Walter Ross Wade (1810–1862) was an American physician and planter in the Antebellum South. He owned the Rosswood Plantation, a cotton plantation in Jefferson County, Mississippi. His diary was published posthumously.
Walter Ross Wade | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1810 |
| Died | 1862 (aged 51–52) |
| Occupation(s) | Physician, planter |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Daniel Wade Jean Brown Ross |
| Relatives | Isaac Ross (grandfather) |
Biography edit
Early life edit
Walter Ross Wade was born in 1810 in South Carolina.[1][2] His father was Daniel Wade and his mother, Jean Brown Ross.[2] His maternal grandfather was Isaac Ross, the first owner of the Prospect Hill Plantation.[3]
Career edit
He worked as a physician, treating patients in the Natchez District.[3][4] He kept a diary of his patient visits and other activities.[3][4]
He purchased the Rosswood Plantation, a 1,250-acre cotton plantation in Jefferson County, Mississippi.[4][5][6] He owned more than 100 African slaves who picked cotton in the fields.[6] In 1857, he hired architect David Schroeder to design the Greek Revival mansion.[5][6][7] It was built as a gift for his second wife.[3] The Wades entertained guests regularly and went fox-hunting on the grounds.[3] During the American Civil War of 1861–1865, they invited the Confederate States Army to use the mansion as a Confederate hospital.[7]
Personal life edit
He married a cousin, Martha Taylor Wade.[2] They had two children.[2] After she died, he married Mabella Jane Duncan Chamberlain, and they also had two children.[3]
Death edit
He died in 1862.[1]
Legacy edit
His diary was published posthumously. In 2003, it was recorded as an audio book on a CD.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b Wade Family Papers, 1847-1851, University of South Carolina Libraries
- ^ a b c d Google Books: Journal description
- ^ a b c d e f g Walter Wade's Rosswood Plantation diary now available on CD, Natchez Democrat, September 17, 2003
- ^ a b c The History of the Rosswood Plantation
- ^ a b Bill Seratt, A Whimsical Farm of Frogs and the Singing Chef of Lorman, Visit Vicksburg, September 25, 2014
- ^ a b c Jack and Winnie Baldwin, Baldwin's Guide to Inns of Mississippi, Pelican Publishing, p. 79 [1]
- ^ a b Marc R. Matrana, Lost Plantations of the South, Oxford, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2009, p. 142 [2]