James Habersham (1712-1775) was born in Yorkshire, England in January, 1712. He came to Savannah, Georgia, in 1738 and founded the Bethesda Orphan Home with George Whitefield and from 1741 to 1744, Habersham ran the orphanage. In 1744, he left this position to start the firm Harris & Habersham, one of the earliest such businesses in Savannah. He married Mary Bolton on December 26, 1740, and had ten children, but only three sons survived their father: James Jr. (d. 1799), Joseph (1751-1815), and John. Habersham (1754-1799). He took an active part in the political affairs of Georgia and was elected president of the upper house of the General Assembly in 1767. In the absence of Governor Sir James Wright in 1771-1773, Habersham served as Acting Governor. He was a prosperous land owner and a strong advocate for allowing slavery in Georgia. When, in 1749, slavery became legal in the state, Habersham established many rice plantations. Forever loyal to England, he died in New Brunswick, New Jersey, August 28, 1775, shortly before the outbreak of the American Revolution. John Habersham (1754-1799), a son of James Habersham (1712-1775), served with distinction in the American Revolution with the 1st Georgia Regiment, Continental Line, and rose to the rank of Major. He was president of the Georgia Executive Council in 1784, a delegate to the Continental Congress, 1785-1786, Chairman of the Georgia Commissioners for the Shoulder-Bone Treaty with the Creek Indians in 1786, one of the commissioners from Georgia for settling the boundary between South Carolina at Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1787, and Collector of the Port of Savannah, 1791-1799. Joseph Habersham (1751-1815), a son of James Habersham (1712-1775), graduated from Princeton and became a merchant in Savannah, first with his brother James, and later with his cousin, Joseph Clay. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, he was a member of the Council of Safety, and took part in some of the actions of the "Liberty Boys." It was he who, with a selected party, arrested Governor Sir James Wright in 1776. He was commissioned by the Council of Safety as a Major of a battalion with the 1st Georgia Regiment, Continental Line in 1776 and rose to the rank of Colonel. He resigned his commission in 1778. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress, 1785-1786, Mayor of Savannah, 1792, and Post Master General of the United States, appointed by President George Washington in 1795. Robert Habersham (1783-1870), a son of Joseph Habersham (1751-1815), was a merchant in Savannah. His son, Robert Habersham, Jr. (1812-1832) graduated from Harvard in 1831 and died in Savannah, August 31, 1832, after going swimming and catching a cold.
From the description of Habersham family papers, 1712-1842. (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 281307325
