Kate Edmondston

Female

October 10, 1823

January 3, 1875

Charleston, SC

Kate was the daughter of Thomas Pollock Devereux and his first wife Catherine Ann Johnson; she was known for her Civil War era diary, covering the years 1860-1866, later published as the "Journal of a Secesh Lady."

In Feb 1846, Kate married Patrick Muir Edmondston of Charleston, SC at her father's Conneconara plantation. The couple lived in Charleston before permanently moving to NC. Catherine's father gave the newlyweds two plantations adjoining his own, known as Looking Glass and Hascosea as part of a $10,000 marriage settlement. By the 1860 census the couple had a wealthy estate with almost 2000 acres.

Catherine's husband Patrick was active in County affairs, serving as County Justice of the Peace, Vice President of the Scotland Neck Agricultural Society, and organizer ...of the Scotland Neck Mounted Riflemen. In addition, he was an active member of the Home Guard, organizing defense construction along the Roanoke River. He died in Aug 1871.

In 1872, Kate anonymously published a 40 page pamphlet, "The Morte d'Arthur; Its Influence on the Spirit and Manners of the Nineteenth century." With the family estates suffering great recourse from the War, Kate denounced the Freedman's Bureau and "extolled Confederate Chivalry" throughout. She died three years later in Raleigh, likely of consumption.
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"Introduction." Journal of a Secesh Lady: The Diary of Catharine Ann Devereux Edmondston. Ed. Beth G. Crabtree and James W. Patton. 3rd ed. Raleigh: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1995. Xi-Xxxvii. Print.