Courtship Years

Jeanie's Early Years

With the death of her husband, Isabella Smedberg, seen here on the left with her two youngest children, Renwick (right) and Charlie (left), found her financial circumstances reduced. Nevertheless, she managed to maintain some social standing, continued to make social calls with either her older daughter Agnes or her youngest daughter Jeanie. In addition, she was able with the assistance of her brother, Professor James Renwick, to send four of her six sons to Columbia College (after 1896, “Columbia University”). All four graduated and entered into a profession.

United States Exploring Expedition

(Oil painting of the ship U.S.S. Vincennes, attributed to Charles Wilkes) In 1838, Lieutenant Charles Wilkes led the first US expedition to Antarctica. The flora, fauna, maps and other findings from the Exploring Expedition (or Ex Ex, as it was known in the family) made up the first exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute – the building designed by his nephew, James Renwick, Jr.

Jeanie's World

Jeanie spent winters in New York, attending balls, weddings, and the opera. She went on calls with her mother and sister. The family attended The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. From time to time, she would visit her cousins Janey and Eliza Wilkes in Washington, DC. In the summer, the Smedberg family joined countless New Yorkers in packing up the entire house to escape the heat in the mountains of New York. The Smedberg family, of course, returned to Devasego.

Jack Joins the Navy

In 1841, Jack Wilkes approached his mother about joining the Navy. Although she opposed the idea, Jane Renwick Wilkes sought the help needed to obtain his commission and painstakingly made the uniform for her fourteen-year-old son. His father Charles was still away at sea, and was heartbroken to receive word that Jack was now a Midshipman.

Wilkes Family Tragedy

In the spring of 1848, the recently promoted Commodore Charles Wilkes and his youngest son, Edmund, traveled south to investigate the estate of his uncle, William Renwick, who had left behind an interest in a gold mine near Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jack was still away at sea.

Early Letters

Courtship

The earliest surviving letters date to 1847 and contain descriptions of Jack’s adventures at sea and Jeanie’s activities in New York and Devasego. From the letters, we learn that towards the end of 1852, Jack and Jeanie confessed their feelings for one another, and the letters reveal the depth of their relationship.

Waiting to Wed

At left, is Devasego, the Smedberg family’s summer home. The back edition was added after the family sold the house and it was converted into an inn. Jeanie wrote often from Devasego to Jack in Washington, DC. In a letter dated July 10, 1853, she tried to help him work through family duties and career uncertainties that stood as obstacles to their marriage.

April Wedding

The families agreed on April 20, 1854, in New York City for the wedding of John (Jack) Wilkes and Jane (Jeanie) Smedberg. Jack began the long journey from Charlotte in March. As the 20th grew alarmingly near, Jeanie counted on the latest communication technology of her time:

Honeymoon

From the “Autobiography of Mrs. John Wilkes (nee Jane Renwick Smedberg) Charlotte, NC 1903.” (typescript in Wilkes-Smedberg Papers, Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room):

Dearest Jeanie

Dearest Jeanie… Highlights of the Wilkes - Smedberg Papers (1853-1913)

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