Sallie Rebecker Day Gibbens
was born September 19, 1879;
died, August 29, 1973 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is buried in Magnolia Cemetery next to her mother, Sarah Rebecker Day Gibbens (9/6/1847 - 3/21/1923) and father, Joseph Forrest Gibbens, (1/25/1828 - 3/14/1893)
"Bigmama", as we called her, is my paternal grandmother. She was never big but very delicate and beautiful her whole life. The name "Bigmama" is the direct translation from the German word for grandmother, "Grossmutter". "Gross" meaning big. And, "Mutter" meaning mother.
I think this was in 1964, when I took Bigmama to visit her sister, Aunt Kitty in Houston. Her maid, Iona, and Panny came with us.
Her family history is well documented in two genealogical accounts:
An Account of Our Day Family of Calvert County, Maryland compiled by Elisabeth Alice Gibbens Cole; and,
Gibbens Relatives - Some Descendants of Thomas Gibbens by Elizabeth Hathaway Gibbens Aleman and Elisabeth Alice Gibbens Cole.
From this account, p. 86, Bigmama's grandfather, Dr. Richard H. Day, is credited with "having saved the town of Baton Rouge much damage and possible loss of life when a Yankee gunboat anchored in the Mississippi began shelling it." ... "He and another doctor, braving the danger, went atop the levee and waved a bed sheet..." "The officers came ashore and were told that they would receive no resistance from the town, with only the women, children and older men left there. All able to fight were engaged in the battle up at Port Hudson."
Dr. Richard Hance Day is descended from thr Days of Calvert County, Maryland. The original home stills stands and is the historic site, Morgan Hill Farm:
Click to see more pictures.
Click to see even more pictures.
It is also known as the Breed-Day House. My grandmother's, (married to W. C. Currie, Sr.), grandfather was Richard Hance Day. His ancestor, Robert Day, fought in the Revolutionary War, and a prior Robert Day built the original house on this site prior to 1670. Additions have been made to the original house. The Wohlgemuths are the current owners. The Days owned and occupied the property until the early 1800s.
(Picture of Elizabeth Miller contributed by Dr. John Gibbens)
This is Dr. Day's first wife, Elizabeth Miller. They were married November 8, 1832. She died December 2, 1848 in St. Mary Parish. She was the daughter of Sarah and Jacob Miller of Bladensburg, MD. In his will Jacob named his slaves: Dick, Mary;, Siller, Bill, Mime, Gin, Peter and John. Besides other personal property he owned a lot in Georgetown and one in Washington, D.C. (This information from the genealogical accounts named above.)
In the 1860 Census, Dr. Day was worth $50,000; he owned 8 house servants. In the 1870 Census; and, after "the war", he was worth only $16,000. And, of course, owned no slaves.
I have so much material written by Bigmama that it would take two life times to put it on this Web Page, if in fact the Web Page could contain it all. She wrote verses for greeting cards and children's stories and much more. I will put samples on this page later.
Suffice it to say, my grandmother was an accomplished lady in every sense of the word.
She came from one of the oldest and most prominent families in Baton Rouge, La.
"Grandpop", William Cromartie Currie, Sr., her husband, worshiped her from the moment he met her while he was just a student at L.S.U. in Baton Rouge until his death in Tuscon, AR, where he retired as Professor of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona. Everyone that knew "Prof. Currie", or "Crumps", as Bigmama and his family called him, knew of his devotion to his wife. (see 4/28/1909 Letter and
5/14/1909 Letter)
Sample Greeting Card by Sallie Gibbens Currie
(note that little rusted paper clip in the center)
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