Difference between revisions of "Wythe's Early Life"

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George Wythe was born in late 1726 or early 1727 in Elizabeth City County, Virginia, at his family’s plantation Chesterville (Dill 3).  
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[[George Wythe]] was born in late 1726 or early 1727 in Elizabeth City County, Virginia, to Thomas Walker III and Margaret Walker at his family's plantation Chesterville. <ref>Alonzo Thomas Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty'' (Williamsburg: Virginia Independence Bicentennial Commission, 1979), 3.</ref> The future judge and teacher received a varied education in the classics from an early age before embarking on a legal career at the age of 16 after his older brother inherited most of his family's wealth. 
  
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George Wythe’s ancestors were likely an aristocratic family in Elizabeth City County (Hemphill 5).  Although not much information is known about the family, George Wythe “used a book plate bearing a heraldic coat-of-arms,” which typically signified a noble background in Wythe’s era (Hemphill 5-6).
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==The Wythes==
  
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Son of Thomas Wythe III and Margaret Walker (Dill 3). Thomas Wythe I settled in Virginia around 1680, bringing with him a 10-year old son, Thomas II (Dill 3).  
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Although little is known about Wythe's ancestors, it is likely that the first Wythes came to the Virginia colony from Norfolk, England, where they were wealthy wool merchants in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. <ref>Imogene E. Brown, ''American Aristides: A Biography of George Wythe,'' (Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1981), 15. </ref> Further evidence of his family's aristocratic background is revealed in Wythe's use of “a book plate bearing a heraldic coat-of-arms,” which typically signified nobility. <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty,'' 5-6.</ref>
  
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Thomas I, supposedly the Wythe who immigrated to the colony, was a justice on the Elizabeth City county court and served a term as a burgess in the lower house of Assembly (Dill 4).  
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Thomas Wythe I, settled in Virginia some time before 1680, bringing his family with him from England <ref>Brown, ''American Aristides,'' 15. </ref> Thomas I was elected to represent Elizabeth City County for the 1680-1682 session of the House of Burgesses and also served as a justice of the peace for several years.. <ref>Brown, ''American Aristides,'' 16.</ref> He died in December 1693, leaving his family a substantial fortune, <ref> Ibid. </ref> and was survived by his wife Ann, two daughters, and Thomas II. <ref>Hemphill, ''[[George Wythe the Colonial Briton|George Wythe the Colonial Briton: A Biographical Study of the Pre-Revolutionary Era in Virginia]]'' (1937), 8.</ref>
  
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Thomas I died in 1693 or 1694 (Hemphill 8). He was survived by wife Ann, two daughters, and Thomas II (Hemphill 8).
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Thomas Wythe II, was born in 1670 and arrived with his father in Virginia around age 10. <ref>Ibid., 9.</ref> Thomas II served as one of the early trustees of the city of Hampton and became a justice in 1688 <ref> Brown, ''American Aristides,'' 16. </ref> but died young in 1694 at the age of about 24. <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty,'' 4.</ref> Thomas II left behind two children, Thomas III and Ann, as well as his wife, Ann Shepard Gutherick, who later married Reverend James Wallace of Elizabeth City Parish <ref> Brown, ''American Aristides,'' 16. </ref>
  
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Thomas Wythe II was born in 1670 (Hemphill 9).
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Thomas Wythe III was born around 1691 and inherited his father's estate, including the land, slaves, and tobacco his family had amassed. <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty'', 4.</ref> He was active in public office, serving on the county court, holding the office of county sheriff, and serving as a burgess in the Assemblies in 1718, 1723, and 1726. <ref>Ibid.</ref> Thomas III married Margaret Walker, daughter of George and Ann Keith Walker, in either 1719 or 1720. <ref>Ibid.</ref>
  
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Thomas Wythe II married Anne Shepard/Sheppard. Thomas II sat on the county court but passed away in 1694 at the age of about 24 (Dill 4).  His death occurred only a few months after his father died (Hemphill 10).
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==Birth and Early Education==
  
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Thomas II was the second husband to wife Ann Sheppard, who then remarried again after Thomas II died (Hemphill 9-11).  Through Ann’s various marriages, George Wythe was at least distantly related to many upper-class Virginia families (Hemphill 11).
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The marriage of Thomas Wythe III and Margaret Walker "blended . . . the landed aristocracy of the Wythes, the business interests of the Walkers, and the liberal intellectual tradition of the Keiths." <ref>Hemphill, ''George Wythe the Colonial Briton'', 26.</ref> Margaret and Thomas produced three children, the middle of whom was George. <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty'', 6.</ref>  George was born sometime in 1726, although the exact date is unknown. <ref>Hemphill, ''George Wythe the Colonial Briton'', 31.</ref>
  
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Thomas Wythe III was born around 1691 and inherited his father’s estate, including the land, slaves, and tobacco his family had amassed (Dill 4). Thomas III was very publically active, serving on the county court and holding the office of county sheriff (Dill 4). Served as a burgess in the Assemblies from 1718-1720 and 1723-1726 (Dill 4). Thomas III married Margaret Walker, daughter of George and Ann Keith Walker, in 1719 (Dill 4).  
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Thomas III died in 1729, leaving Margaret to raise George and his siblings, Thomas IV and Anne, by herself. <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty'', 7.</ref>  Thomas III's will left George's older brother, Thomas IV, nearly everything, excepting several slaves and a share of the residue of his personal estate after his debts had been settled. <ref>Brown, ''American Aristides'', 20.</ref> After raising her children alone, Margaret likely died in 1746.  <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty,'' 10.</ref>
  
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Margaret’s grandfather was George Keith, an erstwhile Quaker with a band of followers known as “Keithians” (Dill 4-5). Keith was jailed at least six times for his missionary work (Hemphill 13). By the end of his life, Keith had become Anglican, which was ironic since he had spent much of his early life trying to convert people away from Anglicanism (Hemphill 14).
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George Wythe's law students and contemporaries provided inconsistent accounts of the extent to which Margaret educated her son, although it is likely that at least some of his early knowledge came from his well-educated mother. <ref>Brown, ''American Aristides,'' 20 </ref> Jefferson asserted that Wythe was mostly self-educated, though he added that his mother had helped him learn Greek. <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty,'' 7.</ref> On the other hand, Edmund Randolph and Daniel Call credited Margaret with teaching George some Latin. <ref>Ibid.</ref>  In contrast, Henry Clay--like Jefferson--believed Margaret's influence to be in Greek rather than Latin. <ref>Ibid.</ref> Latin scholars have noted that Wythe's skills do not reflect formal classical training. <ref>Ibid., 8.</ref>
  
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Keith’s daughter, Anne Keith Walker, married George Walker, a devout Quaker who did a variety of maritime-related work throughout his life (Hemphill 16-19).  Anne later converted to the Anglican faith, leading to disputes between them over the education of their children (Dill 5-6).  Anne even made a formal petition to Virginia’s Council at Williamsburg in an effort to raise her children under the Anglican church (Hemphill 23). Nevertheless, the pair’s daughter, Margaret Walker, was raised in the Quaker religion at a home not distant from that of Thomas Wythe III (Dill 6).  
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Wythe may have received rudimentary education at either the Syms Free School or the Eaton Charity School, grammar schools near Chesterville. <ref>Hemphill, ''George Wythe the Colonial Briton'', 32.</ref> Wythe's early home-based education was possibly supplemented by a short stint at the grammar school at William & Mary around age 14 <ref>Brown, ''American Aristides,'' 21.</ref> to receive more structured lessons in Greek and Latin. <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty'', 8.</ref> The school's proximity to the Wythe plantation supports the theory that he may have attended as a boarding student. <ref>Ibid.</ref> In addition, the initials "GW" were found inscribed in a William & Mary building in a young child's handwriting. <ref>Ibid.</ref> That said, because William & Mary's records were later destroyed by fire, it is impossible to determine for certain whether Wythe was ever enrolled at the school. <ref>Brown, ''American Aristides,'' 21.</ref>
  
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Margaret and Thomas married in either 1719 or 1720 (Hemphill 26).  Through their marriage, they “blended . . . the landed aristocracy of the Wythes, the business interests of the Walkers, and the liberal intellectual tradition of the Keiths” (Hemphill 26).  Margaret and Thomas produced three children, the middle of which was George (Dill 6).  George was born sometime in 1726, although the exact date is unknown (Hemphill 31).
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==Legal Education==
  
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Shortly after George’s birth, Thomas Wythe III passed away, leaving Margaret Wythe to raise George and his siblings, Thomas IV and Anne (Dill 7). Thomas III died in 1729 without a will, so, as the oldest son, Thomas IV inherited everything according to the system of primogeniture (Hemphill 31). Margaret likely died in 1746 (Dill 10).
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Wherever Wythe received his early formal education, his mother sent him to live with his uncle, Stephen Dewey, Margaret's sister Elizabeth's husband, to receive legal training <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty,'' 8. </ref> when he was around fifteen years old. <ref>Hemphill, ''George Wythe the Colonial Briton'', 37.</ref>  Dewey was the king's Attorney for the County of Charles City, well-respected in his field, and an active political participant in Prince George County. <ref>Brown, ''American Aristides,'' 21-22.</ref>
  
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George Wythe’s students and contemporaries provide inconsistent accounts of the extent to which Margaret educated her son. Jefferson asserted that Wythe was mostly self-educated, though his mother helped him learn Greek (Dill 7).   Edmund Randolph and Daniel Call credited Margaret with teaching George some Latin (Dill 7).  In contrast, Henry Clay - like Jefferson - believed Margaret’s influence to be in Greek, not in Latin (Dill 7).  Despite this education, Latin scholars have noted that Wythe’s skills do not reflect formal classical training (Dill 8).
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Despite his uncle's accomplishments and prominence, Wythe later remembered his apprenticeship as "unpleasant." <ref>Ibid., 22.</ref> He was unsatisfied with Dewey's teaching methods, which consisted of relegating menial office tasks to the young trainee. <ref>Dill, ''George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty'', 9.</ref> Although performing select routine tasks for Dewey in exchange for a legal education would have been considered typical training under the legal apprenticeship system, Wythe believed Dewey considered him more of a servant than an apprentice and claimed he learned little from his uncle. <ref>Hemphill, ''George Wythe the Colonial Briton'', 37-38.</ref>
  
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Wythe may have received rudimentary education from either the Syms Free School or the Eaton Charity School, both of which were grammar schools near Chesterville (Hemphill 32).  Wythe received his knowledge of classical languages from his mother, however, who reportedly taught him basic Latin grammar and possibly some Greek (Hemphill 32-33).  Wythe’s education from his mother was probably supplemented by a short stint at the grammar school at William and Mary (Hemphill 34).  This likely happened in or around 1735 (Hemphill 34).
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==Admission to Practice==
  
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George is often assumed to have attended the College of William and Mary, although there are no records - even among Thomas Jefferson’s papers - indicating that he received higher education at the school (Dill 8). Instead, George may have attended the College’s grammar school to receive a moral upbringing and more structured lessons in Greek and Latin (Dill 8).  The school’s proximity to the Wythe plantation - a single day’s ride - supports the theory that he may have attended as a boarding student (Dill 8). In addition, the initials “GW” were found inscribed in a William and Mary building in a young child’s handwriting (Dill 8). Grammar school students often began their studies when they were twelve or thirteen years old, but Wythe may have attended as early as ages nine or ten (Dill 8).
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After two years of apprenticeship, Wythe returned home to Chesterville and studied law and classical languages on his own for a few years. <ref>Ibid., 39.</ref> After his mother died in 1746, Wythe was ready to appear before a committee of examiners seeking admission to the Virginia bar. <ref> Brown, ''American Aristides,'' 23. </ref> The examination process was standardized by 1746 and required the presentation of a certificate from a lower court testifying to the applicant's character, payment of a twenty shilling fee, and satisfactory response to the committee's questions on the candidate's knowledge of the law. <ref> Ibid. </ref> It is probable that Wythe was examined in Williamsburg before a committee consisting of Peyton Randolph, St. Lawrence Burford, William Nimmo, and Stephen Dewey, all of whom signed Wythe's law license. <ref> Ibid. </ref> Wythe returned home, where he sought permission to practice before the Elizabeth City County Court, where he was admitted to practice on June 18, 1746. <ref> Ibid. </ref>
  
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Wythe likely did not stay at the William and Mary grammar school for very long, because his mother sent George to live with his uncle, Stephen Dewey, husband of Margaret’s sister, Elizabeth, to receive legal training (Dill 8).    This likely happened when George was around fifteen years old (Hemphill 37).  It was imperative that George be trained in a profession since he had no claim to the family land (Hemphill 35).
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==With Benjamin Waller==
  
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Dewey was a well-respected lawyer. Among his accomplishments was his license to practice at the highest-ranking colonial court (the General Court), at which the governor presided (Dill 9).  As is already mentioned, George was unsatisfied with Dewey’s approach to teaching, which consisted of relegating menial office tasks to George (Dill 9). Under normal apprenticing, Wythe would have completed some tedious tasks for Dewey in return for a legal education; however, Dewey considered Wythe more as a servant than an apprentice, and Wythe did not learn much from him (Hemphill 37-38).
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Littleton Waller Tazewell asserts that Wythe also received guidance from [[wikipedia:Benjamin Waller|Benjamin Waller]] in Williamsburg. Waller was related to Wythe's first wife, Ann, who died in 1748, and would have been sympathetic to Wythe upon his move to Williamsburg. Tazewell's account, however, seems to juggle some of the facts, because Wythe had already been practicing law for two years before he came to Williamsburg:
  
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After his apprenticeship, Wythe returned home and studied law and classical languages by himself for a few years (Hemphill 39).
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<blockquote>
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When he came to Williamsburg, and commenced the study of the law, under the direction of my grandfather Waller, who was ten years older than himself, and engaged at that time in its practice, Mr. Wythe by his unwearied industry, soon acquired a very extensive knowledge of this science, in all its branches, and obtaining a licence, returned to his native county, where he commenced the practice of the law about the year 1748.<ref>Littleton Waller Tazewell, "[[Account and History of the Tazewell Family|An Account and History of the Tazewell Family]]" (1823), [https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/20837 Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library,] College of William & Mary</ref>
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</blockquote>
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==See also==
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*[[Ancestry of George Wythe, LL.D.]]
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==References==
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<references/>
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[[Category:Aspects of Wythe's Life]]

Latest revision as of 15:21, 26 October 2016

George Wythe was born in late 1726 or early 1727 in Elizabeth City County, Virginia, to Thomas Walker III and Margaret Walker at his family's plantation Chesterville. [1] The future judge and teacher received a varied education in the classics from an early age before embarking on a legal career at the age of 16 after his older brother inherited most of his family's wealth.

The Wythes

Although little is known about Wythe's ancestors, it is likely that the first Wythes came to the Virginia colony from Norfolk, England, where they were wealthy wool merchants in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. [2] Further evidence of his family's aristocratic background is revealed in Wythe's use of “a book plate bearing a heraldic coat-of-arms,” which typically signified nobility. [3]

Thomas Wythe I, settled in Virginia some time before 1680, bringing his family with him from England [4] Thomas I was elected to represent Elizabeth City County for the 1680-1682 session of the House of Burgesses and also served as a justice of the peace for several years.. [5] He died in December 1693, leaving his family a substantial fortune, [6] and was survived by his wife Ann, two daughters, and Thomas II. [7]

Thomas Wythe II, was born in 1670 and arrived with his father in Virginia around age 10. [8] Thomas II served as one of the early trustees of the city of Hampton and became a justice in 1688 [9] but died young in 1694 at the age of about 24. [10] Thomas II left behind two children, Thomas III and Ann, as well as his wife, Ann Shepard Gutherick, who later married Reverend James Wallace of Elizabeth City Parish [11]

Thomas Wythe III was born around 1691 and inherited his father's estate, including the land, slaves, and tobacco his family had amassed. [12] He was active in public office, serving on the county court, holding the office of county sheriff, and serving as a burgess in the Assemblies in 1718, 1723, and 1726. [13] Thomas III married Margaret Walker, daughter of George and Ann Keith Walker, in either 1719 or 1720. [14]

Birth and Early Education

The marriage of Thomas Wythe III and Margaret Walker "blended . . . the landed aristocracy of the Wythes, the business interests of the Walkers, and the liberal intellectual tradition of the Keiths." [15] Margaret and Thomas produced three children, the middle of whom was George. [16] George was born sometime in 1726, although the exact date is unknown. [17]

Thomas III died in 1729, leaving Margaret to raise George and his siblings, Thomas IV and Anne, by herself. [18] Thomas III's will left George's older brother, Thomas IV, nearly everything, excepting several slaves and a share of the residue of his personal estate after his debts had been settled. [19] After raising her children alone, Margaret likely died in 1746. [20]

George Wythe's law students and contemporaries provided inconsistent accounts of the extent to which Margaret educated her son, although it is likely that at least some of his early knowledge came from his well-educated mother. [21] Jefferson asserted that Wythe was mostly self-educated, though he added that his mother had helped him learn Greek. [22] On the other hand, Edmund Randolph and Daniel Call credited Margaret with teaching George some Latin. [23] In contrast, Henry Clay--like Jefferson--believed Margaret's influence to be in Greek rather than Latin. [24] Latin scholars have noted that Wythe's skills do not reflect formal classical training. [25]

Wythe may have received rudimentary education at either the Syms Free School or the Eaton Charity School, grammar schools near Chesterville. [26] Wythe's early home-based education was possibly supplemented by a short stint at the grammar school at William & Mary around age 14 [27] to receive more structured lessons in Greek and Latin. [28] The school's proximity to the Wythe plantation supports the theory that he may have attended as a boarding student. [29] In addition, the initials "GW" were found inscribed in a William & Mary building in a young child's handwriting. [30] That said, because William & Mary's records were later destroyed by fire, it is impossible to determine for certain whether Wythe was ever enrolled at the school. [31]

Legal Education

Wherever Wythe received his early formal education, his mother sent him to live with his uncle, Stephen Dewey, Margaret's sister Elizabeth's husband, to receive legal training [32] when he was around fifteen years old. [33] Dewey was the king's Attorney for the County of Charles City, well-respected in his field, and an active political participant in Prince George County. [34]

Despite his uncle's accomplishments and prominence, Wythe later remembered his apprenticeship as "unpleasant." [35] He was unsatisfied with Dewey's teaching methods, which consisted of relegating menial office tasks to the young trainee. [36] Although performing select routine tasks for Dewey in exchange for a legal education would have been considered typical training under the legal apprenticeship system, Wythe believed Dewey considered him more of a servant than an apprentice and claimed he learned little from his uncle. [37]

Admission to Practice

After two years of apprenticeship, Wythe returned home to Chesterville and studied law and classical languages on his own for a few years. [38] After his mother died in 1746, Wythe was ready to appear before a committee of examiners seeking admission to the Virginia bar. [39] The examination process was standardized by 1746 and required the presentation of a certificate from a lower court testifying to the applicant's character, payment of a twenty shilling fee, and satisfactory response to the committee's questions on the candidate's knowledge of the law. [40] It is probable that Wythe was examined in Williamsburg before a committee consisting of Peyton Randolph, St. Lawrence Burford, William Nimmo, and Stephen Dewey, all of whom signed Wythe's law license. [41] Wythe returned home, where he sought permission to practice before the Elizabeth City County Court, where he was admitted to practice on June 18, 1746. [42]

With Benjamin Waller

Littleton Waller Tazewell asserts that Wythe also received guidance from Benjamin Waller in Williamsburg. Waller was related to Wythe's first wife, Ann, who died in 1748, and would have been sympathetic to Wythe upon his move to Williamsburg. Tazewell's account, however, seems to juggle some of the facts, because Wythe had already been practicing law for two years before he came to Williamsburg:

When he came to Williamsburg, and commenced the study of the law, under the direction of my grandfather Waller, who was ten years older than himself, and engaged at that time in its practice, Mr. Wythe by his unwearied industry, soon acquired a very extensive knowledge of this science, in all its branches, and obtaining a licence, returned to his native county, where he commenced the practice of the law about the year 1748.[43]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Alonzo Thomas Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty (Williamsburg: Virginia Independence Bicentennial Commission, 1979), 3.
  2. ↑ Imogene E. Brown, American Aristides: A Biography of George Wythe, (Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1981), 15.
  3. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 5-6.
  4. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 15.
  5. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 16.
  6. ↑ Ibid.
  7. ↑ Hemphill, George Wythe the Colonial Briton: A Biographical Study of the Pre-Revolutionary Era in Virginia (1937), 8.
  8. ↑ Ibid., 9.
  9. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 16.
  10. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 4.
  11. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 16.
  12. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 4.
  13. ↑ Ibid.
  14. ↑ Ibid.
  15. ↑ Hemphill, George Wythe the Colonial Briton, 26.
  16. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 6.
  17. ↑ Hemphill, George Wythe the Colonial Briton, 31.
  18. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 7.
  19. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 20.
  20. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 10.
  21. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 20
  22. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 7.
  23. ↑ Ibid.
  24. ↑ Ibid.
  25. ↑ Ibid., 8.
  26. ↑ Hemphill, George Wythe the Colonial Briton, 32.
  27. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 21.
  28. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 8.
  29. ↑ Ibid.
  30. ↑ Ibid.
  31. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 21.
  32. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 8.
  33. ↑ Hemphill, George Wythe the Colonial Briton, 37.
  34. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 21-22.
  35. ↑ Ibid., 22.
  36. ↑ Dill, George Wythe: Teacher of Liberty, 9.
  37. ↑ Hemphill, George Wythe the Colonial Briton, 37-38.
  38. ↑ Ibid., 39.
  39. ↑ Brown, American Aristides, 23.
  40. ↑ Ibid.
  41. ↑ Ibid.
  42. ↑ Ibid.
  43. ↑ Littleton Waller Tazewell, "An Account and History of the Tazewell Family" (1823), Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William & Mary
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