Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-06-29

Preston to require of every young man
who was employed in his office to teach
school six months at least, thereby find
ing out his temper, diligence, habits,
and trustwOrthiness. Mr.. Breck en-
ridges, Smiths children, and my broth
ers and sisters constituted Floyd's
school. In the autumn of that yearS
Colonel Preston and Colonel Nathaniel
Gist were appointed to make a treaty
with the Cherokee and, think, the
Chickamauga Indians at Long Island,
on the Holston river. in the State of
Tennessee. The treaty was made and
the Southern Indians were perfectly
quiet.
"In the March of LIZA Colonel Pres
ton removed my mother and her chill
dren to Smithfield. There was a fort
stockade around the house. Several of
the neighbors' families came Into it for
safety because the Northwestern In
dians made constant attempts on the
settlements. Major John Taylor's, who
had married asniece of Colonel Buch-
anan, was .one tof the families. Mr..
Robert Preston, Captain James Charl-
ton, his brother Frank, and Captain
John Lucas were mainly the persons
who defended the fort.
t.In the June of ia my brother, Coy
ernor James Patton Preston, was born
at Smithfield. Mrs. Preston's confine-
ment was so protracted from typhus
fever that nurse was procured for her
infant son by the kindness of Mrs. Van
Lear, who afectionately took upon her.
self that office She was the mother OF
the Rev. John Van Lear. During the
summer and autumn of "a the entire
region northwest of the mountains of
Virginia was put in commotion by the
movements OF the Indians on her boun-
iaries. The Governor of the State.
Lord Dunmore made visit IS far as
Fin castle, In Botetourt county, to or
gal,i.ze an expedition against the Shaw
nee. l3uyandotte, and Delaware Indians
General Andrew Lewis, who served In
Braddock's war as q colonel, and IN the
old French was as major, was appoint
ed comma nder of the expedition. His
Youngest brother, Colonel Charles
Lewis. of Bath county, General Lewis g
sons. Samuel and Thomas, his nephew
Thomas Lewis of Rockingham county
and Andrew, Iohn Lewis, and his
nephew.in-law, Captain Frog, were all
in his army. I think Colonel William
Christian, Colonel William Fleming,
his brother-in-law, Colonel John Stew
art, and Colonel Floyd were all in the
campaign. The battle of Point Pleas
ant was fought on the 10Th OCTOBER,
IVA. Colonel Charles Lewis was killed,
Colonel Samuel Lewis wounded, Cap
tain John Lewis, Of Rockingham,
killed, Captain Frog killed, as was Cap
tain Morrow, the brother in-iaw OF Col
onel Charles Lewis. Colonel Floyd
had been sent on a foiagtng expediti0n
and did not arrive until the day OF the
battle. I remember distinctly 70 nave
read q letter from Colonel Thomas
Lewis, of Rockingham county, CIV
ing a detailed account of the battle II
Colonel Preston was detained by the
illness of Mrs Preston, who was not
expected to survive.
1.-THE wear after the battle the country
of Kentucky attracted much attention.
Colonel Preston's surve, 'or's office COM
pretended all that beautiful State. He
(ColOnel PrestOn) sent Colonel Floyd
out on an exploring expedition, with a
view to take up the lands for the benefit
of Floyd and himself For II long time
it was supposed that Floyd N&d been
killed by the Indians However, be re
turned to Smithfield by the route. of
Coal river, &c, having
endured hardships which few men could
have survived.
sIn the summer of 1776 the American
fairly commenced. All
plans for settlement west were sus-
pended. Colonel Preston found himself
surrounded by neighborhOod of Tories
that kept him continually on the alert
to prevent their numbering himself and
family, as well as every other Wing in
the county. General William Camp
bell, of Washington county, Colonel
Arthur Campbell, of the same county,
a brother-in. law of General Campbell,
Colonel Patrick Lockhart, of BotetOurt
county, and William Madison, the SON.
in-law of Colonel Preston, were all good
Wings and kept the Tories at bay.
"Colonel Preston was very intently
engaged in Educating his family and
the valuable estate he had by
this time acquired. To effect the first
named purpose he had purchased gen
tleman by the name of Palfrenan. This
person was poet and a scholar. Mr..
Palfrenan had, in a drunken frOlic, con
sented to be married to beautiful wO-
man, who was represented to him as q
lady by his companions. Next morn
ing, finding he had been made dupe
of, and that his wife was a woman OF
the town, he embarked in few hours
for America. On landing at Williams
burg, Colonel Preston met with him,
purchased him, and ever afterwards
kept him in his family as teacher.
Mr.. Palfrenan was the correspondent
and friend of the celebrated Miss Carter,
the poetess. M Colonel Preston, Colonel
Thomas Lewis, of Rockingham, Gen
erai Andrew Lewis, of Botetourt. Mr..
John Madison, and Colonel Fleming, OF
Augusta, engagedff Mr.. Gabriel Jones,
an Enlishman, to select for them hDra'
ries in London. This Mr.. Jones was
Mr.. Jefferson's first partner in the prac-
tfce of law. A good selection OF the
classics, ancient history, the distin-
guished poets of England. the Diction-
ary of Arts and Sciences, d sort of ell.
cyclop@dia, with much polemics and
many religious productions. constituted
the libraries. / would observe that the
use of these books gave to each family
possessing them station which out
ranked very many wealthier families
than the above named.
"The multiplicity of business growing
out of the surveyors office, arganizine
the counties and their civil pOlity
S0cIucu W TcQulIc iii OOIOLtCA l. AOoVOA
energies. In addition, he maintained
an extensive correspondence with many
of the then actiS e Whig partisans of the
Revolution. In his business he was
greatly assisted by his nephew, Mr.
John Breckenridge, who was undergo
ing the ordeal Of teaching school a.
Smithfield. Mr.. Breckenridge studied
law at William and Mary College, mar
ried Miss Polly Cabell, the secone
daughter of Colonel Joseph Cabell, re,
ceiving large fortune with her In l79,
removed to Kentucky, acquired great
celebrity as lawyer; presented the IA
NOUS Kentucky resolutions on the amer
and sedition laws; was elected to tht
sEarly in 1772 the authorities of Virglnls
made treaty with the CherOkees, by Whlcn !
boundary was fixed between them, to run Yves s
from the White Top Mountain, In lttlIuue oo
3U.-Ramseys History of Tennessee. p. lu9.
lSee Campbefls Virginia. PIP. $3.50 an1 Soo VIZ f
ginia Historical Register, vol. ", pp lol-lSa' io
definite accounts of this event,
fThe papers of Colonel Thomas Lewis are De
1ieved to be in the possession of his descendant
Hon. John F. Lewis. of Rockingham county.
**EliZabeth Carter, an English lady OF grTss "a
learning and requirements, the daughter OF -, -,
Nicholas Carter, clergyman OF Kent. was @ pori y,
in l7l7. Educated by her father she pecaan IL.
mistress of Latin, Greek. French. and derna. as1
to which she added Italian. Spanish, tortugestt 81
Hebrew and Arabic Several pOet1cat aJLeluPt