The Drayton family all descended from South Carolina where it all began. But which relative was the first to move out of the South, and settle in the North?
Thomas Drayton and His Descendants
The earliest descendant to come to the New Word was Thomas Drayton, II (1650-1724). He was one of the English settlers to arrive in the colony of Charles Towne (known today as Charleston, South Carolina) from Barbados.
In 1676, he built the Magnolia Plantation along the Ashley River for his wife and family. The home was owned by the Drayton family for over 300 years!
The family continued to live at the plantation until William Drayton (1732-1790) decided to sell his family plantation to his uncle John in 1774.
After returning to South Carolina from his education in England, he became involved in public office. He was elected Chief Justice of East Florida in 1765, until he was prompted to return to South Carolina after a dispute with Governor Patrick Tonyn. Tension between England and the Colonies began to climb, and William was suspended from the Provincial Council in Charleston for his support of the Colonies. He was reappointed and suspended again until William had enough.
At the end of the war, William became Judge of the Admiralty Court of South Carolina, and later Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of the state. After the establishment of the Federal government, William was appointed by President George Washington to be the first judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. Unfortunately, he died in office and only served on the court for six months.
Fun Fact # 2: Sometime during his term as Chief Justice of East Florida, he owned a plantation on an island known today as Drayton Island.
His son William, Jr. (1776-1846) continued in his father's footsteps to pursue a career in public office.
William was raised on Drayton Island, and just like his father, he and his siblings were educated in England. But after his father died, William was prompted to return to South Carolina where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1797, and began his practice in Charleston.
He was then elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1806 to 1808. In 1812, he served as lieutenant colonel of the 10th Infantry of the US Army during the War of 1812, was promoted to colonel of the 18th Infantry, and finally to inspector general.
After the resignation of Joel R. Poinsett, William was elected to the 19th US Congress as a member of the House of Representatives from South Carolina's first district. He served in Congress from 1825 to 1833. He was part of the Committee on Military Affair.
Fun Fact # 3: William declined the offer to be appointed Secretary of War by President Andrew Jackson and also as Minister to England. He was the last Jacksonian to run for office in South Carolina.
After his career in Congress, William moved to Philadelphia where he became president of the Second Bank of the United States, serving from 1840 to 1841, succeeding Nicholas Biddle.
Fun Fact # 4: Around 1828, William may have met Edgar Allen Poe while stationed at Sullivan's Island. Poe made a dedication to him in his book Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque.
The Cedars Estate
Prior to the move to Philadelphia, William already raised his family in Charleston, including raising his son from his second marriage, William Heyward Drayton (1817-1892). He was educated in Charleston until attending St. Mary's College in Baltimore. After graduation, he went on to become a civil engineer for 2-3 years.
When the Panic of 1837 struck, railroad building had stopped, and it caused William to shift his career into law, and moved to Philadelphia to study under Thomas I. Wharton. He was then admitted to the bar in 1842, and continued his practice ever since.
He served in the Civil War as a sergeant in the 119th Regiment, also known as the Gray Reserves, at the Battle of Gettysburg.
He became interested in agriculture, and decided to pursue it when he built a country home in Whitpain some time in the 1850s or 60s. As a result of his passion for farming, he became president of the old Farmer's Club and the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture.
His wife Harriet and his children lived on 208 South Fourth Street in Philadelphia from 1851 to 1864.
His wife died a few years after him at their country home, which was passed onto her son Henry Edward Drayton (1853-1938). Henry was born in Philadelphia and attended St. Paul's School and then later at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He majored in manufacturing and was a member of the Delta Phi Fraternity. He was a merchant and manufacturer of sole leather from 1897 to 1905.
Henry continued farming on the property for many years while spending the summers there.
Their property was demolished, and transformed into a natural preserve, named Armentrout Preserve, owned by the Wissahickon Trails.
Architecture
The Cedars estate was built was after William Drayton settled in Whitpain during the 1850s or 60s. It is a Victorian-style home with a porch wrapped around the home, the overhanging eaves under the roof, a centered-gable roof, paired windows on the third floor, convex and triangular crowns over the windows on the second floor. From the architectural features shown on the home, it leans more with the Italianate style.
Bibliography
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