With the city looking to sell or repurpose the Mother Bailey House on Thames Street in Groton, I thought it might be timely to refresh an article authored 10 years ago which conveyed many interesting facts, stories and legends surrounding the woman who bore the name Mother Bailey.

Anna (Nancy) Warner was born in Groton on Oct. 11, 1758, to Philip and Hanna (Mills) Warner. Anna’s mother died of smallpox in the late 1760s, and tragically her father died 10 days later of the same disease.

After the death of her parents, Anna was raised by her elderly grandmother Mills and her uncle, Edward Mills, on their farm on Skunk Lane (now known as Pleasant Valley) in Groton. Anna’s responsibilities included helping raise crops and tending to the farm animals.

Two significant events brought notoriety to Mother Bailey. The first involved her praiseworthy response and medical assistance after the Battle of Groton Heights, and the second was her unexpected response to the request for gun wadding in preparation for possible invasion of Groton during the War of 1812.

Early on the morning of Sept. 6, 1781, when the British attacked Fort Griswold, Anna’s uncle, upon hearing the alarm of the pending British attack, traveled three miles to the fort to assist his American patriots. Anna, who was almost 23 at the time, was told by her uncle to remain on the farm to take care of the chores and to look after his wife and week-old baby.

Shortly after the departure of her uncle, Anna could hear the sound of gunfire coming from the fort. By early afternoon, the gunfire had stopped and Anna anxiously awaited the return of her uncle.

By the next morning, her uncle had not returned and Anna took it upon herself to walk to the fort to search for him.

It is important here to relay a little-known fact which adds an additional incentive as to why Anna traveled to the fort. In the weeks preceding the battle, Anna had become engaged to a young Groton farmer named Elijah Bailey. Bailey was a member of the militia and was already at the fort when the alarm was sounded.

Thus, it appears that Anna’s wanting to travel to the fort was a dual-fold mission: to locate her uncle and to find her new fiancé.

Upon arrival at the fort, Anna, while searching for her uncle through the carnage of dead and wounded on the battlefield, learned he had been severely wounded and had been taken, along with other wounded, to a house a short distance from the battlefield (the famous Ebenezer Avery House).

Upon arrival at the house, she found her uncle had been gravely wounded. Upon seeing Anna, and knowing he was close to dying from his wounds, Anna’s uncle requested she bring his wife and newborn child to him so he could bid them goodbye.

Granting his wishes, Anna returned to the Mills homestead and saddled up the family horse, on which she placed her aunt and another family child. She then placed the baby in her arms and returned to her dying uncle. Edward Mills died shortly after Anna had successfully completed her errand of mercy to bring his family to his side.

Anna spent the remainder of the night at the Ebenezer Avery House tending to and caring for the many other wounded soldiers.

Anna was unable to locate her missing fiancé at the fort or the Avery House, but she was advised that he had been taken prisoner by the British and was on his way to confinement on a prison boat in New York Harbor.

After the battle, Anna returned to the Mills homestead and for the next few years, until her widowed aunt and family were in the position to fend for themselves, assumed the duties of being the “head of affairs” for the farm.

As a result of her harrowing experiences of the massacre and aftermath of the Groton Heights Battle, and the fact that the British had taken custody of her fiancé, Anna developed a great disdain for the British.

In 1783, Anna married Captain Elijah Bailey, and they moved into the house on the corner of Broad Street and Thames Street. The house is commonly referred to as the Mother Bailey House.

The Baileys operated a tavern.

The second incident which provided Anna Bailey a heroine status of sorts and, ultimately, made her a legend throughout the country, occurred during the War of 1812 outside her house on Thames Street.

In July 1813, a British fleet, part of Britain’s effort to restrict trade to France, chased a squadron of American ships into New London harbor. Fearing the British would again attack Groton and New London, Fort Griswold was prepared for a major defense effort.

A company of volunteers, preparing the fort for battle, found there was a great deficiency of flannel [cloth] necessary for rifle cartridges. An immediate search was made for this material throughout the Groton Bank area; however, most of the inhabitants, fearful of another attack, had packed their belongings and fled inland to safety.

Upon reaching the area of the Bailey house on Thames Street, soldiers found Anna crossing the street near her home. Upon explaining their need for flannel wadding material, Anna, without hesitation, slipped off her flannel petticoat and provided it to the soldiers. When she presented the petticoat she [reportedly] expressed her heartfelt wish that “their aim might be sure and the execution thorough on the first Englishman that could be reached.”

The story of the petticoat and its donor quickly spread throughout the country, and the flannel garment became known as the “martial petticoat.”

The incidents described above brought almost instantaneous fame to Anna Warner Bailey and, like most of today’s celebrity figures, she received an abundance of attention. Next week’s article will describe some of the interesting facts about the attention she received, how she became known as “Mother Bailey” and many tid-bits that made her such an interesting character.

Jim Streeter is the Groton town historian.