One of the non-resident planter families of Issaquena County during antebellum times was the Hampton family of Columbia, South Carolina. This family owned a vast tract of land in the northern part of the county near the Turnbull family estates. Their land holdings extended from Issaquena County to Lake Washington in Washington County, and their plantations included Walnut Ridge and Wild Woods in Issaquena County and Linden in Washington County. Hampton family members owning plantations in Issaquena County included Wade Hampton II and his sons Wade Hampton III and Christopher Fitzsimmons Hampton. It is also evident that a daughter and sister, Mary Fisher Hampton lived on the Mississippi plantations. The Hampton family was probably acquainted with the Issaquena Turnbull family, as both families had Charleston, South Carolina connections and their Issaquena County land holdings were in the same part of the county. According to the 1860 Issaquena County slave schedules, the Hampton family plantations in the county were the homes to 335 slaves. The plantations were overseen by 44 year old Thomas Hamel, an Irish immigrant who moved to Issaquena County from South Carolina and A.F. Rhodes, a 30 year old resident born in North Carolina. Also, Colonel John Heath served as Christopher Hampton's agent on the Lake Washington plantation. Records indicate that the Hampton families came to Issaquena County quite often.The elder Wade Hampton died in the county on February 10, 1858, and was buried in Columbia, South Carolina. After the Civil War, Wade Hampton III lived on his plantation here in Mississipi for eight years before returning to South Carolina where he pursued his political interests.

Wade Hampton II was born April 21, 1791 and died on February 10, 1858 on Walnut Ridge plantation in Issaquena County. He was the son of General Wade Hampton (1752-1835) and Harriet Flud of South Carolina. He married Ann Fitzsimmons on March 6, 1817 in Charleston, South Carolina (daughter of Christopher Fitzsimons and Catharine Pritchard). She was born January 1, 1794 in Charleston and died February 26, 1833 on Millwood Plantation, Richland County, South Carolina. Their children included: Wade Hampton III (born March 28, 1818 in Charleston, South Carolina, died April 11, 1902 in Columbia, South Carolina); Christopher Fitzsimmons Hampton (born August 11, 1821 on Millwood Plantation, Richland County, South Carolina, died June 8, 1886 on Linden Plantation, Washington County, Mississippi); Harriet Flud Hampton (born April 16, 1823 on Millwood Plantation, Richland County, South Carolina, died June 2, 1848 on Millwood Plantation); Catharine P. Hampton (born November 24, 1824 on Millwood Plantation, died August 10, 1916 in Columbia, South Carolina); Ann M. Hampton (born September 7, 1826 on Millwood Plantation, died May 5, 1914 in Columbia, South Carolina); Caroline Louisa Hampton (born January 25, 1828 on Millwood Plantation, died 1902 in Richland County, South Carolina); Frank Hampton (born June 19, 1829 on Millwood Plantation, died June 9, 1863 at Brandy Station, Culpeper County, Virginia); Mary Fisher Hampton (born January 13, 1833 on Millwood Plantation, died December 12, 1866, Richland County, South Carolina).

Wade Hampton was born in South Carolina during 1754 and died in Columbia, South Carolina on February 4, 1835. He served during the American Revolution and was a member of Congress from 1795-1797 and a presidential elector in 1801. He served again in Congress from 1803 to 1805. He was a colonel in the United States army in 1808, and was promoted to brigadier-general during 1809 while stationed in New Orleans. On April 6, 1814 he resigned his commission and returned to South Carolina where he acquired a large fortune with land speculating. At his death it was told that he was the wealthiest planter in the United States, owning 3,000 slaves.

Wade Hampton II was born on April 21, 1791 and died on his Issaquena County plantation on February 10, 1858. He bacame lieutenant of the dragoons in 1811, and was acting inspector-general and aide to General Andrew Jackson at New Orleans during 1815. After the death of his father in 1835, he was manager of the vast estates. His home in Columbia, South Carolina was famous for its beauty and elegance. His sisters married General John S. Preston and Governor Richard Manning.

Wade Hampton III was born in Charleston, South Carolina on March 28, 1818. He received private instruction and graduated from the South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia in 1836. He then studied law but never practiced. Under his father's training he became a good horseman, a famous hunter, and an accomplished fisherman. His earlier life was devoted to his plantation interests in South Carolina and Issaquena and Washington counties in Mississippi. He was a well known planter and member of the South Carolina state house of representatives from 1852 to 1856 and a member of the state senate from 1858 to 1861. He served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, raising and commanding Hampton's Legion. He was wounded three times and was made brigadier general in 1862, major general in 1863 and lieutenant general in 1865. He served as Governor of South Carolina from 1876 to 1879 and was elected in 1878 as a Democrat to the United States Senate. He was reelected in 1884 and served from March 4, 1879 until March 3, 1891. He was the United States railroad commissioner from 1893 to 1897. Wade Hampton III died in Columbia, South Carolina on April 11, 1902. Interment was in Trinity Cathedral Churchyard in the family plot.

SOURCES

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Hampton, Wade 1752-1835 http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000140

Wade Hampton Papers. Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/h/Hampton,Wade(1752-1835).html

HarpWeek. Wade Hampton Biography http://elections.harpweek.com/2biographies//bio-1872-Full.asp?UniqueID=16&Year=1872

Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, edited by James Grant Wilson and John Fiske. Six volumes, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887-1889 & edited Stanley L. Klos, 1999; Wade Hampton Biography http://www.famousamericans.net/wadehampton/

Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi, Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891, Colonel John Heath Sr. Biography http://www.rootsweb.com/~msissaq2/heath1.html

Issaquena County Genealogy and History, The 1860 Federal Census Schedule 2 http://www.rootsweb.com/~msissaq2/slave60.html

Issaquena County Genealogy and History, The 1860 Federal Census Page 5 http://www.rootsweb.com/~msissaq2/census60c.html