The daily gazette., 1879-05-12
FIRST EDITION.
A Histea Of Pmtrick1Igenr the Stay
Of the M. Il. II. Church.

The death of Mrs. John B. Lloyd IA
the occasion Of the following inte resting
sketch of the lives and history OF several
OF the most distinguished families in Viz.
ginia:
The death of Mrs Floyd at Abingdon
on wednesday, has been announced
Mrs. Sally Buchanan Floyd was the
widow of the late General (and Cover
nor) John Buchanan Floyd. She was
the daughter of General Frank Preston
of Abingdo:, Va, who was a member
of the first three Congresses of the Uni
ted States, and citizen of great wealth.
owning the Pre- ton Salt Works, near
Abingdon. Mrs. Floyd was niece OF
Col James +. Preston, a gallant soldier
of the war of 1872, and afterwards Gov
ernor of Virginia, who was well known
in Norfolk, from having married q sister
of General Robert Il. Tay lor. and by his
son, Secretary and Senator Wr. Ballard
Preston.
Mrs. Floyd was the last of a family OF
distinguished sisters, viz: Eliza, wife OF
General Edward q. Carringion, of Hall.
fax county, Virginia; Susan, wife of Gov.
ernor James Mcdowell, Of Lexington
Va; Sophnisba, wife of Rev. Robert j.
breckenridge, ID. D., of Lexington, Ken
tucky; Maria, wife of John NJ. Preston,
Of Washington county, Va; and Marga-
ret, wife of General (now SeDator) w ade
Hampton, OF South Carolina; all Of them
women worthy of such men.
Mrs. Floyd was the sister of William
G. Preston, Senator from South Carolina
to which he had enigrated; who was
one of the most eloquent orators which
the country has produced since his
grapd-unclo, Patrick Henry. She was
also sister of Col. john s. Preston, the
commissioner of South Carolina to Vir-
ginia, in 1861, and since much dlstin-
guished by various public oratiOns.
The mother of Mrs. Floyd, and Of the
dist nguished persons Just named, Mrs.
Sally Buchanan Preston, was the only
child of General William Campbell, who
commanded at the battle of Kings
NJ Ountain in the Revolutionary war,
where a victory was won by his rifiemen
over detachmet of the British army
that drove Lord Carnwallis into series
of movements which ended in his sur.
iender at Yorktown.
The wife of General Campbell, and
grandmother of Mrs. Floyd, was Ehza-
beth Henry, a sister of Patrick Henry.
General Campbell died at the close OF
the Revolutions; and Mrs. Campbell
afterwards Mrs. RusselD was the chief
stay of the infant Methodist church of
her day in Southwest Virginia. Her
house was the home o fits young mission
aries, and pulpit was part of the fur
niture in her parlor at the salt works.
She was herself renowned for her elo-
quence in exhortation and prayer, and
she was thought to be equal 20 her broth
er Patrick himself, in strength of mind,
brilliancy of imagination and silver
| tongned elocution. From this grand.
mother Mrs. Floyd inherited the fervent
| devotion to Methodism which character.
ized her life. Through the Henrys Mrs
Floyd was near relation of General
Joseph K. johnson, Senator johnson
and the rest OF that family of distinguish.
ed men.
Mrs. Floyd's maternal aunt married
Governor John Floyd the elder, whose
son, John Is. Floyd the younger she mar
lied. Mrs. Floyd had no children of hsI
own; but early adopted two orphaned
relatives Of both herself and her has band
John Preston Johnston, afterwards Q
gallant young artillery officer Of the
army, who was killed on the field of bat.
tla at Contreras in the Mexican war, and
his sister, Mrs. Judge Hughes, now resi-
dent in Norfolk.
Mrs. Floyd died at the ripe age Of
seventy-seven. A few years ago sht
spent a winter In Norfolk, bat has eveI
since preferred to remain in Abingdon
and wait for death near the grave of hel
husband, She leaves few behind her o
more exalted qualities of heart, mind ant
| character.
1t is well TO speak of high lineage
when II Is the inheritance of the good
| The bad who discredit an honorable de
scent are those who should be silent OF
such subject.