William H. Wharton was still mourning the premature passing of his younger brother, when he accidentally cut his own life short on March 14, 1839.
At ages 14 and 10, William and John Austin Wharton suddenly became orphans after losing both parents in 1816. A big-hearted uncle in their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee opened his home to the boys and three other siblings. Jesse Wharton not only kept the children together but provided each of them with a first-class education.
William and John were gifted students, who earned undergraduate and law degrees and admission to bar in their early twenties. The older Wharton was the first to migrate to Texas coming in 1826. The date of John’s arrival is in dispute with some historians claiming he followed in 1829 and others arguing he waited until 1833.
