William Brisbane

Having no children of his own, in 1813(?) he adopted the youngest son of each of his two half brothers, John Stanyarne Brisbane and Adam Fowler Brisbane. To these he left the greater part of his fortune. Confusingly, both the adopted children were named William. William Brisbane 1809 - 1860 was a land owner and rice planter with a number of children who survived to aduldhood, and he thereby has very many descendants. The other, famously, would liberate his slaves in contravention of the political correctness of his time, place and class: he would die in relative poverty.

Tom Weimer recorded that the adoption occured because William and Mary Brisbane were considered wealthy and better able to educate the boys. Tom derives this explanation from the hand written diary of one of the two boys, William Henry Brisbane 1806 - 1878. The diary was still in the possession of W H B's descendants in May 1996 when Tom made that note.

William Henry Brisbane, in an autobiographical letter addressed to his eldest son, explains that he was called Willam Henry (rather than merely William) precisely in order to differentiate him from his cousin William who, though three years his junior, had lived with their Uncle William and Aunt Mary already for three years when in 1812 young William Henry came to live with them.