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Historical Sketches

H

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Octogenarian,

By THOMAS L. PRESTON.

PUBLISHED FOE THE AUTHOR BY
B. F. JOHNSON PUBLISHING CO.
RICHMOND, VA.
1900.

COPTEIGHT.
BY THOMAS L. PRESTON.
1900.

5", %5'0

PREFACE.

Whilst visiting Southwest Virginia I was often urged
by my relatives and friends (descendants of associates
of a past generation) to write some " historical sketches "
of the earliest patents and settlers of that section, and
also of those traditions which were fast fading from the
memories of the " oldest inhabitants," and which I alone
could recall. This obligation to my friends was pressed
with renewed earnestness in the autumn of 1897, and in
order partially to discharge it, I, aided by my friends,
Judge F. B. Hutton and others, examined the records
of Washington county, so as to verify dates and refresh
my memory about the periods of many incidents.
The Mayor of Abingdon did me the kindness to put the
records of the town into my hands and allowed me to
make such extracts from them as I chose. With these
aids and with court papers, courteously furnished by Mr.
James L. White, I entered upon the composition of this
little book, painfully conscious that the duty had been
too long deferred. Before, however, beginning the task,
I examined many histories of Virginia to ascertain what
had been written about the Southwest. All the his
torians were Eastern Virginians, and only brief allusions
(7)

8 Preface.
had been made to the men and matters of the West, and
these often with errors of date and family connections.
It would have been a pleasant task had 1 been younger,
to show the importance of the civil and military services
given by the men who drafted the proceedings of " the
Freeholders of Fincastle County " in the struggle for
independence. The material for that purpose is scanty,
and may soon be entirely lost. But perhaps some abler
and younger man, following the trail which I have
blazed, may perform this duty to the noble dead. Those
men, with their contemporaries, truly composed the van
guard of the Eevolution.
My Keminiscences illustrate, to some extent, the
society of that period of our history to which they refer,
and may recall similar incidents, traditions and legends
in many families of Virginia.
I am under great obligations to my friend, Professor
John Hart, for his judicious and careful editing of my
book. He makes clear what was obscure and eliminates
repetitions which had been overlooked. Thomas Lewis Preston.
University of Virginia, August, 1899.

CHAPTER I.
In April, 1748, a party of pioneers left Waynesborough,
in Augusta county, Virginia, to explore the unknown
country beyond the Alleghany Mountains. This party*
was organized and led by Colonel James Patton, and
consisted of John Buchanan (Patton's son-in-law), Charles
Campbell (brother-in-law of Buchanan), Dr. Thomas
Walker, and James Wood, of Albemarle county, together
with a number of hunters and woodsmen.
Colonel Patton had been a lieutenant in the British
navy, and received from George II. a grant of 120,000
acres of land to be located in Virginia west of the Alle
ghany Mountains. At that period this country was
absolutely a terra incognita, and, so far as the grantor
knew, had never been visited by a white man. This fact,
however, did not daunt the adventurous spirit of the
gallant seaman. He came with his wife and two daugh
ters to America about 1732, and settled at Spring Hill,
near Waynesborough, then an unbroken wilderness. His
home was afterwards included in the patent of the
" Manor of Beverley," granted on the 6th of September,
1736, by Governor William Gooch, and in the name of
George II. by the grace of God, King of Great Britain,
France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc.

* Waddell's Annals of Augusta County, p. 38. King's Mountain and
its Heroes, p. 379.
(9)

10 Historical Sketches and
The patentees were William Beverley, of Essex; Sir
John Eandolph, of Williamsburg; Eichard Eandolph, of
Henrico, and John Eobinson, of King and Queen. The
grant was for 118,491 acres "in the county of Orange,
between the great mountains and on the river Shen-
ando." On the next day (September 7th) the other
grantees released their interests in the patent to Bever
ley. This patent embraced a large part of the present
county of Augusta, south as well as north of Staunton.
To perfect the title to his settlement, Patton bought or
accepted one from William Beverley for 1,398 acres for
five shillings (831 cents) in 1740.
Colonel Patton was about fifty-eight years old, of a
tall and commanding figure and great physical strength
and vigor. He was wealthy and well educated, and well
fitted for the long and arduous expedition he planned.
His party was also well chosen for the same purpose.
John Buchanan (his son-in-law) was a surveyor, as was
also Charles Campbell, both of whom had the spirit and
courage of the early pioneers, with the physical attri
butes of strength and power of endurance.
Dr. Thomas Walker, born January 15, 1715, was thirty-
three years old, and in the prime of manhood. He was
richly endowed with every qualification for such an
expedition, mentally and physically, and, as physician
and surveyor, a great accession to the party. It is fair to
assume that he and Colonel Patton were previously well
acquainted. Their homes were hardly forty miles apart,
and the enterprising and wealthy seaman found a con
genial spirit in the daring, restless and intelligent owner

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 11
of 15,000 acres of land on the slopes of the Southwest
Mountain. This first* exploring expedition in all probability
awakened in Dr. Walker that spirit of adventure that
prompted the second in 1750, when he crossed the Cum
berland Mountain, east of Cumberland Gap, and struck
the head-waters of Kentucky river, not far from and
west of the present Whitesburg, and thence went down
that river, and, crossing " a divide " to the waters of Big
Sandy, proceeded as far as the juncture of the two forks.
He named the western fork " Louisa," pronounced by the
people of the country Lewesa. The rivers mentioned in
Dr. Walker's Journal (page 56) — viz.. Hunting creek,
Miller's river and Frederick's river, are branches of the
Kentucky. Dr. Walker also made a third expedition,
when he surveyed the tract of land of 6,780 acres in Wolf
Hills, for which a patent was granted him from George
II., July 14, 1752.
This tract embraced the present site of Abingdon, and
ran from the foot of Walker's Mountain on the north to
the Knobs on the south. The consideration for this
patent was £34. These several expeditions prepared and
pointed to Dr. Walker in 1779 as peculiarly fitted to be
" chief of the commissioners on the part of Virginia to
meet the commissioners from North Carolina in order
to run the boundary line between these two Common
wealths." The well organized and equipped party of Colonel
Patton left the vicinity of Waynesborough in April, 1748,

* J. H. Hale's Trans-AUeghany Pioneer, p. 250.

12 Historical Sketches and
and, following the trend of the mountains towards the
southwest, as did the buffaloes in their periodical migra
tions, it passed through the present counties of Eock-
bridge, Botetourt, Eoanoke, Pulaski, Wythe, Smyth and
Washington, in Virginia, and Sullivan, Hawkins, Gran
ger and Claiborne, in Tennessee, to Cumberland Gap.
" Beaching the summit, where now the three States of
" Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee meet, we may
" imagine they pitched their tents near the limpid foun-
" tains which send their waters towards the rising and
" setting sun. They were loyal subjects of the British
" crown, and when on the morrow they looked over the
" vast country spread out below them they felt that there
" was a greater domain than that secured to his Majesty
" by the victory of Cullodon in April, 1746. Patton, grate-
" ful for his princely grant, and glowing with enthusiasm
" for the young imperial general, named the mountain
" and the river that rises along its western base for the
" Duke of Cumberland."
No diary of this remarkable expedition has been found,
and yet its incipiency and details have lingered among
the descendants of the Pattens and Campbells to the
present day, and have been noted by Joseph A. Waddell
in his " Annals of Augusta County," and by Lyman 0.
Draper in " King's Mountain and Its Heroes " (page 379).
The writer knows the fact that Dr. Draper had access to
Note.— Theodore Roosevelt, in his " Winning of the West," gives
Dr. Thos. Walker the credit of naming Cumberland Mountain and
Cumberland Gap, basing his assertions upon Dr. Walker's diary of his
exploration in 1750. His exploration was two years after that made
by Colonel Patton, whom he accompanied.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 13
and examined the papers of Mrs. Sarah B. Preston, grand
daughter of Charles Campbell, and those of Colonel Wil
liam Preston, the acting executor both of Colonel James
Patton and John Buchanan, who died at his house near
Amsterdam, Botetourt county, Virginia.
In 1749, John Buchanan, certainly, and, perhaps,
Campbell, revisited the country they had explored, for
in that year Buchanan located and surveyed a tract of
1,960 acres, called " Sapling Grove," on the 21st of Feb
ruary, 1749. This land was claimed by John Taylor, who
assigned it to James Patton, and he assigned it to John
Buchanan. Buchanan did not obtain a patent for it, and
after his death, the survey was laid before the Court of
Appeals by his executors, William Campbell and William
Preston, and the court " certified " it to be established,
and it was then (December 23, 1779,) granted to William
Campbell and William Preston, Executors of John Buch
anan, by Thomas Jefferson, Governor of Virginia. The
executors died before transferring the patent to Buch
anan's heirs, and the obligation of discharging this duty
fell upon Francis Preston, executor of William Preston,
by whom it was performed about 1797 or 1798.
This tract of 1,960 acres was in latter years owned by
the Eev. James King, and is that on which the joint
cities of Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia, are located.
Charles Campbell, the other surveyor of Colonel James
Patton's pioneer expedition, in all probability, accom
panied John Buchanan in 1749, and surveyed some of
the lands which were patented to him and J. Buchanan
in 1753. There is a tradition in the family that on the
first surveying expedition there came to the camp of the

Uf. Historical Sketches and
party a hunter, who, after partaking of their hospitality,
said that he knew their purpose, and if they would sur
vey a tract of land he had chosen, he would show the
best lands in all that section of country, for he had
hunted over it; and, further, that he was on friendly
terms with the Indians, and would insure the party
against any attack or molestation by them.
This was agreed to and the survey made, and the
patent assured to St. Clair (pronounced Sinkler) in 1753.
Some confirmation of this tradition is found in the fact
that the date of the patent to St. Clair is the same
(1753) as those to Aspinvale and the " Salt Lick " (now
the Alkaline Works of Smythe county), patented to
Charles Campbell.
St. Clair's " choice," a fine body of land on the South
Fork of the Holston, is now known as Sinkler's Bottom.
It is well situated, but was the least fertile tract sur
veyed by those sagacious judges of soils, Charles Camp
bell and John Buchanan.
In the distribution of the lands under the grant to
Colonel Patton, the tradition of the families is, that
every alternate survey was for the daughters or sisters
of the surveyors.
John Buchanan first settled at Pattonsburg, on the
James river, in Botetourt county, and the opposite bank
was called Buchanan. A few years afterwards he moved
to the tract given to his wife Margaret by her father,
Colonel James Patton, and called it "Anchor and Hope."
The present "Anchor and Hope Church " near Max
Meadows, in Wythe county, is not far from the site of
John Buchanan's house.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 15
Mrs. Laetitia Floyd (daughter of Colonel William
Preston, and wife of Governor John Floyd), says in
her letters to her son that " Colonel Patton came to
"the extreme western counties of this State (Virginia);
" he located all the fine lands of Upper James river,
" Catawba, and the Amsterdam lands in Botetourt
" county; he then came to North Eoanoke, Strouble's
" creek, embracing the Blacksburg lands and Smithfield,
"the present seat of Colonel James Patton Preston.
" After that he came to Burk's Garden and the Eich
" Valley on the Holstein, in which the celebrated salt-
" works of Mrs. Sally (Sarah) Preston and Mr. William
" King are situated." She says that this exploration was
after the treaty with the Indians, made at Log Town,
somewhere near Pittsburg. In this Mrs. Floyd makes a
chronological mistake. The treaty of Log Town was
made January 13, 1752, nearly four years after the
pioneer exploration. But on the streams and at the
places mentioned by Mrs. Floyd surveys were made by
Colonel Patton's deputies or agents, John Buchanan
and Charles Campbell.
In confirmation of these facts it is or was of record at
Orange court-house and Staunton that the lands were
held by William Preston's descendants near Amsterdam
and Fincastle, in Botetourt; John Buchanan's at Pat
tonsburg and Anchor and Hope; William Thompson's
(who married Colonel Patton's daughter Ann), at Burk's
Garden, and on the Holston, where Chilhowie is now
situated. This latter tract extending from Walker's
Mountain on the north and over the Chestnut Eidge to
the south; from the Aspinvale tract on the east to

16 Historical Sketches and
and including the James Byars tract on the west, must
have embraced some 8,000 acres — perhaps more.
Before leaving this subject of the early surveys it may
be mentioned that in 1749 the Loyal* Company was
formed by Colonel James Patton, Dr. Thomas Walker,
and others, with a grant of 800,000 acres of land to be
located north of the North Carolina line and west of
the Alleghany Mountains. In that year Colonel Patton
and William Ingles visited Burk's Garden and located
land there.
This preliminary account of the patents and early
explorations beyond the Alleghany Mountains is a neces
sary preface to the story of the settlement of the country.
These explorations opened a new region, fertile, pic
turesque and healthy, abounding in a great variety of
game. Buffalo, elk, deer, bear, turkeys and other smaller
birds and beasts frequented the primitive forests and
glades, and the streams were full of fine fish. It is not
to be Avondered at that a current of immigration flowed
into this " choicest of lands," and filled up the recesses
in the vicinity of the first large surveys.
"* Trans-Alleghany Pioneer, p. 108.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 11

CHAPTER II.
The most substantial early settlers on the waters of
the Holston were the Scotch-Irish or their descendants.
They came not only from Augusta and the Valley of Vir
ginia, but from Pennsylvania and directly from Ireland
and Scotland. The frequent murderous incursions of the
Indians into Pennsylvania and along the borders of the
Ohio turned the tide of immigration more towards the
interior, and the large grants to Borden and to Beverley
Manor induced many to seek the more secluded and
equally eligible lands of, the western waters. It may be
impossible now to ascertain who were the first settlers
in the Valley of the Holston. The first name I have found
is that of Samuel Stalnaker, whom Dr. Walker mentions
in his journal (March 23, 1750). He had met Stalnaker
in April, 1748, between the Eeedy Creek settlements
and Holston river, on his way to trade with the Cherokee
Indians. In 1750, Stalnaker had settled on the Holston about
nine miles below " Davis' Bottom," and Dr. Walker and
Mr. Powell helped him to build his cabin. The location
of this, the first cabin on the waters of the Holston,
cannot now be ascertained.
The next name mentioned is that of Taylor, who had

18 Historical Sketches and
settled at Sapling Grove (now Bristol), and from whom
Colonel Patton bought the settler's right and gave the
tract to his son-in-law, John Buchanan, to whose heirs
the patent for 1,960 acres was issued, as heretofore
stated. Next comes St. Clair, the hunter, to whom was
patented Sinkler's Bottom in 1753. Not long afterwards
came the Dungans, who squatted on a part of the Aspin
vale tract, and afterwards entered land near the foot of
Walker's Mountain. Soon other settlers poured in and
took up land further west. On the South Fork were the
Scotts, Thomases and Grahams; on the Middle Fork the
Edmondsons, Berrys, Dentons, and many others. On
the North Fork, near the Salt-works, were the Scotts,
Lyons, Crabtrees, Talbots, Henegars and others. In
short, the tide of immigration was directed to this in
terior and fertile country by Colonel Patton, Dr. Thomas
Walker and others of the Loyal Company, and by the
fact that the settlements on the waters of the Ohio from
Pennsylvania and the Valley of Virginia westward were
made unsafe by the hostility of the Indians, who in times
of peace were troublesome, and whose plundering incur
sions often terminated in pitiless massacres. These
influences combined to fill rapidly the Valley of the
Holston, so that in twenty years from the date of the
earliest patents, and less than thirty years after the first
pioneer exploration (1748) there was a well-organized
and established community of intelligent and God-fear
ing people. No better evidence of this fact need be
adduced than that in January, 1773, there were one hun
dred and thirty-eight (138) signatures to " a call from the

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 19
united congregations of Ebbing and Sinking Springs on
Holston's river, Fincastle county, to be presented to the
Eev. Charles Cummings, minister of the Gospel at the
Eev. Presbytery of Hanover, then sitting at the Tinkling
Spring." Sinking Spring is not a mile northwest of Abingdon,
at the eastern base of Academy Hill. The Ebbing Spring
is about twelve miles east of Abingdon, on the Middle
Fork of Holston, and Tinkling Spring, where the Presby
tery sat, is in Augusta county, about three miles west of
Fishersville. The full list of the 138 signatures to this call was given
by Governor David Campbell, November 12, 1851, to the
Eev. William Henry Foote, and is found on pages 116
and 117 of his " Sketches of Virginia " (second series).
These names are so familiar to many of the citizens of
Washington county that the list is copied in full:
William Lester, James Piper,
William Page, James Harrold,
Samuel Buchanan, Jr., Samuel Newell,
Thomas Montgomery, David Wilson,
Samuel Bell, David Craig,
John Campbell, Eobert Gamble,
Eichard Moore, Andrew Martin,
Thomas Eamsey, Augustus Webb,
Samuel Wilson, Samuel Brigg,
Joseph Vance, Wesley White,
William Young, James Dorchester,
William Davidson, James Fulkerson,
James Young, Stephen Jordan,

20

Historical Sketches and

John Sharp,
John Long,
Eobert Topp,
John Hunt,
Thomas Bailey,
David Gattgood,
Alexander Breckinridge,
George Clark,
James Molden,
William Blanton,
Chris'r Acklin,
James Craig,
Joseph Gamble,
John McNabb,
Chris'r Funkhouser,
John Funkhouser,
John Funkhouser, Jr.,
John Sharp,
John Berry,
James Montgomery,
Samuel Huston,
Henry Cresswell,
George Adams,
George Buchanan,
James Dysart,
William Miller,
Andrew Leeper,
David Snodgrass,
Dan'l McCormick,
Francis Kincannon,
Joseph Snodgrass,

Alex. Laughlin,
James Inglish,
John Eobinson,
James Kincannon,
Margaret Edmiston,
John Edmiston,
John Boyd,
Eobert Kirkham,
Martin Pruit,
Nicholas Brobston,
Andrew Miller,
Alexander McNutt,
William Pruitt,
John McCutchen,
James Berry,
James Trimble,
William Berry,
Moses Buchanan,
David Carson,
Samuel Buchanan,
William Bates,
William McMillin,
John Kennedy,
Eobert Lamb,
Thomas Eafferty,
Thomas Baker,
John Groce,
Eobert Buchanan,
Thomas Evans,
William Marlor,
William Edmiston,

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian.

21

James Thompson,
Eobert Deniston,
William Edmiston,
Sam'l Edmiston,
Andrew Kincannon,
John Kelley,
George Blackburn,
William Blackburn,
James Vance,
John Casey,
Benjamin Logan,
Eobert Edmondson,
Thomas Berry,
Eobert Trimble,
William McGaughey,
David Drydon,
William McNabb,
John Davis,
Halbert McClure,
Arthur Blackburn,
Nath'l Davis.
Sam'l Evans,
William Kennedy,
Andrew McFarren,
Sam'l Hendry,
John Patterson,
James Gilmore,
John Lowrey,
William Christian,
Andrew Colvill,
Eobert Craig,

Thomas Edmiston,
John Beaty,
David Beaty,
George Feator,
Mich'l Halyacre,
Stephen Cawood,
James Garvill,
Eobert Buchanan, Jr.,
Edward Jamison,
Eichard Higgons,
John Lester,
Hugh Johnson,
Edward Pharis,
Joseph Lester,
Sam'l White,
George Blackburn,
Arthur Blackburn,
Wm. Blackburn,
Joseph Black,
Joseph Craig,
Eobert Craig,
John Dover,
Nathaniel Davis,
Geo. Clark,
John Campbell,
Jas. Gilmore,
John Lowrey,
Geo. Feator (Flenor?)
Jas. Dysart,
John Kelley,
Jas. Piper,

22 Historical Sketches and
Joseph Black, Stephen Cawood,
Jonathan Douglass, John Lester,
William Berry, James Lester,
John Cusick, Wm. Lester.
The Ebbing Spring, I am sorry to hear, has ceased " to
ebb and flow." When I last visited it it ebbed and flowed
at intervals of about two or three hours. In its normal
condition it is a bold, beautiful stream, flowing from
among limestone rocks. Before the water begins to flow
there is a gurgling sound, and then the stream gushes
out with a rapid current, filling the channel. The ebb
begins gradually and in less than half an hour the spring
is as limpid and quiet as it was before the disturbance.
It will be observed that the " Call " is dated " Fincastle
county." At that time this county embraced all that
country belonging to Virginia west of Montgomery
county, and was supposed to extend to the Ohio on the
north and the Mississipi on the west. It had a short
existence, as it was established in 1772, and abolished
in 1776, " when the territory covered by it was divided
into three new counties — -viz., Montgomery, Washington,
and Kentucky. It was called ' Fincastle ' from the seat
of Lord Botetourt, in England, Fin Castle." The county
seat of this county was at " Fort Chiswell," now in
Wythe county, and the seat of the McGavock family.
The fort was built by the State in 1758 under the direc
tion and superintendence of the third Colonel William
Byrd, and named by him after his friend. Colonel John
Chiswell, the owner and operator of the " New Eiver

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 23
Lead Mines " (then but recently discovered by him), a
few miles distant.
Fort Chiswell has other claims to historical associa
tion. It was the meeting place, in all probability, of that
band of " West Augusta " patriots who were the first to
resolve " to resist the aggressions of England by force."
The author of those celebrated " Fincastle Eesolutions "
is not authentically ascertained. They may have been
written by the Eev. Charles Cummings, or by Colonel
William Preston, or William Christian, or Arthur or
William Campbell, or by some other of the many who
signed them. The only names given by Lyman C. Draper
in " King's Mountain and Its Heroes " are Colonels Wil
liam Preston, William Christian, Arthur and William
Campbell, and William Edmondson, Eev. Charles Cum
mings and other leaders of Fincastle county, comprising
the Holston settlements. They are dated January 20,
1775, three months before the battle of Lexington; four,
before the " patriotic resolves " of the people of Mecklen
burg, North Carolina; fire, before the battle of Bunker's
Hill, and nearly a year and five months before the Decla
ration of Independence.
These resolutions were sent to General Washington,
then a member of the convention in Philadelphia. He
knew, personally, several of the signers, and was a friend
and correspondent of Colonel William Preston. With
this knowledge of the leaders and the people of the
county they represented, he felt warranted in saying,
" Strip me of the dejected and suffering remnant of my
army; take from me all that I have left; leave me but a
banner; give me but the means to plant it upon the

2Jf Historical Sketches and
mountains of West Augusta,* and I will yet draw around
me the men who will lift up their bleeding country from
the dust and set her free."
The report of the committee appointed to draft the
proceedings to the meeting of " the Freeholders of Fin
castle county," and " the Holston settlement " is so
replete with interest and reflects so accurately the feel
ings of the intelligent citizens of Virginia at that period,
that I give in full the text of the copy so kindly furnished
me by E. A. Brock, former secretary of the Historical
Society of Virginia, and present secretary of the South
ern Historical Society. The men who composed that
committee were representative men, and a more intelli
gent and patriotic group could not be found in any sec
tion of the " Old Dominion." Their names are " house
hold words " in Southwest Virginia. For their services
in the Eevolutionary War as citizens and soldiers each
one deserves a separate biography and a monument of
marble. Well may their descendants be proud of such
ancestors. American Archives.
Fincastle County (Virginia) Meeting.
In obedience to the resolves of the Continental Con
gress, a meeting of the Freeholders of Fincastle county,
in Virginia, was held on the 20th day of January, 1775,
* Some of Augusta County's favorite orators have quoted this pas
sage from Gov. McDowell's speech as applying to that county exclusively,
but it is fair to presume that it had primarily reference to the signers
of the Fincastle Resolutions as well as to his friends, the Lewises and
others of Augusta County.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 2o
who, after approving of the association framed by that
august body in behalf of all the Colonies, and subscrib
ing thereto, proceeded to the election of a committee to
see the same carried punctually into execution, when the
following gentlemen were nominated: The Eev. Charles
Cummings, Colonel William Preston, Colonel William
Christian, Captain Stephen Trigg, Major Arthur Camp
bell, Major William Inglis, Captain Walter Crockett,
Captain John Montgomery, Captain James McGavock,
Captain William Campbell, Captain Thomas Madison,
Captain Daniel Smith, Captain William Eussell, Captain
Evan Shelby, and Lieutenant William Edmondson.
After the election the committee made choice of Colonel
William Christian for their chairman, and appointed Mr.
Da^'id Campbell to be clerk.
The following address was then unanimously agreed
to by the people of the county, and is as follows:
To the Honorable Peyton Eandolph, Esquire, Eichard
Henry Lee, George Washington, Patrick Henry,
Junior, Eichard Bland, Ben.iamin Harrison, and
Edmund Pendleton, Esquires, the Delegates from
this Colony who attended the Continental Congress
held in Philadelphia:
Gentlemen, — Had it not been for our remote situation
and the Indian war which we were lately engaged in,*
to chastise those cruel and savage people for the many
murders and depredations they have committed among

* Called Dunmore's War, and ended by the battle at Point Pleasant,
October 10, 1774.

26 Historical Sketches and
us, now happily terminated under the auspices of our
present worthy Governor, his excellency the Eight Hon
orable the Earl of Dunmore, we should before this time
have made known to you our thankfulness for the very
important services you have rendered to your country,
in conjunction with the worthy delegates from the other
provinces. Your noble efforts for reconciling the ^Mother Country
and the Colonies on rational and constitutional princi
ples, and your pacific, steady and uniform conduct in all
that arduous work entitle you to the esteem of all British
America, and will immortalize you in the annals of your
country. We heartily concur in your resolutions,* and
shall in every instance strictly and invariably adhere
thereto. We assure you, gentlemen, and all our countrymen,
that we are a people whose hearts overflow with love
and duty to our lawful sovereign, George Third, whose
illustrious house for several successive reigns have been
the guardians of the civil and religious rights and liber
ties of British subjects as settled at the glorious Eevolu
tion; that we are willing to risk our lives in the service
of his Majesty for the support of the Protestant religion
and the rights and liberties of his subjects as they have
been established by Compact, Law and Ancient Charter.
We are heartily grieved at the differences which now
subsist between the parent State and the Colonies, and
most ardently wish to see harmony restored on an equit-
* These resolutions were passed on the 14th October, 1774. Hinton's
United States, pp. 232-3-4.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 27
able basis, and by the most lenient measures that can be
devised by the heart of man. Many of us and our fore
fathers left our native laud, considering it a kingdom
subjected to inordinate j)ower, and greatly abridged of
its liberties; we crossed the Atlantic, and explored this
uncultivated wilderness, bordering on many nations of
savages, and surrounded by mountains almost inaccessi
ble to any but those very savages, who have incessantly
been committing barbarities and depredations on us
since our first seating this country. The fatigues and
dangers we patiently encountered supported by the
pleasing hope of enjoying those rights and liberties
Avhich had been granted to Virginians, and were denied
us in our native country, and of transmitting them invio
late to our posterity; but soon to these remote regions
the hand of unlimited and unconstitutional power hath
pursued us, to strip us of that liberty and property with
which God, nature, and the rights of humanity have
vested us. We are ready and willing to contribute all in
our power for the support of his Majesty's Government,
if applied to constitutionally, and when the grants are
made by our own representatives, but cannot think of
submitting our liberty or property to the power of a
venal British Parliament, or the will of a corrupt
ministry. We by no means desire to shake off our duty or our
allegiance to our lawful sovereign, but, on the contrary,
shall ever glory in being the loyal subjects of a Protes
tant Prince, descended from such illustrious progenitors
as long as we can enjoy the free exercise of our Eeligion

2S Historical Sketcties and
as Protestants, and our Liberties and Properties as
British subjects.
But if no pacific measures shall be proposed or adopted
by Great Britain, and our enemies shall attempt to dra
goon us out of these inestimable privileges which we are
entitled to as subjects, and to reduce us to a state of
slavery, we declare that we are deliberately and reso
lutely determined never to surrender them to any power
upon earth, but at the expense of our lives.
These are our real, though unpolished, sentiments of
liberty and loyalty, and in them we are resolved to live
and die.
We are, gentlemen, with the most perfect esteem and
regard, your most obedient servants.
Copy Verbatim et Literatim.
By Dr. R. A. Brock.
Eichmond, Va., April 30, 1898.
The spirit of freeman in Virginia was not of recent
nor of ephemeral growth. Nearly ten years before the
date of this meeting of "the Freeholders of Fincastle
county; Virginia," says Mr. George Bancroft, " received
the plan to tax America by Parliament with consterna
tion." " Patrick Henry, then, for the first time, a member of
" the Legislature, ' saw the time for the enforcement of
" the stamp tax drawing near, while all the other colo-
" Dies, through timid hesitation, or the want of oppor-

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 29
" tunity, still remained silent, and cautious loyalty
" hushed the experienced statesmen of his own,' made
" that celebrated speech in which he said, ' Tarquin and
" Caesar had each his Brutus; Charles the First his Crom-
" well, and George the Third ' — . ' Treason,' shouted
" the Speaker, ' Treason, treason,' was echoed round the
"house, while Henry, fixing his eye on the first inter-
"rupter, continued without faltering, 'may profit by
" their example.' "
On the same day of this meeting, the Parliament of
England was discussing the right of taxing the American
Colonies, when Lord Chatham delivered that eloquent
speech in defence of the Colonies which endeared him to
every American. In it he declared, " But his Majesty is
advised that the union in America cannot last. I pro
nounce it a union, solid, permanent and effectual. Its
real stamina are to be looked for among the cultivators of
the land; in their simplicity of life is found the integrity
and courage of freedom. These true sons of the earth
are invincible." The spirit of the patriots of Fort Chis
well was inspiring the mind and heart of the British
orator and statesman.
In Mr. Bancroft's account of this meeting of Free
holders, he says it was near Abingdon. A distance of
more than sixty miles separates the localities.
The (Congress proceeded with great deliberation; its
debates were held with closed doors, and the honor of
each member was solemnly engaged not to disclose any
of the discussions till such disclosure was declared ad
visable by the majority. It was not till the I4tli of

30 Historical Sketches and
October that the following series of resolutions, which
may be regarded as their grand declaration of rights and
grievances, was passed and promulgated. To abridge or
analyze them would be an injustice to the memory of
their authors, and to the fidelity of history. We there
fore present them entire:
" Re-9olved, unanimously. That the inhabitants of the
English Colonies iu North America, by the immutable
laws of uature, the principles of the English Constitu
tion, and the several charters or compacts, have the fol
lowing rights:
" 1. That they are entitled to life, liberty and property ;
and they have never ceded to any foreign power what
ever a right to dispose of either without their consent.
" 2. That our ancestors who first settled these Colonies
were, at the time of their emigration from the Mother
Country, entitled to all the rights, liberties, and immuni
ties of free and natural-born subjects within the realm
of England.
" 3. That by such emigration they by no means for
feited, surrendered, or lost any of those rights, but that
they were, and their descendants now are, entitled to the
exercise and enjoyment of all such of them as their local
and other circumstances enable them to exercise and
enjoy. " 4. That the foundation of English liberty, and of all
free governments, is a right in the people to participate
in their legislative council, and as the English colonists
are not represented, and, from their local and other cir
cumstances, cannot properly be represented, in the

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 31
British Parliament, they are entitled to a free and
exclusive power of legislation in their several provincial
legislatures, where their right of representation can
alone be preserved, in all cases of taxation and internal
policy, subject only to the negative of their sovereign, in
such manner as has been heretofore used and accus
tomed. But from the necessity of the case, and a regard
to the mutual interest of both countries, we cheerfully
consent to the operation of such acts of the British Par
liament as are, bona fide, restrained to the regulation of
our external commerce, for the purpose of securing the
commercial advantages of the whole empire to the
Mother Country, and the commercial benefit of its repre
sentative members; excluding every idea of taxation,
internal or external, for raising a revenue on the subjects
in America, without their consent.
" 5. That the respective Colonies are entitled to the
common law of England, and, more especially, to the
great and inestimable privilege of being tried by their
peers of the vicinity, according to the course of law.
" 6. That they are entitled to the benefit of such of
the English statutes as existed at the time of their colo
nization, and which they have, by experience, respec
tively found to be applicable to their several local and
other cii'cumstances.
" 7. That these, his Majesty's Colonies, are likewise
entitled to all the immunities and privileges granted
and confirmed to them by royal charters, or secured by
. their several codes of provincial laws.
" 8. That they have a right peaceably to assemble,
consider of their grievances, and petition the King; and

32 Historical Sketches and
that all prosecutions, prohibitory proclamations and com
mitments for the same are illegal.
"9. That the keeping a standing army in these Colonies
in times of peace, without the consent of the Legislature
of that Colony iu which such army is kept, is against law.
" 10. It is indispensable to good government, and ren
dered essential by the English Constitution, that the
constituent branches of the Legislature be independent
of each other; that, therefore, the exercise of legislative
power in several Colonies, bj^ a council appointed during
pleasure by the Crown, is unconstitutional, dangerous
and destructive to the freedom of American legislation.
"All and each of which the aforesaid deputies, in
behalf of themselves and their constituents, do claim,
demand, and insist on as their indubitable rights and
liberties, which cannot be legally taken from them,
altered or abridged by any ]3ower whatever, without
their consent, by their representatives in their several
provincial legislatures."
" In the course of our inquiry," they proceed to say,
" we find many infringements and violations of the fore
going rights, which, from an ardent desire that harmony
and mutual intercourse of affection and interest may be
restored, we pass over for the present, and proceed to
state such acts and measures as have been adopted since
the last war, which demonstrate a system formed to
enslave America."
In their address to the peoi^le of Great Britain, after
enumerating the several acts of Parliament deemed to
be violations of their rights, they appeal for relief to the
generosity, to the virtue, and to the justice of the nation.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 33
" You have been told," they say, " that we are seditious,
impatient of government, and desirous of independency.
Be assured that these are not facts, but calumnies. Per
mit us to be as free as yourselves, and we shall ever
esteem a union with you to be our greatest glory and
our greatest happiness; we shall ever be ready to contri
bute all in our power to the welfare of the whole empire ;
we shall consider your enemies as our enemies, and your
interest as our own. But if you are determined that
your ministers shall wantonly sport with the rights of
mankind; if neither the voice of justice, the dictates of
the law, the principles of the constitution, or the sugges
tions of humanity, can restrain your hands from shedding
human blood in such an impious cause, we must then tell
you that we will never submit to be hewers of wood and
drawers of water for any ministry or nation in the world."
It was said above that William Preston was a friend
and correspondent of General Washington. As illustrat
ing this fact I venture to give an extract from Mrs. Mil
ler's Memoirs of Governor McDowell. Speaking of her
great-grandfather, William Preston, she says, " While
'' pursuing his business as surveyor he fell in with a young
" man from Eastern Virginia, carrying his ball and chain,
" being engaged in the same craft as himself. The ac-
" quaintance between them was promoted by Preston's
" hospitable entertainment of his friend at his own
" house." Indians yet prowled around in that mountain region.
They were not foes, however, but friends to the family
5

SIj. Historical Sketches and
on the bleak knob of the Alleghanies, especially to the
genial, warm-hearted, sandy-haired young man who was
the head of it. They felt very differently to the dark
stranger who came to visit him, and, after a while, deter
mined to destroy him. Seizing an occasion when the
gentlemen, unconscious of danger, sat chatting on the
green turf, an Indian raised his bow and took aim at the
unwelcome visitor. But before he loosed the arrow,
Preston, in the eagerness of his talk, fiung himself for
ward so as completely to shelter his friend. The savage
drew back and dropped his bow. He would not risk an
injury to Preston for the gratification of a hatred, how
ever intense. And it was many a long day, doubtless,
before either the host or his guest knew the peril which
had threatened.
This " dark stranger " was George Washington. The
friendship of the young surveyors brought about a cor
respondence between them that lasted as long as Preston
lived. Long after the Indians had disappeared from the
scene the young son of the sandy-haired Preston met his
father's friend in Philadelphia, the one President of the
United States, the other representing in Congress the
Virginia they both loved. Warm relations were estab
lished between the old and the young man, and in re
membrance of the old friendship the horn of a buffalo
, was produced as a trophy to Colonel Preston's skill in a
hunt they had had in the Alleghanies. The horn was
put into the hands of a cleA^er silversmith in Philadelphia,
who constructed out of it a small ladle, the handle of
which was finished with a silver cap, and the bottom
filled in with a silver plate. On the inside of the plate

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 3')
Washington had his head engraved, while young, Preston
covered the outside with Masonic emblems. This unique
little affair was much prized in the family, but the
owners of it, in a spirit of patriotic pride, lent it, in 1876,
to the Centennial Exposition, and it was never heard of
more.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 37

CHAPTER III.
From this long digression we turn to the less exciting
and more prosaic account of the early settling of the
country. In 1766, Arthur Campbell with his wife Margaret
(daughter of Charles and sister of General William
Campbell), settled at " Eoyal Oak," a mile east of Marion.
This was one of the tracts of land embraced in the Patton
grant, and assigned by Charles Campbell to his daughter
Margaret. Few now know much of Arthur Camx)be]l,
and yet he was one of the most remarkable, influential
and talented men of the period. A brief sketch of his life
is given in Howe's History of Virginia (page 503), pre
faced by these sentences:
" The annexed biographical sketches of Colonel Arthur
" Campbell and General William Campbell are from the
" MS. history of Washington county. The notice of the
" latter was written by the former, who was both a cousin
" and brother-in-law." This MS. memoir or history,
as Howe states, and as is known to many now living, was
written by Colonel John Campbell, Treasurer of the
United States in the administration of President Jack
son, and brother of Governor David Campbell. It was
stolen from the clerk's office of Washington county.

38 Historical Sketches and
where it was kept by his nephew, James C. Campbell,
and has never been recovered. The loss is lamentable
and irreparable.
As Howe's History is out of print, and in possession of
but few of the present generation, his sketch of Arthur
Campbell will be added as an appendix to this sketch,
with such other facts and incidents as may be illustrative
of his character and career. It may be noted here that
he was born in Augusta county, 1742, and, at the time
when he settled at Eoyal Oak, in 1766, was only twenty-
four years old. General William Campbell was also a
native of Augusta county, and was born in 1745. Soon
after the death of his father (Charles Campbell), in 1767,
he, then about twenty-three years old, removed to
Aspinvale, with his mother and four sisters, and built a
double log cabin, which was his home until his death.
Aspinvale is eight miles west of Marion, Smythe county,
and one mile west of the Seven-Mile Ford, and is now
owned by Charles Henry Campbell Preslou, the great-
grandson of General William Campbell. William Camp
bell inherited this beautiful estate from his mother and
the " Salt Lick " from his father, who was one of Colonel
Patton's exploring expedition in 1748, as previously men
tioned. The patents for these lands were granted by
Lord Dinwiddle in the name of George II., October 23,
1753. As they are somewhat curious and of historical
interest, a copy of that for the " Salt Lick," of 330 acres,
is here inserted:
" George the Second by the grace of God of Great
" Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the
" faith, etc.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 39
" To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting.
" Know Ye that for divers good causes and Considera-
" tions but more especially for and in Consideration of
" the sum of thirty-five shilling^ of good and lawful
" money for our use paid to our Eeceiver General of our
" Eevenues in this our Colony and Dominion of Virginia,
" we have given, granted and confirmed, and by these
" presents for us, our heirs and successors, Do give, grant
" and confirm unto Charles Campbell one certain tract
" or parcel of land containing three hundred and thirty
" acres, lying and being in the county of Augusta on the
" North fork of the Indian river, a branch of Mississippi,
" and bounded as f olloweth to wit : Beginning — at a
" double Beech tree and running thence North twenty
" Degrees West one hundred and seventy six Poles to a
" Beech under a High Knob of a hill; thence North sixty
" Degree,s, East Eighty Poles to a vvhite Oak; thence
" North thirty four Degrees West Eighty Poles to a white
"Oak on the south East side of the hill; thence South
" sixty one Degrees, West Eighty poles between two
" Buckeye saplius by a brook ; thence South thirty nine
" Degrees West one hundred and thirty four poles to two
"Hiccorys; thence South seventy five Degrees West
" Eighty six poles to a hiccory and Lynn tree; thence
" South one Degree west forty poles to a Hiccory and a
"white Oak; thence South sixty three Degrees West
" ninety Poles to a Lynn tree; thence South one Degree,
" West Seventy two Poles to a sugar tree and a Buck Eye ;
" thence North Eighty five Degrees East three hundred
" and thirty five poles to the Beginning, with all Woods,
" Underwoods, Swamps, Marshes, low Grounds, Meadows,

-'iO Historical Sketches and
"Feedings, and his due share of all Venis Mories and
" quarries as well Discovered or npt discovered within
" the bounds aforesaid and being part of said quantity
" of three Hundred and thirty Acres of Land, and the
" rivers Waters and Water Courses therein Contained
" together with the Priviledges of Hunting, Hawking,
" Fishing, Fowling and all other Profits, Commodities
" and Heriditaments whatsoever to the same or any Part
" thereof belonging or in any wise Appertaining TO
" HAVE, HOLD, POSSESS and enjoy the said tract or
" Parcel of Land and all other the granted premises and
" every part thereof with their and every of their Appur-
" tenances unto the said Charles Campbell and to his
" heirs and assigns forever to the only use and behoof of
" him the said his heirs and assigns forever to be held
" of us our heirs and successors as of our Manor of East
" Greenwich in the County of Kent in free and common
" soccage and not in Capite or by Knights Service yield-
" ing and paying unto us our heirs and successors for
" every fifty Acres of Land and so Proportionately for a
" lesser or greater quantity than fifty acres the free rent
" of one shilling yearly to be paid upon the feast of St.
" Michael the Arch Angel and also the Cultivating and
" Improving three Acres part of every fifty of the tract
" above mentioned within three years after the date of
"these presents; provided always that if three years of
" the said free rent shall at any time be in Arrear and
" unpaid or if the said Charles Campbell his heirs or
" Assigns do not within the space of three years next
" coming after the date of these presents cultivate and
" Improve three Acres part of every fifty of the tract

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. Jjl
" above mentioned then the Estate hereby granted shall
"Cease and be utterly Determined and hereafter it
" shall and may be lawful to and for us our heirs and
" successors to grant the same Land and premises with
"the Appurtenances unto such other person or persons
" as we our heirs and successors shall think fit.
" Ix Witness whereof we have caused our Letters
" Patent to be made. Witness our trusty and well beloved
" Eobert Dinwiddle Esqr., our Lieutenant Governor and
" Commander in Chief of our said Colony and Dominion
" at Williamsburg under the seal of our said Colony XX
" (20) day of August one thousand seven hundred and
" fifty three in the twenty seventh year of our Eeign."
" Egbert Dinwiddie."
Elizabeth, the eldest of William Campbell's sisters,
married John Taylor; the second, Jane, Thomas Tate;
the third, Margaret, Colonel Arthur Campbell, and the
fourth, Ann, Eichard Postan. To each of these was as
signed those fertile and beautiful tracts of land in the
Eich Valley on the waters of the North Fork of Holston
river, and their descendants occupy portions of the land
to this day. These various tracts were parts of the James
Patton grants and were entered and surveyed by Charles
Campbell not long after the pioneer expedition of 1748 —
perhaps in 1749 or 1750. .As Charles Campbell and John
Buchanan were associated in these surveys, it seems
probable that they were made contemporaneously with
the survey of Sapling Grove (now Bristol, Virginia-Ten
nessee), by John Buchanan in 1749.

1/2 Historical Sketilics and
These were the earliest surveys made upon the waters of
Holston river.
When the Salt Lick was patented to Charles Campbell
(1753) more than one-third of the area was covered by
water, and another third was a morass extending up to a
point opposite the old plaster bank. The margin of the
pond or " lake," as it was called, was fringed with tall
grass, bulrushes and cat-tails, and furnished a screen to
hunters who could by this means get within gun-shot of
the water-fowl which periodically visited in great num
bers this sequestered and attractive inland lake. James
Crabtree, the son of the original owner of land adjoining
the Salt Lake on the east, told the writer that when he
was a boy his mother promised him a pint of cream for
every swan he killed, and that he rarely failed to get his
cream every day.
Wild geese, in their migrations north in spring and
south in autumn, made this a favorite resting place, and
wild ducks of several varieties passed a large part of the
year on this " Lake of the Woods," the water of which
did not freeze as early nor as solidly as that of the fresh
water ponds and streams of the adjacent regions.
As late as 1847-'48 large flocks of teal and mallards
visited the valley and furnished good sport to the hunters
and a savory, appetizing dish for the table. Woodcock
Avere also abundant, and here they reared their young.
Sora were also frequently found about marshy spots and
ditch-banks. That it was a favorite resort of the buffalo, elk and
deer was natural, as the instinct of these animals leads
them unerringly to saline deposits, and rich pasture

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. J/S
lands. In this valley both were found in abundance, and
in the most attractive form, and of the best quality. It
it not, therefore, to be wondered at that the Aborigines
of the country pitched their tents and erected their wig
wams near that mysterious lake. In 1846 or 1847, when
the field south of the road leading from the valley to
Cedar branch was ploughed, the lines of former buildings
could be distinctly traced by the ashes and piles of peri
winkle shells and fragments of pottery, which were
turned up. These were scattered along two parallel lines
about fifty or sixty feet apart. One explanation of the
presence of the periwinkle shells is that they formed a
sort of medium of exchange or money among the tribes
who frequented this section of country. A similar
deposit of these small shells is found on Mr. Benjamin
Buchanan's place near Caywoods (pronounced Keywood)
Gap, but there is no trace of former dwellings there. A
more natural supposition is that these Crustacea were
used for food, being boiled with meat or herbs. There
is strong presumptive evidence that the Indians made
salt here by boiling the water that flowed from salt
springs which rose to the surface at the eastern margin
of the valley, and on the margin of the creek between the
Cedar-Creek road and the river. The writer well remem
bers two of these springs. One was at the base of the
tall knob that, commands the valley on the east, near a
large walnut tree which stood on the margin of the plain ;
the other issued from a crevice in the limestone rock and
flowed over a smooth surface to the creek. Along the
margin of the latter salt was formed in clear, bright
crystals during the warm days of the summer months.

.f) Historical Sketches and
Originally the slopes of the hills inclosing the valley were
covered by a magnificent forest of oak, poplar, lynn,
sugar-tree, walnut and elms. The imagination can
scarcely conceive of a more beautiful scene than was pre
sented to the eye when the rich foliage of this forest was
touched by the frost aud reflected in the tranquil waters
of the lake. The colors of the rainbow seemed settled
upon the earth, and the varied hues of the flower garden
were scattered among and rested upon the leaves of
forest trees. In the gloom of a damp twilight and during
the " wee " hours of the night " the Jack o'lantern " or
" Will o' the Wisp " could be seen flitting along the shore
of the pond, in and out of the tall weeds and bushes, and,
from the resemblance to a lantern swung by human
hands, might lure a benighted aud bewildered traveler
from his path into the morass that gave it birth.
Neither limner's brush nor poet's pen can convey an
adequate idea of the varied beauties of this peculiar
valley. It must be seen to be appreciated. Its outline is
like the longitudinal section of a pear, and the phases of
its beauty change at every point of view.
From the old Preston house the level foreground
extends to the " Madam Eussell House," a distance of
nearly three quarters of a mile. At this point the grace
ful waving line of the oval-shaped hills which border the
valley on the north begins. Beyond these and higher is
Little Bushy Mountain, crowned with its forest of pine.
Beyond this towers Clinch Mountain in its forest mantle
(azure tinted by distance) to the highest point of its
range crowned by the White Eocks, which look like the
walls of a giant castle, placed to command a view of a

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. J/o
Avide domain spread out beloAV. Next in altitude are the
Eed Eocks, the flanking buttress as it Avere, of the White
Castle. They curve in the segment of a circle, and, as the
name implies, have caught the hues of an autumnal sun
set. At any period of a clear day at sunrise when the
White Eocks catch the earliest rays; or at midday, when
the plain is bathed in light; or at eventide, when the
lengthening shadows steal softly across the scene, aud
the White Eocks glow in the red rays of the setting sun,
the landscape is of surpassing beauty. And at night,
when the moon is full, and, rising behind the sharper
peaks on the east, throAvs their shadows upon the valley,
the scene is one to dream of, so soft, so quiet, so full of
that rapture of repose that falls like clew upon the soul
after the bustle and struggles of the day are done.
From the promontory-like eminence, near the center
of the eastern border of the plain is another but different
landscape. Looking west is like looking through a re
versed telescope. The valley gradually rises and nar
rows to Buena Vista, a mile and a half distant; the hills
diminish in height and size; and the forest-clad hills be
yond bound the horizon. To the left is the old Preston
house, at one period made picturesque by the tall Lom-
bardy poplars, and the weeping and golden willows that
stood in front, at the sides and in the rear of the build
ings ; and the " Sugar Loaf," like a pyramid, rising 350
feet from the plain, and the old mill, with its wheel of
20-feet diameter turned by the water from the spring
that rises in the gorge between the Sugar Loaf and the
adjoining hill, at the base of which is a cliff.
On the summit of this rough and lofty hill eagles built

46 Histoi-ical Sketches and
their nests from the earliest settlement of the valley until
about 1850, and added to the fascination of the place by
their graceful soaring as they rose higher and higher into
the clear atmosphere. But they, with the trees, the mill-
wheel, and many other accessories of the past, have dis
appeared. From the western end of the valley the picture is
reversed, and at Buena Vista all of the valley (except the
Preston house and its surroundings) is spread like a map.
before you. The old salt furnaces and houses built from
the time of William King (in 1800) to 1865 are only some
600 yards divstant, and add life to the scene. The horizon
to the east is varied by the highest ridge and knob
bounding the valley.
" But see Avhat a change is wrought by the civilizing
"Caucasian! The mighty battlements of white and red
" sandstone crowning the lofty Clinch Mountains, alone
" have defied his handiwork. Let us suppose the mam-
" moth skeleton found in the cave overlooking this lovely
" valley was rehabilitated and did ascend in the flesh
" again from his dark and stony resting place to gaze
" upon his home of the past. His great black eyes would
" dilate and flash in human wonder— nothing except
" those mountain cliffs seem familiar. Where was once
" the crystal lake cushioned in lofty forest is now a level
" meadow of waving grass, intersected here and there by
" geometric macadamized roads and well trimmed
" hedges. Where once he glided swiftly in bark canoe
" and whizzed his arrows at clattering wild geese, now is
" hard, solid ground, and the cry of the Avater-fowl is
" heard no more. Where once the giant forest skirted

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 47
" the lake, and where, grouping here and there through
" the sylvan openings, were seen the AvigAvams of his
" tribe, now, amidst long roAvs of modern cottages, hura-
" ming factories with great chimneys belching forth
" dense masses of inky smoke, and glistening in the morn-
" ing sun, he sees a glittering golden cross — emblem of a
" nevi' race and a new faith. But was not their God his
"God? The 'Great Manitou,' the 'Great Spirit,' of
" the Indians embodies the same ideal of love and power.
" Suddenly this mighty warrior of other days starts
" and shivers in abject terror. A shriek so deep, so pow-
" erful, so all-pervading, fills the valley, echoing back
" from hill to hill, that the very White Eocks give out a
" faint response. His untutored mind could conceive of
" naught save the mighty voice of the clouds to equal it.
" His gaze is westward, and, rushing from it, as it seemed
" to him from beneath the earth, there comes a monster
" serpent. Breathing fire and smoke, it glides along its
" checkered path with tremendous speed, stopping sud-
" denly, grim and panting, at the eastern end of the
"A'alley. Lo! the poor Indian. Dire distress is written
" upon his broAv. He feels and knows that all of his wild
" kin of the woods and the buffalo, elk and bear liaA^e 1- '
" since fled before this aAvful monster; that this beautiful
" valley is no more held for him and his people by the
" Great Spirit, and that there can never be any joy for
" him again upon earth. He casts one yearning, heart-
" broken glance over his ancient domains, and, waving
" them an eternal farewell, descends once more into his
" sombre rest."*
* Kindly contributed by Captain Frank S. Robertson.

48 Historical Sketches and
What it was like at that prehistoric period, when the
mastodon Avandered through its morasses (if morasses
they were) and fed upon its foliage, can never be known.
But at whatever period the mastodons came, or whence
they came, or Iioav they were destroyed, they did come
and left as evidence of their presence their mouldering
bones, buried a few feet beneath the earth's surface
during all these centuries.
Well may man's imagination be troubled by such reve
lation of the power of God. The first discovery of these
mastodon relics was made when a well was dug by Gen
eral Francis Preston, about 1797 or 1798, in front of the
Preston house, now occupied by Mr. George W. Palmer.
They were only a few of the jaw teeth and other bones
that soon crumbled after being exposed to the air. They
were, however, enough for a practical joke played upon
Bishop Madison (then president of William and ]Mary
College) by William Preston (brother of Francis) and a
former pupil of the Bishop's. He gave a glowing discrip-
tion of the discovery and sent to the Bishop a box of the
peat-like soil, which he said was taken from the stomach
of the exhumed monster, and asked that it be analyzed
to ascertain on what food the animal fed, and to what
genus or species it belonged. The Bishop, knowing his
correspondent, detected the hoax, but replied that if the
substance sent was from the stomach of the extinct
animal, it was " of the herbivorous species."
Since then many other specimens of teeth and bones
have been dug up. When the ditch was dug in 1847 and
1848 (which drained the pond) besides teeth-, a rib not
four feet under the surface was found. Some portion

Rcniiniscences of an Octogenarian. 49
of it was decayed or broken off, but the fragment was
long enough to reach from the fioor over the head of the
writer, then five feet eleven inches in height. A large
fragment of a tusk was discovered by the late Governor
Wyndham Eobertson, Sr., on his place. It was about
four feet long and four or five inches in diameter.
Leaving the prehistoric period and coming to that of
the Aborigines, curious fragments of skeletons were
discovered in 1848 or 1850 by a party of students from
Emory and Henry College, headed by Frank Hampton
(youngest brother of General Wade Hampton) in a cave
back of the Madam Eussell house. The existence of this
cave Avas knoAvn, but its orifice Avas almost closed by the
accumulation of earth washed from the surrounding
hills, and only a small hole Avas left. The earth was
removed and an easy entrance made for the exploring
party, and, furnished with candles and matches, they
entered the cave. Upon a ledge of rock, which was
apparently cut for the purpose, were found the skulls
and other portions of tAvo human skeletons. That of a
man was of almost gigantic proportions and of peculiar
shape. The forehead or frontal bone was so retreating
that it gave the impression of being artificially pressed
back. The upper temporal ridge Avas rather flat. The
back or occipital bone was abnormally large. Only the
jaAV teeth remained, and they were uncommonly large
and strong. The leg bone of this skeleton, when put
upon the floor, reached to the knee joint of the writer,
and this, by comparative proportion, would indicate a
height of about seven feet.
The other skull was that of a matured female, as
7

30 Historical Sketches and
proved by other portions of the skeleton. It was not
larger than that of a child, but was of as beautiful pro
portions and developments as a model. The bones of
this skeleton indicated a stature not over three feet and
a half or four feet.
If these were fair specimens of the races that dwelt
in or frequented that picturesque country, then " there
were giants in those days," and, perhaps, fairy-like pig
mies. The salt property remained undeveloped until about
1782 — perhaps as late as 1785-'86. At one time it came
near being sacrificed for a small amount. Charles Camp
bell, the patentee, had occasion to go to Orange Court
house, then the seat of justice, and whilst there was
arrested for the non-payment of taxes, and kept " in
prison bounds " until they were paid. He wrote to his
wife, explaining his dilemma, and requested her to sell
the Salt Lick tract and ransom him. She replied, " Ee-
main where you are and I will pay the taxes." It was
autumn and the flax was prepared for spinning, and she
spun many hanks of beautiful, smooth thread, and,
mounting her horse, took it to market and sold it for
more than the amount of the taxes and brought her hus
band home. Small bunches of this thread were given by
Mrs. Sarah B. Preston (her granddaughter) to every
member of her family, and they are kept as a prized
memorial of the skill and industry of that spirited and
noble woman. She was the sister of John Buchanan, the
son-in-law of Colonel James Patton. The author of this
sketch, the only surviving member of Mrs. Preston's

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 51
family, has still in his possession the little hank given
him by his mother.
Organization of Washington County.
Washington county was organized at Black's Fort,
January 28, 1777. On the 29th this order was made:
" Ordered, that William Campbell, William Edmin-
" ston, John Anderson and George Blackburn be ap-
" pointed commissioners to hire wagons to bring up the
" county salt, alloted by Governor and council, and to
" receive and distribute the same agreeably to said order
" of council."
" Ordered, that Captain Eobert Craig and Captain
" John Shelby be added to the commissioners appointed
" to receive and distribute the flour contributed in
" Augusta or elsewhere for the distressed inhabitants of
" the county."
These are surprising and startling orders of the first
court held for Washington county, and would indicate
a state of destitution wholly unexpected among the
Freeholders of the recently defunct Fincastle county.
The first named commissioner to hire wagons to bring
up the salt alloted by the Governor and Council from
Staunton, perhaps, or some place east of the Blue Eidge,
was the owner of the Salt Lick, where an almost inex
haustible supply could, with little labor, have been
obtained. His associates were intelligent, influential and
prominent men in the community, but to none of them,

52 Historical Sketches and
nor any member of the court, did it occur that so great
a treasure was only eighteen miles distant.
Another inference drawn from the last order is that
no flour mill had been built in that section of country.
The abundance of water power unutilized wasted its
strength in the shadow of overhanging trees. The early
settlers were too much occupied in clearing up the land
for crops that would supply urgent and pressing neces
sity to give any time to diverting the water's current
and building mills. Self-protection was the problem of
the day, and every family had to provide for itself. But
this selfishness, instead of separating families, led to
combinations and, by mutual help, accomplished what
no individual or single family could accomplish. So,
when a new family reached the neighborhood and the
cabin was to be built, the men for miles around gathered
in, and the men of reputation for carrying up corners
took their places of prominence with axe in hand, and
rapidly notched and fitted the logs as they were lifted
up to them.
The cause for this destitution may, perhaps, have been
the absence of those patriot soldiers who had marched
under William Campbell in September, 1775, to Williams
burg to aid Patrick Henry in forcing Governor Dunmore
to return the gunpowder he had removed from the old
magazine to the schooner " Magdalen," at anchor in the
James river. The promptness with which they left their
homes allowed no time for providing for their families.
These were, therefore, wards of the Commonwealth, and
provided for by their neighbors and the State. If this
be not the cause of the destitution, then the substantial

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 53
citizens who signed the call to Eev. Charles Cummings,
in 1773, and the Freeholders of Fincastle county who
met at Fort Chiswell on the 20th of January, 1775, must
have made slow progress in clearing and cultivating the
fertile lands selected for their homes.
After General William Campbell's death (August 22,
1781) Arthur Campbell (one of his executors) took charge
of his estate, and, finding that some persons had made
salt at the Salt Lick, determined to develop it more fully
himself. By what means he did so is not known. He,
however, foresaw the value of the property and the neces
sity of securing an abundant supply of fuel for the pros
pective furnaces. He therefore entered a large tract of
land adjoining the Salt Lick tract and smaller tracts
in the vicinity in the name of Charles Henry Campbell,
the infant son of General William Campbell. This child
died when he was five years old, and the property de
scended to his sister, Sarah Buchanan Campbell, who
married General Francis Preston. A dispute arose
between Colonel Arthur Campbell and General William
Eussell (who had married the widow of General Camp
bell) about the guardianship of Sarah B. Campbell, and
to reconcile the family disputes the court appointed, in
1789, Colonel Thomas Madison (whose wife was a sister
of Mrs. Eussell) guardian of the child. In the interest of
his ward he came to the Salt Lick about 1790, and built
a log cabin on the site of the Preston house; dug a well
on the margin of the flat below, and commenced the man
ufacture of salt in the primitive mode of the times.
The salt-house was of hewed logs. The salt was lifted
from the kettle by long-handled dippers, and put into

54 Historical Sketches and
baskets of splits over the kettles to drain. When suffi
ciently drained these baskets were carried along the plat
form and emptied into the salt-house which stood some
thirty feet away from the furnace.
Before Colonel Madison assumed the guardianship of
Sarah B. Campbell, General William Eussell, who had
married the widow of General William Campbell in 1783,
moved his family from Aspinvale, in February, 1788, to
the " Salt Lick," and built the famous Madam Eussell
house. This move was prompted by the purpose of
General Eussell to give his personal attention to the
manufacture of salt, which was rapidly developing into
an important industry.
General Eussell dug a well on the margin of the flat
in front of his house and obtained salt water, and built
a furnace and salt-house. The furnace was an open shed,
and the kettles were the camp kettles of that day, of a
capacity of from eight to twelve gallons.
In 1792 General Eussell's health failed, and he started
for Williamsburg, where the Legislature, of which he
was a member, was in session, but he died at the home
of his son, Eobert L. Eussell, in Culpeper county, on the
14th of January, 1793.
In 1795, General Francis Preston had a frame build
ing added to the log cabin of Thomas Madison, and in
that or the next year made his home there. It was the
first frame building erected in the valley. The carpenter
was Francis Irby, who continued to be an inmate of the
family for nearly forty years. The nails used in the
building were made by a colored blacksmith, old Cyrus,
a slave of General Preston, and so firm was their hold

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. JJ
in the timber that fifty years afterwards a chimney-
mantelpiece could not be taken down without breaking
it into fragments. The stone chimney at the west end
of the house was built by Jesse Dungan, and when the
cap-stone Avas placed he stood on his head upon it. It is
still erect and remains as a monument to Dungan and
his honest masonry.
General Preston also had a well dug near to that of
Colonel Madison. It was an open shaft of betAveen eight
and ten feet in diameter and about eighty feet deep. It
was " cribbed " or lined with hewed logs to prevent the
earth from crumbling in. The water in all the Avells in
this locality rose to within twenty or thirty feet of the
surface, and was nearly as strong as that at the western
border of the valley. But as the surface and seapage
water gradually found its Avay into these open shafts the
strength of the brine Avas diminished, and other Avells
were dug.
The water was drawn up in large buckets by a wind
lass and emptied into an open trough that led to cisterns
near the furnace. These furnaces were open sheds simi
lar to that of General Eussell, but of greater dimensions
and larger kettles. The chimneys Avere not more than
fifteen feet high, and though the draft was sufficient to
burn the wood, it did not convey the heat far enough
back to boil the water in the kettles near the chimney,
a distance of thirty or forty feet.
On the 8th of October, 1795, William King bought from
John Musgrove and wife a tract of land of 150 acres for
£500. This was the tract entered by Evan Lee, and ad
joined the Salt Lick ou the west. Lee sold to James

56 Historical Sketclies and
Crabtree for £120, and Crabtree sold to Musgrove for
£100. Musgrove made a good speculation, but lost a large
fortune by his sale.
Mr. King offered to transfer his purchase to General
Preston, telling him that he (King) was sure that salt
water could be had upon it. But General Preston replied
that there was enough for both of them, and he would
rather King should share with him than any one else.
They were brother Masons.
When King began his well is not known. He located
it so near the line of the Salt Lick tract that the earth
thrown out by the laborers fell over the line of that tract.
He struck Avater, practically a saturation of salt water,
at the depth of about 200 feet, in 1799, and promptly
began the construction of a furnace and other buildings.
As the well was at the head of the valley the surface
drainage did not at first weaken the water, and the yield
of a bushel of salt (fifty pounds) was obtained from thirty-
two gallons of water. The Avater weighed nine pounds
per gallon.
In Jedediah Morse's geography, ]irinted in 1805, there
is this account of " Preston's Salines ":
" The mammoth, the king of the laud animals, was
" formerly an inhabitant of this country, as appears from
" his bones which have been dug up by laborers at Pres-
" ton's salines. North Holston, AA'hen sinking salt pits.
" They were from three to seven feet below the surface
" of the earth. The bones have also been found at a lick
" near Nashville. Preston's salines mentioned above are
" on the North Fork of Holston, half a mile south of the
" river, seventeen or eighteen easterly from Abingdon.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 57
" The tract that contains these salines is a great curiosity.
" It was discovered by Captain Charles Campbell about
" 1745, who was one of the first explorers of the western
" country. In 1753 he procured a patent for it from the
" Governor of Virginia. His son, the late General Wil-
" liam Campbell, the same who behaved so gallantly in
" the American war in the year 1780 and 1781, became
" owner of it on his death. But it was not till the time
" of his death, when salt was very scarce and dear that
" salt AA'ater was discovered, and salt made by a poor man.
" After this time, under the direction of Colonel Arthur
" Campbell, it was improved to a considerable extent,
" and many thousands of inhabitants are now supplied
" from it with salt — a superior quality — at a low price.
" The tract consists of about 300 acres of flat marsh land
" of as rich a soil as can be imagined. In this flat pits
" are sunk in order to obtain the salt water. They are
" from sixty to ninety feet deep. After passing through
"the rich soil or mud, you come to a very brittle lime-
" stone rock, with cracks or chasms through which the
" salt water issues into the pits, whence it is drawn by
" buckets and put into the boilers, which are placed in
"furnaces adjoining the pits. The hills that' surround
" this flat are covered with fine timber. Near this Mr.
" King has a well more than 200 feet deep, ten feet
" square constantly more than half full of water. Thirty-
" two gallons of this, and some of the other wells, make
" one bushel of salt. Two hundred bushels have been
" made in a day. It is equal to Liverpool salt. He can
" supply the State of Tennessee and Southwest Virginia
" with this essential article."
8

58 Historical Sketches and
This account of the salines was, in all probability,
written early in 1800, as King struck water in his well
in 1799, and rented the Preston salines on the 20th of
February, 1801. Except in some unimportant facts it is
a very good account of the valley at that time. The date
of Charles Campbell's " discovery " is antedated three
years, and the discovery of the " poor man " was in
utilizing what was known to the aborigines, as previously
stated. The present owners of the salines may be sur
prised at the quantity of salt produced and the area of
country to be supplied.
It has been stated that William King rented the Hol
ston Salt- Works on the 20th of February, 1801, for ten
years. As this first lease of the Preston estate contains
many peculiar stipulations, the following extracts are
given. After describing the different tracts of land
embraced in the lease the contract proceeds:
" And should there not be wood enough on said lands,
" together with the tract of land on which John Broddy
" now resides, adjoining Saltville, and suitable for split-
" ting and good for wood to make up the quantity of
" 62,600 cords of wood and likewise furnish rails for the
" land now rented from the said Preston, then the said
" King is to have permission to cut cord wood to that
"amount on any part of the said Preston's lands, and
" hawl the same to the Saltworks or the works rented of
" the said Preston, as the said King may choose or find
" it convenient."
This rapid consumption of wood would soon have
stripped the adjoining lands of the primitive forest.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 59
Fortunately, hoAvever, it renewed itself rapidly, and the
writer had cut from land that had been cut over twenty-
five years previously as much as fifty cords per acre.
Permission was given to King to quarry rock at any
quarry and haul this and all farm and other products
over the rented premises, and to dig mines and search for
salt-water and minerals, etc., on the premises and dispose
of them during the lease; and to rent all or any part of
the said premises, and at the expiration of the lease to
remove his salt and other property, provided it was done
within nine months.
The annual rental for all this property and privileges
was |12,000, to be paid to Francis Preston or his order
or representative on the 10th day of March, 1802. The
first payment was to be at that date, and the last at the
expiration of the lease. For the first three years one-
third was to be paid in cash at Abingdon and one-half
in an order on a merchant or merchants in Eichmond or
Baltimore, where said King may deal, current wholesale
selling price, at six months, on such articles as said
Preston may choose out of the said wholesale store; the
remaining |2,000 in salt at Saltville at ten per cent, dis
count from the said King's selling prices. Eesidue of the
term eight thousand dollars in cash, and four thousand
in Mdse, as before mentioned annually. *****
" The said Francis Preston further contracts and agrees
that in case other salt-works being erected within one
hundred miles easterly or northerly or within three hun
dred miles westwardly or southwardly from said prem
ises in this State of Virginia or Tennessee or North Caro
lina, that one or all of the said works within the said

60 Historical Sketches and
bounds make 20 bushels per day or upwards, the said
lease to be void, if chosen by the said William King or
his heirs or executors, etc. Then or at any time there-
afterwards he, the said William King or his heirs, etc.,
chooses by giving said Francis Preston or his representa
tives, etc., a written or personal notice or advertising
on the door of the court-house of Washington county
aforesaid, three months previously, of his, the said King's
intentions. It is also agreed that in case any other salt
works being established in the said bounds, even in
making a less quantity than tAventy bushels per day, that
should the said King think proper to sacrifice his salt by
selling at or under one dollar per bushel, the said Preston
agrees that the said premises and works shall be rent
free during the time the said King sells salt at or under
one dollar per bushel at SaltAdlle; and in that case the
said Preston, if he thinks proper, may commence salt-
making on his own premises, and the lease is to expire
if he chooses at the cease of the rent."
" It is also further agreed that, upon two years' trial,
should the said King choose, he is at liberty to make void
the lease by giving twelve months' notice in the manner
of the notice before expressed," and in any future year
" the same privilege, even in case of no salt opposition,
" only the notice of twelve months' notice in this case
" is required, during which the said Preston is at liberty
" to dig wells and prepare for salt-making in the manner
" contracted at the end of the two years' lease, should
"the said King choose to hold it so long as hereafter
" mentioned.' "
There are many other stipulations by which all proba-

Reminiscences 0/ an Octogenarian. 61
ble contingencies are provided against. The above are
given chiefiy to show the mutual confidence of the parties
and the apprehension on the part of King that salt water
might be found within the area of the market, and salt be
made and sold for less than one dollar per bushel. The
fear of such competition continued for many years, and
many persons supposed that salt water Avould be discov
ered in the near neighborhood of Saltville. Both Francis
Smith and James White dug deep wells upon their lands
bordering upon the river without finding a trace of salt.
The only trace ever found was by Mr. Wyndham Eobert
son in a deep well (about 500 feet) sunk near the line of
the King estate, on the western slope of the Salt- Works
Valley. William King Avas very successful in his business
affairs, and had many mercantile establishments in
Virginia and Tennessee. He died in 1808, and by his
will directed that the salt estate and mercantile es
tablishments should be managed, as equals in part
nership, by his brother, James King, William Trigg
(who had married his niece, Eachel Findlay), and his
wife during the life of the latter. Mrs. King renounced
her interest under the will of her husband, but united
with James King and William Trigg in an agreement
for working the salines. James King died in 1809,
and by his will devised and directed, as far as
his estate was interested in the salt-works, that it be
carried on according to an agreement entered into be
tween Mary King, William Trigg and himself, and that
his part be under the direction of his executor, Charles
S. Carson, to whom one-third of the profits was given as

62 Historical Sketches and
compensation for his services. The other two-thirds were
divided between his wife Sarah and his three children,
William, Thomas and Eachel Mary Eliza. In 1813 Wil
liam Trigg died, leaving Lilburn L. Henderson as his
executor. The business of the salt-works was carried on by these
parties until May, 1819, Avhen James White and the
creditors of William Trigg filed a bill in chancery,
alleging waste and non-payment of William King's debts.
The prayer of the bill was granted, and James White was
appointed receiver. On the 17th of June, 1819, Francis
Smith, who had married the widow of William King;
Thomas Claiborne, who married the widow of James
King, and L. L. Henderson, who married the widow of
William Trigg, in right of his wife, and as guardian of
William Trigg's children, leased the salt-works to John
Sanders for five years from August 1, 1819, at an annual
rent of |30,000.
The next year James White purchased the lease from
Sanders, and continued in possession until 1833.
When this striking figure and remarkable man, James
White, appears upon the stage an introduction is not
only appropriate, but necessary. He was over six feet
high, of broad shoulders, deep chest, and that symmetry
of limb that indicate agility and strength. His physical
energy surpassed that of ordinary men, and his intellec
tual endowments may (in part) be measured by his suc
cess in business. He was born near Carlisle, Pennsyl
vania, February 22, 1770, of Scotch-Irish parents, and
when quite young was a clerk in the concern of Talbot,
Jones & Co., of Baltimore, Md. With them he remained

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 63
tAvo or three years, and that firm advanced him a small
stock of goods, with which he made his first trip to South
west Virginia. He quickly sold the same, and thus began
his business ventures in that country when about twenty-
one years of age. On the Ith of January, 1798, he mar
ried Miss Eliza Wilson, and settled in Abingdon. All of
his enterprises seemed to prosper, and his control of the
salt-works and its markets for salt enabled him to estab
lish a great number of mercantile concerns (it is said
forty-five at one time) in the States of Virginia, Tennes
see, Alabama and Georgia, and from the profits of these
and the sale of salt large revenue was derived. These
profits were invested in large interests of the Lead Mines
in Wythe county; in cotton plantations, slaves and other
property, which were worth at least |750,000 at his death.
He died October 20, 1838.
As bold and sagacious as he was, he made some grave
mistakes in his business. The most remarkable, perhaps,
was in his contract with James Sanders, by which he
agreed to take all the salt that Sanders could make at
one dollar per bushel. The estimate of the capacity of
King's salines for the production of salt was from 90,000
to 100,000 bushels, and that amount could easily be sold
at a large profit. But Sanders built additional furnaces,
and there seemed to be no limit to the production and
the consequent glutting of the market.
To avoid the threatened bankruptcy. Colonel White
offered Sanders large sums to cancel the contract. At
last it was agreed that if Colonel White would purchase
the beautiful estate on the Middle Fork of Holston, lying
west of the Aspinvale tract, and extending to Colonel

64 Historical Sketches and
Greavers, below the present Chilhowie, and deed it to
Sanders, the contract would be cancelled. Tradition says
this purchase cost Colonel White |75,000.
Before the lease to Sanders expired, in 1824, Colonel
White renewed it for himself, and retaining peaceable
possession of the property, began with his usual energy
to increase the production of salt and extend the area of
the market. Unfortunately, the interest of Eachel Mary
Eliza, only daughter of James King, and wife of Dr.
Alexander McCall, was not included in the lease.
In order to understand these complicated interests it
is necessary to revert to another peculiar bequest in the
will of William King, Sr. Wishing in some measure to
entail his estate he devised the salt-works property to a
son of his brother, James King, provided he married a
daughter of William Trigg and Eachel Findlay (his wife),
and niece of William King. But in default of such a mar
riage, to a son of William Trigg and Eachel, his wife,
provided he married a daughter of James King. It so
happened that William Trigg and wife had only four sons
and James King only one daughter, Eachel Mary Eliza,
and she married Dr. Alexander McCall. After years of
litigation the Supreme Court of the United States de
cided that as the bequest of the testator could not be
complied with the property descended to his heirs gen
eral. This decision made all of the heirs of William King
co-tenants of the salt-works estate. As Dr. McCall, by his
marriage with Miss Eachel Mary Eliza, only daughter
of James King, had defeated the bequest of the salt
works to that family, he appeared to be infatuated with
the purpose of obtaining some indemnity for it. His

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 65
wife's interest not being legally included in the lease to
Colonel White, he refused to receive his proportion of
the rent, and in the name of his wife and others brought
suit against Colonel White for possession, as co-tenant,
of a part of the property, and also for rents and profits
from 1824. This suit was not decided until February 15,
1833, when Judge James E. Brown delivered his opinion,
by which McCall and others were denied the right of
entering upon the property, but given the right of an
account of rents and profits.
On the 2d of September, 1833, Colonel White leased
the King Salt-Works to Alex. McCall and William King
at an annual rent of |15,972, during the life of Mrs.
Francis Smith, formerly Mrs. William King. On the
same day McCall and King leased the Preston estate at
an annual rent of |16,000.
From the time of the first least the policy of the lessees
was to prevent competition. As the water on the King
estate was stronger than that on the Preston, more fur
naces were erected by the lessees on the former than on
the latter, and hence the salines were generally known
as " King's Salt- Works." The furnaces on the Preston
estate were neglected, and were soon in a dilapidated
condition. The seapage-water from the neighboring
marsh diluted the water in the wells until the impression
was made that this estate could not compete with King's
in the manufacture of salt. The rental value of the
former, therefore, was so lessened that General Preston
decided to develop and manufacture salt on his own
property. His son, William C. Preston, took charge of
the property, and was so successful that the lessee of the
9

66 Historical Sketches and
King estate, who was paying a large rental, soon dis
covered that the competition Avas too formidable, and to
realize any profit a lease of the Preston estate was abso
lutely necessary. This lessee Avas Colonel James White.
He greatly increased the production of salt, and extended
the area of the market. Nearly all of the furnaces were
on the King estate, and the salt transported on the river
was hauled in wagons to different points of shipment.
This involved heavy expense. It was during Colonel
White's lease that the earth around King's well caved
in some ten or fifteen feet below the surface, and the
cavity was filled by a pool of water. To support the
superincumbent earth and check the influx of surface
water, he had many cords of wood thrown into the cavity.
Colonel White ceased to rent the Preston salines in
1829. In 1830 Charles H. C. Preston, son of General
Preston, was put in possession of the Preston estate, and
dug a well in the vicinity of King's well, and obtained as
strong water as the latter. To avoid the expense of haul
ing salt to the river he built furnaces where the alkaline-
works are located, and conA'eyed the water in wooden
tubes to them. He died on the 13th of January, 1832,
before his more advanced plans of manufacturing salt
were matured. After his death John S. Preston, the
managing partner of John S. Preston & Co., lessees of
their father, Francis Preston, took charge of the property,
and he employed a northern man (Anthony) to put a
pump in the new well. It was of iron, and soon began to
leak. In the course of the next year (September 1, 1833)
King and McCall rented the entire salines and estab-

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 67
lished their offices and dwe'llings at the river works.
Their lease of the Preston property continued till 1845.
Before its expiration, it was decided by the Court of Ap
peals that the heirs of William King were " tenants in
common," and that any one of them had the right to enter
upon the property and work the salines, accounting to
the other heirs for profits. In the exercise of this right,
after the death of Mrs. Smith (1839), Messrs. Alexan
der and Thomas Findlay, nephews of William King, Avith
John D. Meitchell and others, as Findley, Meitchell &
Co., took joint possession Avith King and McCall of the
King well, and began the manufacture of salt. This
competition was fatal to King and McCall, and they,
failing to pay the rent of the Preston estate, gave up the
property January, 1845, and Thomas L. Preston was
given the management of it.
During that year an effort was made to unite the two
estates under a common management. All the parties
in interest agreed upon the terms of the contract, but
when it was written and many had signed, Dr. Alexander
McCall, for himself and William King, refused to sign.
He had been present at all of the conferences, discussed
the various stipulations, and urged their acceptance.
This breach of faith arrested for a time the efforts for a
combination, but it was regarded as so important to the
interests of all other parties that an agreement was en
tered into by other heirs of the King estate, and Thomas
L. Preston, and the business was commenced on that"
footing. Mr. McCall soon began building a furnace on
the King estate, and this led to a long chancery suit.
The court finally decided to take charge of the property

68 Historical Sketches and
and have it rented for the heirs general of William King.
Under this decree of the court Thomas L. Preston rented
the King estate at an annual rent of $16,000 for five years
on the 1st of January, 1846. At the expiration of his
lease Wyndham Eobertson became the lessee of both
estates for five years at $16,000 annually for each. On
the expiration of his lease Thomas L. Preston again
rented the King estate on the same terms for five years.
During the occupancy of King and McCall no profits were
declared. When Thomas L. Preston took charge of the Preston
saline estate it was in a very dilapidated condition. The
farm had been neglected, and some fifty or sixty tenants
were scattered among the hills and valleys. The ditches
in the fiat were filled, and the swamp land extended in
every direction. The cattle of the neighborhood grazed
unmolested on the meadows, as there was only a pre
tence of a fence to keep them out. The old residence had
been occupied by rough tenants, and the doors on which
the old brass locks, with their pendant handles were still
attached, were fastened by a trace chain that passed
through an inch augur hole over a rough staple driven
into the side-post. The papering in the parlor hung in
shreds, and the closets AA^ere nests of rats and mice. The
out-houses were in a state of decay, and the only shelter
for a saddle-horse Avas a corn-crib without a floor.
The furnaces were in nearly as bad a condition. They
were open sheds, and the long, heaA'y oval-shaped kettles
were imbeded more than one-half of their area in rough
walls, so that but a little more than a third of the convex
surface was exposed to the fire.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 69
William King invited the gentlemen who were to
appraise the personal property agreed to be taken by the
incoming tenant to dinner. The principal dish was a
roasted pig, and a former man-cook of the Preston's was
given the duty of preparing it. He stood upon the abut
ment of the chimney and turned the spit on the top of it.
It was not more than four feet high. It is not surprising
that the lessees failed who used such primitive and in
adequate processes of making salt.
The first furnace modeled after those of Syracuse, New
York (with some original improA^ements), was built by
Thomas L. Preston in 1845-'6. It was located opposite
the old office, and was burned by the Yankees in 1864.
In 1847, Thomas L. Preston had a ditch dug six feet
wide and four feet deep from the northeastern corner
of the valley to the old mill at the foot of the " Sugar
Loaf Hill," on the east. When the ditches reached a
point nearly opposite the Madam Eussell house they re
ported that a rock was struck that was too hard to be
removed by their picks. The rock ran vertically into the
flat, and on the eastern side a salt spring of considerable
volume rose in the bottom of the ditch. When this bar
rier was removed the water poured in such volume from
the pond and the adjoining marsh that the progress of
the ditch was delayed for several days, and lateral
ditches were cut to convey it off. The earth from the
ditch was thrown on the eastern bank and formed the
basis of the present road through the A^alley. The entire
flat was drained by this ditch.
In 1858, Thomas L. Preston, then the lessee of the King
salines, rented both estates to Spencer Ackerman & Co.

70 Historical Sketches and
In 1863, Stuart, Palmer and Parker purchased the Pres
ton property from Eobert Gibboney, trustee of Thomas
L. Preston, and in 1864 a joint stock company of the two
estates was formed under the title of the Holston Salt
and Plaster Company. In 1893 the joint saline estates
were purchased by the present proprietors.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian.

CHAPTER IV.
The early settlers of the vicinity of the Salt-Works
were a primitive and peculiar class of people, unlearned
and superstitious, but, like most frontiersmen, manly and
independent. The buffalo and elk had disappeared from
the country, but deer, bear and other game was abund
ant, and every man was a hunter and skilled in the use
of the rifle. They knew nothing of the luxuries of life.
On one occasion, when a neighbor was sick. General
Preston visited him, and finding that he was only weak
and depressed, asked if he would not like to have some
coffee. He said that the would, and the General sent a
few pounds. A few days afterwards the General called
again, and asked how he liked the coffee. He replied,
" Well, Gineral, I am much obleged for your kindness,
" but my old woman hiled them beans all day most, and they
" were jist so hard I couldn't eat 'em."
The women often came and talked with Mrs. Preston.
Of these there was a notable character, a Mrs. Henagar,
who had the reputation of being a witch. Her upper eye
lids were paralyzed and drooped over her eyes, giving her
the appearance of being blind. Whenever she read her
Bible she was obliged to stoop over it and hold the lids
up with her hands. Then her vision was perfect. Mrs.
Preston asked her, " Why, Mrs. Henagar, do people say

72 Historical Sketches and
you are a witch? " " LaAv, bless your sAveet soul, honey,"
she replied, " it's because I have got more sense than all
of 'em put together." This bad reputation, however,
clung to her, and every rifle that had " a spell " upon
it, and every child that had convulsions in the neighbor
hood was supposed to be bcAvitched by ilrs. Henagar.
So fixed was this belief that Charley Talbot, a notable
hunter and marksman, once had " a spell " on his gun,
and he could not Avin at shooting matches nor kill a deer
in the woods. He said that JMrs. Henager had a
" grudge " against him, and had put the " spell " on his
gun. To avenge himself and rid the neighborhood of this
supposed meddlesome person, he determined to practice
a " spell " upon her. To accomplish this it was necessary
to draw an outline of her figure upon a tree and shoot
it in the heart with a bullet in which there was a large
portion of silver. This he did, but, to his surprise, ]Mrs.
Henager did not " pine aAvay and die," but continued in
her usual health. He Avas, therefore, convinced that it
was not Mrs. Henagar that had " spelled " his gun, but
some other witch.
Many other stories of witchcraft were circulated and
believed, but, perhaps the best authenticated was that
of the children of young Mrs. Talbot and her cousin, Mrs.
Henagar. They liA'ed together on the north side of the
river, about a mile from the King Salt-Works. Their
children were little girls, nearly of the same age, and
had learned to talk well enough to be understood. On
a bright summer day the two mothers barred the door
of the house in which the children were left, and went to
the river side to do their Avashing. Suddenly there was

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 73
a noise and shrill outcry from the house, and the
mothers ran back to it. On entering the door one of the
children was found sitting in the " crib," and the other
greatly excited and alarmed running about the floor.
Soon it was discovered that the one on the floor had lost
the power of articulation; was, indeed, dumb, and the
other, in the cradle, was paralyzed in its lower limbs, but
could speak. No intelligent explanation of what had
occurred could be given by the only child which could
talk, and, as far as she could indicate, the only cause for
alarm was that a black cat had come down the chimney
with a cap on its head. This solved the mystery, and was
accepted by the families and the neighborhood as a clear
case of witchcraft. Subsequent events confirmed the
opinion. On the anniversary of this event the mothers and chil
dren went to bed just as they had done for a year;
but, lo! when they awoke next morning the paralyzed
child sprang up and ran about the floor as actively
as her cousin had done the day before, but that cousin
sat in bed talking in the adA'^anced language of a year,
but could not move her legs. This periodical interchange
of condition continued for two or more years, and until
the paralyzed child sickened aud died. The dumb one
lived to be an old woman. In her youth she was bright
and cheerful; loved dancing, and attended the festivities
of the neighborhood. She kept house for her brothers,
and when one of them lost his wife, she took care of and
attended to his children.
The writer of this visited the family when Miss Talbot
was an elderly woman, and was struck with her tidiness,

7-^ Historical Sketches and
and the neatness and orderly management of the house
hold. He cannot fix the date when she particularly re
quested him to come to her house, as she wished to con
sult with him on an important matter of business. When
he arrived her brother was in the room, and spoke for her
the usual greetings and inquiries. She then motioned
to him to retire, and send to her a negro girl (one of her
slaves), whom she had taught to be her interpreter. This
girl informed the writer that her mistress wished him to
write her loill. Writing materials were produced, and
Miss Talbot, through her interpreter, explained how she
wished to dispose of her estate, real and personal. She
owned five or six slaves, and for these (especially her in
terpreter) she made kind, considerate and judicious pro-
A'^ision. The landed estate was left for life to her brothers,
but in trust for the nephews and nieces she had brought
up. As each bequest was read, if it did not explicitly
express her wishes she would pause and then insist upon
such changes as did. Her mind was as clear as the
clearest, and there was no uncertainty in her purposes.
She was asked if the story about her cousin and herself
was true. She replied, " Of course I do not remember
anything about it, but was told that it happened as you
have heard it. I have no recollection of being able to
speak." The sequel is a sad one. After Thomas L. Preston
moved to eastern Virginia, a plausible and designing
man persuaded Miss Talbot that Mr. Preston had deceived
her, and instead of writing her will as she dictated, had
inserted a (;'lause bequeathing the slaves and, perhaps,
some other property to himself. But if she would let

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 75
him destroy that will and write one for her the property
would be secured to those she wished to leave it to. She
yielded to these suggestions, and the will was written
and duly executed. When, after Miss Talbot's death, it
was presented for recordation, then it was discovered
that the slaves were bequeathed to this pretended friend.
He took possession of them, brought them to the court
house and sold them as his own. The family protested
against this fraud, but were unable to set the will aside.
This information was obtained from Benjamin K.
Buchanan, who knew the facts, and whose integrity and
veracity cannot be questioned.
Another incident characteristic of that period may be
mentioned. Colonel Francis Preston was in Philadelphia
when a ship, having many immigrants, arrived. Those
immigrants who could not pay for their passage were
sold as servants for a term of years fixed by the price
paid for them. Hence they were called " Eedemptioners."
Colonel Preston was struck by the appearance of a young
German, bought him, and brought him to his home. It
was soon discovered that he was an educated gentleman,
spoke English, and was an accomplished musician. In
stead of putting him to menial service, he was installed
as music teacher to Colonel Preston's daughters. In
this capacity he continued until his term of service ex
pired. On the day before its expiration. Colonel Preston
said to him, " I wish you to dress in your best clothes for
dinner to-morrow." At the appointed hour he presented
himself, and when he was ushered into the parlor he
stood abashed at the door, for Colonel and Mrs. Preston,
with their children, were in full dress. The Colonel

76 Hislorical Sketches and
advanced and held out his hand, saying, " Mr.  ,
your term of service is ended, and we welcome you into
our family circle as a gentleman and friend." At this
unexpected greeting he broke down and wept like a
woman. His coming to America was caused by a painful
and humiliating incident. Whilst on a visit to England
he was made drunk by a party of gay young men, and
during that insensate condition was married to a woman
of the streets. When he awoke next morning and found
what had occurred, and that by the laAvs of England the
marriage was legal, he was so horrified and overwhelmed
with shame that he started promptly for Liverpool, and
took passage in the first vessel sailing to America. For
tunately, he fell into the hands of Colonel Preston, and
after his term of service expired continued to live as one
of the family, until the good news reached him that the
woman he had married was dead, and that he could
return untrammeled to his family in Germany.*
A somewhat similar incident occurred in the family of
Colonel William Preston, of Montgomery county, father
of Francis. He bought a " redemptioner," and after
bringing him home, discovered that he was an educated
physician. His name Avas Thomas Lloyd. He was treated
as one of the family, and when in the summer of 1767,
Colonel William Preston with Thomas Lewis were ap-

•^Mrs. Letitia Floyd, in her letters to her son, Ben. Rush Floyd,
is mistaken in saying this German was purchased by her father, Colonel
William Preston, and says his name was Aaron Palferras. This may
be true of the name: I cannot recall it. The incidents of the German's
residence at the Saltworks I often heard from my mother, Mrs. Sarah
B. Preston. T. L. P.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 77
pointed commissioners by Governor Dinwiddie to make
a treaty with Shawnee and Delaware Indians at the
mouth of Big Sandy river, Dr. Lloyd was taken with
them. Mrs. Letitia Floyd (from whose letters to her son
this account is taken), says : " Lewis, I believe, did not
" accompany the party. The treaty was made with
" Ocanothoto (?) and Cornstalk. Colonel Preston endured
" singular hardships in this expedition ; he had tied his
"moccasins somewhat too tight; the string chafed the
" instep of one of his feet, Avhich produced partial morti-
" fication. The skill of Dr. Lloyd saved his life. The
" Doctor continued a companion and died many years
" afterwards, the firm friend of the Preston family."
The descendants of many of the redemptioners were
among the most respectable families of a later period.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 79

CHAPTER V.
Charley Talbot, whose belief in " spells " has been men
tioned, was a notable character in his day, and illustrates
by his career some of the traits and opinions of the
mountaineers of that period. He was short of stature,
only flve feet eight inches high, broad shouldered, deep-
chested and lithe of limb, of great strength and agility.
One of his feats of strength Avas to rest the back of his
head on one chair and his heels on another and sustain
a weight of 225 pounds on his chest or stomach. So fleet
was he that he would bet he could beat any horse in a
race of 100 yards, if the horse's head were turned from
the course to be run when the word " go " was given, and
a hurdle of rails five feet high placed midway the course.
These wagers he continued to win until in the meridian
of life, he and the horse reached the rails simultaneously
and Charley's legs were caught in the top rail, struck
by the horse, and his thigh-bone was broken.
So skilled was he with the rifie that in the shooting
matches for beef he occasionally won the entire ox. The
arrangement was that a neighbor gave notice that on a
certain day and place he would offer a fat beef to be shot
for. When the croAvd assembled a price was put upon
the animal and an auction followed for the different parts
of it. It was divided into five quarters. The first and most

80 Historical Sketches and
valuable was the hide and tallow; then the hind quarters,
and, lastly, the two fore quarters. If the sums bid equaled
the price of the beef, marksmen chosen by the parties
began the contest. Each marksman had his own target,
and the best three shots out of five was the winner. The
winner of the first quarter had the right to bid for the
others, or take them in succession. Charley always bid
in the first quarter, and if he wou that continued to con
tend for the others, and thus secured the entire ox, and
drove it home or sold it on the spot. If he failed to do
this the ox was butchered and divided pro rata among the
winners and their partisans.
Unfortunately, Charley was too fond of a dram, and to
unsteady his hand and blur his keen vision he was some
times persuaded to " wet his Avhistle " too often and shot
wildly after the first contest. The distance shot was
usually sixty yards for off-hand shooters, and one hun
dred for those who shot with a rest. Charley was always
among the first class. He began life in the employment
of General Preston, and had the cattle under his charge,
but the routine and constraints of civilized life were irk
some to one of his wild and erratic nature. He soon,
therefore, after his marriage, built a cabin on a spur of
Clinch Mountain.
This cabin was situated not far from a rough precipi
tous gorge and could be approached only by a steep,
rough and narrow path. There, in seclusion, he and his
wife (a fit mate for such a character) continued to live.
Their frugal fare consisted chiefly of the game he killed
with his rifle, and of that there Avas variety aud abund
ance. Deer, bear, wild turkeys and pheasants (mountain

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 81
grouse) abounded, and the flesh of these, with the various
forms of bread made of cornmeal, satisfied their simple
tastes. For luxuries they had home-made sugar and
coffee, and dried berries, and always an abundance of
milk. Charley had charge of herds of cattle sent by General
Preston and Captain Francis Smith to the mountain
coves for summer pasture, and attended to their salting,
and saw that none strayed aAvay. For this service he was
paid, and this and his peltries gave him money for his
small expenditures. In his early manhood he was the
hunting companion of William C. Preston, of South Caro
lina, and together they roamed through the mountains
and became familiar with every leading ridge and gorge
of Clinch Mountain for many miles east and west, and
with all the hills and valleys between that mountain and
Walker's Mountain to the south. Mr. Preston leased a
cabin and some land to a lame Irish cobbler named
Walker, upon the condition that he should ahvays keep
a pack of hounds ready for the chase, and which he could
call out at the sound of his horn. With this pack Mr.
Preston and Charley would go into the " drive " and start
the deer which they knew would, after the shorter or
longer chase, run to certain " stands," Avhere other hunts
men were stationed. Mr. Preston and Charley enjoyed
the excitement of the chase and often killed a deer in
the drive.
This community of tastes made Charley a devoted
friend of Mr. Preston, whom he regarded as a superior
being, and whose behests were to be obeyed without ques-
II

82 Historical Sketches and
tioning. In the summer of 1845 Mr. Preston visited his
brother Thomas at the Salt-Works, and as they sat look
ing at the White Eocks on the summit of Clinch Moun
tain, he said, " I would like to go up there once more
before I die, and have Charley Talbot with me." He was
assured that this could be accomplished. A messenger
was dispatched to Charley, with the request that he
would come the next morning before sunrise prepared
to pilot the party on this expedition. He was on time,
and after an early breakfast the party started. The old
loyalty was as fresh in Charley's heart as it had been
twenty-five years before, and he rode by the side of Pres
ton talking as freely as he had done in the happy days
of early manhood. In a pause when not far from the
summit, Charley was by the side of Mr. Preston, who
turned to him, and without preface, said, " Charley, did
you have anything to do with the murder of Mrs. Cay-
wood? " Charley turned quickly, and, straightening him
self up, looked directly into Mr. Preston's eyes with a
concentrated gaze, and replied deliberately, " William,
you know Charley Talbot, and you know he is not a good
man, but you know he wouldn't hurt a hair on a woman's
head. No! I had nothing to do with it and am as inno
cent of that crime as you are yourself."
" Then, Charley, why did you hide in the mountains,
and not let yourself be summoned to court?" asked Mr.
Preston. "Lord! William. I knowed they would put me in jail;
and I'd 'ave died behind them bars," he replied.
Yes; the eagle in a cage would not have pined more
than Charley Talbot in the cell of a prison. There was

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 83
further conversation about the murder, and the evidence
in the case, and after a pause, JMr. Preston said, " Charley,
were you ever minded to kill any one? " Charley did not
answer promptly, but seemed to reflect for a moment,
and then answered slowly, "No, William; not exactly.
But there was that rascal F  who told lies about
me, and went to Captain Smith and told him that I did
not salt his cattle regularly, and took into the cove other
people's cattle, and when a steer was missing said it had
died from eating some pizon (poisonous) weed, or had
fallen over the cliff, when I had killed it, and sold what
meat I did not keep for myself. I knowed the rascal
wanted my place. So I Avent to Captain Smith and told
him I heard F  had been telling these lies on me,
and that he ought to know Charley Talbot too well to
believe them, as we had been boys together; and he
knowed I took good care of his cattle, and gave an honest
account of them every year. Well, one day I was still
hunting, and was near the head of the holler, where the
path across the ridge winds around it like a bow. I was
standing on a log, but hidden by the brush that grew
about it. As I looked around I saw F  a riding,
come over the top of the ridge. I set the triggers of
' Betty ' (his rifle) so fine that a puff of wind would spring
them." (In demonstration of his meaning he set the
triggers of his rifle, and, holding it near Mr. Preston, then
with a puff of breath sprang them.) " And I drew a bead
(sight) upon his heart, and followed all around the path,
saying to myself, ' If it is God's will to send a wind and
kill this man, then 'tis all right.' But there was no wind,

84 Historical Sketches and
and F  passed on out of sight." This question of
casuistry was not discussed.
When the conversation ended we toiled on to the foot
of the rocks. On the very apex these rocks are cleft to
their base, leaving a smooth passway not over ten feet
wide. On the southern and taller side there is a narrow
ledge about eight feet from the base. As we entered the
narrow defile, Charley exclaimed, " Just look there, Avhat
" a scuffle there has been! ' To T. L. Preston's eyes, there
" was no apparent evidence of a ' great scuffle,' but it was
" clear to Charley, aud, looking around, he said, 'A pan-
" ther caught a doe or spiked buck here last night. Yes;
" he was lying on that ledge and Avhen the deer passed
" through, he sprang upon and knocked him down, and
" then they scuffled, and tore up the ground until the
" panther got him by the throat and cut his jugular vein
" and sucked all the blood out of him. And that panther
" ai7it far from here now. He heard us and has hidden.
" If we had a dog we could soon trace him.' Then, looking
" over the ground, he said, 'That deer aint far from here.'"
We had dismounted, and, leaving the horses, Charley
walked like a dog upon a trail directly to the root of a
tree that had been blown down, where a pile of leaves
had apparently drifted, and, pulling some of them away,
uncovered the deer, saying as he did so, " I told you so."
Upon examining it, the meat was fresh, only a part of
the thigh eaten; and upon the flanks and neck were the
marks of the. claws and teeth, and the large veins of the
throat were punctured. Passing on to a moist and
densely shaded depression, a large tree had fallen across
our course, and as we neared it, Charley again said.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 85
" Look there! " Stretched by the side of the tree lay the
skeletons of two bucks, their heads together, and their
horns so interlocked that they could not be separated
without breaking the points. These were secured and
brought home as mementoes of the expedition, and were
entrusted to a person to be deposited in the Smithsonian
Institute, at Washington. Neither this nor many other
specimens of Indian and prehistoric relics were ever
heard of afterwards.
On the return down the mountain we stopped at Char
ley's cabin, and, desiring to know how he avoided being
arrested by the sheriff, the writer asked him for an ex
planation. He began by pointing out the " rack " for his
rifle over the head of his bed, and which could be reached
from a sitting position, and said, " There ' Betty ' stays
when not in my hands." Then to his saddle bags (wallets
swung over a pole suspended by ropes from the joist), and
by their side a suit of clothes. " Now, you see. Tommy,
when Watch (his dog) gives the signal, I jist reach up
for ' Betty,' ; jerk down them, saddle pockets and breeches,
and am out before any one can git to the door." " But,"
said his interlocutor, " your house was surrounded."
" Yes, but I lifted the bed off of that puncheon and
slipped under, and my old woman lifted it back on it, and
was in bed, mighty complaining, when they came in. If
they lifted up the puncheon, they would only see a tater
(potato) hole under it. I was out in the ravine, and no
man could catch me there among them rocks and bushes."
This subterraneous passage was never discovered, and
Charley eluded the sheriff and posse until he was per-

86 Historical Sketches and
suaded to give himself up and establish his innocence in
court. The murder of Mrs. Caywood was the celehrated case
of the period, and excited an intense interest throughout
the entire country. Ben Caywood was a prosperous
blacksmith, and, with his brother Tom, owned most of
the farm now owned by Benjamin K. Buchanan at Cay-
wood's Gap, on the south of Walker's Mountain. He
(Ben Caywood) became infatuated with a woman of the
neighborhood named Prather, and, in order to marry her,
it was necessary to get rid of his wife. A cunning and
skillful plan was devised for this purpose. As his was a
log house, about three inches of the chinking between the
logs, near the door, was carefully removed, making an
opening just large enough to admit the muzzle of a rifle.
It was then arranged that Caywood and his wife would
be engaged in paring apples before a bright fire. By that
light the assassin could see distinctly how to fire the fatal
shot. Mrs. Caywood (there were no children) was placed
nearest the door, and facing the fire presented her left
side to the assassin, whilst Caywood sat on the other side
of the fireplace, and out of the direction or line of the
shooting. This was the description of a witness who
looked in upon the party not more than five or ten min
utes before the fatal shot.
He testified that he was returning to his home from
the court at Abingdon, and as he approached the house,
there was such a bright light from the door that he
thought the house was on fire, and, turning out of the
road, he reached a point so near the house that a full

Roniniscences of an Octogenarian. 87
view of the inmates could be obtained. The fire, he said,
was of dry " clap-boards," once used for covering the
house, and the bright flame from them made every object
in the room distinctly visible.
He did not disturb the quiet group, but, turning back
into the road, he had scarcely passed beyond the light
from the door when he heard the crack of a rifle, and
immediately screams and a great noise in the house fol
lowed. These screams reached the ears of Tom Cay-
wood's family, not more than one hundred yards distant,
and they rushed down the hill to Ben Caywood's house.
He (Ben) appeared greatly excited, blood was streaming
over his face, the room was in the greatest confusion, and
Mrs. Caywod lay dead on the floor.
Ben said that an attempt had been made to kill him
and his wife and rob the house, and that the robbers,
after the shooting, rushed into the house, but that he had
driven them out after a desperate struggle, in which he
received the wound on his head; that the assassins missed
him when they fired, and he showed in the fireplace
the mark of the bullet that was intended for him. The
mark of the powder on the log where the muzzle of the
rifle had rested when Mrs. Caywood was shot was dis
tinctly traceable as late as 1845, and was seen by the
writer. Colonel Francis Preston happened to be a,t the Salt-
Works, and, as a magistrate and friend, was sent for. He
arrived early the next morning, and began an examina
tion into the circumstances and facts of the case. On
examining Mrs. Caywood's body, he found that the rifle
ball had passed through the heart, and that the shot was

88 Historical Sketches and
accurately aimed. The powder mark on the log proved
that only one shot had been fired from that point. Then
Ben Caywood's rifle was examined, but it was covered
with dust, and the condition of the lock showed that it
had not been flred for some time. The premises were
searched for footprints or any traces of the assassin.
None were discovered. The mill-pond, which was but
a short distance from the house, was dragged and drained
to see of the gun used could have been thrown there.
None was found. But the circumstances in which the
murder was committed were such that Colonel Preston
had Ben Caywood arrested. He at once became defiant
and said he had money enough to get soon out of jail, and
that there was |1,000 in silver in his saddle-bags under
the bed which he Avould take with him. This request
was granted.
As stated before, Charley Talbot was suspected of kill
ing Mrs. Caywood, but the only grounds for the suspicion
seemed to be the accuracy of aim of the fatal shot, and
that Charley was poor and lived a secluded life. He was
of a kindly nature, with a touch of chivalry, and could
then have proudly said " he would not hurt a hair on a
woman's head." As there was no proof against him
attention was directed to Prather, the brother of the
woman Caywood wanted to marry. A train of suspicious
circumstances centered at last upon him, and he was
arrested and put in jail.
In due course of time the trial came on. Benjamin
Estell (afterwards Judge) was attorney for the Common
wealth, and the defence was conducted by Charles 0.
Johnston, then a young man, but one of the most talented

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 89
of the talented sons of Judge Peter Johnston. So able
and ingenious was the defence that the jury could not
agree upon a verdict, and a new trial was ordered. Again
there was a hung jury. When the time came for the third
trial a panel could not be had in Washington county, as
every man of sufficient intelligence to sit in the trial of
such a case had made up his mind upon it. Subpoenas
were sent to the adjoining counties of Tazewell, Eussell
and Scott, without success. After persistent efforts by
the sheriffs and other officers a panel of eleven persons
was at last obtained, but how to get the twelfth no one
could tell. At last it A^^as ascertained that the school
master in Abingdon had said that he had not formed
an opinion upon the case. He was a SAvedenborgian, and
entertained conscientious scruples against capital punish
ment. This was reported to Mr. Estell, and his reply was,
" Let him be summoned. I can convince any intelligent
and reasonable man of Caywood's guilt." He was accord
ingly brought into court, and after being questioned as
to his opinions, was accepted as a juryman, cheerfully,
no doubt, by Mr. Johnston. The testimony against Cay
wood and Prather Avas more conclusive than ever, and
when the jury were sent to their room a verdict of guilty
was confidently expected. After a long delay the fore
man came into court and announced that the jury could
not agree upon a verdict. The schoolmaster, though con
vinced of Caywood's guilt, refused to sign a verdict that
involved capital punishment. As this was the third trial,
and no verdict was found, the accused was acquitted.
Caywood, his silver all gone, and Prather were set free,

90 Historical Sketches and
but with the understanding that they should leave the
country at once. This they did, and were never, as far as
known, heard of afterwards. The schoolmaster's school
was soon broken up, and he also left for parts unknown.

Note. — I was one of his pupils then a lad of eight or ten summers.
T. L. P.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 91

CHAPTEE VI.
The establishment of Washington county and its civil
and military organization are interesting in themselves,
and" too characteristic of the period to be passed in
silence. The extracts given from Major John Campbell's
Manuscript History in HoAve's History of Virginia are
therefore copied in full:
" The act establishing the county of Washington passed
in October, 1776, but it Avas not to go into operation until
January, 1777. It received its civil and military organi
zation on the 28th of January, 1777. It is the oldest
county of Washington in the United States, being the
first that was called after the Father of His Country.
The act establishing the county passed in the first year
of the Commonwealth, and the county was organized the
first month of the new year."
The following are the first records made in which the
county received its civil and military organization:
" January 28th, in the first year of the Commonwealth
of Virginia, and in the year of our Lord Christ, 1777, being
the day appointed by act of the General Assembly of the
Commonwealth of Virginia for holding the first court of
the county of Washington at ' Black's Fort,' a commis
sion of the peace and Dedimus for this county, directed
to Arthur Campbell, William Campbell, Evan Shelby,

92 Historical Sketches and
Daniel Smith, William Edminson, John Campbell, Joseph
Martin, Alexander Buchanan, James Dysart, John Kin-
caid, John Anderson, James Montgomery, John Coalier,
John Snody, George Blackburn, and Moses Maston, gen
tlemen, bearing date the 21st day of December, 1776,
were produced aud read. Thereupon, pursuant to the
Dedimus, William Campbell and Joseph Martin, two of
the aforesaid justices, administered the oath of the jus
tice of the peace, and of a justice of the county Court of
Chancery to Arthur Campbell, the first justice named in
said commission, and he afterwards administered the
aforesaid oaths to William Campbell, William Edminson,
and others named as aforesaid in the commission."
The records also state that James Dysart produced a
commission as county sheriff from Governor Patrick
Henry, and security being given, he took the oath.
The sheriff having opened the court in the name of the
Commonwealth of Virginia, David Campbell (afterwards
Judge Campbell, of Tennessee,) was inducted into the
office of county clerk.
Under these able and patriotic men the county of
Washington was established, and has ever since main
tained a reputation worthj^ of its noble founders.
An act for establishing a town at the court-house of
the county of Washington was passed at the October
(1778) session of the General Assembly. It provided,
" That whereas it hath been represented to this General
Assembly that Thomas Walker, Esquire, Joseph Black
and Samuel Briggs have engaged to give one hundred
and twenty acres of land in the county of Washington
where the court-house of the said county now stands,

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 93
agreeable to a survey thereof, made by Eobert Doach for
the purpose of establishing a town thereon, and for rais
ing a sum of money towards defraying the expenses of
building a court-house and prison, agreeable to which
part of the said land has been laid off and several lots
sold and buildings erected thereon; and whereas it would
tend to the more speedy improvement and selling of the
farms of the freeholders and inhabitants thereof, could
they be entitled to the same privileges enjoyed by the
freeholders and inhabitants of other towns in this State.
Be it enacted by this General Assembly that the said
one hundred and twenty acres of land, agreeable to a
survey thereof being had, be, and the same is hereby,
vested in fee simple in Evan Shelby, William Campbell,
Daniel Smith, William Edmiston, Eobert Craig and An
drew Willoughby, gentlemen, trustees, and be estab
lished a town by the name of Abingdon."
By giving the town this name the compliment to Gen
eral Washington was consummated, as it is the name of
the parish, perhaps the early home, of his wife.
These trustees were authorized to make conveyances
to the purchasers of lots already sold, or to be sold, and
lay off other parts of the lands in lots and streets, to be
sold at public auction after giving three months' notice
at the court-house on some court-day of that and adjoin
ing counties. " The purchasers respectively to hold the
said lots subject to the condition of building on such lots
a dAvelling-house at least twenty-four feet long* and six-

'* The same conditions for building houses on lots were in the first
ordinance of the city of Richmond.

94 Historical Sketches and
teen feet wide, with a brick or stone chimney, to be
finished within four years from the day of sale."
The proceeds of these lots were held liable to the orders
of the court of Washington county and applied to defray
ing the expenses of the public buildings and repairing
the streets of the town. To the trustees authority was
given to settle questions of boundary of the lots and
everything else for the order and well-being of the town.
" And be it further enacted that if the purchaser of
" any lots sold by the said trustees shall fail to build
" thereon within the time before limited, the said trustees
" or a major part of them, may thereupon enter into
" such lot, and may either sell the same again and apply
" the money towards repairing the streets, or in any other
" way for the benefit of the said town, or they may appro-
" priate the said lot or any part of it to any public use for
" the benefit of the inhabitants of the said town."
That the title to the land given for the site of the town
should be free from any incumbrance it was necessary
that Dr. Thomas Walker (the original patentee), who had
sold to Joseph Black and Samuel Briggs should unite in
the deed. It may be that the two last had not fully paid
for their purchases, and that Dr. Walker held a lien upon
the land.
The town of Abingdon was originally a rectangular
parallelogram, and occupied not more than twenty-five
or thirty acres near the center of the survey. It extended
from about forty yards from the branch on the east to the
foot of the hill west of the court-house, and consisted
of three wide parallel streets, running due east and west;
two narrow alleys parallel with the above. These were

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 95
intersected at right angles by one broad street passing
east of the court-house, and tAvo narrow alleys, one east
and the other west of the court-house.
The center street was Main street; that on the south
Water street; that on the north Valley street. The alley
south of Main street was " Trooper's alley," and that on
the north " Chinquipin " or Plum alley; either name
would have characterized it.
The court-house is on an oval hill, and the approach
from either east or west was quite steep. Before the
street was graded and macadamized it was no uncommon
thing for a loaded wagon, during bad weather, to " stick
in the mud " so deep as to require the aid of an additional
team to extricate it. The court-house crowned the sum
mit of the hill, and fronted south; the jail was quite near
on the north, and across the street from it the first brick
house in the town was built by William King about 1802
or 1803.
The first stores or mercantile houses were on the south
side of Main street, and the tavern (it was not a hotel)
was located on the eastern slope of the hill and north
side of Main street. There was one notable " house of
entertainment " on the south side of Main street kept by
a fiddler named Fin. There the plain people took their
meals and lodged, and there the hard drinkers congre
gated. Fin played the " fiddle," and many uproarious
jig dances were performed under the inspiration of Fin's
" Fisher's Hornpipe " and similar dance music. Tact and
management were exercised by Fin, and his house was
never regarded as a nuisance, and so conservative and

96 Historical Sketches and
respectful was his conduct that he kept the esteem of
the better class of the citizens.
The white man's inn was kept by a Mr. Saul. Mrs.
James Preston's house occupies the site of this once
famous hostelry. It was a rambling frame building of
a story and a half, and the rooms were small and badly
ventilated. But the host, a small, round-shouldered man,
a little deaf, was as spry and quick as a Scotch terrier,
and did all he could to make his guests comfortable and
satisfied. His chief assistants were three buxom daugh
ters, one of whom was Miss Maria, the beauty of the
family. Mrs. Saul was fat and rarely appeared among
the guests.
Attached to the rear of the house was a long dining-
room, and in it were given the balls (dances) of the period,
the occasional shows of jugglers, or other indoor amuse
ments. The dances were attended by the young people
from many miles around, and the frolic lasted into the
wee hours of the morning.
Bound dances were not then known, but the cotillon
and reels were enough for the enjoyment of the young
people of that primitive age. As the dancing master
boarded at the house, the Misses Saul were taught gra
tuitously, but it was Miss Maria whose beauty and grace
made her the belle of many a ball. She married a south
ern planter, I believe, and passed beyond our horizon like
the evening star.
Among the other belles of the period were the Misses
Sanders from near Chilhowie, one of whom, now over
ninety years old, is the only survivor, and Miss Smythe,
daughter of Pleasant Smythe, and Miss Mary Byars (a

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 97
beauty), and others of that neighborhood. Of the beau
ties of the town the most conspicuous was Miss Sally
Beckam, who married A^lUiam King, Jr. There were
others, but the veil of propriety and age shut them from
the public eye.
At an early period Abingdon became the commercial
center of the district, and sold goods by the wholesale
and retail to the smaller dealers in the adjoining counties
of Tazewell, Eussell, Scott and Lee, in Virginia, and the
border counties of North Carolina and Tennessee.
Much the larger part of the trade was in barter, /. c,
an exchange of country products for such articles as were
needed for consumption or sale. The large warehouses
and the upper stories of merchants' houses were filled
with these country products. Great piles of goose-
feathers occupied one compartment, the bagging of Avhich
for the eastern cities Avas a frolic for the young men of
the establishment and their friends. Heaps of ginsing
occupied other places, and the ceiling was festooned by
strings of this root hung up to dry. Kegs of beeswax and
jars of honey had their places, and cured hams, sides,
and other meats Avere piled about in convenient places
for packing. The shelves of the stores, also, held con
tributions from the labor products of the times, such as
rolls of flax and tow linen, plain and twilled, much used
for towels, table cloths, etc., and also for outward and
under garments of both sexes, and for many other
domestic purposes. To these should be added country
woven jeans and linsey, and woollen socks knit by the
country women.
13

98 Historical Sketches and
This mass of barter, after supplying the home market,
was sent in wagons to the eastern cities, and supplied
return loads to those four- and six-horse teams that were
the " inland ships " of the period. Nearly every farmer
had a " plat " of flax and hemp, and all the appliances
for breaking, " scutching " (?) and hackling flax and
hemp. In the largest room of the house were the big
and little wheels for spinning wool and flax. In an outer
room was the loom, where the yarn and thread were
woven into cloth.
To the buzz of these wheels, as the spinner moved back
ward and forward, drawing out and winding up the yarn
on the big wheel, or sat moA'ing with her foot the rapid-
turning flax wheel, was added the music of the voice,
singing a spirited hymn or favorite ditty.
Alas! how greatly the -habits of our rural population
have changed! The lots for cultivating flax and hemp
are devoted to other crops, and the smooth, clean area
where the flax and hemp were spread for the woody fibre
to be rotted has disappeared. The spinning wheels fall
to pieces in out-houses, and the wood of the loom has
furnished fuel for fires. The sweet contented home circle
is broken up, and the young men and maidens, when their
school days are over, scatter in every direction, seeking
employment. The work of the homestead and farm have
lost their charm, and the question arises, are the country
people better and more contented by the change?
At the northeast slope of the hill on which the court
house is situated there is a cave which has been explored
as far as underneath the court-house. The opening to it
is on the lot of James L. White, and there a clear stream

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 99
of water rushes by, making an admirable and cool dairy.
In the lot now owned by Mrs. Eliza Mitchell, and form
erly an appendage of the Saul's tavern, there is a well
passing through the cave and into the stream below. The
water was drawn by a bucket, and to protect and guide
it to the water a cylinder was fastened to the floor of
the cave. A boys' school at one time was not far off, and
one of the tricks of the mischievous was to go into the
cave as far as the well, watch for the descending bucket,
and gently divert it to the exterior of the cylinder. The
fun was to watch the wrath of the cook or old hostler as
he ran to the mouth of the cave to catch the intruder.
This was never done, as a signal corps was on the alert
and gave timely warning.
Some of the earliest records of Washington county
and Abingdon were lost or burned when the town was
burned by a raiding party of Federal soldiers in 1864.
This party was headed by a renegade named Wyatt.
Fortunately, there were a few Confederates on fur
lough in the town and vicinity, and they, quickly organ
izing, the Federal banditti were driven off. Wyatt was
shot by Mr. Findlay, of Mississippi, as he turned from
Main street towards the Protestant Methodist church,
and fell from his horse near it; was carried into the Stone
wall Jackson Institute, where he died soon afterwards.
The first Board of Trustees was organized in January,
1785. They were William Edmiston, Eobert Craig, James
Armstrong, Eobert Preston, and Eobert Campbell. This
board continued in office with few changes for several
years. At a meeting of the board on the 4th of October,
1798, Andrew Eussell was appointed secretary of the

100 Historical Sketches and
board. Just when he came to Abingdon is not known,
but as clerk of the Superior Court he was recognized as
one of the best and kindliest of men and faithful, efficient
officers to the time of his death.
The first " jail " was built by Abraham Goodpasture
in 1787, and was located in the rear of the court-house,
and quite near it. It was probably built of hewed logs.
It was superseded by an order of court on the 20th day of
March, 1799, that William King, James Armstrong, John
Eppler and Eobert Craig, or any three of them, report
to the next court the plan of a stone prison and the
probable expense of building the same, and that the
money and bonds arising from the sale of lots after
former appropriations are discharged, together with the
money borrowed by AndreAV Russell from this court be
applied to building the said prison, and the balance of
the expense be levied on the tithable persons of the
county. That stone prison remained for many years.
James White was " the undertaker for building the stone
jail," at a cost of $1,110.05, about 1801. But on the 6th
of May, 1804, the tOAvn of Abingdon did not have money
enough to pay his order for £24-2-11. The proximity of
the jail to the court-house was an annoyance, and its
capacity for accommodating the increased number of
criminals of progressive civilization and population too
limited. The new jail at the corner of Valley and Court
house streets has modern improvements, and is much
larger. On the 13th of January, 1803, the Legislature passed
an act authorizing the trustees of the town of Abingdon
to raise by lottery a sum not exceeding |2,000, for the

Remiimccnces of an Octogenarian. 101
purpose of purchasing a library, philosophical and mathe
matical apparatus, and anything else necessary for the
use of the academy.*
The scheme for carrying out this purpose was entrusted
to Andrew Eussell, Jacob Hamilton and James White.
If the writer is not mistaken the lottery was a failure,
and neither the library nor " anything else " was pur
chased for the academy. On May 3, 1803, the by-laws of
the trustees were adopted, and these gentlemen were
present: Andrew Eussell, William King, James White,
Michael Deckard, John McClellan, Jonathan Smith, Wil
liam Trigg and David Campbell.
Of these nine influential and trusted men the descend-
ents of but two perpetuate their names as citizens of
Abingdon, and they are James White and William Trigg.
After a lapse of eight years the name of another con
spicuous citizen appears on the records as a trustee —
that of Benjamin Estell, the able lawyer, attorney for
the Commonwealth, and judge of the Circuit Court.
On the 11th of June, 1811, the act Avas passed imposing
a flne of one dollar for fighting or rioting in the streets.
In default of payment the offender should be confined in
the stocks for two hours. The writer remembers when
these " stocks " stood on the western side of the court
house, and seeing offenders confined in them. They con
sisted of a platform some five or six feet above the
ground. The center stanchion reached to seven feet
¦* This Academy was founded by William King in 1803 and chartered
by act of incorporation January 13, 1803, and still stands as a monument
to his memory. See Appendix A. B.

102 Historical Sketches and
above the platform. To this were attached movable
boards, one at the foot of aud another about four feet
above the platform. In these boards were holes, through
which the head, hands and feet of the culprit were thrust.
It was no easy position to be confined to for an hour. One
experience generally deterred offenders from a repeti
tion of the experiment.
A similar fine and penalty were imposed for running a
horse on the street, and a fine of fifty cents for shooting
horizontally in any lot. These " orders " of the trustees
contributed a great deal to the quiet and safety of the
citizens. Before their passage such offences were fre
quent, as. the old inhabitants testified.
The early provisions against the spread of fire should
not be omitted. Every householder was required to have
a fireman's bucket for every male adult of his establish
ment, free or slave, and a ladder long enough to reach
to the eaves of his house. It was the duty of the town
sergeant periodicaly to visit every house and see that this
order was executed, and a fine of fifty cents was imposed
on every delinquent, and repeated if the order were not
promptly obeyed. In case of fire every able-bodied citizen
was required, under the same penalty to come with his
bucket and fall into the line for passing the buckets from
the nearest supply of water to the conflagration. Per
haps some of those flre-buckets have been kept as memen
toes of the past by the descendants of the old inhabitants.
The annals of the city are silent during the turbulent
period of the war of 1812-'14, and nothing Avas deemed
of sufficient importance to be noted until 1828.
In the meanwhile the town had grown, and several

Reminiscences of an. Octogenarian. 103
" plants " (to use a modern phrase) for manufacturing
and other purposes had been established. Of them was
that of Peter Henritze for the manufacture of hats. He
made not only the soft wool hats worn by the country
people, boys and slaves, but an imitation of the fashion
able silk " stove-pipe hat " of the period. His establish
ment, therefore, furnished a market for the peltry of all
fur-bearing animals. Henritze's place was on Main
street, on the east side of the ravine that crosses the
street at the foot of the western hill, and nearly opposite
the Episcopal church. To dry his wares an inclined plat
form Avas erected facing and close to the sidewalk of Main
street. The odor of fresh peltry and newly-dried hats
pervaded the streets, and this, Avith the variegated plat
form, so frightened horses from the country that it was
often difficult to force them to pass it.
The merchants also dealt in skins, and on the front of
their store-houses bear and buffalo skins were hung, as
well as festoons of gay-colored calicoes. These also
frightened country horses, and much vexed the good peo
ple of the community. To abate this nuisance, and re
move all difficulty of access to the town and preserve the
quiet of the streets, the trustees on the 9th of May, 1828,
passed an order forbidding all persons from drying hats
or exposing bear skins or merchandise on Main street.
In front of every store there was a railing with hooks to
fasten horses, and at nearly every dwelling-house one or
more hitching posts. On court-days these railings were
crowded with horses, and sometimes when a sudden gust
of wind blew and the skins and calicoes rattled and
flapped bridles were broken, and there was a stampede

104 Historical Sketches and
of horses through the streets, dangerous alike to man
and beast.
At the same meeting the ordinances were passed for
bidding all persons to tliroAV Avater or filth into the streets
or alleys or to play the game of long-bullets in the streets
or alleys. The fine for each offence was fifty cents.
This game of long-bullets is among the things of the
past. At that time it was a favorite game with the boys
of the academy, and as they returned toAvards town, if
the road was smooth, they jerked those iron balls of one
and a half inches in diameter upon it all the Avay. The
effort Avas to keep the balls in the beaten track and see
how far they could be made to roll. The greatest skill
was to make the ball skim over the surface and lose no
momentum by bouncing. They were jerked by a SAveep
of the arm along the side, and not thrown from the
shoulder. It was also a favorite game Avith the young
men of the Adllage. The force of one of these balls jerked
by a stout hoy or man would have endangered the limbs
or life of a child, and inflicted serious injury on man or
beast. The trustees Avho signed these rcAased by-laws of ^lay
9, 1828, Avere AndrcAV Eussell (principal trustee), Augus
tus Oury, John M. Preston, M. Shaver, and Jacob Lynch.
These names are guarantees of conseiwatism and good
order, and their reputation lingers as the fouudation of
past prosperity.
Of Andrew Eussell mention has been made. Augustus
Oury was postmaster and remarkable for the rapidity
and accuracy with which he handled the large mail daily
or nightly delivered for assortment and delivery. At

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 105
that time Abingdon was the distributing office for the
district, and to it came the mails for Eussell, Tazewell
and Scott in Virginia, and one or two of the border
counties of North Carolina. To these points, as well as
to the small offices of Washington county, it was carried
on horseback or two-horse hacks.
When the mail coach arrived from the east or west,
and the driver threw out the heavy mail-bags, they were
seized by one of the deputies (there were five or six of
them), and thrown into a large room lined with boxes. The
contents were emptied upon the floor, where the assort
ing was done, and every package and letter thrown into
its appropriate box. Then followed the distribution into
the mail-bags for the different offices. It was a busy
scene in this big room, as watched through the window
by boys and men as they waited for their mail.
John M. Preston was one of the most successful mer
chants; a man of spotless integrity and the purest moral
character. His descendants are proud of their inheri
tance, for his name is a synonym for honesty.
Michael Shaver was a silversmith, and repaired and
regulated the watches and clocks of the community. He
began life as a blacksmith, and in early manhood in
dulged in the then fashionable amusement of cock-flght-
ing, aud was as ready for a fight as his own games. But
he joined the Presbyterian church, and thenceforth was
an exemplary member of it, and won the esteem of his
fellow-citizens by his manly and consistent conduct. A
story is told of him that may illustrate one of the pecu
liarities of that section of the country at that time. The
14

106 Historical Sketches and
currency was almost exclusively of Spanish silver coins
of one dollar, divided in halves, quarters, eighths and
sixteenths. The last was worth six and a quarter (61^)
cents, and was called fourpence. The next was worth
twelve and a half (121/2) cents, and designated ninepence.
There were no copper cents in circulation — not enough to
make change for anything under six and a quarter cents,
and as the coins of this value were scarce the people
resorted to the device of cutting the ninepence coins in
half. These halves passed readily as fourpence half
penny (pronounced fopensapeny). A country lad brought
the two halves of one of these 12i/2-cent pieces to
Mr. Shaver, and asked him if he could put them
securely together. It was court-day. Mr. Shaver said,
" Yes, he could," but that he was very busy, and could
not do so on that day. The lad was very urgent, and as
he had to return home that evening, begged Mr. Shaver
to do that small job for him. " Very well," said Mr.
Shaver, " I will have it ready when you call this after
noon." The lad called, and, sure enough, there lay the
mended ninepence, bright and strong. " How much do
you charge for mending it? " asked the lad. " Twenty-
five cents," replied Mr. Shaver. " Why, it's only a nine-
pence, Mr. Shaver," answered the lad. " That is true,
but my work on it is worth twenty-five cents," Mr. Shaver
replied. After a pause the lad said, " Will you take the
mended ninepence for half pay?" "No; it's a counter
feit," replied Mr. Shaver. The lad paid the twenty-five
cents, and left with well-bought experience.
The last signer of the revised by-laws was Jacob Lynch.
In size he was almost a dwarf, but of a trim and sym-

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 107
metrical figure, not much over five feet, if so much. He
began life as a deputy clerk under David Campbell, after
wards Governor of Virginia, and succeeded him in the
clerkship, holding it till his death.
Mr. Lynch had his peculiarities. One of these was to
wear always a high hat and high-heeled shoes. These
apparently added to his stature. He was punctuality
personified, so that those who lived on the way between
his home and his office, knew the time of day by his
passing. His handwriting Avas round and clear, and
almost as plain as print. He therefore wrote slowly and
carefully. The records kept by him are models of neat
ness and accuracy. His deliberation was sometimes
trying to impatient Avaiters for papers, but he could not
be hurried, and he was too self-possessed and even-tem
pered to be flurried by importunities. His even temper,
good sense, and spotless probity avou and secured for him
the esteem and confidence of the community.
Five years after the adoption of the revised statutes,
on June 13, 1833, an ordinance was passed requiring the
owners of lots on Main street to furnish curb-stones along
the line of their property. This was necessary, not only
to prevent the spread of the rock for macadamizing and
the grading then just begun, but also to support the side
walks, which were to be paved.
These long-needed improvements changed the aspect
of the street, and removed many of its peculiarities, some
of which were associated with the sweet memories of
childhood and youth.
Tall Lombardy poplars bordered a part of the street

108 Historical Sketches and
west of the court-house. They were removed, as well as
other obstructions to the paving and grading.*
To the south of the town is " King's Mountain." It was
so named because of a fancied resemblance to the famous
mountain in South Carolina, on which was fought the
battle of October 7, 1781. The victory won there by the
western mountaineers, quorum magna pars, were Wash
ington county men, Mr. Jefferson said, turned the tide of
war in favor of the United States and led Cornwallis to
march to Yorktown, to his surrender there, and the end
of the war.
There were many of the veterans of that campaign
alive, and to rehearse the incidents of the contest and
impress upon the minds of that generation the gallant
and daring deeds of their ancestors a sham battle was
fought at King's Mountain. The positions of the Eevo
lutionary commanders were occupied by officers who
were instructed (perhaps drilled) how to play their parts,
and the English in red coats, Avith cannon and bayonetted
muskets, occupied the crest of the hill. There was great
firing of blank cartridges, charging up the hill, and
retreat from the fixed bayonets of the British regulars,
until Colonel Furgerson was killed and the white fiag
raised. In all this melee no fatal accident occurred and
few casualties. •!¦
On the northwest of Abingdon, about a quarter of a

"¦ This grading and paving was done by John Keller, who often
represented the county in the Legislature.
t An account of the sham battle was given me by my mother. Gen
eral Francis Preston, my father, was one of the commanding officers.
T do not know whom be represented.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 109
mile beyond the grove the last fight with Indians in that
vicinity occurred. The Eev. Charles Cummings, accom
panied by his servant Job, and three neighbors, and
Creswell driving the wagon, were attacked by them.
Creswell was killed by the first fire of the Indians, and
during the skirmish two of the neighbors were wounded.
Mr. Cummings and his servants, who were well armed,
drove the Indians from their ambush, and, with the aid
of some men from Black's Fort, who, hearing the firing,
came to their relief, brought in the dead and wounded.
Creswell was the first person buried in the present grave
yard, and a stone with his name and date of death
roughly carved is yet standing.
The Eev. Mr. Cummings had as a neighbor James Piper.
They thought their lands adjoined, but by some error in
the survey a vacant strip was left between them. A
very objectionable person discovered this fact, and took
possession of the strip. Much annoyed by the proximity
of this bad character, the Parson went to Mr. Piper and
asked if there was any way of getting rid of him. Mr.
Piper replied, " Don't give yourself any trouble about
him. I'll get rid of him." Watching an opportunity when
the man was absent, Mr. Piper entered his cabin, drew a
large circle in the center of the floor, put in it queer
figures and cabalistic signs, and sprinkled the center with
finely-cut black horse-hair. Next morning the cabin was
vacant, and no more was heard of the troublesome
intruder. With James Bradley's residence a mile west of Abing
don, across Wolf creek, there is associated one of those
psychological incidents not yet explained in our philoso-

110 Historical Sketchc'i and
phy, and Avhich startle the incredulous by the testimony
of unimpeachable witnesses. I tell the tale as it was told
to a little group of students, of which were Lilburn H.
Trigg (a native of Abingdon) and myself, by Aaron Lind-
sey, of Mississijipi. I am truly sorry that the names of
the parties are forgotten. Apropos of the topic of conver
sation, Mr. Lindsey said, " A similar incident occurred
in (say) Jacksonville. A young merchant married the
daughter of a vA^ealthy citizen of the place, aud within a
few weeks afterwards started for Philadelphia for a new
stock of goods. But a little Avhile before he was expected
to return the young bride became anxious and depressed.
She was laughed at by the family for pining after her
husband, but as the depression deepened, everything was
done to divert her mind and cheer her spirits. She said
she was sure that her husband was sick, and her heart
and mind were filled with the most gloomy apprehen
sions. One morning soon after breakfast, when she appeared
more depressed than usual, she went up-stairs to her
chamber. Soon after entering it she was heard to fall
on the floor. The family hastened to her, and found that
she had fainted, and was lying on the floor. Eestoratives
were administered and the first words she uttered on
regaining consciousness were, " My husband is dead, and
not a friend was with him. I saw him die." Then, cover
ing her face with her hands, she said in tones of deepest
anguish, " I see the room in which he died, and the house
and everything about it." The family endeavored to
sooth and persuade her that this was only the effect of
nervous depression, as they themselves believed it to be.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. Ill
But nothing shook her conviction of the truth of the
vision. "Oh," she would say, "I see it all; the little
chamber up-stairs in a brick house, close by the road,
with a window looking over a porch, and in front a rocky
hill with a double log-barn upon it, and near by a creek
Avhere there is a tilt-hammer. Oh, I see it all, and my
dear husband dead and alone."
At this point of the story Lindsey turned to Trigg and
myself and said, " I have forgotten the name of the man
who lived there. You fellows ought to know, for it is
not far from your town." We almost simultaneously
answered, " It is Bradley's." " Yes," said Lindsey, " that
is the name."
So inconsolable Avas the bride, that her brother decided
to look up the bridegroom, taking the road by which he
would return. When he arrived at Bradley's he was so
impressed with the resemblance of the place in all its
details to the description given by his sister, that he dis
mounted, and on meeting Mr. Bradley, asked if there had
been a sick man from JMississippi stopping with him.
" Yes," Mr. Bradley replied ; " he came here sick and died
in the room up-stairs. I wrote to his family, but have
not received an answer. All his effects and money I have
kept safely." On a comparison of the dates it was ascer
tained that the man died at the hour his bride fainted
at her home in Mississippi. From the window of the
upper chamber the scene is identically the same as that
described by the disconsolate bride. It is needless to
add that she had never been in that part of Virginia.
The sequel to this imperfect sketch of the ancient and
interesting village of Abingdon I leave to younger and

112 Historical Sketches and
abler hands. I am the oldest living native-born of the
town, and of my boyhood associates and school-fellows
only one survives, and that is David C. Cummings. We
were born on the same day of the same month and year —
November 20, 1812.
I remember, I remember.
The house where I was born;
The little window where the sun
Came peeping in at morn.
He never came a wink too soon,
Or brought too long a day;
But now I often wish the night
Had borne my breath away.
I remember, I remember.
The poplars straight and high,
I used to think their slender tops
Were close against the sky.
It was a childish ignorance.
But now 'tis little joy
To know I'm farther off from Heaven
Than when I was a boy. — Hood.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 113

COLONEL WILLIAM PEESTON.
Colonel William Preston was the son of John Preston
and Elizabeth Patton Preston, and was born in Donegal,
Ireland, on the 25th of December, 1729. His parents
came to America about 1737,* with three daughters, and
this one son, then in his eighth year.
He often spoke of his voyage to his children, and of
incidents which he well remembered. His parents came
directly to Augusta county, Virginia, and were domiciled
for four or five years with Colonel James Patton, the
brother of Mrs. John Preston.
After the death of John Preston, in January, 1747,t the
care of the family devolved upon William, then a lad of
seventeen, and he was employed to post the books of
some of the merchants in Staunton. Such employment
shows the home training of this youth, for " the school-

* This date (1737) is established by the fact that William Preston
was " in his eighth year," as aflSrmed by General Francis Preston, the
second son of William Preston, in memoranda left for his family. All
who have written about the family from John Mason Brown and James
A. Waddell, to the Hon. William E. Robertson, have made this mistake.
All of them were misled by the fact that John Preston proved his
importation in 1740. This was done when he wished to buy the tract
of land on which he settled after leaving Colonel Patton's, where he
had resided since his arrival in America.
t This date is fixed by the fact that his wife qualified as executrix
February 6, 1747.
15

114 Historical Sketches and
master was not then abroad," and elementary education
Avas given by the parents. It also shows home influence
upon character. Few lads of his age would have acquired
sufficient knowledge of arithmetic and book-keeping for
such duty, or have established a character for steadiness
and integrity for so responsible a position. Colonel Pat
ton, soon after being domiciled with Mr. Preston, appre
ciated the moral and intellectual merits of his nephew,
and sent him to be more liberally educated to the Eev.
John Craig, a Presbyterian preacher and classical
scholar. At that early period of life such was William
Preston's piety, that the family thought of dedicating
him to the ministry, but Mr. Craig decided that he was
too old to begin the studies thought necessary for so
learned and responsible a vocation. At that time (as
always) " life was real, and the youths of the frontier
had to be up aud doing."
William Preston's widowed mother and his three
sisters were to be cared for, and he was apparently their
stay and support. There was, however, another closely
connected with the family who was watching with affec
tionate interest the development of this youth, and that
Avas his uncle. Colonel James Patton. He was at that
time a rich and prominent man in Augusta county, and
had large enterprises in contemplation, and no doubt
looked upon this steady, manly and sensible nephew as
his future confidential secretary and companion. His
education, therefore, was made a practical one, and yet
such was the influence of Mr. Craig that it imbued his
mind Avith a love of literature and intellectual cultivation
that was fostered through life, and prompted the efforts

Reminiscences of an Octoejenarian . 115

to use every available means of educating his numerous
family. William Preston learned surveying under Mr. Craig,
and soon after leaving that instructor, to acquire better
knowledge of the practical business of life, he accepted
the deputy sheriffalty from William Estell, High Sheriff
of Augusta county.
He could not have held that office very long, as we
find that he accompanied his uncle, Colonel Patton, as
private secretary when he (Colonel Patton) went as com
missioner to make a treaty with the Indians at Log Town,
sixteen miles below Pittsburg.* Under the instruction
from Governor Dinwiddie, dated December 13, 1751, Col
onel Patton was to proceed immediately to Fredericks
burg, " and there receive from Mr. Strother the goods
sent as a present by his Majesty to the Indians, and pro
vide everything necessary for the gentlemen appointed
as commissioners on behalf of this government." The
treaty was concluded June 13, 1752.
The appointment by Colonel Patton of William Preston
as his private secretary on so important a commission,
shows the confidence of the uncle in the capacity and
fidelity of the nephew of twenty-two years. A still more
striking evidence of Colonel Patton's affection for and
confidence in this nephew is that in his will, executed
September 1, 1750, when William Preston was only
twenty-one years old, he, with John Buchanan and Wil
liam Thompson, were appointed executors.
In 1755, Colonel Patton was accompanied by William
* Annals of Augusta County, p. 48.

116 Historical Sketches and
Preston on his tour of inspection of the lands he and his
agents had located, and many of which had been sur
veyed. They stopped at " Draper's Meadows " (after
wards Smithfield near Blacksburg) with William Ingles
and the Drapers to rest from the fatigues of the journey,
and also for the restoration of Colonel Patton's health.
On Sunday, the 8th of June, 1755, a party of Indians
which had hidden in the ripe wheat near by rushed upon
the unprotected settlers. Colonel Patton was sitting at
a table writing, with his broad sword by his side, and
when the Indians rushed in upon him he killed two of
them, but was shot dead by those outside.
Colonel Patton's will was admitted to probate at the
November term of the Court in 1756.
William Preston Avas then (1755) nearly twenty-five
years old, and the disturbed condition of the country
demanded the services of the best men for the protection
of the frontier against Indian raids and massacres. Wil
liam Preston soon raised a company, and was a captain
of volunteers in 1756, and was ordered by Governor Din
widdie to join Major Andrew Lewis in his expedition
against the Shawnees at the mouth of Big Sandy river.
This expedition was planned by Governor Dinwiddie in
1755.* It Avas not, however, a success, and the difficulty
of procuring supplies for the troops and the rugged
sterility of the country led to such insubordination that
the expedition was abandoned and the troops disbanded.
A similar expedition was undertaken eleven years
afterwards, in the summer of 1767. An account of it is
'* Annals of Augusta County, p. 81.

Remini.scenccs of an Octogenarian. 117
given by Mrs. Letitia Floyd, daughter of William Pres
ton, in her letters to her son, Benjamin Eush Floyd, writ
ten at the request of Lyman C. Draper. I quote from a
copy of this manuscript :
" The summer of 1767 Colonel Preston had been ap-
" pointed commissioner to hold a treaty with the Shawa-
" nes and Delaware Indians at the mouth of the Big
" Sandy river, a branch of the Ohio. Colonel Thomas
" Lewis, of Eockingham county, was likewise a commis-
" sioner. Lewis, I believe, did not accompany the party.
" The treaty was made, I think, with Ocanothota (?), who
" was very old, and a chief called Cornstalk.
" On their return from the mouth of the Sandy they
" pursued a fork of the river which was through a very
" rugged region, got so entirely out of food as to be com-
" pelled to eat the buffalo tugs which tied on their packs,
" and hence the stream was named by Colonel Preston
" the Tug Fork of Sandy."
In " the partial list of delegates from Augusta in the
House of Burgesses," furnished Mr. Joseph A. Waddill
by Dr. E. A. Brock, there is a gap of five years, from 1752
to 1757, and it is probable that Avithin that period Wil
liam Preston and John Buchanan were elected, as stated
by Mrs. Floyd, who states that the year after their
election Preston was requested by the congregation of
Episcopalians of Staunton to procure a carpenter to
undertake the building of a church in that town. Francis
Smith, who lived near Hanover Courthouse, a rich
carpenter and contractor, was applied to. He had a
beautiful daughter, Susanna, who was educated by the
Eev. Patrick Henry. She married William Preston the

118 Historical Sketches and
17th of July, 1761.* After the birth of their first child,
Elizabeth (Avho married Mr. William S. Maddison), born
31st May, 1762, William Preston removed from Staunton
to Greenfield, about fiA'e miles west of Fincastle, and a
mile from Amsterdam, in Botetourt county. This was,
and is, a valuable estate, and is still in the possession of
his descendants, the present owner being Alfred Preston.
The next year (1763), " having some business in
" Augusta county ' (I quote from Mrs. Floyd's letters), ' in
" the month of May he left his family (wife and child) at
" Greenfield. Early in the morning Mrs. Preston was
" startled by the firing of two guns iu quick succession at
" a neighbor's house, within a half mile of hers. Very
" shortly afterwards Mr. Joseph Cloyd rode up on his
" plough-horse with the gears on, telling her that the
" Indians had killed his brother John, and had shot at
" him, but missed him, although his shirt was powder-
" burnt. They had gone to the house, aud he expected
" had killed his mother. Mrs. Preston sent a young man
" living at her house to Captain Francis Smith, who com-
" manded a small fort on Craig creek, to bring his troops
" to pursue the Indians. She wrote a letter to him which
" was free from tremble or trepidation. She then sent a
" white man and two negro men to Mr. Cloyd's, where
" they found Mrs. Cloyd tomahawked in three places, all
" the household destroyed, and the money carried off (Mr.
* There is a tradition in the family that Preston met Miss Smith
whilst he was a member of the House of Burgesses. If this be so, it
explains why he went so far as Hanover Courthouse to find a carpenter,
and also goes to confirm Mrs. Floyd's statement that William Preston
and John Buchanan were members of the House before 1761.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 119
" Cloyd had a large sum of money stored away). Mrs.
"Cloyd was perfectly in her senses; told all the cir-
" cumstances of the savage revelry in getting drunk
" and ripping up the feather beds, and one of them,
" taking up a cob and wiping off the blood from her
"temples, exclaiming, ' Poor old woman! ' She died the
" next morning." *
This account of the murder of Mrs. Cloyd is a clue to
and explains a fragment of a letter which was probably
written by Colonel William Preston to his brother-in-
law, the Eev. John Brown, and preserved by Colonel
John ]\Iason Brown, of Kentucky, and it throws some
light upon the state of the times. The letter is dated
Greenfield, 27th July, 1763. The writer says, "Our
situation at present is very different from what it was
when we had the pleasure of your company. All the
valleys of Eoanoke rlA^er and the waters of the Mississippi
are depopulated, excejit Captain English (Ingles), and a
few families on NeAV river, who have built a fort, among
whom are IMr. Thompson and his family. They intend to
make a stand till some assistance be sent them. Seventy-
five of the Bedford militia went out in order to pursue
the enemy, but I hear the officers and part of the men are
gone home, and the rest gone to Eeed creek to help in
James Da.vies and two or three families there that dare
not venture to travel.
" I have built a little fort in Avhich are eighty-seven
* Mrs. Floyd does not give the date of the massacre of Mrs. Cloyd,
but as no mention of a fort or stockade at Greenfield is made, the pre
sumption is that it occurred in May, 1762.

120 Historical Sketches and
persons, twenty of whom bear arms. We are in a pretty
good position of defence, aud, with the aid of God, are
determined to make a stand. In five or six other places
of this part of the country they have fallen into the same
method, and with the same resolution. How long we
may keep them is uncertain. ' No enemy has appeared
" here as yet. Their guns are frequently heard, and their
" footing observed, which makes us believe they will pay
" us a visit. My two sisters and their families are here,
" and all in good health. We bear our misfortunes so
" far Avith * * * * and are in great hopes of being
" relieved. I have a thousand things * * * Captain
" Christian can't wait. I give you joy.' "
The asterisks indicate part of the letter torn out.
From this letter some idea of the condition of the
Avestern frontier of Virginia is gained, and it shows the
intelligent and generous care taken of the people of that
section by William Preston. The fort about his house
was doubtless built at his oavu expense, and was not only
large enough to protect his oavu family, but to shelter
" eighty-seven persons, twenty of whom bear arms."
It also shows the heroism of that young wife with an
infant not yet two years old. Few women in so exposed
and dangerous a situation could have written a letter
" free from tremble and trepidation." It may be pre
sumed that she knew of the Indian raid into the settle
ment of the James river iu 1761, and of the massacres and
the captives they took. Among them was Mrs. Hannah
Dennis, Avhose escape and return home is surpassed in

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 121
resolution and hardship only by that of Mrs. Draper.
(Howe's Hist, of Va., p. 20.)
During the next five years William Preston, with
others, was fully occupied in protecting the frontier set
tlements.* It has been stated that in the summer of 1767
he was a commissioner to make a treaty with Indians
at the mouth of Big Sandy river. In the year 1768-'69 he
was elected with John Wilson a member of the House
of Burgesses, and there he probably became acquainted
with the leading statesmen of the period.
He had met and become acquainted with General
Washington as early as 1755 on the latter's visit to the
forts of the west. On the 22d of December, 1769, Mr.
Preston was commissioned colonel by Governor Din
widdie. Botetourt county was formed from Augusta in 1769,
and he was one of the first justices of the county. At the
first term of the court (February, 1770) he qualified as
surveyor, coroner, excheator and colonel of militia. Fin
castle county was formed from Botetourt in 1772, and
embraced all the country west belonging to, or claimed
by, Virginia, which included Kentucky. Colonel Pres
ton then decided to move into the new county, and
took possession of Draper's Meadows, which he named

"¦ The sad condition of the Western frontiers of Virginia, the ineffi
ciency and insubordination ol the militia, and the absence of combi
nation among the settlers are fully and vividly detailed by General
Washington in his letters of 1;hat period to Governor Dinwiddie, and
need only be referred to.
i6

122 Historical Sketches and
Smithfield, in compliment to his wife. On this excursion
he was accompanied by John Floyd.
I quote from Mrs. Floyd's letters: "During Colonel
" Preston's residence at Greenfield, in 1770, a young gen-
" tleman by the name of John Floyd was introduced to
" him by Colonel Joseph Cabell, of Eockingham county,
" as very well qualified to fill the post of deputy in the
" surveyor's office. It was always a rule with Colonel
" Preston to require every young man who was employed
" in his office to teach school six months at least, thereby
" finding out his temper, diligence and trustworthiness.
" Breckinridges, Smiths and my sisters and brothers con-
" stituted Floyd's school."
The pupils of the Eev. John Craig aud the Eev. Patrick
Henry were too appreciative of the advantages of educa
tion not to use every available means of imparting it to
their children and inculcating in them a love of reading
and intellectual cultivation.
I quote again from Mrs. Floyd's letters: "Colonel
" Preston, Colonel Thomas LeAvis of Eockingham, Gen-
" eral Andrew Lewis of Botetourt, Mr. John Madison,
" and Colonel Fleming of Augusta, engaged a Mr. Gabriel
" Jones, an Englishman, to select for them libraries in
" London. This Mr. Jones was Mr. Jefferson's first part-
" ner in the practice of law. A good selection of the
" classics, ancient history, the distinguished poets of
" England, the dictionary of arts and sciences — a sort of
" encyclopedia — constituted the libraries. I would ob-
" serve that the use of these books gave to each family
" possessing them a station which outranked very many
"wealthier families than the above named."

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 123
In the autumn of that year (1773) Colonel Preston and
Colonel Nathaniel Gist were appointed to make a treaty
with the Cherokees, and, I think, the Chickamaugas, at
Long Island on the Holston river, in the State of Ten
nessee. The treaty Avas made, and the southern Indians
were perfectly quiet. In the March of 1774 Colonel Pres
ton removed my mother and her children to Smithfield.
There was a fort or stockade around the house. Several
of the neighbors' families came into it for safety because
the northwestern Indians made constant attempts ou the
settlements. John Taylor, who had married a niece of
Colonel Buchanan, brought his family. Mr. Eobert Pres
ton,* Captain James Charlton, his brother Wash., and
Captain John Lucas were mainly the persons who de
fended the fort.
I make these extracts from Mrs. Floyd's letter to show
the authority for the facts stated. She wrote from
memory, 'tis true, and sometimes made mistakes in dates,
but her recollection of family incidents and history was
clear and vivid. After her marriage she lived within a
mile of Smithfield at " Solitude " (now a property of
Blacksburg College), and by this proximity to her mother,
learned more of the family history than the other mem
bers of the family.
In the summer and autumn of 1774 there was serious
troubles with the Indians northwest of the mountains
of Virginia and along the Ohio river, aud war was
* This Robert Preston was the father of John Preston, of Washington
County, who married the youngest daughter of Colonel Preston. They
left a large family; the Sheffeys of Smythe are descendants of one
of the daughters.

124 Historical Sketches and
imminent. Governor Dinwiddie and General Andrew
Lewis were with their respective commands marching
towards the Ohio river. Colonel Preston was detained at
home by the dangerous illness of his wife, but there was
work for him in his official capacity to do at home, as is
evidenced by the following letter, dated only twelve days
before the battle of Point Pleasant. It is to be regretted
that the entire letter was not given :
Extract from American Archives (4 Series IV., page
808) of a letter from Colonel William Preston, dated Fin
castle, September 28, 1774:
That part of the army under the command of Colonel
Lewis which is to meet Lord Dunmore at the mouth of
the Great Kanhawa or New river, assembled at the Great
Levels of Greenbrier to the amount of above fifteen hun
dred rank and file. Colonel Charles Lewis marched with
six hundred men on the 6th instant for the mouth of Elk,
a branch of New river, which empties some distance
below the falls, there to build a small fort and prepare
canoes. Colonel Andrew Lewis marched with another
large party the 12th instant for the same place, and
Colonel Christian was to march yesterday with the re
mainder, being about four hundred, and the last supply
of provisions. This body of militia being mostly armed
with rifle-guns and a great part of them good woodsmen,
are looked upon to be at least equal to any troops for
the number that have been raised in America. It is
earnestly hoped that they Avill, in conjunction with the
other party, be able to chastise the Ohio Indians for the
many murders and robberies they have committed on the
frontiers for many years past.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 125
On the 8th instant, one John Henry was dangerously
wounded and his wife and three children taken prisoners
on the head of Clinch river. The man at that time made
his escape, but is since dead of wounds. The same day
a man was taken prisoner by another party of the enemy
on the north fork of Holston. On the 13th a soldier was
fired upon by three Indians on Clinch river, but as he
received no hurt, he returned the fire, and it is believed
killed an Indian, as much blood was found where he fell,
and one of the plugs which burst out of the wound was
also found. The soldier was supported by some men who
were near, and gave the two Indians a chase, who, it is
supposed, threw the wounded one into a deep pit which
was near. The parties of the enemy were pursued several
days by Captain Daniel Smith, who could not overtake
them, they having stolen horses to carry them off.
On the 23d two negroes were taken prisoners at Black-
more's Fort, on Clinch river, and a good many horses and
cattle shot down. On the 24th a family was killed and
taken on Eeedy creek, a branch of Holston, near the
Cherokee line, and on Sunday morning, the 25th, hal
looing and the report of many guns were heard at several
houses, but the damage done was not known when the
express came away. These last murders are believed to
be perpetrated by the Cherokees, as two men lately re
turned from that country and made oath that two parties
had left the towns, either to join the Shawanees or fall
upon some of our settlements; and that the Cherokees in
general appeared in a very bad temper, which greatly
alarmed the traders.
It is impossible to conceive the consternation into

126 Historical Sketches and
which this last stroke has put the inhabitants on Holston
and Clinch rivers, and that rather as many of their choice
men are on the expedition, and they have no ammuni
tion. Two of these peoi)le were at my house this day, and,
after- traveling above an hundred miles, offered ten shill
ings a pound for powder; but there is none to be had for
any money. Indeed, it is very alarming, for should the
Cherokees engage in a war at this time it would ruin us,
as so many men are out, aud ammunition so scarce. Add
to this the strength of these people, and their towns being
so near our settlements on Holston.
From its contents it may be inferred that his letter
was an official report either to the Executive or some
superior officer. The account given of the condition of
the country confirms the inference as to the consequences
to Virginia had General Lewis's army been defeated.
The suspicion of Governor Dunmore's treachery and
covert purpose to allow General Lewis's command to be
defeated, not only pervaded the officers, but men under
his command, as is manifest from their declaration at the
mouth of Hockhocking on the 5th of November, 1774,
that " as the love of liberty and attachment to the real
interests and just rights of America outweigh every
other consideration we resolve that we will exert every
poAver within us for the defence of American liberty and
for the support of her just rights aud privileges."
This " declaration," it may fairly be presumed, was
intended not only as a rebuke to Governor Dunmore, but
a warning of what were the sentiments of the people west
of the mountains.*
"¦ John E. Cook refers to Colonel Stewart's journal of record in

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 127
Although Colonel Preston Avas much occupied by
organizing defences of the western frontier against the
Indians, he did not fail to inform himself about the con
dition of eastern A^irginia and the other colonies of
America. The air was resonant with angry rumors of
British oppression from every quarter. Congress was in
session at Philadelphia, and had distributed its cele
brated resolutions throughout the Colonies, sending them
to the leading men of the counties of Virginia. It may
be assumed from his acquaintance with General Wash
ington and the prominent members of Congress, as well
as from his official position — colonel of Fincastle
county — that a copy was sent to Colonel Preston. He
was a man of purpose and prompt action, and, with other
prominent and influential gentlemen, soon called a meet
ing of the Freeholders of Fincastle county on the 20th
of January, 1775, for which Avas drafted the proceedings
given in the " Historical Sketches and Eeminiscences."
Before this event, or soon after, he sent John Floyd
as his deputy surveyor to locate and survey lands on the
Ohio river for Colonel Preston aud himself. Floyd went
to Point Pleasant, had a boat made and Avith his assist
ants descended the river as far as the falls. Near these,
at the mouth of Bear Grass creek, he surveyed a tract
of land (now within the corporation of Louisville), some
portion of which is still owned by the descendants of
Colonel Preston. Floyd was so long absent and unheard

Giles County (and I have been told in Greenbrier also) in which Colonel
Stewart states that General Lewis was " credibly informed " of Goveronr
Dunmore's intention to sacrifice his command. I have failed to get a
copy of this journal. T. L. P.

128 Historical Sketches and
from that it was concluded he had been killed. But after
encountering many dangers and hardships that few could
have endured, he made his Avay home by Guyandotte and
up New river.
As soon as the Declaration of Independence was pro
mulgated, Colonel Preston, as colonel of the county, acted
as the military commandant, and no longer as colonel in
his Majesty's service. His position exposed him to covert
and open attacks from the Tories, who infested the moun
tains of Virginia and North Carolina. They were, in the
beginning of the war, bold and aggressive, and often
threatened the lives of the Whig military officers, espe
cially those of the zealous Whigs, such as Colonel Preston
and William Campbell.
Their raids upon the settlements were dreaded almost
as much as those of the Indians, for they were led by
and composed of the lowest and most vicious class of
society. To defend himself, his family, and his Whig
neighbors against these, and to guard the frontiers
against the Indians required all the energy and intelli
gence of such an officer as Colonel Preston. How well
he discharged those arduous duties history has not re
corded, and probably never will do so, as most of his
papers have been destroyed, and he had no Homer to
sing his praise. They were appreciated at the time by
a grateful people, and spoken of with praise by their de
scendants for more than one generation.
The lead mines iu Wythe county were much coveted by
the Tories, for the principal supply of lead for that sec
tion of country was obtained from there. Frequent
attempts were made by the Tories to get possession of

Reminiscences of an Octogenai'ian. 129
them, one of which Avas by so formidable a body of men
that Colonel Preston called upon Colonel William Camp
bell for assistance, aud, in conjunction with Colonel
Crockett, they defeated the Tories, dispersing and
driving them into North Carolina. The Cherokees and
other tribes of southern Indians, tampered with by the
English, continued to threaten and make inroads upon
the frontiers, and gave Colonel Preston and the other
officers of that section full employment from 1776 to the
close of the war. When the expedition against Colonel
Furgerson was urged by Colonels Shelby and Sevier,
Colonel William Campbell hesitated to join it, because
his OAvn home was threatened by Tories. As soon, how
ever, as Colonel Preston's approval of it was known and
concurred in by Colonel Arthur Campbell, Colonel Wil
liam Campbell acquiesced, and Avas given command of
the troops raised in Washington county.
The victory at King's Mountain so discouraged the
Tories of the mountains on the borders of Virginia and
North Carolina, that both Colonel Preston and Colonel
Campbell promptly responded to the request of General
Green to recruit his army with militia riflemen of West
ern Virginia. Their gallantry and efficiency at King's
Mountain established their reputation. Colonel Preston
being nearest, responded first to General Green with a
force of over 300 men. Colonel Campbell soon followed
with about sixty men.* These riflemen were sent for-

* General Henry Lee (Lighthorse Harry) gives to Colonel William
Campbell this number. He may have had a reason for it. (See Rev.
.David Sehenck's North Carolina, 1780-81, account of the battle of
Guilford Courthouse and p. 301. He, also, gives to Campbell's contin
gent 60 men.)
17

130 Historical Sketches and
ward as skirmishers before the battle of Guilford Court
house (March 15, 1781). They met the advance of Corn-
wallis's army at Whitsell's Mills, a short distance from
General Green's position. " Colonel Preston was riding
" a large, fiery horse that took fright at the report of the
" guns, dashed through the mill pond, threw Colonel
" Preston off, who was likely to be cut down by the
" British Light Horse. At this critical moment. Colonel
" Joseph Cloyd dismounted, put Colonel Preston on his
" horse, and thereby saved his friend and officer's life.
'" Cloyd was the young man who escaped when his
" brother and mother were killed near Greenfield." (See
Mrs. Floyd's letters to her son.)
Colonel Preston's health had been precarious, and he
was so exhausted by this accident that he was carried
from the field, and his men were assigned to the command
of Colonel William Campbell. For an account of how
gallantly they fought, under the most difficult and
trying circumstances, reference is again made to David
Sehenck's North Carolina, 1780-'81, and the account he
gives of the battle of Guilford Courthouse.
*" After Colonel Preston's return from North Carolina
" his health continued to decline. In the month of July,
" 1781, he spent the evening with his intimate friend,
" General Evan Shelby (the father of Governor Isaac
" Shelby), and on the morning following (the 28th) he
" prepared to attend a regimental muster at Michael
" Price's, three miles from Smithfield. His eldest son,
" General John Preston, then a youth, accompanied him,
'* Mrs. Floyd's letters to her son.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 131
" as did General Shelby. The day was exceedingly hot.
" After being on the field a few hours, he beckoned to
" his son John to come to him, complained of pain in the
" head, and desired to lie down on Price's bed. A short
" time afterwards he requested his son to help him on
" his horse ; he wanted to go home. When the horse was
" brought to the door he made an attempt to put his foot
" in the stirrup, sank clown, Avas caught by his son, and
" laid on the bed again. By this time he had lost his
" speech, but took his son's hand, rolled up his shirt-
" sleeve, and made a sign to his son to bleed him. This
" his sou could not do. Mrs. Preston was sent for, who
" immediately reached the place. Colonel Preston's
" reason had not been staggered in this conflict. He
" caught his wife's hand, kissed it, shed tears aud made a
" motion to be bled. This could not be done from con-
" sternation and ignorance. Soon afterwards the sterto-
" reus breathing of apoplexy came on, and about mid-
" night he breathed his last. Thus the life of this Chris-
" tian gentleman and patriot ended.
" Colonel Floyd was killed on the 12th of April, 1781.
" When the news reached Colonel Preston such were the
" feelings produced by it that he was never seen to smile
" afterwards.
" Colonel Preston was above the ordinary height — five
" feet eleven inches; he was large, inclined to corpulency,
" ruddy, and had fair hair and hazel eyes. His manners
" were easy and graceful. He had a well cultivated in-
" tellect, and a fine taste for poetry. I remember reading
" several beautiful productions of his addressed to my
" mother in praise of her domestic virtues. On the 18th

132 Historical Sketches and
" of June, 1823, this excellent lady expired, after having
" lived a widow forty years. She desired to be buried in
"the same grave with her husband; this was done. A
" tombstone was placed over the grave by their second
" son. General Francis Preston. No portrait of either
" was ever taken."
Besides his Avidow, Colonel Preston left ten children
and many friends to mourn his death.
Colonel Preston exerted a more benign influence upon
the people of his section of country than any of his con
temporaries. The cardinal virtues of integrity, truth,
and courage were attributes of his character, and com
manded the resi)ect of all who knew him. These manly
attributes were softened and made beautiful by his piety.
He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and went
on horseback from his mountain home to Staunton once
every year (and oftener, when not prevented by other
duties,) to commune with his brethren, as there was no
church nearer. Exemplary in all the relations of life,
as father, husband, son, brother and friend, he left an
unspotted reputation as an inheritance to his children,
and an example of unselfish and dcA^oted patriotism to be
followed by his countrymen.
John Preston, son of Archibald, was of the Yorkshire
branch of the Prestons of England, as is established by
the " crest " preserved by his descendants. This " crest "
is a toAver with an eagle rising from its summit, and the
motto is " Si Dieu Veult " (/'. e., " When we leave the
towers of earth (D. V.) Ave soar to Heaven."
Burke — General Armory — gives, " Preston (Preston
Richard, Preston Patrick, and Nether Levens, co. West-

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 133
moreland ; seated here from time immemorial ; the parent
stock from which sprang the extinct Baronets, the Pres
tons of the Manor and Abbey of Furness, the Prestons of
Holker and of Ellel in Cockerham, co. Palatine Lancas
ter). Ar. two bars gti. on a canton of the last a cinquefoil
or. Crests — First, on a ruined tower ar. a falcon volant of
the same, beaked, legged and belled or; second, on a
chapeau gu. turned up erm. a wolf or. Motto — Si Dieu
Veult. He came with his wife (who was the sister of Colonel
James Patton) and children from Donegal, Ireland, and
settled in Augusta County, ^''a., near Staunton, in 1737.
He Avas industrious, manly and pious. In 1747 he died
aud was buried at " Tinkling Spring," Augusta County,
where a monument to his memory has been erected by
his descendants. He left a widoAv, four daughters and
one son.
William, born December 25, 1729, died July 28, 1781,*
the subject of the preceding sketch. He left a nume
rous family. His second son, Francis, was born at Green
field, near Amsterdam, Botetourt county, Virginia,
August 2, 1765, was educated at William and Mary Col-_
lege, Virginia; studied law under Judge George Wythe,
and practiced with success in Montgomery, Washington
'* This date is given by General Francis Preston, his son and executor.
The old Bible at Smithfield gives the date of his death on June 22,
1782. I am inclined to believe that the date given by General F. Preston
is the correct one from an expression in Mrs. Letitia Floyd's letters
to her son, Ben. Rush Floyd. She says his health continued to decline
after his return from the battle of Guilford Courthouse in North Caro
lina. But says that he died on the 28th of June of that year.

134 Historical Sketches and
and other counties. He married Sarah Buchanan Camp
bell, daughter of General William Campbell (hero of
King's Mountain), and Elizabeth Henry, sister of Patrick
Henry, on the 10th of January, 1793 ; was elected to Con
gress that year from the Montgomery District, which
included Washington county, and served with distinction
two terms — 1793-'97. His private business then requiring
his undivided attention, he declined a re-election. He was
commissioned colonel in 1812, and marched with his
regiment to Norfolk, but was not engaged in any active
campaigns. Subsequently he was commissioned briga
dier-general and promoted to major-general of militia;
Avas repeatedly elected to the House of Delegates and
Senate of Virginia, where his impressive style of speaking
and ability in debate placed him in the front rank among
his contemporaries. He was remarkable for his physical
strength and manly beauty; Avas courteous and graceful
in manners, chivalrous in spirit, scrupulously truthful
and conscientious and exact in business. United with
these masculine attributes was a heart as warm and full
of tender sympathies as a Avoman's. Hence the friend-.
ship of Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, jMarshall and others
with Avhom he corresponded.
My earliest recollection of him is that of a man in the
full prime of life, and as fine a specimen of manhood as
I ever looked upon. Just six feet high and of a full, not
fleshy figure, Avith the erect bearing of a soldier and
moving with the firm, elastic step so characteristic of
the men who in their youth wore moccasins Avhilst hunt
ing in the mountains. He had tlie courtly manners of the
day and court of ^Vashiugtou. On his arrival in Phila-

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 135
delphia as a member of Congress from the Montgomery
District, in which Washington county was included, he
was recognized and received by General Washington,
then President, as the son of an old friend, aud treated
with courteous attention and consideration.
General Preston died at the house of his son, William
Campbell Preston, in Columbia, South Carolina, May 26,
1835. His remains Avere subsequently removed to the
family grave-yard at Aspinvale, Smythe county, Virginia.
A monument to his memory was erected by his three sons.
William Campbell Preston was the oldest son of Gen
eral Francis and Sarah Buchanan Preston, and was born
on December 27, 1794, in south Fourth street, Philadel
phia, PenusylA'ania. His father was at the time a mem
ber of Congress, which then held its sessions in that city.
Mrs. Dorothea Madison, wife of President James Madi
son, and a relation of iMrs. Preston, ahvays claimed that
she was the first person that held him iu her arms, and
through life spoke of him as " her boy."
The following memoir was written by IMrs. Virginia P.
Carrington, niece and adopted daughter of William C.
Preston, and published in the " Sunny South," August
20, 1887, and signed "A. M.":
His early home was at the Salt-Works, Smythe county,
Virginia. This, to the day of his death, he thought the
most beautiful spot on earth, and, next to it, the Cove of
Cork. The Salt-Works was not then enriched and dis
figured by the numerous salt-houses, plaster-banks, small
stores and dwellings, which are seen in what is now
called Saltville. A few Avhite dwellings, a foAV long sheds
for salt, emphasized the beautiful green of the meadows;

136 Historical Sketches and
fine forests clothed the hills which prefaced the moun
tains surrounding the valley; noAv, the hills and moun
tains are bare, and the iron horse shrieks through the
meadows Avhere yet the finest cattle graze in the richest
fields, undisturbed by the new inventions of the century.
He Avas descended of illustrious parentage. His mother's
father Avas General William Campbell, of King's ^Moun-
tain fame; her mother was Elizabeth Henry, who was
said to be as eloquent as her brother, Patrick Henry. His
paternal grandfather, William Preston, was one of the
surveyors who accompanied Washington in his early
examinations of Virginia in the A'^alley and beyond the
Alleghanies. He was afterwards greatly distinguished
in the Indian Avars. When absent from the fort which
he commanded his wife took his place, and defended it
successfuly against the Indians.
The subject of this memoir Avas well instructed by pri
vate tutors until of an age to enter college. He attended
for a while Washington College, now Washington and
Lee UuiA^ersity. AfterAvards, his lungs appearing weak,
he Avas sent to South Carolina College, at Columbia; he
was so charmed Avith tlie climate, the beauty of the city
and the elegance of the people that he determined to
make it his home. He chose the profession of the law,
and was early admitted to the bar. In the practice of his
profession he was eminentlj^ successful, and made for
tune after fortune, Avhich he spent with equal celerity.
An instance of his good memory and his knowledge of
the English classics occurred at his entrance into South
Carolina College. A portion of Homer Avas given him to
translate. He asked if a general, instead of a literal

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 137
translation, would do. Upon receiving an affirmative
answer he gave page after page of Pope's grand para
phrase. His father, who was wealthy, offered him the
opportunity of travel and study in Europe, but insisted
he should see something of the wilds of his own country
first. So he sent him to the far, far West, where the fron
tiersman and Indian could be seen in all their pristine
glory — even to Missouri! He travelled on horseback with
a servant carrying his portmanteau. He was, the next
A\ inter, sent to see the highest social circle of America —
to Washington. There he was received with the utmost
cordiality by his kinsAvoman, Mrs. Madison, who insisted
that he should stay at the White House, which was more
delightful from the presence of several charming young
ladies, conspicuous among whom was the great belle aud
beauty. Miss Maria Mayo, who afterwards became Mrs.
General Winfield Scott.
His voyage to Europe was slow and tedious, so that
when he stopped off the Cove of Cork, he was so weary
of the sight of the waste of waters and the beauty of the
la;nd was so tempting, that, with his usual impetuosity,
he jumped into one of the little boats which had come
out to traffic with the passengers and went ashore, send
ing his luggage on by the ship. He traveled in Ireland
until his financial condition compelled him to follow his
letters of credit. When he landed in England he had
only money enough to take an outside place on the stage,
which then carried passengers from the mouth of the
river to Liverpool. It was raining, and the wetting he
got, together with the fatigue, brought on a fever and
consequent delirium, in Avhich state he was taken into

138 . Historical Sketches and
the inn. The landlord, on examining his papers, found
letters to the American Consul, who was then, and for
many years after, Mr. James Maury, but he being absent,
his place was supplied by Mr. Haggarty, of Virginia.
He, with the assistance of his friend, Washington Irving,
nursed him back to health. Thus, with Washington
Irving, began one of his most valued friendships, aud one
which ended only with death. One of the last things
which I read to Mr. Preston, as he lay on his death-bed,
was an account of the first celebration of the anniversary
of Irving's death. Mr. Irving was already a man of dis
tinction in the world of letters. When Mr. Preston went
to London he gave him letters of introduction to Lord
Brougham, Lord John Eussell and others. Through the
letter to Lord John Eussell he had an invitation to spend
the Christmas at the country house of the Duke of Bed
ford, where he met many people of distinction. There
were some trouble to know how to place the untitled
American gentleman. Finally he was consigned to the
care of one of the younger sons of the house and went
into dinner under his care. Lord Brougham spoke of the
relationship between their families. Lord Brougham,
Lord Erskine and Patrick Henry were cousins, and all of
them nephews of Eobertson, the historian.* Sidney
Smith asked to be introduced to him, as he said an Ameri
can gentleman was quite a curiosity. When he went to
Edinborough to enter the University, Mr. Irving gave him
a letter of introduction to Sir Walter Scott. Scott was
partial to Americans, and paid them much attention.
* This has been questioned.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 139
There was a remarkable set of students at that time in
Edinborough. Mr. Cogswell, at the Astor Library; J.
Fenimore Cooper, Mr. Hugh S. Legare, Mr. Govan, Mr.
Everett, and Mr. Ticknor were in Europe at the time and
traveled with Mr. Preston on the Continent, but I am not
sure they studied together. Sir Walter Scott took a
special fancy to Mr. Preston, aud he was consequently
much at Abbotsford. Mr. Preston asked Sir Walter's
advice as to whether it was well for him to accept the
invitations to Abbotsford to the house of Mrs. Grant of
Laggan (author of " Eoy's Wife of Aldervalock "), and
other places where literature was a topic of chief ihterest.
Sir Walter said he would scarcely ever meet with such
society as was then in and around Edinborough, and he
should by all means take advantage of it; he should be
diligent also in attending all the lectures at the Univer
sity, for there was a remarkable set of professors, but
his books he could carry with him anywhere. When,
years afterwards, he was elected to the Senate, a friend
hastened to Laggan to tell Mrs. Grant of the honor be
stowed, " Pshaw ! " she said ; " if those Americans had any
sense they would have made him President long ago."
During the vacations he made several pedestrian tours
with Mr. Irving; they rambled through Scotland, North
ern England and Wales. Many of the scenes of the
" Sketch Book " were witnessed together. Mr. Irving
wrote to Mr. Preston : " Your allusions to Jones of
Brienne and Loch Katrine brought up a host of recollec
tions of pleasant scenes and pleasant adventures, which
we enjoyed together in our peregrinations through Scot
land and England in our younger days. I often recur in

140 Historical Sketches and
thought to those ramblings, which present some of the
most agreeable day-dreams of past times; and if I dared
indulge my pen, could call up many an amusing incident
in which you figured conspicuously."
Soon after his return from Europe he married Miss
Maria Eliza Coalter, daughter of Judge John Coalter,
formerly of Virginia, then of Missouri. Judge Coalter
had several beautiful daughters, all of whom married
distinguished men. One married Judge William Harper,
whom Mr. Preston considered the finest intellect South
Carolina ever produced. Another, Judge St. George
Tucker, one of Virginia's finest jurists; one Judge Ed
ward Bates, who was afterwards a member of President
Lincoln's Cabinet; the youngest married Mr. David
Means, an eminent Presbyterian divine.
Mr. Preston became as conspicuous in politics as in
law, and for many years represented South Carolina in
the Senate, where he ranked with Webster, Clay, Cal
houn, and Benton. On his resignation from the Senate
Mr. Webster wrote:
" Dear Sir, — Your resignation gives me pain, although
you had prepared us to expect it. In the political and
social circles here it causes a void not easily to be filled.
Your career in the Senate has been long, useful, and
splendid ; and I believe you leave Congress with the re
spect and good wishes of all its members. Since I have
been in my present situation, I have derived important
aid from your advice and occasional suggestions — an
obligation I most cheerfully acknowledge, but I owe you
a much greater debt, for your constant personal kindness,

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. I4I
from the social happiness derived from your conversa
tion, and for the gratification and instruction derived
from your efforts in debate. This, my dear sir, is entirely
honest and sincere. I am melancholy at your leaving
the Senate, and could not forego this occasion to signify
to you my ardent feelings of attachment and regard.
Kind remembrances to Mrs. Preston; there again I have
heavy losses. With whom shall I now converse on Bibli
cal criticism, old English style and other kindred sub
jects. I salute, also. Miss Preston, with very sincere re
gards; and wish for you all true and everlasting happi
ness. Daniel Webster."
Mrs. Preston here alluded to was Senator Preston's
second wife, who had been Miss Louisa Penelope Davis,
the daughter of an eminent physician of Columbia, South
Carolina. She was a lady of great beauty of person and
remarkable literary attainments. Although much
younger than Mr. Preston, he outlived her thirteen years,
and he always said his heart died with her; but he was
much revived in his last years by the love of an adopted
daughter. Miss Preston, of whom Mr. Webster speaks,
was the only child who attained maturity; her father's
tender, loving heart was crushed by her death.
Mr. Preston was a great patron of the arts. He was
the means of sending the sculptor, Hiram Powers, to
Italy; that is, he recognized his genius, and called the
attention of his brother, Mr. John S. Preston, to him, and
he supplied most of the means which enabled Mr. Powers
to prosecute the studies which have placed him first
among American artists. Mr. Powers has shown his

142 Historical Sketches and
gratitude in many ways — by bestowing the name of
Preston on his son, who is now eminent among sculptors;
by gifts of his works; several portrait busts were pre
sented to the family. His Eve, Proserpine, and Genevia
AA'ere made for Mr. John S. Preston. Mr. W. C. Preston
also assisted Mr. Chapman to go to Italy to study paint
ing. Shortly before Mr. Preston's death, Mr. Chapman
sent him several etchings and some photographs of his
large paintings.
Mr. Preston was made president of South Carolina Col
lege, in which capacity he served for many years, to the
great advantage of the institution and of the young men
under him- In general, he enjoyed it, but I heard him
say once, when the boys were rather unruly, that he
" would rather drive an earthquake with a team of
volcanoes than a set of wild boys." He was a man of
powerful influence in the politics of his State. He was
beloved by the least child and the greatest intellects. He
honored and admired woman to such a degree that he
habitually said no man Avas worthy of any woman. He
was very active in nullification. When the secession in
the Democratic party took place in Charleston, in 1860,
his heart broke, for he had studied the relations between
the States and the strength and purpose of each and all,
so that he knew what a fearful struggle was impending.
As he lay dying Mr. Petigru, the great Charleston lawyer
and his contemporary, came to see him, and they wept
together over the coming strife. ]\Ir. Petigru said : " I
envy you, Preston. You are leaving us, and I will
have to stay and see it all. And so he gladly bade fare-

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 143
well to earth on May 22d, rejoicing in hope of the world
to come. A. M."
To this graceful and graphic sketch the following
sequel is appended:
No report nor synopsis of his greatest efforts as an
orator have been preserved. Among the first was his
speech before the Legislature of South Carolina iu de
fence of Judge James, who was impeached for drunken
ness. In preparing this speech, Avhich was done with
elaborate care, the pathetic portion of it rose so palpably
before him that he rested his head upon the desk and
wept like a child.
When the House was called to order every seat was
occupied, aud the aisles and galleries crammed. As he
rose there was a hush that made breathing audible. His
manner was grave and dignified as became the occasion,
and the opening sentences caught and fixed the atten
tion of the assembly. The argumentative portion was
clear, spirited and able, aud when he felt that his
audience Avas in full sympathy with him he drew a pic
ture of this pure and able judge, bowed and humiliated
by a single infirmity, so pathetic that the whole assem
bly was moved to tears, and senators sobbed aloud. This
effort confirmed his reputation as the first orator of the
South. At the bar he ranked among the ablest and most
learned lawyers of his day, and was as successful in the
management and preparation of civil as criminal cases.
The latter, however, offered opportunities for the display
of his peculiar gifts. The trial of Mr.  for murder

144 Historical Sketches and
was one in which his tact, ability and eloquence were
conspicuous. The evidence was strong against his client,
and the only plea upon which any hope of acquittal could
be founded was that of self-defence. His quick and re
tentive memory recalled a very similar case in which
Cicero had succeeded upon the same plea. In his speech
he not only availed himself of the ingenious defence of
the Eoman orator, but captivated the jury and the
audience by a paraphrase of his glowing and most im
passioned eloquence. Indeed, so full was his mind of
classic and modern instances, that often in the familiarity
of the home circle his conversation was interspersed with
apt quotations in prose and poetry from the best authors.
Few were as familiar with the English classics as he
was, and for the edification of the younger members of
his family he would recite scenes from Shakespeare or
passages from Milton, Scott, or some other standard
author. As a popular orator he was fully the peer of his mater
nal uncle, Patrick Henry. Many instances could be given
of his absolute sway over the emotions of large assem
blies, and his power of rousing them to the most tumult
uous enthusiasm, or melting them to tears, or convulsing
them with laughter. The memory of one such instance
still lingers in Southwest Virginia after the lapse of half
a century. It was during a canvass for Congress between
Mr. Draper and Mr. Charles C. Johnston. Mr. Preston
was staying with his family at Chilhowie Springs,. The
mass-meeting was at Meek's Store-house, about five miles
distant. Mr. Draper was represented by John N. Humes,
a young lawyer recently from Tennessee. By some acci-

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 145
dent, neither Mr. Johnston nor any speaker authorized
to represent him could be present. In this extremity his
partisans sent a delegation in haste to Mr. Preston to
urge him to come to their assistance, and to give him
some idea of the attack that would be made upon an inti
mate friend and relation. Their representations roused
Mr. Preston, and he hastened to the rendezvous. His
arrival was kept a secret, and, unobserved, he entered
the rear of the house from the piazza from which the
speakers were to address the crowd. Mr. Humes, all
unconscious of his presence, and thinking he had the field
to himself, indulged in unguarded assertions and bitter
denunciations of Mr. Johnston. When he closed, Mr.
Preston presented himself before the audience, aud,
straightening up to his full height (six feet two inches),
stood, the impersonation of the champion that he was.
The eft'ect was electric. Mr. Humes ventured to suggest
that Mr. Preston had no right to speak in a Virginia can
vass, as he was a South Carolinian. His friends took it
up, and for a few moments the crowd was agitated. Then
Mr. Preston's A^oice, like a clarion, thrilled through it as
he said : " My foot is on my native heath and my name
is William Campbell Preston." Instantly every murmur
was repressed, and the whole assembly settled into the
attitude of fixed attention. He alluded to the fact that
almost within the sound of his voice rested the bones of
four generations of his people, and named the com
panions of his boyhood with whom he had roamed over
hill and dale of that neighborhood, and these companions
were sons of that gallant band of heroes whom his grand
father had led in the battle of King's Mountain. The
19

146 Historical Sketches and
chord of sympathy was struck and vibrated in harmony
to every touch he gave. The crowd was roused to the
wildest enthusiasm. It was an easy task to vindicate
Mr. Johnston before such an audience, and this was done
so fully and effectually that every imputation was
silenced forever. Mr. Preston then turned his batteries
upon Mr. Humes, and, pointing at him as the recent im
portation from Tennessee, held him up before the crowd
in every aspect of ridicule and scorn that his excited feel
ings suggested. Passages of this speech were remem
bered and quoted as long as those who heard it lived.
Of jMr. Preston's speeches in the Senate of the United
States, one of the most carefully prepared and effective,
was upon the French spoliation claims. He had been
examining into the subject for some time and collecting
information from CA^ery source. The discussion of the
question was interrupted for a day by other business, and
he went to the Senate that morning expecting some other
senator would resume it and occupy the morning session.
No one did, however, and unexpectedly the duty devolved
upon him. As soon as it was known in the House of
Eepresentatives that Mr. Preston was speaking there was
a rush for the Senate Chamber, and in a very little while
every seat was occupied, and the gallery crowded. For
two hours he held the audience spellbound; and not even
the rustling of a lady's garments broke the silent and
absorbed attention of senators and the mixed audience of
the galleries. Details aud facts, Avhich would in other
hands have been tedious and dry, sparkled with interest
and were inspired with life. The style and manner of
his delivery were in harmony with the highest ideals of

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 147
senatorial dignity, and elicited encomiums and praise
from Clay, Webster and others of the brightest intellects
of the period.
Mr. Preston's vocabulary was singularly voluminous,
and both in conversation and speaking, his choice of
words was felicitous and exact. Hence the grace and
beauty, as well as lucidness, of his sentences. His voice
was clear and melodious and capable of great modulation.
Elocution was a natural endowment, but was so culti
vated and trained that in the most impassioned passages
of his speeches he neither strained his voice to an unna
tural pitch nor mouthed his words. He was, therefore,dis-
tinctly heard by the most remote of the largest audiences
he addressed. His gestures were so natural and graceful
that they were observed only when they gave point or
emphasis to the idea expressed.
In short, to use the language of a competent and
learned critic, " he was the most finished orator America
has produced."
John S., son of Francis and Sarah B. Preston, was born
at the Salt-Works, Virginia, April 20, 1809: died in
Columbia, South Carolina, May 1, 1881; graduated at
Hampden-Sidney College; attended lectures at the Uni
versity of Virginia 1825-'6; then went to Cambridge,
Massachusetts, and began the study of law.
He married Caroline M. Hampton, daughter of General
Wade Hampton, April 28, 1830, and first settled in Abing
don. After the death of General Hampton he moved to
Columbia, South Carolina. For some years he was largely
engaged in sugar-planting in Louisiana, but was never

148 Historical Sketches and
so absorbed by business that much of his time was not
devoted to literary pursuits. He retired early and rose
between 3 and 5 A. M., that the quiet of the morning
hours might be given to intellectual occupations. The
aid he liberally gave struggling artists of America, nota
bly to the sculptor Hiram Powers, whose genius was
recognized and brought to his notice by his brother, Wil
liam C. Preston, is only one of many instances and acts
of his generosity, and also indicates his love of the fine
arts. In part acknowledgment of this timely assistance,
Mr. Powers presented him with the first replica of the
Greek Slave. He also became widely known as an orator,
delivering among other famous addresses the speech of
welcome to the Palmetto Eegiment on its return from the
Mexican War, in 1848, which gave him a national repu
tation. This Was increased by subsequent orations before
the '76 Association of Charleston; the literary societies
of South Carolina College, aud that at the seventy-fifth
anniversary of the battle of King's Mountain, and at
laying the corner-stone of the University of the South at
Sewanee, Tennessee. These orations were of absorbing
interest and force, and of themselves entitled General
Preston to the first rank among southern orators. He
was an ardent secessionist, and in May, 1860, was chair
man of the South Carolina delegation to the Democratic
Convention at Charleston.
After the election of President Lincoln, he was ap
pointed commissioner to Virginia, and in February, 1861,
made an elaborate plea in favor of the withdrawal of
the State from the Union. This was regarded as the

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 149
crowning effort of his oratory, and was spoken of in terms
of the highest eulogy by all who heard it.
He was on General P. G. T. Beauregard's staff in 1861,
and acted as one of the aides-de-camp in the first battle
of Manassas or Bull Eun. Subsequently he was trans
ferred to the Conscript Department, with the rank of
Brigadier-General. Not long after the surrender he left
this country for England, and remained abroad two or
more years. Some time after his return he was asked
to deliver an address at the commencement of the Uni
versity of Virginia. The character and sentiments of this
speech have been misunderstood and misrepresented. It
was a fervid and bold expression of opinions formed from
a southern view of history, and which alone justify the
action of the Southern States.
Subjugation may repress, but does not change convic
tions, and southern leaders, whilst they acquiesce in the
arbitrament of war, honestly believed the cause they
maintained with their fortunes and their lives was just
in the sight of God. General Preston voiced this con
viction, and remitted its vindication to posterity. Such
utterances may have been imprudent at the time and
under the circumstances, but they were not treasonable;
nor were they intended to repress the spirit of reconcilia
tion, so carefully fosjtered by true patriots, provided the
faith that animated and sustained the entire South in
that sad conflict was not denounced and characterized as
wilful and wicked rebellion.
When General Preston surrendered and gave his
allegiance to the United States he had no reserved
thoughts, and was as loyal a citizen as could be found
between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 151

PATTON'S CLAIM TO PEIOEITY.
In the " Filson Club Publications, No. 13," entitled
" First Exploration of Kentucky," by Colonel J. Stoddard
Johnston, there is this note on page 42:
" From the fact that Dr. Walker was here (on the Hol
ston river) in 1748, historians have fallen into the error
of stating that it Avas in this year that he went to Cum
berland Gap in company with Colonel James Patton,
Major Charles Campbell and others, but there is nothing
upon which the assertion rests except a misty tradition.
" It is doubtless based upon the fact that these gentle
men, in 1749, Dr. Walker being one of the number, made
an exploration with a view to taking up land, as some
of them did on the Holston in East Tennessee."
As I was one of these historians (?) who have fallen
into the " error " (if error it be), I may be pardoned for
giving the authorities upon which I based the account
of Colonel Patton's exploring expedition in 1748, and
which was published in the American Monthly Magazine
of January, 1897.
First. As to the line through, which this alleged
" misty " tradition is traced.
My father. General Francis Preston, was a son of Col
onel William Preston, who was the nephew, private
secretary, and executor of Colonel James Patton; Mrs.
Letitia Floyd, wife of Governor John Floyd, Avas his sis-

152 Historical Sketches and
ter, and Governor Floyd was the grandson of Colonel
John Buchanan, who was the son-in-law of Colonel James
Patton, and was one of the surveyors who accompanied
him upon this and other expeditions. My mother was the
daughter of General William Campbell, only son of Major
Charles Campbell, the other surveyor. Major Charles
Campbell's wife Avas the sister of John Buchanan, and
grandmother of my mother.
If tradition transmitted through such closely-allied
families be " misty," then it would be difficult to say by
what combination of circumstances and family alliances
a tradition could be relied upon as free from " mists."
Second. Joseph A. Waddell, in his "Annals of Augusta
County," on page 38, says: " It is stated that as early as
1748, Colonels Patton and Buchanan and others, with a
number of hunters, made an exploring tour to the South
west. They discovered and named the Cumberland
Mountain and river, so called in honor of the Duke of
Cumberland, who had recently gained the battle of Cul-
loden in Scotland."
In Virginia, Mr. Waddell is accepted as reliable
authority for every statement of fact that he makes.
Even where he does not give his authority for his asser
tions, it is assumed that they are supported by and based
upon ascertained facts, derived from reliable sources.
I felt warranted by this statement, sustaining the
family tradition, in giving to Colonel Patton the credit
of discovering and naming Cumberland Mountain and
Cumberland river, and suggested the influence which
prompted him so to name them.
It may also be noted that Mr. Waddell does not men-

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 153
tion Dr. Walker as of the party. Had he occupied the
most prominent position it is fair to presume that he
would have been named.
Third. Lyman C. Draper, in his " King's Mountain and
Its Heroes," page 379, says: "Charles Campbell was not
" only an enterprising farmer of Augusta, but early en-
" gaged in western explorations and in the acquisition of
" the rich wild lands of the country. In April, 1748, he
" made an exploring tour down the Holston in company
" with Dr. Thomas Walker, Colonel James Patton, James
" Wood and John Buchanan, together with a number of
" huntsmen and woodsmen."
In this extract the names of the principal parties are
given, and the date of the expedition.
Knowing the relation of these parties to each other,
their relative positions can be assigned.
The organization indicates Colonel Patton as its author
and leader. Of the two surveyors, John Buchanan was
his son-in-law, and Charles Campbell, the brother-in-law
of John Buchanan, making a family party.
Dr. Walker and James Wood were honored but invited
associates, as may be inferred from the sequel. The
hunters aud woodsmen were, in all probability, from the
vicinity and selected by Colonel Patton, from his knowl
edge of their fitness for the service for which they were
employed. At the date of this expedition, Colonel Patton was
about fifty-eight years of age, iu the full vigor of robust
manhood, and had won influence and distinction in
Augusta county, and was regarded as one of the wealth
iest men of that community. He was able, therefore, to

154 Historical Sketches and
equip and support the party that he organized for such
an extended and perhaps perilous expedition.
Dr. Walker was also in the prime of life — thirty-three
years old, and, by right of his Avife, owner of 15,000 acres
of land in Piedmont Virginia. He was a worthy associate
and friend of Colonel Patton.
It was on this expedition that Eeedy Creek, Walker's
Mountain, and Walker's Creek, in Wythe county, were
named. The Holston river was called " Indian river,"
as is proved by the earliest surveys. (See patents to
Charles Campbell.) Why and when the name was
changed, first to Holstein, then to Holston, I have not
been able to ascertain. Dr. Walker calls it Holston river
as early as March 23, 1750. The changes of name must
have been rapid.
Colonel J. Stoddard Johnston has traced with great
labor and research the course of Dr. Walker's expedition
in 1750. But I can see nothing in it contradicting the
assumption and proof of a previous expedition in 1748
with Colonel Patton and his party. The organization of
the two parties are widely different. The companions of
Dr. Walker are named in his diary, and were his personal
friends, for whom he named many of the streams he
reached and partly explored, beginning with Powell's
river that flows through Lee county, Virginia.
His statement that in 1750 he had met Samuel Stal
naker mi the Holston is conclusive evidence that he him
self was there at that time, and the only tradition or
mention of an earlier exploring expedition to the waters
of the Holston, is that of Colonel James Patton, in 1748.
With all due deference to Colonel Johnston's opinions

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 155
and inferences, I am constrained to differ with him in
regard to Stalnaker. Dr. Walker says only that when
he first met Stalnaker, he (Stalnaker) was on his way to
the Cherokee Indians and " expected him to pilot me as
far as he knew, but his affairs would not permit him to
go with me " (on this expedition of 1750).
No hint is given that Stalnaker was anything more
than a trader with the Cherokee Indians, and they lived
on the borders of Tennessee and Georgia, south of Dr.
Walker's projected route.
I do not think it probable (as Colonel Johnston seems
to do) that Stalnaker gave the information as to certain
localities that he (Dr. Walker) contemplated visiting —
such as the valley of the Clinch river, the region north
and west of Clinch Mountain, and Cumberland Mountain,
to the head-waters of Kentucky and Cumberland rivers,
of which previous information he (Dr. Walker) gave
evidence as he advanced into Kentucky. It is more
probable (in my opinion) that this " previous informa
tion " was obtained from a more intelligent source —
Colonel James Patton — as will appear from the sequel.
In John P. Hale's " Trans-AUeghany Pioneers " (page
102), he states: "This way (by Inglis' Ferry on New
river) passed Dr. Thomas Walker and his first party of
explorers in 1748, and also his second expedition in 1750."
Again, on page 108, he says : " On the return of the
expedition of Dr. Walker, Patton and others, in 1748,
they organized the 'Loyal Land Company,' based on a
grant of 800,000 acres of land, to lie north of the North
Carolina line, and west of the mountains, and incorpor
ated their company in June, 1749."

156 Historical Sketches and
Again, on page 250: " 1748. — Dr. Thomas Walker and
" party crossed New river westward, and were the first
" from this direction to penetrate into Kentucky." {Italics
mine. T. L. P.) It has been previously stated how this
party of " Dr. Walker and others " of 1748 was organized
and commanded. (See page 9.)
The extracts from Hale are given as proof that there
were two expeditions in which Dr. Walker was a party,
and that the first in .1748, was " the first from this (New
river, west) direction to penetrate into Kentucky." Mr.
Hale repeats on page 109 the statement of the two trips
of the exploring parties of Dr. Walker, and mentions
some of the streams " traveled up and down which empty
into New river."
The fact of two trips west of New river being estab
lished by proof that cannot be gainsaid, it may be well
to examine from whom Dr. Walker obtained information
about the country he explored in 1750.
It is stated, or rather intimated, by Colonel J. S. John
ston, that Dr. Walker went on this expedition in the
interest of, if not employment of, other parties or persons.
This intimation is confirmed by the opening para
graph of Dr. Walker's journal, as published by the Filson
Club. Itis—
" Having on the 12th of December last been employed
"for a certain consideration to go to the westward in
" order to discover a proper place for a settlement, I left
" my house on the 6th day of March at 10 o'clock, 1749-'50,
" in company with Ambrose Powell, William Tomlinson,
" Colby Chew, Henry LaAvless and John Hughes." (Note
how entirely different this company is from that organ-

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 157
ized by Colonel Patton.) They reached " English's "
(Inglis') on the 16th of March. (See Diary, page 1.)
But the question is, who employed Dr. Walker to go
westward " in order to discover a proper place for a set
tlement? " There can be but one answer, the Loyal Com
pany. As Colonel Patton was at the head of that organ
ization, it could only have been chiefly, if not exclusively,
through his influence that Dr. Walker was sent on this
tour of discovery of a proper place for a settlement. This
company, as stated by Mr. Hale (pages 108 and 250) was
organized in June 1749, after their return from the ex
pedition in 1748, by Walker, Patton, and others (William
Inglis was one of the " others ") with a grant of 800,000
acres of laud. The Holston Valley into Tennessee had
been previously explored. Colonel Patton and William
Inglis had crossed Clinch Mountain into Tazewell county
through Burk's Garden, and it may be as far north as
the headwaters of Clinch river. The country to be ex
plored, therefore, was the Clinch Valley and the region
north and west of Clinch and Cumberland mountains.
This hypothesis explains the route taken by Dr. Walker,
and his deflection from the Holston Valley at Abingdon
to the Northwest, and crossing Clinch Mountain, perhaps
at Moccasin Gap, and so through Scott to Powell's Valley,
in Lee, naming the river that flows through it after his
friend, Ambrose Powell, and thence over Cumberland
Mountain to the head Avaters of the Kentucky and Cum
berland rivers.
It is remarkable that Dr. Walker does not give the
name to any mountain that he crossed, but does give
names to eyery stream of any magnitude and to many

158 Historical Sketches and
smaller branches. I do not, and cannot, concur in
Colonel J. Stoddard Johnston's inference, for it is only
an inference, and not an assertion of Dr. Walker's, that
he (Dr. Walker) afterward " named " Cave Gap " Cum
berland Gap.
If, as I maintain. Colonel Patton's party "penetrated
into Kentucky," as John Hale says they did; and named
Cumberland Mountain and Cumberland Gap, as Joseph
A. Waddell says they did, and the pioneer expedition
was organized April, 1748, as Lyman C. Draper states
(supplemented by Waddell), then the "misty tradition,"
examined by the light of investigation, like some cloud-
capped pinnacle when lighted by the sun is seen to stand
upon a sure foundation — the foundation of historical truth.
Thos. L. Preston.
University of Virginia, April, 1899.
Note 1. — Colonel Patton and John Buchanan in 1749 went as far
west as Bristol, Tennessee (how much further is not known), for in
that year Colonel Patton bought the " settlers' right " of one Taylor,
and gave it to his son-in-law, John Buchanan, who surveyed it that
year. The patent for it, however, was not issued until after General
Francis Preston became the executor of Colonel William Preston and
General William Campbell, who certified the survey to the court, and
the patent was issued by Mr. Jefferson, then Governor of Virginia.
T. L. P.
Note 2.—" William Inglis purchased the land at and about Inglis'
Perry from the Loyal Land Company, Dr. Thomas Walker agent." 
Dr. John P. Hale, " Trans-Alleghany Pioneer," p, 109.

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 159

SKETCH OF WILLIAM KING.
William King was born in Ireland, 1769, and came to
America a lad of flfteen, landing at Newcastle, Dela
ware, August 17, 1784. He Avent to Philadelphia and
entered into an engagement for five years with a mer
chant of that city.
He did not know where his father, Thomas King, had
settled, and his father was not informed of the arrival
in America and employment of his son. As soon, how
ever, as he ascertained that the son was in Philadelphia
he started from Fincastle (where he was engaged in busi
ness) on horseback, leading a pony to bring his son to
his home.
But the young man would not yield even to a father's
persuasion, and refused to violate his contract with the
merchant and return with his father. He remained,
therefore, in Philadelphia until 1791, when he joined his
father at Fincastle. Not long afterward his father sent
him to Ireland for his stepmother, his brother and sister.
The only members of the family that did not return
with him were Connally Findlay and his family. They
came five years afterwards, in 1796. Whilst in Ireland
William King received a legacy of £100 left him by his
grandmother, Elizabeth DaAis. With this capital he
started as a peddler to make his fortune, and the success
he attained shows what intellect and energy can accom-

160 Historical Sketches and
plish. He soon established stores (as they were called)
or mercantile houses along his line of travel, and stocked
them with such merchandise as best suited the people of
the country. By his repeated trips he acquainted himself
with the people and learned their wants.
Wonderfully endowed by nature with quick discrimi
nation, observation and sagacity, his business prospered
with phenomenal rapidity, and he soon acquired the
position of an influential member of the community. His
education and his courteous manners gave him access to
every social circle, and he won the confidence of his con
temporaries by his integrity and manliness. One of his
gifts was rapidity and accuracy in calculation. His ac
counts were kept in pounds, shillings and pence, and, it
is said, he added up the long columns of the old account
books by a succession of spans or hand-breadths. In 1799
he married Miss Mary Trigg, one of the handsomest and
most elegant daughters of that old family, and built the
first brick residence in Abingdon. There he made his
home, and there it stands diagonally across the street
north of the court-house.
Mr. King, as most English-born subjects, wished to
entail his estate, and as he had no children, he decided
to make such dispositions that some branch of his family
should inherit the bulk of it. The acquisition of his
valuable property at the Salt-Works and the conditions
of the will by which he attempted to dispose of it have
been referred to in the " Eeminiscences."
William King died in 1808. Am I not justified in say
ing that the crowning act of his life was the bequest of

Reminiscences of an Octogenarian. 161
$10,000 to " The Academy " as a school for boys? No
memorial shaft or proud mausoleum could so enduringly
perpetuate his wisdom and beneficence. These may
crumble and mingle with the dust, but so long as that
hill stands, crowned by the academy, the name of Wil
liam King will be gratefully recalled by successive gen
erations. His widow married Captain Francis Smith,
and their descendants are among the most refined and
cultivated of the present generation.

INDEX.

Abbottsford 
Abingdon, 11, 19, 29, 59, 63, 86,
93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99,
101, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107,
109, 110, 157, 160.
Academy  101,
Academy Hill 
Acklin, Chris 
Adams, Geo 
Albemarle Co 
Alkaline Works 
Alleghany Mountains, 9, 16, 34,
Amsterdam  13, 14, 15, 118,
Anchor and Hope  14,
Anderson, Jno  51,
Armstrong, Jas  99,
Aspinvale. .14, 15, 18, 38, 54, 63,
Astor Library 
Augusta Co., 9, 10, 17, 19, 38,
121, 122, 133, 153.
Bailey, Thos 
Baker, Thos 
Baltimore 
Bancroft, Geo  28,
Bates, Judge Edw 
Bates, Wm 
Bear Grass Creek 
Beaty, David 
Beaty, Jno 
Beauregard, P. G. T 
Beckam, Miss Sallie. 
Bedford, Duke ol 
Bedford Militia 
Bell, Samuel 
Benton, T. H 

Page. Page.
139 Berry, Jas  20
89, Berry, Jno  20
100, Berry, Thos  21
108, Berry, Wm  20, 22
Berrys  18
161 Beverley, Manor  17
19 Beverley, Wm  10
20 Big Sandy River. 11, 77, 116, 117, 121
20 Black, Jos  21, 22, 92, 94
9 Blackburn, Arthur  21
14 Blackburn, Geo  21,51, 92
36 Blackburn, Wm  21
133 Blackmore's Fort  125
15 Blacksburg  15, 116
92 Black's Port  51, 91, 109
100 Bland, Richd  25
135 Blanton, Wm  20
139 Blue Ridge  51
51, Borden  17
Botetourt Co., 12, 13, 14, 15, 118,
121, 122, 133.
20 Botetourt, Lord  22
20 Boyd, Jno  20
59 Bradley, Jas  109
29 Breckenridge, Alex  20
140 Briggs, Saml  19, 92, 94
20 Bristol  13, 18, 41
127 Brobston, Nicholas  20
21 Brock, Dr. R. A  24, 28, 117
21 Broddy, Jno  58
149 Broughham, Lord  138
97 Brown, Col. J. Mason  119
138 Brown, Judge Jas. E  65
119 Brown, Rev. Jno  119
19 Buchanan, Alex  92
140 Buchanan, Benj  43, 75, 86
(163)

164

Index,

Page.
Buchanan, Geo  20
Buchanan, Jno., 9, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19,
41, 50, 115, 117, 152, 153.
Buchanan, Moses  20
Buchanan, Robt  20
Buchanan, Robt, Jr  20
Buchanan, Saml  19
Buena Vista  45, 46
Bull Run  149
Bunker's Hill  23
Burk's Garden  15, 16, 157
Byars, Jas  16
Byars, Miss Mary  96
Byrd, Col. Wm  22
Cabell, Col. Jos  122
Calhoun, Jno  140
Call  22
Cambridge  147
Campbell, Ann  41
Campbell, Arthur, 23, 25, 37, 38, 41,
53, 57, 91, 129.
Campbell, Chas., 9, 13, 14, 15, 37,
38, 41, 42, 50, 53, 57, 58, 151, 152,
153, 154.
CampbeU David  19, 37, 101, 107
Campbell, Eliza  41
Campbell, Jane  41
Campbell, Jno. 19, 21, 37, 38, 91, 92
Campbell, Margaret  37, 41
Campbell, Robt  99
Campbell, Sarah B  53, 54, 134
Campbell, Wm., 13, 23, 25, 37, 38,
41, 51, 52, 53, 54, 57, 91, 93, 128,
129, 130, 134, 136, 152.
Carrington, Miss V. P  135
Carson, Chas. S  61
Carson, David  20
Catawba  14, 15
Cave Gap  158
Cawood, Stephen  21
Caywood, Ben  86, 87, 88
Caywood, Mrs  82, 86, 87
Caywood's Gap  43, 86
Caywood, Stephen  22

Page.
Caywood, Thos  86, 87
Cedar Branch  43
Chapman, N. W  142
Charleston  148
Charlton, Capt. Jno  120
Charlton, Washington  120
Chatham, Lord  29
Cherokee Line  125
Cherokees  17, 126, 129, 155
Chestnut Ridge  15
Chew Colby  15€
Chicamaugas  123-
Chilhowie  15, 64, 96
Chilhowie Springs  144
Chiswell, Col. Jno  22
Christian, Wm  21, 23, 120, 124
Claiborne, Thos  62
Clarke, Geo  20, 21
Clay, Henry  140, 147
Clinch Mts.,44, 46, 80, 81, 82, 155,
157.
Clinch River  125, 126, 155, 157
Clinch Valley  157
Cloyd, Geo  118
Cloyd, Joseph  118, 130
Coalter, Judge Jno  140
Coalter, Maria E  140
Cogswell, Mr  139
Colonies  23
Columbia  135, 136, 147
Colvill, Andrew ._  21
Cooper, J. P  139
Cornstalk  77
Cove of Cork  137
Crabtree, Jas  42, 56
Crabtrees  18
Craig  21
Craig, David  19
Craig, Jas  20, 21, 115, 122
Craig Robert  21, 51, 93, 99, 100
Cresswell  109
Creswell, Henry  20
Crockett, Capt. Walter  25
Crockett, Col  129
Culloden  12, 152

Index,

165

Page.
Culpeper Co  54
Cumberland, Duke of  12, 152
Cumberland Gap  11, 12, 151, 158
Cumberland Mts., 11, 152, 155, 157,
158.
Cumberland River  155, 157
Cummings, David C  112
Cummings, Rev. Chas., 19, 23, 25,
53, 109.
Cusick, Jno  22
Cyrus  54
Davidson, Wm  19
Davis' Bottom  17
Davis, Eliza  159
Davis, James  119
Davis, Jno  21
Davis, Miss L. P  141
Davis, Nathan  21
Deckard, Michael  101
Delawares  77, 117
Deniston, Robt  21
Dennis, Mrs. Hannah  120
Dentons  18
Dinwiddie, Gov., 38, 41, 77, 116, 121,
124.
Doach, Robt  93
Dorchester, Jas  19
Douglass Jonathan  22
Dover, Jno  21
Draper, Lyman C, 12, 23, 117, 153,
158.
Draper, Mrs  120
Draper's Meadows  121
Drydon, David  21
Dungan, Jesse  55
Dungans  18
Dunmore, Gov  26, 52, 124, 126
Dysart, Jas  20, 21, 92
Ebbing and Sinking Spg  19, 22
Edmiston, Jno  20
Edmiston, Margaret  20
Edmiston, Robt.  21
Edmiston, Saml  21

Page.
Edmiston, Thos  21
Edmiston, Wm... 20, 21, 51, 93, 99
Bdmonsons  18
Edmonson, Wm  23
Elk River  124
Emory and Henry Coll  49
Eppler, Jno  100
Erskine, Lord  138
Essex Co  10
Estell, Benj  88, 89, 101
Evans Saml  21
Evans, Thos  20
Everett, Mr  139
Feator, Geo  21
Filson Club  151
Fin Castle  22
Fincastle  15, 118, 159
Fincastle Co. .19, 22, 23, 51, 121, 127
Fincastle Co. Meeting  24
Fincastle Resolutions  23, 28
Findlay, Alex  67
Findlay, Connally  159
Findlay, Meitchell & Co  67
Findlay, Mr  99
Findlay, Rachael  61
Findlay, Thos  67
Fin's  95
Fishersville  19
Fleming, Col  122
Flenor, Geo  21
Floyd, Benj. R  117
Floyd, Col  131
Floyd, Gov.... 14, 15, 122, 127, 152
Floyd, Mrs. Letitia, 14, 15, 77, 117,
122, 123, 151.
Poote, Rev. W. H  19
Port Chiswell  22, 23, 29, 53
Fredericksburg  115
Frederick's River  11
Freeholders of Fincastle  24
French Claims  146
Fulkerson, Jas  19
Funkhouser, Chris  20
Funkhouser, Jno  20

166

Index.

Page.
Funkhouser, Jno., Jr  20
Fergerson Col  129
Gamble, Jos  20
Gamble, Robt  19
Garvill, Jas  21
Gattgood, David  20
George II  <}, 38
George III  26
Gibboney, Robt  70
Gilmore, Jas  21
Gist, Col. Nathan  123
Gooch, Wm  9
Goodpasture, A  100
Govan, Mr  139
Grahams  18
Granger Co  12
Grant, Mrs  139
Great Kanawha  124
Greavers, Col  64
Greenfield  118, 122, 130, 133
Green, Genl i-i  129
Groce, Jno  20
Guyandotte  128
Haggarty, Mr  138
Hall, J. P  ....155, 157, 158
Halyacre, Michael  21
Hamilton, Jacob  121
Hampden-Sidney College  147
Hampton, Caroline  147
Hampton, Frank  49
Hampton, Wade  49, 147
Hanover C. H  117
Hanover Presbytery  19
Harper, Judge Wm  140
Harrald, Jas  19
Harrison, Benj  25
Hawkins Co  12
Henderson, L. L  62
Hendry, Saml  21
Henegar, Mrs  71
Henegars  18
Henrico Co  10
Henritze, Peter  103

Page.
Henry, Eliz  134, 136
Henry, Jno  125
Henry, Patrick, 25, 28, 52, 92, 117,
122, 134, 136, 138, 144.
Higgons Richd  21
Hist. Soc. ol Va  24
Hockhocking  126
Holstein  15
Holston  157
Holston River, 17, 19, 42, 123, 126,
151, 153, 154.
Holston Salt Wks  58, 70
Holston Settlement  23, 24
Holston Valley  17
Howe's Hist. Va  38,39, 91
Hughes, Jno  156
Humes, Jno. W  144, 145, 146
Hunting Creek  11
Huston, Saml  20
Indian River  154
Ingles— Inglis— English, 16, 20, 25,
116, 119, 157.
Irby, Francis  54
Ireland  17
Irving, Washington  138
Jackson, Andrew  37
Jail  100
James, Judge  143
James River,  14, 52
James River Upper  14, 15
Jamison, Edw  21
Jefferson, Thos... 13, 108, 122, 134
Job  109
Johnson, Hugh  21
Johnston, C. C  88, 144, 145
Johnston, Col. J. S., 151, 154, 155,
158.
Johnston, Judge Peter  89
Jones, Gabriel  122
Jordan, Stephen  19
Kelly, Jno  21
Keller, Jno  108

Index.

167

Page.
Kennedy, Jno  20
Kennedy, Wm  21
Kentucky Co  22
Kentucky River  11, 155, 157
Keywood Gap  43
Kincaird, Jno  92
Kincannon, Andrew  21
Kincannon, Francis  20
Kincannon, Jas  20
King and Queen Co  10
King Estate  61, 65, 66, 67, 68
King, Jas  13, 61, 64
King, Mary  61
King, Rachel M. E  62, 64
King, Sarah  62
King's Mt, 108, 129, 134, 136, 145,
148.
King, Thos  62, 159
King, Wm., 15, 46, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59,
60, 61, 62, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69,
95, 97, 100, 101, 159, 160, 161.
King, Mrs. Wm  65
King's Salines  63, 65, 69
Kirkham, Robt  20
Knobs  11
Laggan  139
Lamb, Robt  20
Laughlin, Alex  20
Lawless, Henry  156
Lead Mines  63
Lee, Evan  55
Lee Co  97, 154
Lee, Richd H  25
Leeper, An.dre'w  20
Legare, Hugh S  139
Lester, Jas  21, 22
Lester, Jno  21, 22
Lester, Wm  19, 22
Lewesa River  11
Lewis, Andrew 116, 122, 124, 126
Lewis, Chais  124
Lewis, Thos  76, 117, 122
Lexington, Battle ol  23
Lincoln, A  140, 148
Lindsey, Aaron  100

Page.
Little Bushy Mts  44
Lloyd, Dr. Thos  76, 77
Logan, Benj  21
Logtown  15, 115
Long Island  120
Long, Jno  20
Lottery  100, 101
Louisa River  11
Louisville  127
Lowry, Jno  21
Loyal Co  16, 18, 155, 157
Lucas, Jno  123
Lynch, Jacob  104, 106, 107
Lyons  18
McCall, Dr. Alex. .64, 65, 66, 67, 68
McClellan, Jno  101
McClure, Halbert  21
McCormick, Danl  20
McCutchen, Jno  20
McDowell, Gov  33
McFarren, And  21
McGaughey  21
McGavock, Jos  22. 25
McMillin, Wm  20
McNabb, Jno  20
McNabb, Wm  21
McNutt, Alex  20
Madame Russell House  44
Maddison, Wm. S  118
Madison, Jas  48, 134, 135
Madison, Jno  122
Madison, Mrs. Jas  135, 137
Madison, Thos  25, 53, 54, 55
Magdalen, Schooner  52
Manassas  149
Manor ol Beverly  9
Marion  37, 38
Marlor, Wm  20
Marshall, Jno  134
Martin, Andrew  19
Martin, Jos  92
Maury, Jas  138
Max Meadows  14
Mayo, Miss Maria  137

168

Index.

Page.
Means, David  140
Mecklenburg  23
Meek's Store  144
Meitchell, Jno. D  67
Mexican War  148
Middle Fork  18, 19, 63
Miller, And  20
Miller's River  11
Miller, Wm  20
Mississippi River  22
Mitchell, Mrs. Eliza  99
Moccasin Gap  157
Monroe, Jas  134
Montgomery Co  22, 76, 133
Montgomery, Jas  20, 92
Montgomery, Jno  25
Montgomery, Thos  19
Moore, Richd  19
Musgrove, Jno  55, 56
Newcastle  159
Newell, Saml  19
New River  124, 128
New River Lead Mines  23
Norlolk  134
North Fork  18, 41
North Roanoke  15
Ocanothoto  77
Ohio  17, 18
Ohio Indians  124
Ohio River  22
Orange Co  10, 15
Orange C. H  50
Oury, Augustine  104
Page, Wm  19
Palmer, Geo. W  48
Palmetto Regiment  148
Patterson, Jno  21
Patton, Ann  15
Patton, Grant  37, 41
Patton, Jas., 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,
16, 18, 38, 50, 113, 114, 115, 151,
153, 155, 157, 158.

Page.
Patton, Margaret  14
Pattonsburg  14, 15
Pendleton, Edm  25
Pennsylvania  17, 18
Petigru  142
Pharis, Edw  21
Philadelphia  23, 34, 159
Piper, Jas  19, 21, 109
Pittsburg  15, 115
Plum Alley  95
Point Pleasant  124, 127
Postan, Richd  41
Powell  17
Powell, Ambrose  156
Powell's River  154
Powell's Valley  157
Powers, Hiram  141, 148
Powers, Preston  142
Prather, Miss  86
Preston, Alfred  118
Preston, C. H. C  38, 66
Preston, Eliza  113, 118
Preston Estate... 58, 65, 66, 67, 68
Preston, Francis, 13, 48, 53, 54, 55,
56, 59, 60, 66, 71, 75, 80, 81, 87,
88, 132, 135, 151.
Preston, James. 15, 133, 151, 152, 154
Preston, Jno.. 104, 105, 113, 130, 132
Preston, Jno. S. 66, 141, 142, 147, 149
Preston, Jno. S., & Co  66
Preston, Mrs. Francis  71
Preston, Mrs. Jas  96
Preston, Mrs. Wm  118
Preston, Robt  99, 123
Preston Salines  56, 58
Preston, Sarah B., 13,15,50,135, 147
Preston, Thos. L., 67, 68, 69, 70, 74,
82,, 84, 85, 158.
Preston, Wm., 13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 33,
34, 48, 76, 77, 83, 113, 114, 115,
116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122,
123, 124, 127, 128, 131, 132, 133,
136, 151.
Preston, Wm. C, 65, 81, 82, 135,
139, 140, 142, 144, 145, 146, 147,
148.

Index.

169

Page.
Price, Michael  130
Pruitt, Martin  20
Pruitt, Wm  20
Pulaski Co  12
Rafferty, Thos  20
Ramsey, Thos  19
Randolph, Jno  10
Randolph, Peyton  25
Randolph, Richd  10
Redemptioners  75
Red Rocks  45
Reed Creek  119
Reedy Creek  17, 125, 154
Richmond  59
Rich Valley  15, 41
Roanoke Co  12
Roanoke River  119
Robertson, Jos  138
Robertson, Wyndham... 49, 61, 68
Robinson, Jno  10, 20
Rockbridge Co  12
Eockingham Co  117, 122
Royal Oak  37, 38
Russell, Andrew... 99, 100, 101, 104
Rusisell Co  89, 97, 105
Russell, Lord Jno  138
Russell, Madame  49
Russell, Madame, House... 49, 69
RusseU, Robt L  54
Russell, Wm  25, 53, 54, 55
St. Clair  14, 18
St. Clair's Choice  14
Salt Lick . 14, 38, 42, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55
Saltville  58, 59, 61, 135
Salt Works  18, 61, 135, 147, 160
Sanders, Jas  63, 64
Sanders, Jno  62
Sanders, Misses  96
Sapling Grove  13, 18, 41
Saul, Miss Maria  96
Saul, Mr  96
Saul's Tavern  99
Schenck, David  130
Scotch-Irish  17
22

Page.
Scott Co  89, 97, 105, 157
Scott, Mrs  137
Scotts  18
Scott, Sir Walter  138, 139
Seven Mile Ford  38
Sevier, Col  129
Sewanee  148
Sharp, Jno  20
Shaver, M  104, 105, 106
Shawnees  77, 116, 117, 125
Shelby, Evan  25, 91, 93, 130
Shelby, Isaac  130
Shelby, Jno  51, 129
Shenendo River  10
Sinkler  14
Sinkler's Bottom  14, 18
Smith, Daniel  92, 93, 125
Smith, Francis, 61. 62, 81, 83, 117,
118, 161.
Smithfield  15, 116, 122, 123
Smith, Jonathan  101
Smith, Mrs. Francis  65
Smith, Sidney  138
Smithsonian Inst  85
Smith, Susanna  117
Smythe Co  12, 14, 38, 135
Smythe, Miss  96
Smythe, Pleasant  96
Snodgrass, David  20
Snodgrass, Jno  20
Snody, Jno  92
Solitude  123
Southern Hist. Soc  24
South Fork  14, 18
Southwest Mts  ll
Specimen Grant  38
Spencer, Ackerman, & Co  69
Spring HiU  9
Stalnaker, Saml  17, 154, 155
Staunton  10, 15, 51, 118, 132
Stocks  101
Stonewall Jackson Inst,  99
Strother  115
Strouble's Creek  15
Stuart, Palmer & Parker  70

170

Index.

Page.
Sugar Loaf  45, 69
Sullivan Co  12
Talbot, Chas., 71, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84,
85, 88.
Talbot, Miss  73, 74, 75
Talbots  18
Tate, Thos  41
Taylor  17
Taylor, Jno  13, 41, 120
Tazewell Co  89, 97, 105, 157
Tennessee  12
Thomases  18
Thompson, Jas  21
Thompson, Wm  15, 115
Ticknor  139
Tinkling Springs  19, 133
Tomlinson, Wm  156
Topp, Robt  20
Trigg, L. H  110
Trigg, Mary  160
Trigg, Stephen  25
Trigg, Wm  61, 62, 64, 101
Trimble, Jas  20
Trimble, Robt  21
Trooper's Alley  95
Tucker, St. Geo  140
University ol South  148
University ol Va  147
Valley ol Holston  18
Valley of Va  17, 18
Vance, Jas  21
Vance, Jos  19
Waddell, J. A  12, 117, 152, 158

Page.
Walker, Dr. Thos., 9, 10, 11, 16, 17,
18, 81, 92, 94, 151, 153. 154, 155,
156, 157, 158.
Walker's Creek  154
Walker's Mt  11, 15. 18, 81, 154
Washington and Lee Univ  136
Washington College  136
Washington Co., 12, 19, 22, 37, 51,
60, 89, 91, 92, 94, 99, 105, 129,
133.
Washington, Geo., 23, 25, 33, 34, 35,
93, 121, 127, 134, 135, 136.
Waynesborough  9, 11
Webb, Augustus  19
Webster, Danl  140, 141, 147
West Augusta  23, 24
White, Jas., 61, 62, 64, 65, 66, 98,
100, 101.
White Rocks  44, 47, 82
White, Saml  21
Whitesburg  11
Whitsell's Mill  130
William & Mary Coll  48, 133
Williamisburg  10, 41, 52
Willoughby, Andrew  93
Wilson, David  19
Wilson, Eliza  63
Wilson, Jno  121
Wilson, Saml  19
WoU Hills  11
Wood, Jas  9, 153
Wyatt  99
Wythe Co  12. 14, 22, 63, 154
Wythe, Geo  133
Young, Jas  19
Young, Wm  19

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