Supplemental

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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. Jack served aboard a number of ships that traveled to the South Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Brazil. During the Mexican War, Jack was stationed aboard the USS Mississippi.

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Charles Augustus Smedberg (1781-1845) was born in Sweden. His family were prominent bankers and merchants. He came to New York in 1812 as a representative of the Bank of England. While in New York City, he met and married Isabella Renwick (miniature by John Wesley Jarvis) and like many enterprising young men became an importer or merchant of goods from overseas.

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Jane Jeffrey Renwick and Lieutenant Charles Wilkes married on April 26, 1826. The couple eventually settled in Washington, DC, where they raised their four children:

1. John “Jack” Wilkes (March 31, 1827-July 6, 1908) m. Jane Renwick Smedberg of New York City

2. Jane “Janey” Wilkes (January 3, 1829-August 17, 1921)

3. Edmund “Em” Wilkes (February 4, 1833-November 24, 1913) m. Bessie Van Buren of Ohio

5. Eliza Wilkes (July 18, 1838-August 16, 1908). *

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Israel Wilkes (1722-1805) was the son of an English distiller, Israel Wilkes, and his wife Sarah Heaton Wilkes. His brother was the famous British radical, John Wilkes.

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Jane Jeffrey Renwick, grandmother to both John Wilkes and Jane Smedberg

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A large number of the original letters are written in criss-cross fashion. During the antebellum period, the United States Post Office charged per page. Enterprising letter writers managed to get around this charge by writing letters in two directions. This letter dates to July 8, 1853.

Read a transcription of the crosssed lines.

Winter in New York

New York. Winter Scene in Broadway. 1857Paul Girardet (French, b. Switzerland, 1821–1893)after Hippolyte Victor Valentin Sebron (French, 1801–1879)Color aquatint with additional hand-coloringParts of this Exhibit:The Intertwined Ancestries of John and Jane Wilkes Jack and Jeanie's Early Years Courtship, Wedding, and Relocation to Charlotte BackHome Next

Dear Jack,

You are here

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Winter in New York

1853 March 11

1853 March 13

1853 June 2