Meet the Latimer Family
In sixteen years, Elizabeth Savage Latimer gave birth to nine children, yet only four boys survived to adulthood. Henry Gould Latimer (1845 – 1929) was trained as an artist, painting many admired works on display at the Latimer House today, including his 1918 painting of Wilmington’s famed Dram Tree. The second eldest son, William Latimer (1852 – 1923) attended Columbia University and practiced law. In 1888, William Latimer served as president of Wilmington and Seacoast Railroad, which took passengers from downtown Wilmington to Harbor Island near modern-day Wrightsville Beach. This railroad served as a precursor to the electric trolley lines that transported thousands of visitors to Wrightsville Beach, known at the turn of the twentieth century as the “playground of the South.” William Latimer and his younger brother Edward Savage Latimer (1857 – 1901) established Acme Fibre Company, which produced pine fibre bagging and matting. The youngest son was named Hebert Russell Latimer (1861 – 1887), who unfortunately succumbed to tuberculosis at the young age of twenty-eight, but not before fathering two children, Hebert Russell Latimer, Jr. (1885 – 1966) and Empie Latimer (1886 – 1948). These Latimer grandchildren were raised in Europe following their father’s death and both graduated from Princeton University. Both grandchildren served in WWI, Hebert Russell Latimer, Jr. receiving the medal cross and Empie Latimer receiving the Croix-de-Guerre for their bravery under fire.
When Hebert Russell Latimer, Jr. and Empie Latimer returned to Wilmington following the conclusion of WWI, only William Latimer’s widow was residing at the stately Latimer House. In 1922, this widow, Margaret Iredell Meares Latimer (1862 – 1956) built an addition onto the rear of the house to accommodate a modern kitchen. That same year, an artist by the name of Elisabeth Augusta Chant (1865 – 1947) arrived in Wilmington bent on creating an artist colony in the city. By 1930, Elisabeth Augusta Chant was renting a room at the Latimer House, and it was during this time she painted The Conversation, which depicts Margaret Iredell Meares Latimer, Herbert Russell Latimer, Jr., and Empie Latimer seated in the parlors. Since the Latimer House never left the family, many of the furnishings painted in The Conversation appear in their same location today.
In sixteen years, Elizabeth Savage Latimer gave birth to nine children, yet only four boys survived to adulthood. Henry Gould Latimer (1845 – 1929) was trained as an artist, painting many admired works on display at the Latimer House today, including his 1918 painting of Wilmington’s famed Dram Tree. The second eldest son, William Latimer (1852 – 1923) attended Columbia University and practiced law. In 1888, William Latimer served as president of Wilmington and Seacoast Railroad, which took passengers from downtown Wilmington to Harbor Island near modern-day Wrightsville Beach. This railroad served as a precursor to the electric trolley lines that transported thousands of visitors to Wrightsville Beach, known at the turn of the twentieth century as the “playground of the South.” William Latimer and his younger brother Edward Savage Latimer (1857 – 1901) established Acme Fibre Company, which produced pine fibre bagging and matting. The youngest son was named Hebert Russell Latimer (1861 – 1887), who unfortunately succumbed to tuberculosis at the young age of twenty-eight, but not before fathering two children, Hebert Russell Latimer, Jr. (1885 – 1966) and Empie Latimer (1886 – 1948). These Latimer grandchildren were raised in Europe following their father’s death and both graduated from Princeton University. Both grandchildren served in WWI, Hebert Russell Latimer, Jr. receiving the medal cross and Empie Latimer receiving the Croix-de-Guerre for their bravery under fire.
When Hebert Russell Latimer, Jr. and Empie Latimer returned to Wilmington following the conclusion of WWI, only William Latimer’s widow was residing at the stately Latimer House. In 1922, this widow, Margaret Iredell Meares Latimer (1862 – 1956) built an addition onto the rear of the house to accommodate a modern kitchen. That same year, an artist by the name of Elisabeth Augusta Chant (1865 – 1947) arrived in Wilmington bent on creating an artist colony in the city. By 1930, Elisabeth Augusta Chant was renting a room at the Latimer House, and it was during this time she painted The Conversation, which depicts Margaret Iredell Meares Latimer, Herbert Russell Latimer, Jr., and Empie Latimer seated in the parlors. Since the Latimer House never left the family, many of the furnishings painted in The Conversation appear in their same location today.
Zebulon Latimer
The Latimer Sons
William Latimer
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Herbert Russell Latimer Sr.
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Carrie Latimer, wife of Henry Gould Latimer
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Fannie Empie Latimer, wife of Herbert Russell Latimer Sr.
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