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William Wigg Barnwell


Gender:
Male
Born:
March 21, 1793
Died:
March 30, 1856
Home Town:
Beaufort, SC
Marriage(s):
Sarah Gibbes Barnwell (January 11, 1816)
Biographical Notes:
William Wigg Barnwell was the son of Edward Barnwell, Revolutionary War hero and planter, and Mary Wigg Barnwell. William attended Beaufort College before studying at the Litchfield Law School in 1817. After completing his studies Barnwell became a planter, initially operating three plantations in the Beaufort area.

He married Sarah Reeve Gibbes in 1816 and together they had 16 children. Barnwell's probate records indicate financial difficulty. The judgment shows that he owed $39,645.21 to 37 different creditors. By the time of his death, he owned significantly less land and owned fewer slaves. He died on March 20, 1856. When his wife died in 1858, she was survived of only seven of her children.

In 1862, his home became the fourth hospital in Beaufort for Union Soldiers. ...
[more]

Education
Years at LLS:
1817
Other Education:
Attended Beaufort College.

Profession / Service
Profession:
Agriculture

help The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation.

Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
[We are currently working to update and confirm citations of attendance.]
Secondary Sources:
Parker, Penelope Holme The William WIgg Barnwell House, Historic Beaufort Foundation, 2010.

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