James Innes Thornton (October 28, 1800 – September 13, 1877) was a prominent Alabama, USA, planter and politician.
Early life
Thornton was born on October 28, 1800, at
Fall Hill
Fall Hill is a plantation located near the falls on the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Though the Thornton family has lived at Fall Hill since the early 18th century, the present house was built in 1790 ...
near
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...
, to Francis Thornton IV and Sallie Innes.
His father was a successful physician, politician and planter who was second cousin to
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
and held great prominence in the local community. His mother was the daughter of a wealthy Scottish merchant who had arrived in Virginia around the time of the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
.
Thornton was largely educated by private itinerant educators who would reside at the Thornton family estate. He graduated from
Washington and Lee University
, mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future"
, established =
, type = Private liberal arts university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.092 billion (2021)
, president = William C. Dudley
, provost = Lena Hill
, city = Lexingto ...
in 1820 and moved to
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...
, to practice law with his brother Harry Innes Thornton.
[
]
Political career
Thornton's strong familial ties encouraged an endeavor into politics fueled by a successful law practice and considerable wealth from the plantation he had developed upon arriving in the state. He was elected in 1824 as Secretary of State of Alabama and in the same year appointed by the Governor of Alabama as the official state escort to the Marquis de Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...
on his 1825 return and tour of the United States.[ Thornton proved to be highly successful and respected in his political office and subsequently dissolved his law practice. He served for ten years as Secretary of State lasting through five Governors.][
]
Plantation
In 1824, Thornton began to actively develop a large plot of land he had acquired in Greene County, Alabama
Greene County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,730, the least populous county in Alabama. Its county seat is Eutaw. It was named in honor of Revolutionar ...
. A significant reason for his emigration to the Deep South, like many men from prominent Virginia families, was to expand his wealth far beyond what was feasible in Virginia. In 1825, he married his first wife, Mary Ann Glover, whose family had already begun to develop lucrative cotton plantations in the area. Thornton's business prowess resulted in his plantation which he named Thornhill becoming one of the most successful in the region. The house is traditionally believed to be a derivation of the name of William Thornton
William Thornton (May 20, 1759 – March 28, 1828) was a British-American physician, inventor, painter and architect who designed the United States Capitol. He also served as the first Architect of the Capitol and first Superintendent of the Uni ...
the first of Thornton's ancestors in America. The main house at Thornhill was completed in the Greek Revival style in 1833. The architect or housewright responsible for the design and construction of the house is not known though it is similar in style and construction to Rosemount, a neighboring plantation which belonged to his brother-in-law Williamson Allen Glover. There is strong evidence to indicate that both buildings were designed by the Alabama architect William Nichols, who served as State Architect during Thornton's tenure in government. In addition to the main house there is a small school house stylistically in keeping with the main house; the structural arrangement reflects that of Thornton's childhood home Fall Hill which has a small school house set several yards away from the carriage entrance of the house. Thornhill is considered one of the most significant antebellum plantation complexes in Alabama. The plantation buildings were recorded in the 1930s by the Historic American Buildings Survey
Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
. The main house has been recreated in miniature as an example of plantation architecture for the American Museum in Britain
The American Museum and Gardens (formerly American Museum in Britain) is a museum of American art and culture based at Claverton, near Bath, England. Its world-renowned collections of American furniture, quilts and folk art are displayed in a ...
near Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, UK.
Family
Thornton was born to a prominent Virginia family with substantial land and slave holdings and diverse business interests in their native state including, blast furnaces, grist mills, lumber mills, ships and commercial enterprises. The first of his ancestors, William Thornton
William Thornton (May 20, 1759 – March 28, 1828) was a British-American physician, inventor, painter and architect who designed the United States Capitol. He also served as the first Architect of the Capitol and first Superintendent of the Uni ...
, had arrived in America sometime before 1649, and established large land holdings in Gloucester County, Virginia
Gloucester County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,711. Its county seat is Gloucester Courthouse. The county was founded in 1651 in the Virginia Colony and is named for Henry Stuart, ...
, but eventually passed the property on to his son William before his death and his lands in Richmond County to his son Rowland and moved to modern day Stafford County, Virginia
Stafford County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a suburb outside of Washington D.C. It is approximately south of D.C. It is part of the Northern Virginia region, and the D.C area. It is one of the fastest growing, and highest ...
, with his son Francis. This move established Thornton's family and their wealth around the Fredericksburg area. Over time, the family estates were divided among more and more branches which diminished the individual wealth of family members but maintained their overall economic and political strength. Their marriages and familial connections brought three Presidents into his family George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
, James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...
and Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
.[ Though many had improved their positions through advantageous marriage, it is likely that Thornton and his brother were more prudent in seeking to establish themselves in the booming cotton regions.
Thornton's first marriage was to Mary Ann Glover (1808 - 1830), a native of Alabama who was the daughter of Allen Glover and Sarah Norwood.][ The Glover's had been a moderately affluent South Carolina family who, by the time of Thornton's marriage, had acquired vast land and slave holdings. Glover died within five years of their marriage and Thornton returned to Fredericksburg in 1830 and married his former neighbor and kinsman Anne Amelia Smith, the daughter of George Alexander Smith and Delia Forbes.][ Smith was connected to the Innes family through their Scottish lines and both of her parents were from prominent Scottish families descended from the Erskines of Alva and Aloa. Smith's brother, ]Murray Forbes Smith
Murray Forbes Smith (July 21, 1814 – May 4, 1875) was an American commission merchant best known as the father of Alva Belmont.
Early life
Smith was born on July 21, 1814 in Dumfries, Virginia. He was a son of Edinburgh born George Smith (1765†...
, brought great economic backing to Thornton through his cotton brokerage set up in Mobile
Mobile may refer to:
Places
* Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city
* Mobile County, Alabama
* Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S.
* Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Mobile ( ...
. Through Smith, Thornton was the uncle of Alva Vanderblit Belmont. Thornton's last marriage was to Sarah Williams Gould, the daughter William Proctor Gould and Eliza Williams Chotard. She was the widow of Samuel Merritt Gowdey. Sarah Gould Thornton outlived her husband, dying in 1885.[
Children by Mary Amelia Glover
*Mary Thornton
Children by Anne Amelia Smith
*George Francis Thornton,
*Jean Stirling Thornton
*Delia Forbes Smith Thornton
*James Innes Thornton Jr.
*Fitzgerald Thornton
*Katherine Marshall Thornton
*Innes Thornton
*Butler Brayne Thornton
*Harry Innes Thornton
Thornton and Sarah Williams Gould had no children.
]
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, James Innes
1800 births
1877 deaths
Secretaries of State of Alabama
Politicians from Fredericksburg, Virginia
Politicians from Huntsville, Alabama
Washington and Lee University alumni
19th-century American politicians
Slave cabins and quarters in the United States