William James Rivers

Background

William James Rivers was born on July 17, 1822 in Charleston, South Carolina, the son of John David and Eliza Frances (Ridgewood) Rivers.

Education

He received his preparatory education there and was graduated in 1841 from the South Carolina College.

Career

He returned to Charleston and established a private school, which he conducted with marked success, until he was elected in 1856 professor of Greek literature in South Carolina College. When this institution was reopened in 1865 as the University of South Carolina, he became professor of ancient languages and literature.

In the summer of 1873 he resigned to accept the presidency of Washington College at Chestertown, Maryland, where he served until 1887.

Besides his interest in classical studies, he was a careful student of the history of his native state. He was one of the founders, in 1855, and was the first corresponding secretary of the South Carolina Historical Society. Six years later he published his most important historical work, A Sketch of the History of South Carolina to the Close of the Proprietary Government by the Revolution of 1719.

With an Appendix Containing Many Valuable Records Hitherto Unpublished. This work was prepared from abstracts of the papers in the Public Record Office in London, from the manuscript journals of the Commons House or Council, and from the few printed sources available. It has not been superseded. The volume entitled A Chapter in the Early History of South Carolina, published in 1874, appeared as a supplement to the book of 1856. Among his contributions to periodicals are three articles in Russell's Magazine on certain events in the history of the state, based on documents not used before. "Introduction of Printing into South Carolina" in September 1858, an article not signed but attributed to him by Salley, "Attack on Charleston by the French and Spaniards in 1706, " in the issue of August 1859, which he had had copied from the Public Record Office in London, and "The Carolina Regiment in the Expedition against St. Augustine in 1740, " in the issue of September 1859.

He also compiled the "Roll of Honor, " a manuscript record of the soldiers of South Carolina who were killed or died in the Civil War, "the best piece of work done before or since" on these records. In Justin Winsor's Narrative and Critical History of America he wrote the chapter on "The Carolinas". Addresses and Other Occasional Pieces was issued in 1893, when he had taken up his residence in Baltimore, where he remained with his family till his death.

Achievements

• An excellent scholar and an enthusiastic and earnest teacher, he won the love and admiration of his students, to whom he was known as "Hoi Potamoi. " His first contribution to the history of South Carolina was a small volume published in 1850 at Charleston, Topics in the History of South Carolina.

Works

More photos

• book

  • A Chapter in the Early History of South Carolina (Classic Reprint)

    (Excerpt from A Chapter in the Early History of South Caro...)

  • Topics in the History of South-Carolina (Classic Reprint)

    (Excerpt from Topics in the History of South-Carolina In ...)

Connections

He married Maria (Bancroft) Rivers. They had five children.

Father:

John David

Mother:

Eliza Frances (Ridgewood) Rivers

Spouse:

Maria (Bancroft) Rivers