James Henry Carlisle James Henry Carlisle, Wofford's most
influential faculty member of the 19th century, was born in
Winnsboro, South Carolina on May 4, 1825. He was the second son
of Dr. William Carlisle and Mary Anne Buchanan Carlisle, though
his older brother died in infancy. His parents, who were first
cousins, were both born in Ireland. His father's family,
including both of his Carlisle grandparents, migrated from
County Antrim in 1818. All of these members of the family are
buried in the Methodist churchyard in Winnsboro. James H.
Carlisle grew up and was educated in Winnsboro before riding off
on horseback to South Carolina College in 1842. There, he joined
the sophomore class and graduated in December 1844, the second
honor graduate of his class. He taught in the Odd Fellows
Academy in Columbia, and the Columbia Male Academy, for a number
of years, and in 1848, married Mary Jane Bryce. He was attending
a meeting of the South Carolina Annual Conference in Newberry in
the fall of 1853 when someone tol