William Scarbrough (February 18, 1776 – June 11, 1838) was an American sea merchant. He was one of the principal owners of the SS ''Savannah'', which in 1819 became the first
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
in the world to cross the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
.
Life and career
Scarbrough was born in
Barnwell County, South Carolina
Barnwell County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,589. Barnwell County is part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the Central Savann ...
, on February 18, 1776, the son of William Sr., a wealthy planter, and Lucy Sawyer.
He was educated at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, before moving to
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
, around 1798.
He became a bank director, an election manager, a member of the board of health, a
vestryman
A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body.Anstice, Henry (1914). ''What Every Warden and Vestryman Should Know.'' Church literature press He is not a member of the clergy.Potter, Henry Codman (1890). ''The Offices of Wa ...
at Savannah's Christ Church, was on the vice council of Denmark and Sweden, and was council general of Russia.
On April 18, 1805, he married Julia Bernard, with whom he had ten children: Charlotte deBernier, William, William G., Julia Henrietta, Lucy, Mary T., Joseph, Eliza, Emily and William Isaac. The couple hosted
James Monroe
James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...
, the sitting fifth
United States president
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United State ...
, in 1819.
In 1818, Scarbrough became president of the Savannah Steamship Company, which launched the SS ''Savannah'' the following year. It became the first steamship to cross the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
.
Also in 1819, he had built what is today known as the
William Scarbrough House
William Scarbrough House is a historic house in Savannah, Georgia. Built in 1819, and subjected to a number later alterations, it is nationally significant as an early example of Greek Revival architecture, and is one of the few surviving Americ ...
on West Broad Street (today's Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard).
The SS ''Savannah'' was not a success, and in November 1820, Scarbrough was in the midst of an "emotional and physical collapse". He was declared an insolvent debtor by the court, and his house and its furnishings were sold to a relative. The relative permitted Scarbrough and his family to remain in the home.
In the late 1820s and early 1830s, Scarbrough worked as an agent for the Upper Darien Steam Rice and Saw Mill in
Darien, Georgia
Darien () is a city in and the county seat of McIntosh County, Georgia, United States. It lies on Georgia's coast at the mouth of the Altamaha River, approximately south of Savannah, and is part of the Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statist ...
. He returned to Savannah in 1835.
Death
Scarbrough died on June 11, 1838, while in New York City with his son-in-law
Godfrey Barnsley
Godfrey Barnsley (1805–1873) was a nineteenth-century British-American businessman and cotton broker who became one of the wealthiest people in the southeastern United States.
Early life
Barnsley was born on August 26, 1805, in Derbyshire, Engl ...
. He was 62. He was interred in a vault in Savannah's