Students and graduates of the College of William and Mary 1756 to 1765: Plantation owners, planters, merchants, and politicians

The purpose of this study was to explore the contributions to society by attendees at the College of William & Mary (CW&M) and their contributions to the economic growth of the Colony of Virginia from 1756---1765. The problem of practice was that without knowing the individual contributions of the students it is not possible to understand the impact of the colonial higher education experience. The problem of research was the lack of information on the educational experiences of CW&M students and their individual contributions: on what its students did after college, and thus on their contributions to Virginia. The study employed an interpretive paradigm within a case study research design using qualitative historical methods through genealogy and historical research. The population of this study was drawn from 822 students,then narrowed to 79 students who attended the CW&M after the Statutes of 1756. This group was narrowed to 15 who had completed four or more years of study between 1756 and 1765. This group was narrowed to 15 who had completed four or more years of study between 1756 and 1765. These students were from 8 of the 18 counties east of the Fall Line, commonly called the Tidewater Region. The key findings of the study were from the bio-sketch of each student and their direct male ancestors since the family settled in the Virginia Colony. The student portion of the bio-sketch includes their background (demographics, stratum of society, geographic location, and preparation for college), student experiences (curriculum, co-curriculum, and teaching methods) during the period of the study and after graduation accomplishments. The limitations of this study involve the colonial time frame, a CW&M data base hampered by the loss of records by fire, and the destruction of records from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Important findings include student diversity that crossed class, financial, and geographic boundaries; multiple college preparation venues; curriculum change through pedagogy; co-curricular student experiences; and the vast array of post-college accomplishments. This is the first study of colonial higher education that uses a bio-sketch of the subject and their ancestors to document collegiate experiences and educational outcomes.