Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-08-20
For the SPECTATOR
The Leslie Family.

with me to aid in snatching single
single leaf from Lethe's stream, that so
rapidly bears all pertaining to the past
into obliviOn's gulf. Within few days
past, / have obtained some memoranda
that will enable me to prepare a brief
chapter of one of the worthy Scotch
Irish families, among the earliest emf
grants to our beautiful Valley, and set
tied within the limits of Beverly Ma
nor.
James Leslie and Sarah his wife. from
the north of ireland, were among the
early emigrants who crossed the Blue
Ridge, perhaps at Swift Run or some
one of the gaps east of Rockish, about
173S or 1889, and settled on Lewis creek.
They had sons, John, James, and
Samuel, and daughters, Mollie, Isabella,
Dollie, Nancy, Betsy, and Sallie. John,
who married a Miss Henderson of An
gusta, settled near Abingdon before the
Revolutionary war. His sons, remark
able for their gigantic size and fine ap-
pearance, emigrated very early to Mis-
rOuri. James, second son, married a
Miss McCune, great-aunt OF Samuel and
Givens McCune, and settled on Chris !,
tian's creek, where Samuel CARRIER is
now living. Here he and his wife both
died, leaving family of four daughters
Rachel, Agnes, and names of the 9TH
er two forgotten. Rachel married Alex.
Crawford, near Buffalo Gap, who was
the father of the late VIM. and Alex.
Crawford, near Buffalo Gap, and James,
who at an early day removed to Ken
lucky, Mrs. Henry Bear, Mrs. James
Leslie, and Mrs. James Bell-the two
last yet Lying. Agnes married an Ev-
ans. One of those whom the name, is
forgotten married Henderson, the
other one, Adm or Adam Webb. of
e ChillicOthe, Ohio. Trasmuch as the his
tory of theSWebb family is now possessed
of more interest than would have been
the case five years since. because of the
probability that Mrs. President Hayes
may be descendant, we will quote the
only, document that has. come within
our observation. 'Tis receipt shown
us by VIM. Leslie, ESD. of Christians
creek, who, with his sister, Miss Betsy
-Iseslfe, and amarried sister, Mrs. Thorn
Samuel Leslie, the youngest of the
three sons, and are consequently the
second generation of the emigrant Jas.
Leslie.
This receipt is as follows:
Received of Mr.. Samuel Lesley the
full satisfaction upon the sum of money
which claimed in right of my wife,
who was legatee under the will of
Samuel Lesley, decd, and also. full sat
isfaction for the sum of money which I
claimed by virtue of a power of attor-
ney from Isabella Robinson, another
legatee under the same will, I say re-
csived by me this 10th day Of April,
1899. ~ i..s Adm WEBB.
~ Teste, William Sterritt."N
Can your Chillicothe or Portsmouth,
Ohio, exchanges throw any light on this
question of the Webb family, as to
whether this was an ancestor of Mrs.
Hayes?
Samuel Leslie, third son and youngest
child of James Leslie, the erligrant,
born in 1858, married Elizabeth Stuart,
youngest daughter of John Stuart, who
lived where the Humbert mill now
stands. Samuel as the youngest sou,
remained in possession of the home
place, in which William and his sister
Betsy, referred to, now live. The house,
over one hundred and thirty-five years
old, is a comfortable one.
Samuel Leslie, on the day he was II
years and months old, was ia the bat
tie, of Point Pleasant. He performed
his duty afterward at Guildford and the
Cowpens, and near the close of the Rev
olution, when it was believed Tarleton
was coming into the Valley through
Rockfish Gap, he was sent with dis
patches through the Blue Ridge, at
what was then called Woods Gap, sup
posed to be Jarman's, to some of our
troops who were watching Tarleton's
movements. Through all the trying
period of the Revolution, ewas equal to
all calls made upon his patriotism. The
war over, he engaged actively in bust
n occ ,,11rcxyifo Qnd oo farmer N ',
sually successful. I presume that he
often carried his surplus products on
pack horses, ere roads were opened, to-
Dumphries, Fredericksburg, and Rich
mond, as he did afterwards by wagon
He traded, in what is now Bath and
Highland, as far back as we have any
history of that kind, and bought up but
ter, dried fruit, linen and wooden cloths,
&c. Among his old papers are found
receipts from Judge A! Stuart and 9TH
ers, of Staunton, for groceries furnished
them.
Samuel had two sons James the eld-
est, who married Polly Crawford, his
second cousin. He was, in many re
spects, remarkable man. His mind
was well stored by reading as well as by
tradition. AT his death few years ago,
many exceedingly interesting facts. il
Illustrating the early history of the Val
ley, were lost. The antiquarian now
will be deeply repaid for examining into
old files of papers and books and docu-
ments he had collected. He left several
children, and his widow, yet living
William, before mentioned, now living |
on home place. Archy died at 81. Sally
died unmarried at IS. She, too, was a
woman of remarkable mind, aud a
memory tenacious beyond anything the
wiser has ever known. He spent an
evening in her company, since the war,
with view of hearing her conversation
ON the early history of the Valley
What q treat it was, and how much do
we regret that we trusted only to our