Randy, since the Newberry has a seminar in family history (and brings scholars from all over the nation and the world there) and has a great collection for such material, it would surely be a good place to do this kind of research. But instead of taking shots an at institution that you have never been to (and apparently know little about) maybe someone who is serious about these issues should do some research. It would be reasonably simple to take the entering class (or better the graduating class) of a few southern colleges and universities, for a few years, and see what the social class was of those who graduated. Mostly they would have been members of the elite; the children of the wealthy. That was always been true in the United States, north and south, at least until WWII. The planter class probably exaggerates the issue; since we know that sons of ministers, etc. went to college sometime. But we also know most people could not afford to take the time and spend the money on college. Paul Finkelman President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy Albany Law School 80 New Scotland Avenue Albany, New York 12208-3494 518-445-3386 [log in to unmask] >>> Randy Cabell <[log in to unmask]> 12/15/07 7:13 AM >>> My Great Grandfather, Hugh Holmes McGuire was the son of Dr. McGuire and Ann Eliz Moss McGuire and grew up in Winchester. He attended Washington University (later W&L) though he did not graduate. Sewanne was established in Sewanee, TN to educate ministers. I don't think Edgar Allen Poe, who attended the University of Virginia, was from the Planter Class, unless you expand the definition of "Planter Class" to ALL white folks who were not sharecroppers and/or chopped cotton. It appears to me that the statement about the colleges being exclusively for the Plantation Class must come from the same ilk at those lordly New Englanders who claim they have the first Thanksgiving. To resolve this, I suggest you call upon the panel of good folks at Newberry since that group seems to be regarded as a (the?) voice of authority on such matters. :))))))) Randy Cabell ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anne Pemberton" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, December 14, 2007 9:13 PM Subject: [VA-HIST] Southern Colleges > In a discussion about "The Education of Henry Adams", someone remarked > that the colleges in the south were exclusively for the plantation class. > Can someone provide examples of southern non-planter sons who attended > college prior to the Civil War? > > Thanks a bunch! > > Anne > > Anne Pemberton > [log in to unmask] > http://www.erols.com/apembert > http://www.educationalsynthesis.org > ______________________________________ > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions > at > http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html