Jan. 27, 1887 Postcard from Mother Clemence at the Catholic Boarding School in Sharon, GA

February 21, 2018

Mother Clemence Freycenon (1841-1910) was one of eight Sisters of St. Joseph from Le Puy, France who were recruited by Bishop Augustine Verot in 1866 to teach freed slaves in St. Augustine, Florida. In 1887, she was in charge of the community of nuns at the Catholic boarding school in Sharon, Georgia.

Also see Mother Clemence’s 22 January 1887 letter to Jimmie and Johnnie Armstrong and her 22 January 1887 letter to John F. Armstrong.

For more information on Mother Clemence see the References below.

Marie Van Sant Hudson contributed research for this post.

References

1910 US census, Wilkes County, Georgia, population schedule, Washington City, sheet no. 9, dwelling 91, family 93, Mother Clemence, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 February 2018); citing NARA microfilm publication T624.—-Notes: Mother Clemence was listed as the head of household and a teacher at the convent and orphanage.

DeLorme, Rita H. “Early Sisters of St. Joseph faced lukewarm reception from Savannahians, warm welcome from mosquitoes,” Southern Cross (Savannah, GA), 19 Feb 2009, online archives, Diocese of Savannah (https://diosav.org : accessed 22 February 2018), citing original p. 3.

Find a Grave, online database and images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 16 February 2018), memorial page for Mother Clemence (1841-1910), Find a Grave Memorial no. 31753236, citing St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Washington, Wilkes Co., GA.

Mattick, Barbara, “Ministries in Black and White: The Catholic Sisters of St. Augustine, Florida, 1859-1920,” 2008, online archives, Florida State University Libraries: Electonic Theses, Treatises, and Dissertations, The Graduate School (http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:180930/datastream/PDF/view : accessed 26 February 2018), citing original.

“Mother Clemence Dies Suddenly,” Washington Reporter (Washington, Wilkes Co., GA), 12 August 1910, n.p., microfilm at the Mary Wilkes Library in Washington, Wilkes Co., GA, transcription from microfilm by Barbara Mattick, no date, copy of transcription emailed to Tulie Wheeler Taylor on 19 February 2018.