The Button and Gwinnett Family of St Nicholas. Button Gwinnett (1735 – May 19, 1777) whose family was from the Cottrel Estate, St Nicholas just up the road from Ely, was a British-born American political leader who, as a representative of Georgia to the Continental Congress, was the second of the signatories (first signature on the left) on the United States Declaration of Independence. He was also, briefly, the provisional president of Georgia in 1777, and Gwinnett County (now a major suburb of metropolitan Atlanta) was named after him. Gwinnett was killed in a duel by a rival, Colonel Lachlan McIntosh, following a dispute after a failed invasion of East Florida. The family from St Nicholas who owned the Cottrell Estate in bygone years had a son named Button Gwinnette, Button being the surname of his mothers cousin Barbara Button. Barbara willed the Manor of Cottrell (St Nicholas) to her cousin Emilie Button, who married Rev. Samuel Gwinnette Jr., Button Gwinnettes oldest brother. Button Gwinnett died as a result of a pistol duel with Colonel Lachlan McIntosh in May 1777 just outside Savannah. Both men suffered wounds, but Gwinnett died a few days later of a gangrenous infection in his leg. Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah contains a grave reputed to be his.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 12:15:21 +0000
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