The Making of a Legacy: Three Generations of Drayton Family Women and Their Influences on the Landscape of the Lowcountry and Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Charleston

For eight generations, the Drayton family of South Carolina and their properties have played significant roles in the history and development of the city of Charleston. As scholars have extensively explored the successes of the Drayton patriarchs of the colonial era, this thesis will showcase the accomplishments of the three generations of eighteenth and nineteenth century Drayton family women in property management and estate development, revealing their influences on the establishment and expansion of one of Charleston\u27s most recognized family legacies in property wealth and architectural grandeur. This study intends to prove through property and genealogical research that the legendary influences of Ann Drayton (c. 1680-1742), Rebecca Perry Drayton (1758-1840) and Charlotte Drayton Manigault (1781-1855) on the Drayton family estate were both significant and far-reaching, and uncover their connections to the construction, restoration and preservation of Drayton Hall. During a time when marriage meant loss of property rights and power, Ann, Rebecca and Charlotte will prove to be unique through a discussion of women\u27s property rights and responsibilities in the American South in the colonial and antebellum eras. The thesis is intended to assist Drayton Hall in providing solid evidence in its quest to understand the influence of the Drayton women on Drayton Hall, as well as their imprint on the Lowcountry landscape of South Carolina