Robert Ruffin Barrow

Robert Ruffin Barrow (1798 – 1875) was one of the owners of the most land and slaves in the southern United States before the American Civil War. He owned sixteen plantations, mostly in Louisiana, and had large landholdings in Texas. He also invested money in projects in which he saw potential. The most well known investment he made was in the early submarine projects of his brother-in-law, Horace Hunley, for the Confederate States Navy.

Early life Barrow was born in 1798 in North Carolina. His father Bartholomew Barrow owned Afton Villa.

Career Barrow was one of the largest landowners in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, where he owned six plantations: Residence, Caillou Grove, Honduras, Myrtle Grove, Crescent Farm, and Point Farm. Residence Plantation took its name from the fact that Barrow regarded it as his home. Its main house Residence Plantation House is currently on the National Register of Historical Places. He also owned the Donaldsonville Plantation in Ascension Parish, the Locust Grove Plantation in Assumption Parish, the Oak Grove Plantation in Lafourche Parish, and several plantations in Texas.

During the American Civil War of 1861–1865, Barrow financed the construction of submarines for the Confederate States Navy. He lost much of his wealth as a result of the war, however much was regained back to his family and descendants.