Isaac H. Hilliard (1811-1868) was an American planter and cotton factor in the

Antebellum South In History of the Southern United States, the history of the Southern United States, the Antebellum Period (from la, ante bellum, lit=Status quo ante bellum, before the war) spanned the Treaty of Ghent, end of the War of 1812 to the start of ...

. He was an advocate of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

of 1861–1865, he moved his family slaves to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and later

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. After the war, he was pardoned by President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

and liquidated his cotton-factoring business. His

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

plantation was inherited by his sons.

Early life

Isaac H. Hilliard was born in 1811 in Halifax County, North Carolina. He grew up in North Carolina and Virginia. His grandfather,

Hardy Murfree Hardy Murfree (June 5, 1752 – April 6, 1809) was a lieutenant colonel from North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. Early life Murfree was born on June 5, 1752 at Murfree's Landing, North Carolina, later renamed Murfreesboro. ...

, is the namesake of

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

. His brother-in-law was George W. Polk,Louisiana State University: HILLIARD (ISAAC H.) FAMILY PAPERS
/ref> a relative of President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

and the owner of

Rattle and Snap Rattle and Snap (also called the Polk-Granberry House and once known as Oakwood Hall) is a plantation estate at 1522 North Main Street in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee. The centerpiece of the estate is a mid-1840s Plantation house in the Southern ...

, a plantation in Columbia, Tennessee. He graduated from the

University of Nashville University of Nashville was a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established in 1806 as Cumberland College. It existed as a distinct entity until 1909; operating at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a ...

in 1832.

Career

Hilliard inherited land in southern Chicot County, Arkansas from his grandfather, Hardy Murfree. In 1844, he moved to Chicot County to establish a plantation near

Grand Lake, Arkansas Grand Lake is an unincorporated community in Chicot County in the U.S. state of Arkansas. History The town served as a docking point for boats on the Mississippi River prior to the American Civil War.

, which he co-owned with his brother-in-law George W. Polk. They hired an overseer from Kentucky, James H. Garrett. As of 1850, they owned 550 acres of land and 151 African slaves as well as "three horses, twenty-four mules, thirteen dairy cattle, thirteen oxen, seventy-five other cattle, and a hundred head of swine." By 1860, he owned 1,939 acres of land. He was a Partner of Hilliard, Summers and Company, a cotton-factoring firm based in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, where he spent much of his time. Hilliard was a staunch advocate of the

and the institution of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. On January 14, 1861, he wrote a letter to '' The Chicot Press'' stating he was a candidate to represent Chicot County at the secessionist convention, and he was elected. He voted in favor of the

Confederate States Constitution The Constitution of the Confederate States was the supreme law of the Confederate States of America. It was adopted on March 11, 1861, and was in effect from February 22, 1862, to the conclusion of the American Civil War (May 1865). The Confede ...

. During the

of 1861–1865, he moved to

, where he took his brother-in-law's African slaves, and later

. He was pardoned by President

on September 19, 1865. In 1866, he liquidated the firm of Hilliard, Summers & Co.

Personal life

He was married twice. His first wife was Lavinia Leinian. They had a daughter, named after her mother, born in 1837. His first wife died in childbirth. In 1847, he married a second time, to Miriam Brannin of

New Castle, Kentucky New Castle is a home rule-class city in Henry County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. As of the 2010 census the population was 912. History New Castle was incorporated in 1817. Geography New Castle is located so ...

. They had two sons: Isaac Henry Hilliard III and Edwin Summers Hilliard. Miriam, who kept a diary, spoke French fluently and attended balls, for example in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

in 1850. Plagued by neuralgia, she took

morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...

to get better, but died in 1853.

Death and legacy

He died on June 25, 1868. His plantation was inherited by his eldest son, Isaac H. Hilliard III, who married his cousin, Carolina Polk, in 1880. His younger son, Edwin S. Hilliard, purchased the plantation from his brother's widow in 1895.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilliard, Isaac H. 1811 births 1868 deaths People from Halifax County, North Carolina People from Chicot County, Arkansas People from New Orleans 19th-century American planters American slave owners American proslavery activists Recipients of American presidential pardons