David Hunt (planter)
| David Hunt | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 22, 1779 near Trenton, New Jersey |
| Died | May 18, 1861 Jefferson County, Mississippi |
| Resting place | Calviton Plantation cemetery near Rodney, Mississippi |
| Residence | Woodlawn Plantation, Jefferson County, Mississippi |
| Occupation | Planter, philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret (Stampley) Hunt Mary (Calvit) Hunt Ann (Ferguson) Hunt |
| Relatives | Andrew Hunt (brother) Abijah Hunt (uncle) |
For other people named David Hunt, see .
David Hunt (1779-1861) was an American planter based in the Natchez District of Mississippi who controlled 25 plantations, thousands of acres and more than 1,000 slaves in the antebellum era. From New Jersey, he joined his uncle in Mississippi business. He became a major philanthropist in the South, contributing to educational institutions in Mississippi, as well as the American Colonization Society and Mississippi Colonization Society, of which he was a founding member.
Known as "King David," Hunt made a fortune in cotton production and sales. He was one of twelve millionaires residing near Natchez, Mississippi at a time when there were 35 millionaires in the entire United States.
David Hunt was born on October 22, 1779 on a farm near Ringoes, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It was west and in the country compared to the capital of Trenton, New Jersey. He had a brother, Andrew Hunt, and several half siblings from his father Jonathan's second marriage. They were descendants of Ralph Hunt the line being Ralph, Edward, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan.
Hunt moved as a young man to the Natchez District in approximately 1800.
Hunt inherited Woodlawn Plantation near Rodney, Mississippi from his uncle, Abijah Hunt (1762-1811), who had become wealthy as a merchant to the Army and later in cotton. He ended up owning twenty-five plantations in the Natchez District. In addition to the twenty-one plantations listed below, Hunt also owned the following four plantations: Fatherland, Fairview, Oak Burn and Givin Place.
Shortly before the American Civil War, Hunt and his adult children owned a total of some 1,700 slaves and controlled tens of thousands of acres of land. Cyrus Bellus and Peter Brown were two of David Hunt's slaves whose interviews are included in the WPA Slave Narrative Collection for the state of Arkansas.
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