Button Gwinnett

A person holding a baby in their arms, both looking at the camera, indoors.
Painting of a man with dark hair, wearing a white shirt and dark coat, with a neutral background.

BORN – April 10, 1735 at Down Hatherley, Gloucestershire, England.  He was named “Button” in honor of his godmother, Barbara Button.  Parents (Welsh and English ancestry) - Samuel Gwinnett (b1700-d1755) and Anne Eames Gwinnett (b1700-d1768).  Seven Children –John Price Gwinnett (___-d1777), Anna Maria Gwinnett (b1731-d1744, age 13), Samuel Gwinnett (b1732-d1792), Button Gwinnett (b1735-d1777), Thomas Price Gwinnett (b1736-___, died young), Robert Gwinnett (b1738-___, died young), Emilia Gwinnett (b1741-d1807).       

DIED - May 19, 1777 (age 42) near Savannah, GA.  He died from wounds received in a duel with a rival, Lachlan McIntosh, in Thunderbolt, GA, following a dispute over a failed invasion of Eastern Florida.  Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian / Congregationalist (Puritan).  Buried - Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah, GA. 

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of Button Gwinnett painted by Nathaniel Hone – the date and source to be determined.   However, no portrait or reliable likeness of Button Gwinnett is known to exist.  Tall and with a noble and commanding appearance.  Irritable temper, mild language, polite and graceful.   

FAMILY – Married - Ann Bourne (b1735-d1780) in 1757.  Three Children (one surviving to adulthood) – Amelia Gwinnett (b1758-d___, died young), Ann Gwinnett (b1759-d___, died young), Elizabeth (Betsy) Ann Gwinnett Belin (b1762-d1786).      

OCCUPATION – MERCHANT, PLANTER, GA GOVERNOR.  Attended the King's School, Gloucester, England.  Immigrated to America in 1762, arriving in Charleston, SC, and later moving to Savannah, GA in 1765.  Purchased a plantation on St. Catherine’s Island off the Georgia coast near the port of Sunbury in 1766.  Member of the Continental Congress representing Georgia in 1776.  Governor of Georgia in 1777.  

AT SIGNING – Age 41 at signing.  First to sign of the three member delegation from Georgia.  His signature on documents is rare among the Signers and is very valuable and sought after by signature collectors. 

AFTER SIGNING – The British seized his St. Catherine’s Island estate during the war.  Served briefly as Governor of Georgia in 1777.  His ambition was to become a general of Georgia troops, but the man who would become his nemesis, Lachlan McIntosh, was appointed instead.  Was killed in a pistol duel with McIntosh in Sir James Wright’s pasture a few miles east of Savannah in 1777.  Was the first Signer to die. 

HISTORICAL SITES                                                                                                                                     

St. Catherine’s Home – Gwinnett House, St. Catherine’s Island, GA (1750).  Located on the north end of St. Catherine’s Island, GA 31522.  Privately owned.                                                                                                                                                              

Gravesite – Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah, GA (1750).  Located at 201 Abercorn Street, Savannah, GA 31401, Phone 912-651-6843, Website www.visit-historic-savannah.com/colonial-park-cemetery.html.  There is the Button Gwinnett Monument at the cemetery.  However, the exact burial location is unknown.  The original tombstone was lost when Union cavalry camped there during the Civil War and vandalized or destroyed many grave markers.                                                                               

Monument – Signers Monument, Augusta, GA (1848).  Located at the 500 block of Greene Street in front of the Augusta Municipal Center, Augusta, GA 30912.  The monument honors the three Signers from Georgia including Button Gwinnett.

Wales Estate – Cottrell Park and Golf Resort.  Located at St. Nicholas, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, CF5 6SJ, Phone 01446 781781, Website www.cottrellpark.com.  Ancestral estate of Button and Gwinnett families, although the original manor house / castle was demolished. 

Front view of a two-story house with a covered porch, white exterior, and dormer windows, surrounded by a lawn and trees.

Button Gwinnett’s House, St. Catherine’s Island, GA (1750). 

Located on the north end o St. Catherine’s Island, GA.  Privately owned.                                                                               

Called the Old House and Tabby House, the restored house is believed to have belonged to and lived in by Button Gwinnett.  Restored slave cottages made of Tabby are nearby.