Middleton, N. Russell (Nathaniel Russell), 1810-1890

Nathaniel Russell Middleton of Charleston, S.C., was a plantation owner, treasurer of the Northeastern Railroad Company, and treasurer of the city of Charleston. Other family members represented include Annie DeWolf Middleton (1815-1908) of Bristol, R.I., N. R. Middleton's second wife; and the children bythis second marriage: Maria Louisa Middleton (b. 1844), Annie Elizabeth Middleton (b. 1847), Alicia Hopton Middleton (b. 1849), Nathaniel Russell Middleton, Jr. (1851-1896), and Charlotte Helen Middleton (b. 1854).

From the description of N. Russell Middleton papers, 1761-1919 [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 22758010

Charleston, South Carolina plantation owner, South Carolina state representative, educator, and president of the College of Charleston (1857-1880). Middleton's second wife was Anna Elizabeth de Wolf (1815-1908) of Bristol (R.I.), by whom he had a son and four daughters, including Nathaniel Russell Middleton (1851-1896), Maria Louisa Middleton (b. 1844), who married Thomas W. Doar, and Charlotte Helen Middleton (b. 1854), who married Edward Padelford de Wolf.

From the description of Nathaniel Russell Middleton papers, 1823-1881. (College of Charleston). WorldCat record id: 6642466

Nathaniel Russell Middleton (1810-1890) was the son of Arthur Middleton (1785-1837) and Alicia Hopton Middleton (d. 1840). He had one brother, Ralph Izard Middleton (1814-1891), and two sisters, Mary Christiana Middleton (1819-1824), and Anne Manigault Middleton (1820-1876) who married, in 1841, Reverend William Dehon.

Nathaniel Russell Middleton's paternal ancestors were a wealthy and prominent South Carolina family. His maternal grandfather, Nathaniel Russell, a Charleston merchant, was the son of Joseph Russell who at one time was the chief justice of Rhode Island. Nathaniel thus had connections with southern planters and with New England men of business.

Middleton attended Mr. Southworth's Church school, Geneva College, New York, and the College of Charleston. After he graduated, he spent some time in Europe. In 1832 he married Margaret Emma Izard (d. 1836) and had three sons, Arthur Middleton (b. 1832), Henry Izard Middleton (b. 1833), and Walter Izard Middleton (1836-1871). In 1842 he married Anna Elizabeth DeWolf (1815-1908), daughter of Henry and Anna E. Marston DeWolf and had four daughters and one son: Maria Louisa Middleton (b. 1844) who married Thomas Waties Doar in 1873; Annie Elizabeth Middleton (b. 1847); Alicia Hopton Middleton (b. 1849); Nathaniel Russell Middleton, Jr. (1851-1896); and Charlotte Helen Middleton (b. 1854) who, in 1878, married Edward Padelford DeWolf, at Bristol, Rhode Island.

Middleton managed his plantation, Bolton-on-the-Stono, for many years, finally selling it in 1852 due to financial difficulties. He was appointed treasurer of the Northeastern Railroad Company and later served for several years as treasurer of the city of Charleston. In 1857 he was offered the presidency of the College of Charleston and became its fifth president. He proved to be well suited to the position. The college remained open during the Civil War except for a few months after the evacuation of Charleston by the Confederates in 1865. He instituted a policy in 1862 under which students could enter military service and perform their duties when not engaged with their studies. The college continued to operate through Reconstruction and Middleton remained the president until 1880.

Middleton's second wife, Anna DeWolf Middleton, was originally from Bristol, Rhode Island. For health reasons, she spent the summer season almost every year with her family in Rhode Island and took her children with her. In later years, Middleton also spent the summer months in Rhode Island.

(Adapted from a sketch on Nathaniel Russell Middleton by Harrison Randolph in the Dictionary of American Biography, vol. 12, p. 602, and an article on the Middleton Family in the South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, July 1900).

From the guide to the N. Russell Middleton Papers, ., 1761-1919, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)