William Gist was the natural son of Francis Fincher Gist (c. 1773–1819), a Charleston merchant and South Carolina state representative,Biographical Directory of the South Carolina House of Representatives, 5:106 who by 1811 had purchased land in Upstate South Carolina. Either Francis Fincher or William Henry built a Georgian-style brick house (c. 1811–1830), eventually called Rose Hill after the many varieties of roses planted in its formal gardens.
