Button Gwinnett: GA Signer of the Declaration of Independence
- katellashisadventure
- 3 days ago
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Button[1] Gwinnett’s exact birthdate is unknown, but he was born in 1732 in Gloucestershire, England, to Reverend Samuel and Anne (Eames) Gwinnett. The family name was originally Gwynedd, a Welsh surname, but over time had changed to Gwinnett. Not much is known about his early life. His first name was his godmother’s last name, and the type of education he received is unknown. He was the son of a clergyman, so it is probable he had some classical education. It is also unknown when he was an apprentice to a merchant in England.
On April 19, 1757, he married Ann Bourn in Staffordshire, England. She was the daughter of Aaron Bourn, and they had four children together.[2] Their first child, Amelia, was born in 1758, followed by Ann in 1759. Their third child, Elizabeth, was born in 1762 and died in 1786. She married Peter Belin on March 26, 1779, and they had no children. Their final child, another daughter named Ann, was born in 1764. The children’s births are recorded in the registry of the Collegiate Church in Wolver, Hampton.[3]
Gwinnett began his business career by partnering with his in-laws in a grocery business in England. This leads to exporting goods from Britain to the colonies, just before the 1760s. He also invested in a brig, called the Nancy, but he lost it due to large debts that had accumulated. The brig was seized and sold to cover those debts. Debt would be a lifelong problem for him, as he was known to have borrowed heavily and to live on credit.
In 1765, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina, to be a trader. He then sells all his merchandise and moves on to Savannah. He had borrowed money to come to America but never repaid the loan, and then borrowed more to become a merchant. His ventures, in Charleston and Savannah, both fail, but it does not deter him. In October of 1765, he bought St, Catherine’s Island in Georgia to set up a plantation. The island is about 36 square miles, and he buys slaves to help run the plantation, but once again fails in his endeavors. He would lose this property to creditors in 1773.
The one good thing that came out of this venture was meeting Lyman Hall, who would later describe Gwinnett as “Whig to excess” in a letter to Roger Sherman.[4] Through this meeting, Gwinnett develops a deep interest in politics but does not initially believe that independence from Great Britain will succeed. He was worried about his family and business connections back in England, feeling the march towards independence would come back to haunt him.
From 1767 to 1768, he was a Justice of the Peace and then a member of the Georgia Colonial Assembly. This was the most political service he would have over the next five years, as his life was plagued with financial problems. He purchases additional property in St. John’s Parish in 1772 but loses it to creditors in 1773. He continued living in his home on St. Catherine’s Island for the rest of his life, even though he lost the surrounding property to creditors. The British would eventually overrun the island and ransack the home. Nothing is known about what happened to his wife or three of his four children. The island is now a privately held nature habitat. There is an old house on the island believed to be all that remains of their home. It was constructed of tabby mortar, but any further information about the home is scarce.[5]
In January of 1776, he attended the meetings of the Georgia Council of Safety and was elected a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He arrived in Philadelphia on May 20, 1776, and immediately took part in the debates on independence. Adams would note, “Hall and Gwinnett are both intelligent and spirited men, who made a powerful addition to our Phalanx.”[6] While he did engage in spirited debate, he was not a major player in Congress. He votes in favor of independence on the second of July and signs the engrossed document on August 4, 1776. He leaves Congress, later that same month, and returns to Georgia.
Upon his arrival in Savannah, Georgia, he had ambitions to be the general of the Georgia troops, but General Lachlan McIntosh was appointed instead. General McIntosh and Gwinnett would be lifelong enemies. Gwinnett would adopt measures during his political tenure designed to embarrass his sworn enemy. Those measures included having officers tried before an executive council. Gwinnett became Speaker of the House in October of 1776 and helped to draft the first Georgia constitution, as well as preventing the state from being absorbed into South Carolina. It is alleged that he helped design the Georgia State Seal.
On March 4, 1777, Governor Bulloch died, and Gwinnett was commissioned President of Georgia. [7] He was also the Commander-in-Chief of the Georgia Army. As Governor, he received a letter from John Hancock reporting George McIntosh’s treasonous behavior, including supplying the British with rice. George was the brother of General McIntosh and was also a member of the first Provincial Congress and the Committee of Safety for Georgia. President Gwinnett ordered General McIntosh to arrest his brother. This only adds fuel to their feud. Gwinnett also directs the Council of Safety to draft a militia and recruit volunteers for a campaign against the British. He enlisted General McIntosh to lead the expedition, and the idea was to cut off British supplies to the garrison at St. Augustine’s. Gwinnett bungled this expedition, and an inquiry exonerated him.
Unfortunately, this incident cost him the election in May of 1777 and effectively ended his political career. John A. Treuilen succeeds him as governor under the new state constitution. That same month, on May 1, General McIntosh calls him “a scoundrel and lying rascal”[8] in an address to the Georgia General Assembly. Gwinnett challenges the general to a duel, and they meet on May 16, 1777, with their seconds. They stood about 12 feet apart, and Lyman Hall later described the event, saying:
“they were placed at 10 or 12 foot Distance, Discharged their pistols nearly at the same Time – Each Wounded in the Thigh, Mr. Gwinnett’s thigh broke so that he fell – on which (tis said) the General Asked him if he Chose to Take another Shot – was Answered. Yes, if they should help him up, - (or words nearly the same)- the Second Interposed – Mr. Gwinnett was bro’t in, the Weather, Extrem Hot – Mortification came on – he languished from that Morning (Friday) till Monday Morning following & Expired.”[9]
General McIntosh was also wounded, but he recovered from his wound and was brought to trial, where he was acquitted. Upon his acquittal, General Washington orders General McIntosh to Valley Forge, for fear of Gwinnett’s allies taking revenge.
Button Gwinnett died from a gangrenous infection in his leg on May 27, 1777. Gwinnett has no surviving descendants, as three of his children died young and the fourth reached adulthood but died without issue. It is unknown what happened to his wife, and at the time of his death, he was insolvent. Lyman Hall, who was named the executor of his estate, would spend years trying to untangle the debts that Gwinnett left behind. The exact location of his grave is unknown because Union soldiers camped in the cemetery, where he was buried, and vandalized or destroyed the gravestones. In the 1950s, a history buff claimed to have found Gwinnett’s remains, and they were sent to the Smithsonian, but the results were inconclusive. The city of Augusta then demanded Savanah give them the remains so that they could be interned with the other signers, but Savannah refused to give them up. The city raised money to build its own memorial, while the bones stayed in an oak casket in the guest room of the history buff who found them. In the 1960s, they were reinterred in the original cemetery. One eulogizer, at the reinternment ceremony, said, “We no longer need to ask ‘Button, Button, who has Button?’ Button has been found.”
Tidbits He is described as tall with an irritable temper, and there are no authentic portraits of him. There is a county in Georgia named after him, a school, and a chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. The county was created on December 15, 1818. There are only 30 known signatures of Button Gwinnett. In 1924, his autograph sold for $14,000, and then in 1928, it sold for $28,000. In 1927, his autograph had sold for $51,000, but it was on a piece of paper that also included other signatures such as John Hancock and Robert Morris.
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[1] There is some debate over whether his name is really Button or Bulton. Some historians have suggested that his name is actually Bulton and he just crossed both the l and the t when he signed the Declaration. Still others suggest that his entire name is a pseudonym and that his real name is unknown. This would not be a stretch since many debtors and prisoners were sent to Georgia, and he was known to have financial troubles.
[2] One writer, William Montgomery Clemens, asserted in 1931 that Reverend Goodrich and John Sanderson provided no proof of their claims about his marriage and subsequent children. However, later biographers have disproven this writer.
[3] Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference (Jefferson, NC, London: McFarland, 2003)
[7] This title is just another variation of "for governor" or "chief executive".
[8] Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference (Jefferson, N.C.; London: McFarland, 2003)
[9] Healey, George H. A Library Notes: The Noyes Manuscript of Button Gwinnett.@ Cornell Library Journal, issue 8, 1969, 61
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