William McWhir (1759-1851) was born on September 9 in County Down, Ireland. he attended the College of Belfast where he studied theology. After receiving his license to the ministry from Belfast Presbytery, he moved to the United States, settling in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1783. For the next ten years McWhir served as the headmaster of the Alexandria Academy. In 1793, he moved to Sunbury, Georgia, where he appointed principal of the Sunbury Academy. Under his leadership over the next thirty years, this academy earned a reputation for academic excellence throughout Georgia and the Southeast. In 1815, McWhir married Mary Baker, the widow of Col. John Baker. After returning to Georgia from a trip to Ireland in 1819, Rev. McWhir retired from the Sunbury Academy but continued to tutor privately. During this time he assumed the position of supply minister throughout the Presbytery of Georgia. When not traveling for the church in Georgia and Florida, he lived at his plantation named Springfield, located near Sunbury. Rev. William McWhir died on January 31, 1851, in Sunbury at the home of Roswell King. He is buried in the Old Sunbury Cemetery.
From the description of Susan H. Keller collection on William McWhir, ca. 1840-1851. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 43886776
