate States of America . UDC began as the National Association of the Daughters of the Confederacy, organized in 1894 by...
was named in Mary Reid's honor.