Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-07-06

1
seeding clergyman. + Mr.. James Brow
married Miss Nancy Hart, the daughte
of Colonel Thomas Hart and sister o
Mrs. Henry Clay. DR.. Preston Brow
married Miss Elizabeth Watts, the old
est sister of General Edward Watts, O
Roanoke. She was exceedingly rich
Miss Elizabeth Brown married the Rev
Thomas Craighead. Miss Mary Brown
married DR.. Alexander Humphreys, OF
Staunton, a distinguished physician.
DIR. Samuel Brown married q Miss Per
cy, of the State of Mississippi.
Mrs. Lettice, Breckenridge's sons
were William Breckenridge, who mar
ried Miss Gillian, of Augusta county
Mr.. John Breckenridge, the distin-
guished lawyer of Kentucky, who mar
ried Miss Mary Cabell; General James
Breckenridge, who married Miss Nancy
Selden. of Hampton, Virginia; Preston
Breckenridge, who married Miss Betsy
Trigg, the daughter of Colonel Stephen
Trigg, who was killed at the battle OF
the Blue Licks, in Kentucky.
Mrs. Smith was the mother of Mrs.
Blair, whose son is the distinguished
editor of the Globe. Mrs Smiths sec
ond daughter married Major William
Trigg, tile son of Colonel Stephen TrIgg.
The third daughter, Mrs. Jane Madison
was he wife OF. Governor George Madi.
son, OF Kentucky. The youngest daugh-
ter merried DIR. Lcuis Marshall. the
brother of Chief-Justice Marshall. He
is the father of Mr.. Thomas Marshall, t
now in the Congress of the United
States. Mrs. Smith had two sons only !;
the oldest, Mr.. John Smith, married
Miss Cherise Hart, the daughter of Col
onel Nathaniel Hart. William was a
major in the army. and died at Baton
Rouge. Mrs. Mary Howard was the
youngest sister of Colonel Preston. She.
was: born in Augusta county in the
year l740. She married Mr.. John How
ard, young gentleman of great patri-
monlal wealth and superior education.S
She was the mother of General Benja-
min Howard, who died Governor of
Missouri !. Her youngest daughter mar
ried NJ Robert Wickliffe, of Lexing-
ton, Ky. Mr.. Wickliffe became pos
sessed of those immensely valuable
lands1n Fayette county, which accrued
TO his first wife from the death of her
sister, Miss Howard, and her brother,
Governor Howard.
"I will now give you an account of
your grandfather F'loyd's family. Early
in the last century. his ancestors emf
grated FROM Wales and settled in the
Eastern Shore of Virginia. Mr.. Will
liam Floyd, the father of Colonel John
Floyd, had two brothers, one named
J ohm, who went North, and whose fam
lily Gf he ever had one) is lost sight of.
Charles, the, youngest son, went to
Georgia AND is the ancestor of General
John Floyd; Of Darien, in that State.
William Floyd left the Eastern Shore,
went up the country as far as Amherst
county, which was then a very mild re-
glon; he met with family by the name
OF Davis, whose ancestors had come
from Wales. They had traded with the
Catawba Indians and got much property
in that way. The father of Robert Da-
Wis had married half-breed Indian
girl. TINS Robert Davis was the father
OF Miss AbnHah Davis, whom Mr.. Will
liam Floyd. married. Davis owned
many of the rich lands of Amherst
His other daughters married Mr.. Ven
able and General Evans Shelby. of Ma
ryland. His oldest son, Robert Davis,
emigrated even at that early day to
Natchez. where many of the descen-
dants live. John Floyd, the oldest son
of Abadiah Davis, his wife. was born in
175l in Amherst county, Virginia. At
the age of eighteen he married a Miss
Burfoot. In twelve months after their
marriage Mrs. Floyd died. leaving a
daughter few days old. The mother
of Mrs. Floyd took charge of the child.
Shortly afterwards Colonel Floyd came
to Botetourt and engaged in the business
of teaching school ana writing in the
surveyors Office. He remained at Col
onel Preston's until the year 1878.
Whilst at Smithfield his duties were
arduous. Whenever the business of the
surveyors office did not require his per-
sonal attention he rode as deputy sheriff
with Colonel Daniel Trigg, both being
employed by Colonel William Chris
tian, the high sheriff. In the year IVA
Colonel Floyd went to Kentucky, where
lands on Elk-hOrn creek, many in
Shelby county, and Jefferson county.
He returned to Smithtleld after unpar
allelled sufferings. The Declaration of
Independence had been made at this
time. DIR. Thomas Walker, Edmund
Pendleton, Colonel Preston, and one or
two other gentlemen, purchased a
schooner, had it fitted up for privateer,
and gave the command to Colonel
Floyd. / remember to have read a let
ter to my father from Colonel Floyd
dated On board the privateer Phoenix
He sailed to the West Indies and OBJ
tanned a very rich prize. Amongst the
articles on board the merchantmen was
a very fine suit of wedding clothes for
lady. Colonel Floyd was at that time
engaged to Miss Jane Buchanan to be
married. He thought his fortune was
made in the rich cargo he had taken
On his return, whilst nearly in sight of
the capes of Virginia, he was overhauled
by British vessel of war, captured,
taken to Eng and, put in irons and i'm
prisoned. Whether it was in London
or Oh the coast of England do not re.
collect. Whilst he was there Colonel
Radford was brought to the same prison.
They were nearly a year confined. The
jailOr had daughter to whom Colonel
Floyd appealed so successfully that she
obtained the keys and let him out. Col
Onel Radford told me when Floyd left
them all the prisoners shed tears, so great
favorite had lie made himself. Floyd
begged his way to Dover, where he
found clergyman, who was in the
habit of concealing all American fugi-
tives and procuring passage for them
TO France 1t was in the season of the
vintage. The French gave him grapes
and sometimes bread.
"In this way he got to Paris, applied
to DR.. Franklin, who furnished him
with money and instructions to the
United States. Whilst in Paris Colonel
Floyd was attacked with the smallpox,
+Rey John Mitchell Mason university of
PENNSYLVANIA, son of Rev. John Mason, d. D.,
born in New York city March 10, ITO; died
there December 90 1929; graduated Columbia
College, 1888. BY his efforts a theological SEMI
nary was established in New York in 1914, and
he was appointed Professor of Theology, In !egb
he protected the Christians Magazine, in whIch
he carried on controversy with BlShop no
bart. Resigning his pastoral charge IN lolO,
with the purpose of forming new congrega-
ton, he preached awhile in q Presbyterian
church edffce and having established more in
innate relations btween the two congregations
than were believed by some to besauthoriZed
by the constitution of the Associate reformed
Church, the subject was brought before the
SYNOD of Philadelphia in ISL, and occasloned
Dir. Mason's "Plea for Sacramental Commu-
MON of Catholic Principles" Provost OF Co
mmbia College in lSll-l6; impaired health
caused him to visit Europe, where he Travelled
extensively; returning in 1917, he was from
| 1921 to 1921 president of Dickinson College; in
| 1872 he connected himself with the Presbyterian