The Whitner Family Pt II: Joseph Newton Whitner, Sr., the Father of Anderson

Part one of the series on the Whitner family covered the life of Joseph Whitner, the founder of the family. Orphaned at an early age and alone on the streets of Charleston, South Carolina, Joseph Whitner educated himself, led troops during the American Revolution, and amassed a fortune in the Pendleton District. Politically, Joseph Whitner was an anti-federalist, fearing a strong, centralized federal government and believed that the states were best at governing themselves. These beliefs were passed on to his three sons, Benjamin Franklin, John, and Joseph Newton. Of these, it is Joseph Newton Whitner, Sr., who bears the title “Father of Anderson.”

Joseph Newton Whitner, Sr., was born April 11, 1799, near Pendleton. He was the youngest son and fourth child of Joseph and Elizabeth Whitner. He attended school in Union, South Carolina, and there are tales of his run-ins with the law. In one incident, Whitner was visited by the deputy sheriff on some relatively minor matter. Unbeknownst to the deputy, Whitner carried a pistol to school. When the deputy tried to arrest Whitner, he pulled out his pistol and told the officer that he would not go willingly. Whitner was joking, according to his own later recollection, but the deputy did not take it so and shots were nearly fired when the deputy got off his horse.

Joseph Newton Whitner (Anderson County Museum)

After finishing his schooling in Union, Whitner graduated from South Carolina College in 1818, and despite his earlier misbehavior, learned the law by reading it. He returned to the Pendleton District where he built a successful legal practice in just a few years. Whitner took an interest in politics and served in the South Carolina House and Senate from the 1820’s to 1835, representing his home district.

He is most remembered legislatively for authoring a plan to divide the Pendleton District. Before even Pendleton District was created, the land had been used by the tribes of the Lower Cherokee as hunting ground. There were no permanent settlements in what is today Anderson County, Cherokee or otherwise, until after the Revolutionary War. The land had been ceded to the State of South Carolina in 1777 by a treaty with the Cherokee, but the war prevented any real settlement policy from being developed and employed. Soon after the war ended, however, Revolutionary War veterans bought up tracts of land in the region, many for a very cheap price and the upstate was soon divided into districts for government. Each district had a courthouse town which was the center of local government.

Map Showing Outline of the Original Pendleton District and the Subsequent County Divisions. Although shown on the map, Oconee County was not created until 1868.

The area of South Carolina west of Greenville and north of Abbeville Counties was named the Pendleton District (and the Washington District for a short period of time) from 1790 to 1826. The courthouse was located at Pendleton. The district covered nearly two thousand square miles, and with the growth in settlements had become nearly ungovernable. Its courthouse was far from many of its key towns, and new settlers were continually moving in.

As a young representative, Whitner had an idea. He proposed breaking up the district into two smaller, more manageable units. In his legislation, Whitner proposed naming the units after two local heroes of the Revolutionary War: Generals Robert Anderson and Andrew Pickens. Anderson and Pickens Counties were created by an act of the General Assembly on December 20, 1826.

The former courthouse town of Pendleton was not abandoned, however. A new courthouse, called Anderson, was established near the center of the new county. A small frame courthouse was built, businesses began began to establish themselves around the county square, taverns and inns opened, a gridwork of streets were laid, and lots were for sale.

During the late 1820’s, Whitner married Elizabeth Hampton Harrison, the daughter of James Harrison, Jr., and Sarah Earle, a granddaughter of Elias Earle, U.S. Congressman and one of the earliest settlers of Greenville County. Between 1830 and 1845, Joseph and Elizabeth had nine children, all born in Anderson.

• Joseph Newton Whitner, Jr., born November 14, 1830, died July 13, 1882. C.S.A. Wounded at First Manassas. Married Amelia Mellvina Howard and had issue.
• Sarah Frances Whitner, born March 21, 1832, died January 24, 1924. Unmarried.
• Elizabeth Teccoa Whitner, born March 1833, died July 8, 1906, in Warm Springs, Virginia. She married Col. Thomas Jamison Glover, Sr., who died on August 31, 1862, from his wounds at Second Manassas. Emmala Reed recorded in her diary that Mrs. Glover was forced to play the piano for the “entertainment” of Union troops during Anderson’s occupation after the war.
• James H. Whitner, born November 3, 1833, died May 2, 1886, in Greenville, South Carolina. C.S.A. Died unmarried of heart disease.
• Benjamin Franklin Whitner, born February 22, 1835, died January 14, 1919. Married Anna Pleasant Church, December 21, 1858, and had children five children, including William Church Whitner, the man who brought electricity to Anderson.
• 

  Monument Dedicated to Elias, Rebecca and Samuel Whitner, erected by their siblings at First Presbyterian Church (author’s collection)

  William Henry Whitner, born November 10, 1836, died February 16, 1872. C.S.A. Married twice but no children. Served on the staffs of Gen. Roger A. Pryor, Gen. Micah Jenkins, and Gen. Bushrod Johnson. Later moved to Madison, Florida, where he died.

• Dr. Elias Eugene Whitner, born November 22, 1839, died March 21, 1872. Died unmarried of caused unknown, the second Whitner child to die in 1872. He had just recently moved his practice to Greenville and bought a home.
• Rebecca E. Whitner, born November 1, 1843, died May 29, 1845. Rebecca died just a few weeks after the Anderson fire.
• Samuel Earle Whitner, born April 26, 1845, died September 29, 1845. Samuel was the second child of the Whitners to die in 1845.

Shortly after his marriage, Whitner and his wife moved from Pendleton to Anderson. He purchased a house from William Moses Chamblee, Sr., two miles west of downtown. The house over looked a wide creek to the east. Elizabeth covered the grounds with roses and the home was known as Rose Hill. According to a nearby historical marker, the house was built around 1794. Whitner lived at Rose Hill for the remainder of his life, and he dedicated much of his years to the development of the town he had founded.

On April 6, 1831, Whitner presided over a dinner of Pendleton’s leading men that was held to congratulate Vice President John C. Calhoun on his “clear and conclusive vindication.” There had been a split politically between Calhoun and President Andrew Jackson over the growing power of the federal government. Less than two months later, Calhoun gave his famous Fort Mill Address in which he laid out his legal and moral defenses for the Theory of Nullification, which argued that states could nullify acts of Congress that they deemed out of line with the Constitution. Whitner was a strong Calhoun supporter and believed him when Calhoun said,

“The States…formed the compact, acting as Sovereign and independent communities. The General Government is but its creature; and though, in reality, a government, with all the rights and authority which belong to any other government, within the orbit of its powers, it is, nevertheless, a government emanating from a compact between sovereigns…”

Whitner resigned from his state Senate seat in 1835, after being elected Solicitor of the Western District of South Carolina, a position he held until January 26, 1850, when he was elected a law judge, serving until his death. Whitner was opposed to drinking strong liquor, and as solicitor, he often gave temperance speeches and lectures at district courthouses in his circuit. His demeanor on the bench was less confrontational and he was considered “a lawyer’s dream come true.” As a judge, Whitner was conscientious, patient, kind, and courteous to the attorneys appearing before him.

He was named a lifetime trustee of South Carolina College in 1837. Others appointed that year included future governors Wade Hampton III and George McDuffie, and James Louis Pettigru, famous for his statement upon the state’s secession in 1860, “South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.”

First Presbyterian Church, Anderson, South Carolina (author’s collection)

Although his father had been born a Lutheran, the Whitners converted to Presbyterianism after they settled in Pendleton. Joseph Whitner had been a major contributor to the Old Stone Church and his son would also be a founding force for another congregation. Whitner donated a large tract of land in 1837 to the local Presbyterian community for use as a church. Anderson Presbyterian Church, now known as First Presbyterian, was organized September 23, 1837.

There were thirteen charter members of the church, including Whitner and his family. Whitner remained a member of the church his entire life. The first frame structure was completed in 1839 and it was in this building that Whitner worshiped. Adjacent to the church was the city’s first public cemetery, although the property belonged to the church, the final resting place of many of the early Whitners. Anderson’s first Sunday School was organized at First Presbyterian in 1855. A historical marker was erected at the church site in 1968 by the board of deacons.

Joseph Newton Whitner

The year 1845 was a difficult year for the Whitner family. Whitner maintained an office at the Benson House, a large hotel in downtown Anderson, in which he stored his personal records, library, and papers. A fire swept through the western side of Anderson in April 1845, destroying many of the wooden buildings. Whitner was able to save his library and papers, but the office was not so lucky. Whitner also owned a large building, previously called Archer’s Hotel. It too was totally destroyed by the fire. The fire destroyed all of the early history of the town. The newspaper office, which stored many of the records was burned to the ground. Within a few months of the fire, Whitner lost his youngest two children, Rebecca and Samuel, just months apart.

Whitner had adopted many of his father’s political beliefs but he took them a step further. He was a zealous advocate of the States’ Rights Doctrine, and the Theories of Nullification and Secession, and a life-long supporter of John C. Calhoun. As such, Whitner was often a delegate to several like-minded conventions such as the Southern Cooperative Rights Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, June 3, 1850; the 1852 Southern Rights Convention; and the South Carolina Secession Convention, December 1860. It was at the state’s convention where he signed the secession ordinance as one of five delegates representing Anderson County.

Joseph Whitner’s Signature on the South Carolina Secession Ordinance

Whitner was a slave owner. According to the 1850 federal Slave Census, he owned nearly eight slaves. They ranged in ages fifty five to less than a year. Their names are not recorded in the census but based on the ages given there appeared to be several family groups.

It was during this decade that Whitner turned his attention south for a business venture. Like many other members of his family, the prospect of developing land in Florida was too much to avoid. Whitner purchased ninety acres in Leon, Florida, for development. Although the investment paid off, Whitner later remarked that he would have made more had been there to over see the operation, adding “you can’t run a plantation from afar.”

By 1860, Whitner was a very wealthy man. According to the census for that year, he real estate was valued at $30,000 and his personal estate at $150,000. In today’s dollars, his real estate would be worth nearly one million and his personal estate over four million. His wealth, however, could not help Whitner fight on the battlefield for his cause. He was simply too for active service during the Civil War. His five surviving sons, however, all served in the Confederate Army.

Joseph Newton Whitner Tombstone (find-a-grave)

Joseph Newton Whitner died on March 31, 1864, and was buried at First Presbyterian. He is remembered in Anderson by a street and a creek that bear his name. These intersect near his home. Rose Hill remained in the Whitner family for several years before being purchased by William W. Humphreys. It was later a country club and museum. Sadly, Rose Hill has not survived. It was town down in the 1960’s.

Anderson, the town that Whitner founded was destined for greater things. It would emerge from the Civil War and Reconstruction, and see a period of economic growth during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It would fall to his grandson, William Church Whitner, to light the way.

George McDuffie, the Mad Governor

Many of the streets in Anderson, South Carolina, were named for famous locals: Whitner, Benson, Orr, and Murray to name a few. One prominent street, however, was named for a man who never lived in Anderson, although he did visit on occasion. He was born dirt poor, grew wealthy in business, fought in a duel,

George McDuffie (Library of Congress)

held numerous public offices, had racial views that were extreme even for his time, and died insane. His name was George McDuffie, and this is his story.

George McDuffie was born in Columbia County, Georgia, August 10, 1790. Unlike many politicians of his day, McDuffie was not born into a well-to-do family. He was one of at least nine children born to parents who had emigrated from Scotland. It was his intellect set him apart from everyone in his family.

McDuffie took his first job at the age of twelve at a country store owned by a man named Hayes. From there he secured a position with the mercantile establishment of Wilson & Calhoun in Augusta, Georgia. James Calhoun, a brother of John C. Calhoun, was one of the owners. In 1807, the business failed and William Calhoun, another brother, came to help settle the affairs. He noticed the young McDuffie and offered him room and board as long as he was in school. McDuffie was so poor, that all of his belongings, including clothing, fit into a small blue box. While he did not realize it, his life of poverty would soon be behind him. Calhoun sponsored his education at Moses Waddel’s famous Willington Academy, where many of South Carolina’s political leaders, such as John C. Calhoun, received their education. McDuffie soon came under the influence of John C. Calhoun, and he looked to him as a mentor.

Site of the law building used by Simkins and McDuffie, located in Edgefield, South Carolina. The marker lists the names of men who practiced law at the site: Eldred Simkins (congressman and lieut. governor), George McDuffie (congressman, governor, U.S. senator), Francis W. Pickens (congressman, governor, minister to Russia), Francis H. Wardlaw author of ordinance of secession), John C. Sheppard lieut. governor, governor), and James O. Sheppard (lieut. governor). (Author’s collection)

McDuffie excelled at the academy and developed an outstanding reputation among his peers. His graduation speech was entitled “Permanence of the Union,” and it was printed at the request of the students. He later attended South Carolina College, graduating in 1813. He was admitted to the bar in 1814 and entered a partnership with Colonel Eldred Simkins in Edgefield, South Carolina. Simkins introduced him to the cream of Edgefield society and it was not long before McDuffie began his rise.

His political career began in 1818, when he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives from the Edgefield District. He was also named a Trustee of the South Carolina College in the same year. In 1821, McDuffie published a pamphlet which denounced a strict states’ rights approach. Within ten years, McDuffie would become transformed into one of the great “nullifiers” of the 19th century, largely by the influence of Calhoun. He held this seat for one term, ending on November 27, 1830.

McDuffie was next elected to the United States House of Representatives from two districts. He first represented the 6th District from March 4, 1821 to March 3, 1823. A year into his term, McDuffie, still not a supporter of nullification, got into a very public argument with Colonel William Cumming over the issue. Cumming was a veteran of the War of 1812, was well known nationally, and supported nullification. In short, nullification is the political theory that holds that individual states can nullify acts of Congress by declaring them to be null and void within their boundaries. While nullification is not the same as secession, the former can lead to the latter.

The argument between McDuffie and Cumming escalated into a feud, and the two first met June 2, 1822, near the Savannah River in Georgia. Traditional dueling pistols were the selected weapons. McDuffie fired his shot into the ground; Cumming fired at McDuffie and hit him in the rib cage. The ball lodged itself near his spine. Physicians determined that it would be too dangerous to remove it, so the ball remained for the rest of his life. This caused damage to McDuffie’s spine, and he walked with a limp the rest of his life. A second duel was fought in late November, and this time McDuffie’s arm was broken by a shot from Cumming. Both men declared themselves satisfied.

The 6th Congressional District was renamed the 5th Congressional District in 1823, and McDuffie represented it from March 4, 1823 to 1834. McDuffie had originally been a supporter of Andrew Jackson, but in 1824, he delivered a twenty-four page speech on the floor of the House against Jackson and his banking policies. More importantly, McDuffie threw his support behind nullification.

In 1829, he married Mary Rebecca Singleton, daughter of Colonel Richard Singleton, but the marriage was short lived. The new Mrs. McDuffie died less than a year later, shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Mary Rebecca. Later in life, she married Wade Hampton III and was the First Lady of South Carolina. McDuffie sent his only the child to her grandparents who raised her. He would never remarry and threw himself into his political career.

1832 South Carolina Nullification Convention Document (Author’s collection)

McDuffie was a leader of the 1832 South Carolina Nullification Convention and wrote its official address to the citizens of the United States. The convention was one part of South Carolina’s response to the Nullification Crisis which took place from 1832 to 1837, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The crisis was brought about by the Tariff of 1828, known as the “Tariff of Abominations” by its detractors. Enacted during the administration of John Quincy Adams, it was roundly detested in the South, and for good reasons. The South imported much of their goods, and the tariff set a 62% tax on 92% of the goods the South imported. Of the sixty-eight House members from Southern states, sixty-four voted against the tariff. It was up to Adams’ successor, Andrew Jackson, to deal with the fallout, and many expected him to lower the tariff. When he failed to do so, his vice president, John C. Calhoun, resigned on July 14, 1832. Calhoun ran for a senate seat and began to fight for nullification through legislative means.

As a compromise, Jackson signed into law the Tariff of 1832 which restored the tariff levels to pre-1828 levels. South Carolina, which had borne the brunt of the harm from the 1828 tariff, was still not pleased. At a convention held on November 24, 1832, an Ordinance of Nullification was adopted, declaring the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional and unenforceable in South Carolina, effective February 1, 1833. Congress responded by passing two bills on March 1: the Force Act which authorized the president to use military forces against South Carolina, and the Compromise Tariff of 1833 which was agreeable to South Carolina, and the nullification ordinance was repealed two weeks later.

Monument erected in honor of George McDuffie, located in Edgefield, South Carolina, on the Ten Governors Rail Trail. The monument emphasizes McDuffie’s importance in the Nullification Movement. (Author’s Collection)

In 1834, McDuffie was elected the 55th Governor of South Carolina and made a major general of the South Carolina Militia. The chief executive of the state was not popularly elected, but selected by the South Carolina Senate until the election of James Lawrence Orr in 1865. The position was usually given to one of the Assembly members for a term of two years. On some occasions members would serve two terms. McDuffie served as governor from December 9, 1834 to December 10, 1836. As governor, McDuffie was de facto President of the Board of Trustees of South Carolina College. In 1835, he completed a total reorganization and modernization of the college which had been struggling for several years.

Regarding the question of slavery, in a message to the General Assembly in 1835, McDuffie had this to say:

“No human institution, in my opinion, is more manifestly consistent with the will of God, than domestic slavery…That the African negro is destined by Providence to occupy this condition of servile dependence…is marked on the face, stamped on the skin, and envinced by the intellectual inferiority and natural improvidence of this race.”

McDuffie’s racial views were demonstrated in the new laws passed by the General Assembly.

• The legal rights of free blacks were restricted
• Any free black returning to South Carolina to be sold back into slavery
• Port officials were to arrest any free blacks serving aboard vessels docked in South Carolina harbors
• Slaves from north of the Mason-Dixon Line were barred from entering the state

McDuffie resigned from the governor’s office at the end of his term, ostensibly for his health. For six years, he was not politically active, but he answered his state’s call and represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from December 23, 1842 to August 17, 1846, upon the resignation of his predecessor William C. Preston. McDuffie was the junior senator to his longtime mentor, John C. Calhoun.

George McDuffie in his later years

Despite only being in the Senate for three years, he had several leadership roles. He was instrumental in drafting the legislation outlining the annexation of Texas; however, he strongly opposed the annexation of Oregon. It was said that his reason for not supporting Oregon was that he did not believe that the territory could be effectively governed from 3,000 miles away. He was had a key role in the passage of the Tariff of 1846.

McDuffie resigned at the close of the session and was seldom seen outside of his home Cherry Hill in Willington. The plantation was begun by the Noble family but after a fire destroyed the main house, the property was bought by McDuffie. He build a grand two-story home and enlarged the plantation to over five thousand acres. Today, the only remain of Cherry Hill is the Noble family cemetery. The plantation overlooked the Savannah River and was run using the labor of over two hundred slaves. A historical marker is located near the site.

Cherry Hill Marker, Willington, South Carolina (Author’s collection)

McDuffie’s health had begun to worsen during his years as governor. The old bullet wound caused his health to rapidly deteriorate. and McDuffie fell into a deep depression which eventually drove him insane. He died at his home March 11, 1851. He was buried in the Singleton Family Cemetery, Wedgefield, South Carolina.

Due to his prominence in state and national affairs, the leaders of Anderson felt it was appropriate to honor him and so McDuffie Street was born. Originally known as East Boundary Street, it is one of Anderson’s original streets. From its earliest days, the street was dedicated to grand residences and was a jewel for young town. Many of the older homes on the street once belonged to business leaders who helped build Anderson. Sadly, only a handful of these remain.

The date on which the street was named McDuffie is not known, but it took place prior to 1860. The Anderson Intelligencer noted the improvements being made to the street and the Methodist church on September 18, 1860, which indicates that the street had been so named for some time. The Intelligencer described McDuffie Street in glowing terms, saying, “[that] there is no street within our corporate limits better adapted by nature for handsome display of art.” Early residents on McDuffie were the Wilhites, the Brocks, and the three sons of Samuel Brown: John Peter Brown, E.W. Brown, and Samuel Brown, Jr.

Historical Marker at McDuffie’s Birthplace

In addition to McDuffie Street in Anderson, George McDuffie was also honored by his home state when McDuffie County, Georgia, was created on October 18, 1870. A historical marker stands at his birthplace.